Thanks
Yea - she has limitless energy! After daycare though she is totally beat. I've worked with a personal trainer with her on some of these issues as well. We've concluded she probably was not properly socialized as a puppy and probably abused.
She's definitely become very attached to me, but also has seems to recognize girlfriends or other common visitors to the apartment. In fact, the only time she's ever destroyed anything was when a girl and I were dating and she left her flip-flops at the front door - My girl got them and destroyed them haha...I guess she didn't want any other woman having me.
I've had her 4 months now.
I'm in Miami - so not quite the best weather for skijoring - I've tried running with her, but she can't really handle that either. She basically will walk fast while I jog and as soon as I go slightly faster than her fast walk pace, she goes full speed in front of me to the end of her 6 foot leash, turns and runs backwards, and starts jumping up at her leash and interrrupting any rhythm that could have existed - she's consistent with that at least haha....
I completely agree with the mental energy aspect of the training. I think I'm running into problems there and any suggestions are appreciated. I make her sit every time I feed her - and I try to work on sit, down, stay with chicken treats before dinner.
I have used Kong treat dispensers, and Kong toys - I tried a special bowl to help make them work more for food. Are there any bowls you would recommend for the combo wet/dry food? I think the bowl I got was more a dry food thing - so I stopped using it. She has a nylabone - which she never liked at first, but now she chews on it a lot.
A friend is also a former junior trainer and her advice is conflicting to the trainer I'm using. Both focus on positive training aspects....but
1 - Anxious excitement energy - the trainer I'm working with feels I should use ignoring to get her to stop doing it...so when she jumps up, ignore her and show her no attention. When I come home, don't pay attention to her. When she throws tempertantrums on walks - just stand and don't pay any attention to her until she calms down. then begin the walk again.
I tend to agree with this training - the problem is that ignoring her on walks is difficult b/c she is so ADD - she loses attention in one thing and is onto the next before thinking twice about it! So she is never really "calm" before starting the walk again. I could stand in one spot for 20 minutes and she would never calm down. If I try to talk to other people on a walk, she will make a scene and start jumping up and down on me or the other person and/or barking
The friend I have is suggested more of a reassurance pathway with her. Touch her out of certain states. So reassurance with petting and love to get her through anxiety states.....The trainer says firmly tapping on the neck to correct with a noise when something is done wrong - otherwise do not make contact with her body b/c it will take her out of her state of mind. Obviously this is difficult for me b/c I'm a softie and love to give her attention.
Do you think dogs with significant anxiety or separation fears should have different paths followed? Is reassurance through stressful times ok? Or should I stick to the ignoring aspect of it all?
2 - Toys
I usually keep her toys here and there throughout the apartment. Since I'm not home a lot, she tends to dictate when she wants to play. She will go get a toy and bring it to me if she wants to play. This is a big no-no in my trainers eyes. She says I should dictate when it's play time and when it's rest time and dinner time etc. Harder to keep a "play schedule" on a day to day basis, but basically I should keep toys out of reach and I should play with her as opposed to letting her control the play.
My friend feels the toys should be available and if she wants to play and I can't at that time, I just ignore the requests. But she can have access to them at any time.
She has about 6 toys she loves, and if I don't play with the first one with her - she will sequentially bring me every single one until I play with her...or I end up with a pile of toys at my feet. haha...
Any thoughts on the toy situation?