Business trip day 9: frustration!
I am so frustrated this morning. I wanted to take Chester out for his walk early this morning, so that it wouldn’t be hot. I have things I need to get done, too. But I won’t take him for a walk until he’s at least pee’d.
But he won’t. He keeps ringing the bells to go outside once I’ve put his harness on, but once there, he does nothing. I do not want him peeing on other people’s lawns. It’s been 3 hours since he first pee’d. He usually needs to go in that timeframe.
In the meantime we’ve been out twice already this morning, with no pee forthcoming. I get so tired of not being able to do what I want, when I want, but if I just go ahead and do stuff, he would probably have an accident. I don’t think I could ever have the patience to potty train a human child.
But then I bring him back inside, and he curls up in his bed like a little angel . . . it’s hard to mad at him when he looks so cute. Until the next time we go out & maybe he still doesn’t do anything! I really wish we could get to the bottom of his bathroom habits (or non-habits, as the case may be).
Apparently third time was the charm, finally at 10:30 am we were able to go out for our walk. One of the things I miss on my walks now is that I can’t pet the outside cats. Even if Chester was okay with it, I doubt most cats would stand for a strange dog, no matter how nice, walking up to them.
I saw this gorgeous ginger cat on our walk today (what’s one more?), and he even walked right towards us. But I left him alone (Chester didn’t seem to notice him). I did stop one day to try and pet some cats I actually know. I put Chester into a sit-stay first, but he still barked and growled at them.
I was very disappointed, and somewhat surprised. He’s been raised with cats from a young age. Not just ours, but his foster mom had cats, too.
The other issue we’re still dealing with his mild separation anxiety. I’ve stepped up my efforts with that again. I’m tired of feeling I can’t leave him; that I can’t go and do what I want to do when I want to do it — and I want to be able to start going swimming in the morning once a week or so soon! I’m really not gone that often, but still, I have to grocery shop, I help at a cat rescue — I’m gone a few hours a day several times a week. Certainly much better than the norm, with everyone is gone at least 8 hours a day!
I’ve read a number of positive training dog books. They all have a slightly different take on SA; basically, I’m finding I just need to keep trying different things. Although if it doesn’t get better, maybe it really will be time to do some one on one time with a trainer. The latest book I’m reading is “The Latchkey Dog
I like the book a lot. According to it, I’ve done most things right: Chester has learned basic obedience, which we practice every day; he has to sit-stay for his dinner; he isn’t hand fed; he goes for walks under his own power; he gets a couple of toys each day, that I choose. According to Andersen, often separation anxiety occurs because the dog is alpha, and is worried about keeping track of his pack.
Yet I don’t think Chester sees himself as the alpha dog. He does get to sleep on the couch, but he gets off if asked to, and I can move him wtih no problems at all.
So, in addition to his kong in his crate at night, I’m going to step up training him in the crate as well. I’m also going to try to make sure he’s left alone in the bathroom every day, too. I did that today for the first time when I didn’t even have to go out.
After our walk, I moved his crate into the bathroom. He, of course, was already snoozing away on the couch, so I brought him into the bathroom. I tried getting him into the crate with treats, but he just freezes when I put him in the bathroom and close the door now. So eventually I just moved around the room, calling him to me, and telling him to “take it” — and throwing a treat in the crate each time he did take it.
Eventually he ate the treats in the crate, too, but didn’t want to stay in there. Then I left, did some stuff for about 20 minutes (and didn’t hear anything, but then I did have the radio on), then let him out.
I’ve also begun to feed him his dinner, in the crate, in the bathroom occasionally. He’s always been fed in his crate, but not in the bathroom.
I would love to just let him roam the house, yet I think it’s important that he learn to become relaxed when confined, because it’s going to happen someday. Right now I’m not even crating him, just leaving him in the bathroom with the crate (and a chew in the crate) there (door open). His bed is also there, along with a chew toy.
He’s so funny. Most of the time if he’s on the couch, and I get up to do something, after a minute or two he comes to find me. People on the chihuahua forum were talking about their dogs doing the same thing. Yet when we came back from our walk, and I stopped to do a few chores, he’d taken himself off to the couch on his own.
Chester did very well in class tonight. He did awesome stays with all the dogs in the class (and their people) walking by, and did well on his sit stays with me out of sight. He had a bit of trouble with doing the left turn when heeling.
But the real problem was the end of class, when we worked on come with distractions. Food distractions. He picked up the pig’s ear, although he did put it down. He stopped to go back to the cow’s hoove. But the crowning glory was the open bag of kibble at the end . . . he had real trouble with that, although eventually he did leave it. This is something that’s going to be difficult to practice, especially with the boys around.
He does so well with training because he’s so food motivated . . . but food distractions really are distractions for him!
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