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Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 05 Aug 2018, 08:43
by Hil54
We’ve just come back from a weeks holiday with our 11 month old mini. We found that when we were on the beach for an afternoon or just out and about she never relaxes and sits or lies down to rest. She constantly runs, sniffs, digs etc and then gets very overtired and barks a lot. We have given her chews but she isn’t too interested and we encourage her to sit and lie down but it lasts about 5 seconds!! Are we expecting too much at her age? Any tips for making our holidays and day trips a little more relaxing? Thanks.

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 05 Aug 2018, 09:11
by Oscar 12345
Hi Hilary, just had the same experience this week when we took Otto to Sidmouth. Poor boy found the whole experience overwhelming from the noise from the seagulls to the strong salty air, screaming children and activity in the town. He doesn't bark very much but he did start to and also cried a lot and shrieked louder than the seagulls at one point. We took him to the pub one night and he did sit through the meal but we had to keep stroking him to keep his attention on us. He wouldn't settle with his chew as there was too much going on. You have to remember that for a young dog this will have been a major change to their routine and as such they will be very unsettled by it and even unsettled a day or so after you get back. The key thing is to keep a consistent approach to the barking. It is ok to bark to alert you to something but not to then continue once alerted. Don't let it become a habit for her. I let Otto have a bark and say good boy and then say enough, then when quiet good boy again. If the barking doesn't stop immediately I find that putting my hand gently around his nose works for me. When I release he gets a good boy. So everywhere you are, in the house, garden or out keep the same routine and he will get it. Also don't let the experience put you off from taking him out. They need more experience of this and then they will become more confident. If the change in routine happens only once a year for example you are unlikely to get them used to it. It is a young dog thing but you need to work at it with a schnauzer. Also a kong with real food in it will work better than a chew. A piece of apple wedged in the top keeps it going for a while. Do it in your house with a mat by your feet using the word settle to lie by your feet with the kong and then replicate when out.

Re: Puppy never relaxes

Posted: 05 Aug 2018, 10:36
by Robin black mini
id like to know if your dog is insecure or assertive? It makes a lot of difference as to the advice I'd give..

Julie's advice is excellent for the first case,however ,I have a very assertive female and I'd take a slightly different route..
Re my dog ,I had the barking on and off for her first year,but she was really dominant,would fix any female with an eye stare and bark if they moved..I used to gently put my finger on her shoulder,and just say enough..or watch...and it would break her stare( she'd look at me) and we'd carry on..these days simply saying enough is sufficient to get her attention and she's a really good dog. People have asked me if she's a different pup to "the barker "I used to have...I laugh and say,no she's just been trained..over here the mini schnauzers have an awful reputation as barkers or biters,no in between..so I delight in showing them how things can turn around if you are firm and consistent.I take my dog to really crowded places,and they have to be well behaved,but I don't push the mini to be a crowd pleaser( like my poodle),just to respect others.
I am strict with my girl,or she would take a mile.shes really obedient nowadays,but I treated her as I used to my rottie...she had the same mind set and needed clear rules.
If I was in a new setting as described,I would take the dog's settle mat( we have a small pad that I keep at the side of my armchair) and I'd put it down if we were wanting to stay in a location for the day..a chew bone would be enough to reward the dog.id keep the dog on lead ,and say settle...mine would likely sleep,if well excercised prior..again this becomes a routine.
You can practice this routine at home with a placemat by your chair,dog on lead,lead under you foot...get on your I pad etc and relax for ten minutes..dog is given the settle command and then released with praise and a treat...this way the mat becomes a secure place ,and a good excercise for training the dog to chill.
Also take heart...eleven months is still adolescence...give it a few more months and you'll find the excercises will kick in and the dog will become more steady when she gets to adulthood.

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Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 09 Aug 2018, 18:21
by Hil54
Thank you both so much for your advice which we are following carefully. This is our first dog so all comments are very helpful. I'm not really sure if she barks because she is insecure or assertive? She happily meets dogs off lead and doesn't particularly seem one or the other. Just really excited by everything. How do we know? I'm sorry if that is a really silly question.

