What's got into this dog?

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My dog, Diamond, is a lovely pup. He's smart, obedient, has a great disposition. He really is a nice dog.

Unless I'm home alone and I try to just sit down anywhere other than my computer chair or at the dining room table.

I sit on the sofa or lie on the bed and the dog goes bananas! He wallows around making this stupid snark-awrwowrw sound. Or he tries to put his mouth on my arms - not like biting at all, like mouthing. Or he sits, stares at me and barks barks barks barks barks barks. I try doing a "down/stay" command, something he is usually very good at, but he starts wallowing and snarking and trying to put his mouth on my shoe.

Ignoring him is impossible. Reprimanding/correcting him doesn't work. Locking him out of the room just leads to snark-awrowor-barkbarkbarkbark outside the door. It is starting to make me nuts!

The minute I get up to go on to something else the dog is his fine lovable self again.

He is allowed on the furniture but I know he doesn't think he "owns" them. When you tell him to get off he gets right off.

What's going on and how do I stop it?

Thanks!

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@boomerang,

Weird. I have no idea what your dog is doing, my dog makes that noise when he's begging for attention.

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Gracie does that when she needs to go outside. If I was (she's living with daughter now) up and about she would lead me to the leash and front door with that snark/bark. By snark I'm taking that to mean what we call Gracie's "Elvis face" with the one side of the upper lip going up like she's trying talk.

If not needing to go outside, my guess is attention or play is being requested. Even if you are just putzing around the house and that satisfies him, he probably is following you and therefore feels like he has something to do. You laying on the bed is boring and not engaging, so he says "Get up! Give me something to do. I'm bored."

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@boomerang,

I'm also guessing that he has come to know you as the main caregiver, so even if Mo is around he knows he has to come to you to get the attention or whatever else he wants. Depending on his actions after you get up, it could also mean "I want a bone" or "Throw the ball! Throw the ball! Throw the ball! oh, gawd, please get up and throw the ball!"

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@boomerang,

My guess is that he wants you to play with him. Somehow he has recognized that you don't pay attention to him when you are at the computer or the dining room table, so he doesn't waste his time putting on a show. But everywhere else he thinks you just need encouragement.

I don't know how to get him to stop it. When my dog does that I just pat her a little bit and then ignore her. Eventually she gets tired of trying and wanders off.

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@squinney,

Quote:

If not needing to go outside, my guess is attention or play is being requested. Even if you are just putzing around the house and that satisfies him, he probably is following you and therefore feels like he has something to do. You laying on the bed is boring and not engaging, so he says "Get up! Give me something to do. I'm bored."

Ha! That probably IS it. It really is only when I'm in "relax" mode. I try not to humanize the dog much but now that you mention it is really is like he's saying "Oh! You've got a minute? I've got an idea! Let's play!"

He has free access to the backyard so I know going out isn't it. He gets lots of exercise and attention but now that I think about it -- this behavior really started right about the time Mo went back to school.

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@boomerang,

I'm not sure I understand the trying not to humanize the dog part of your post. They do think and feel and communicate like we do. Okay, more like a child does, so don't expect him to provide you with square footage for your next flooring project, but still... They do have human characteristics.

Didn't you end up with an australian shepherd mix? Am I remembering that correctly?

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@squinney,

I mean I try not to put people dialogue in his head because I think dogs think differently. I watch a bit too much of the dog whisperer, probably. I try to think dog instead of having the dog think people.

Yeah, he's Australian shepard/border collie. He's a smart dog.

Maybe Mr. B has trained him to herd me back into all the work I have to do around the house.

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@boomerang,

Mr. B would never admit to that, though.

That breed mix really needs a lot of attention. Very smart, too. For that mix you probably CAN go ahead and ask for the square footage requirements for your next flooring project.

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@boomerang,

I suspect that he has some intuitive doubts about u
and he needs u to render him your heartfelt assurance
that u will vote REPUBLICAN in the forthcoming election.
If u do so, everything will be OK

Give him a nice, rare prime rib of beef for reminding u.

David

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@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

He has free access to the backyard so I know going out isn't it.

ya know what the dog whisperer says - the backyard isn't 'out'. it doesn't count as an activity in Diamond's doggie psychology.

Diamond probably understands the energy at the table and computer as do not disturb energy - he wants some of that other energy for him.

Is there some project you could connect to the end of your break time? you could teach him that if he leaves you alone in a relaxing mode, he'll be rewarded at the end of that relaxation with some wonderful job to do. If he doesn't leave you alone, he doesn't get to do the job.

Something like - time your break to just before picking up Mo time. If Diamond leaves you alone, he gets to come along (wearing his knapsack of course) to pick up Mo. If he bugs you during your break, he doesn't get to come along. You'd probably have to start it in tiny time segments, but I bet he could learn that.

Or treadmill time could follow your break ...

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@ehBeth,

it reminds me of BAILEY'S reaction me to doing ebeth's tax return .
i was busily working away and didn't pay any attention to him . ebeth and mrs h were there , but ... he wanted my attention .
eventually he jumped on a chair , onto the table and spread himself over the tax return i was working on - that got my attention ! <GRIN>
hbg

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@ehBeth,

Oh yeah -- I know "out". We walk for close to an hour every day. I just means he doesn't need me to take him out to pee or poop.

A treat for leaving me alone sounds like a program I could work out. I just need to find a way to get him started on leaving me alone for a few minutes and expand from there. He is quite devoted to me and is usually within a three foot radius but relaxing time is crazy stupid nearness needy dog time.

If jumbo pup starts crawling up on the tables I'm in trouble. He does this crazy vulture dog thing on the arm of the sofa and Mr. B already accuses me of spoiling the dog.

Me? Spoil a pet? Never!

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@boomerang,

How is he on clicker training?

I was thinking this kind of request from you (sit down/be quiet/leave me alone) might work well with clicker training.

Leaving you alone for seconds is probably where you'll have to start, but he's smart and you could probably ramp up pretty quickly from that.

When I did the AKC CGC with Bailey, part of the test was a 5 minute alone downstay. It was awful to prepare for, but it has paid off over the years.

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@boomerang,

What do you mean, you're not spoiling that dog? Of course you're supposed to spoil the dog! You can't spoil a kid or you'll have a potential felon. This is what pets are for!

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@Eva,

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@JPB,

Well, that and grandchildren...I hear.

You DO properly spoil your cats, don't you, J?

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@Eva,

Quote:

What do you mean, you're not spoiling that dog?
Of course you're supposed to spoil the dog!

I used to bring mine home the best foods from NY 's finest restaurants.
The waiters dressed it up in aluminum foil, sculpted to look like a swan or other creature.

He might have taken exception to your adopted nomenclature.
He did not believe that was spoiling; he regarded it as the Natural Order of the Universe.

I did not argue with him.

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

Didn't you read her post David? Her dog is SMART.

Thanks for the laugh though Wink

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@Eva,

I'll happily spoil a cat but really I hate spoiled dogs. Spoiling ruins everything that is so great about dogs.

My dog doesn't care one bit if his food comes from a fancy foil swan or a plain brown bag. People care about that stuff, dogs don't. That's just one of the many reasons I like almost every dog I meet but humans..... not so much.

I think today that I'll try to sit down to relax and give him a knuckle bone to gnaw on. Get up, take away the bone, sit down, give the bone, get up, take away the bone, repeat as necessary. Maybe if I give him something to relax with, he'll let me relax!

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What's got into this dog?

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