Well, spring is here (kind of, we got snow again this morning ) But with spring come lots of new critters. Squirrels, birds, chipmunks, you know.....fun things to chase.

Remi has a new obsession of watching them out the window. He whines to go out and chase them or just watch them. We spend as much time as we can outside and we try to work him so that he is tired when he comes in. If he's tired enough, he doesn't pay any attention to them. This week has been very rainy & cold and its been hard to get him out for long. So its been a challenge. Is there any way around this or any tips you have for me? I try redirecting him into some training or we go to a different room to play...but our house is pretty open layout and he can see out a window pretty much anywhere he is. Obviously I could put curtains up...but I hate living in a dungeon! Its gotten to the point now where its not so much of an issue at night, we exercise him right after work so he'll come in and relax but he gets up at the crack of dawn...literally when he can see outside. He goes back & forth to the windows and just whines. I realize he's still a puppy but this getting up at 5 AM every morning gets old! 

Today DH is home with the pups and he just called me out of breath. Remi had  seen a squirrel cross the road, and of course he chased it. Jim yelled his name and gave him his recall command and it didn't even register to him. He payed no attention. Jim had to go out into the road and basically chase him back into the yard.  We had gotten so well with recall, but obviously not with distractions. Help? 

And the other issue.

I've been feeding the pups here Bug Off Garlic to try and help control the ticks. Its a powder garlic supplement that goes on their food. I give it once a day usually in the mornings. Remi doesnt like it. I mix it in with their boneless meal which is usually ground beef and i mix it enough so he can't just shake it off (he's done this). Well, he will eat it, but you can tell he doesn't really care for it. The last few mornings he gets done eating, goes over to the girls bowls and pees next to them?! 

I swear its been since we started the garlic, so this morning I did a test. I didn't add garlic to anyones breakfast and he didn't pee.  He gets let out every morning right when we get up and before he's fed so holding it isn't an issue. I dont get it ! Is he literally saying piss on it?! LOL 

Thanks in advance

I forgot to add. I heel Bregon, the biggest offender, around them. On/off leash.
They never give up squirrels but we can get some peace if we work at it
 

Now they are nasty, I guess from guarding their nests.They don't even run away unless chased.

This is the problem....

Those big windows in front are great, but he can see out them from the main floor and from the loft (our bedroom). So...as soon as there is any daylight coming in...thats where he's at! 

Now....if I could talk DH out of getting rid of his pool table so the dogs had even more room in the basement...LOL

What would be a good way for him to learn whining is not ok? He tends to whine when he is overly excited, and I'm not quite sure how to get him to stop that. When he does I give a stern AH AH, and he usually stops for a minute or two, but then starts back up.

The whinning is due to over excitement. First will come the shaking,like a leaf on a tree,then the whinning, then a break.Dogs who whine will always break, even if it's just a butt lift or a balance shift on whoa. I have not seen a dog standing birds whine. I have seen dogs in an honor whine.Basically, a whine is a break of a command. So, we need to have high standards. Which means a firm correction. AH-AH may work and when it does,offer a treat, heel him off before he begins to whine, then re-sit him and start over. Or you could use a prong collar, correction.

I don't use physical corrections for this. As the dog becomes under whelmed they stop the whining.

It all takes time,effort and patience.

If we train our dog like their life depended on this training we would all be the best trainers.

Very good tips here, I'll have to give them a try as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions, very helpful.

Bev I do have a question for you though. At what point did you introduce the e-collar and actually use it? Was the first time you used it when they went to chase deer? You mentioned "if he really knows recall, then I would introduce the ecollar to break him of chasing wild animals". I *think* he knows recall, but I also think he has selective hearing and chooses when to listen....yesterday was a prime example. Obviously the only way to test those situations, is to be in them. So....would you suggest that he starts wearing the e-collar during all of our fun activities...and should that situation occur, I then use it? Or is this something I need to condition him to so he doesn't freak out when he gets a nick and run off?

Our trainer we are working with wants to introduce the ecollar in the future, but he uses the beeper for recall and low stimulation for whoa. Is this ok? His theory is that with whoa you can and should be able to get your dog to stop over anything with that command. Which he says has saved his dogs life many times.


Now last night I had him out, off leash in the yard. He was an angel. He took off behind the shed once a little bit too far so I called him and he turned immediately. I wonder how much of it is him testing Jim....I have been the one working with his recall, not so much Jim. So maybe that needs to change too.

Marcia- we used a prong collar to introduce whoa to Remi. It was pretty easy and he caught on fast. We're now up to 20' away (using a check cord and flat collar) and he holds a whoa for 3 minutes....so far, I haven't tested him longer than that yet. This is outside with his sisters running in circles around him too.

Re recall: He needs a refresher, more recall exercises on a check cord, gradually adding distractions. At one year old I would introduce the e-collar to eventually proof the recall on chase mode.

Tessa window hunts as well - I have low windows and there are 3 or 4 cats that love to stroll by which drives Tessa wild. When that happens, I just tell her to quit and redirect her. I am lucky though that she's not much of a whiner.