smarter than me?

Chupa Cabras · 09-06-2007, 12:40 PM

I consider myself fairly intelligent, but I have to say I am NOT smarter than a 4 month old golden lab.

Last night, Watson wanted to go out, again. He'd been out several time, with no real purpose, just wanted to be outside. I told him no. He barked. I ignored him. He scratched at the door. I closed the blinds (french doors) He went to the back door. I still ignored him. So he peed on the floor.

Okay, so he really did have to go out. I let him out, cleaned up the mess, and gave him a few minutes. Finally, I had to go out to get him, literally dragged him back inside.

He's not happy. Won't play with any toys, wants to jump on the sofa and bite my hands. No, I tell him. Barks, growls, bites the sofa. "OFF" I tell him. He goes back to the door and barks and whines. Now I think he might have to go potty, so I let him out. Turn my back for one minute, and he's swimming in the pond!

Back inside we go. I'm toweling him off, which he loves, but I'm pissed. He starts running and barking and won't let me catch him. I sat on the sofa and tried to ignore him, and he ran up the stairs and jumped on my head (several feet from above)

We got into it, him growling and biting my hands in play, but hard enough to hurt, and I bite his ear hard enough to make him cry. Still, he came back at me. I was ready to pinch his head off when he found something.

It was a hair brush, and he pounced on it and swatted at it like a cougar, and I had to laugh. You'd have thought it was a king cobra the way he was dancing around and biting at it. After laughing my butt off for a few minutes, he comes over and sits down in front of me and cocks his head as if to say "Are you laughing at moi??"

So...

He's got me buffaloed as to when he actually needs to go out, and when he just wants to be outside.

He's figured out when I'm not looking so he can jump in the pond.

He knows just how far to stay out of my reach when I'm trying to catch him.

And he knows when to be cute so I stop being mad at him.

*sigh*

tsorcus · 09-06-2007, 12:58 PM

I'm sure that laughing at him is the completely inappropriate response, but sometimes you can't help it... Like the day Jasper ran out the front door as I was going out, turned a deaf ear to my demands that he come back and legged it to the end of the estate - where there just happened to be a young dog to play with. So I finally grab him after five minutes of frolicking and carry him back home (no time to grab leash!) upside down - and he's just lying there in my arms grinning away like mad, really pleased with himself - I couldn't help laughing all the way home although I knew it was completely the wrong response.

I do find that putting him in his crate for five minutes or sending him to his bed (the crate's not his bed anymore as it's been taken over by the cat!) usually calms him right down.

BellaPup · 09-06-2007, 07:42 PM

I wonder the same thing sometimes...it is truely frustrating!

You will learn to figure him out. Bella is much the same way, but we are beginning to understand eachother more and more every day.

She is spastic...if she wants something and I don't give it to her, she jumps at me and bites at me, swears at me in puppy talk (I ignore it the best I can) then she'll run like a mad puppy around the yard, fur raised etc...

As soon as I catch her I walk her to her crate (calmly) and give her a time out. Being forceful like grabbing her, yelling NO and snapping the leash, or becoming frustrated just made everything much worse. It's hard to be calm in certain situations...but a time out works the best for her. When she lies down and chills for a while I let her out of the crate and ignore her 10 minutes or so.

I know exactly what you are going through! Hang in there and try to stay calm!

Chupa Cabras · 09-07-2007, 10:20 AM

*LOL* I guess it's the puppy in him, right?

Thanks tsorcus. I tried putting him in the crate for a time out. It really works! I don't want the crate to be a punishment, just a place for both of us to catch our breath for a moment. He seemed to know, and settled down but kept an unhappy eye on me.

BellaPup, puppy swearing...OMG, that is so funny!! That's just what Watson does, grumbles and gripes and talks back.

tsorcus · 09-07-2007, 10:36 AM

I don't think Jasper sees the crate as a punishment so much as a chance to calm down - like once or twice he's gone really hyper and starts running around like a complete lunatic, crushing cats and anything that gets in the way and I just put him in the crate with a dog biscuit, it's just something to help him break the hyper cycle.

It does get easier, my guy is now nearly eleven months and is an angel in the house - I only got him at six months and he went completely mad for the first month (the woman who rescued him told me that she didn't think he knew how to play - well he learned very fast, the only problem was that he played with everything and never stopped all day!), I was worried for a while! Outdoors he's getting better...

Mdawn · 09-07-2007, 10:53 AM

Your description had me laughing pretty good because it's just like my Eddie. LOL!!

It's nice to know that I'm not alone in the world. Save us from lunatic dogs, huh?!!

Chupa Cabras · 09-07-2007, 01:29 PM

Ya gotta love 'em. Whether they understand or we just think they do, they sure are entertaining! Eddie sounds like a challenge

Watson is our office dog. He's been coming to the office (an hour drive each way) daily for two months now, and is very good. He has toys but sleeps most of the day, and only barks when he has to go out. No accidents in weeks (except when I don't listen

) and everyone loves him.

So he spends nights only in the crate. At home he has the freedom to explore and play outside and, unfortunately, swim in the pond. He goes bonkers in the morning when the cats come in, and once in the evening after dinner.

Surviving the 'Attack of the Insane Puppy' is becoming a talent these days.

FriendsOfZoe · 09-07-2007, 06:38 PM

By this age, you could also start working on having him go potty at YOUR schedule, not at his. You might need to set an alarm during the day or something, to make sure you bring him out at set intervals, but I would assume that your eventual hope is to have a dog that will hold it until you bring him--right before work, at lunch, before heading home, on a walk, before bed--whenever is most convenient for you. You may need to start by bringing him out more often than you'd like, because he's probably not used to having to hold it. We have a 5 month old golden retriever who has just pretty much adopted to our schedule. I've heard her bark to go out maybe once or twice over the last few weeks when we waited a little too long or she really had to go, but for the most part, she just holds it until we bring her out.

Otherwise, he sounds like a real cutie and a ton of fun! Mostly, he's just a puppy--of course he ALWAYS wants to go in the pond and could never understand why you might not want him to be in there!

The times when Zoe just makes me laugh more than make up for the times when she frustrates me.

Mdawn · 09-07-2007, 09:14 PM

Eddie being a challenge is an understatement. The dog drives me crazy! But I love him so I've accepted the fact that he's a lunatic a long time ago.

That's funny that your dog goes swimming in the pond when she's supposed to be using the potty! LOL!! For some reason that just cracks me up!

Ginny01OT · 09-07-2007, 09:44 PM

We have an almost 15 month standard poodle and since we got him at eight weeks old we have all concurred that his is the smartest iin this house and we are a family of four (plus four cats)