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 09 Aug 2018, 19:12
by Oscar 12345
Is her tail up and wagging or stiff with no movement. Does she seem excited and happy or defensive and wanting to stay near your legs? Going backwards when she barks is also another telling sign.

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 14 Sep 2018, 22:54
by Hil54
Bit of a delay in answering as we have been away ( without our ms). The last couple of weeks the barking has got much worse when she is on her lead and meets or just sees another dog. She barks frantically and we can’t do anything to stop her as she is so worked up. Her tail is completely still and stiff and she doesn’t want to stay near us or go backwards. If she meets the other dog she nearly always stops barking but funnily enough quite a lot of owners don’t want their dog anywhere near her!! Off lead she never barks and is happy to meet and play with the majority of dogs she meets. We are getting really concerned that the barking is getting so much worse. Any advice for us would be very great fully received.

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 15 Sep 2018, 10:12
by Oscar 12345
Hilary, this is a real tough one. She is clearly insecure when on a lead, question is how do you make her more confident and assured. My 1st schnauzer was just the same and I didn't fix it I think I just gave in to it but probably should have worked more at making him more secure. I just had to be careful and explain to people coming up to us with a dog that he was friendly just scared and then the owners would relax and bring their dogs over. I wonder what would happen if you found someone with a dog who was prepared to walk with you and your dog on a lead. Try keeping the lead loose as much as possible because a taught lead to her will give her a reason to be scared. Have you tried going back to basics with a high value treat pouch and total distraction when you see a dog and think she will bark. With Otto (a lunging problem rather than barking) I used to get him out of the way hopefully with his back to the dog and hold a treat until the dog had passed. If a dog was in the distance try gauging what is the safe distance before she barks and then manoeuvre her out of the way before you break that distance, gradually reduce the distance. I am struggling Hilary to give you better advice, at least I think you know what is causing the problem. Being off lead she knows that she can get away if she needs to so is probably more relaxed.

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 15 Sep 2018, 12:52
by zeta1454
Hi Hilary - are you doing any training with your mini on a regular basis? As advised above, you need to get her to focus on you and reward her well for doing this. You need to start in less "threatening" situations so just in your garden initially, walking on lead as close to heel as she will and keeping her attention with a high value treat - cooked chicken / liver / cheese for example. Once she realises that you are the source of good things, she should be more inclined to keep watching you in order to receive a reward. If you can get her to focus willingly and enthusiastically on you (keep talking to her, encouraging her to engage with you even when you are not rewarding her), you can move on to trying the same technique out and about in the quietest places before trying her in busier environments. It is almost impossible if she is really on edge when on lead to try distractions only at that time - you need to have established the "look at me" training beforehand. It is like trying to persuade someone to jump off the highest diving board before they have had a go at jumping from the edge of the pool.

Great advice above re keeping as much distance as possible between you and other dogs when she is on lead until you are confident that she can cope and even, if need be, go in a different direction to avoid meeting them. The more times she has experiences she is struggling to cope with, the more it may become engrained in her that barking is her only option so you want to try and avoid these scenarios as much as you can, while you are still training her focus.

Using a clicker is an excellent way to mark behaviours that you want from your dog as it is quick, consistent and a sound they readily respond to. If you use a clicker to train her to focus on you for a reward ( click and treat every time she looks at you while walking on lead for example) she will learn to associate the clicker with good things and help to reinforce her training. If you have not used a clicker before, do check out some of the websites re using these:
https://positively.com/dog-training/met ... -training/

This book is also a really good read for anyone struggling with training their dog :-)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Pigs-Fly- ... n+pigs+fly

Re: Puppy never relaxes when out for day

Posted: 16 Sep 2018, 16:14
by Oscar 12345
Hilary, following Leigh's clicker advice, take a look at this link. I don't think it is the same link as Leigh's. If it is ignore it.

https://www.choosepositivedogtraining.c ... ngage-Game