Help.... Black Lab turned Bad Boy

RaiseTheBlinds

Right,.... anybody know how to fix this problem ??
I git a Black Lab from the pound a few years ago,...he probably 12 now or so.
anyway,..... as of late he turned into a "Jeckel and Hyde" type charachter.

We came to a compromise on the rulebook when he arrived , and he used to get spoilt rotten , but he always obeyed rules like no pulling food down off the counter or getting up at the kitchen table etc.

Now,... everyday i get home from work i find "Elmo" has ransacked my room.
I mean he's pulled apart my bed, knocked over table, table lamp,... kicked my pillows all over the place, duvets in a ball on the floor etc. proper looks like a burglery !!!! and he sometimes does it in the sitting room too.

also he is getting into the bin ,and over the last 2 days has left me with a substantial cleaning up task !!! ....
tonight he even pinched the bacon off my dinner plate ,.....

everytime i question him , he denies all knowledge .
am I just a total push-over ?.... or is there something up with the dog .. do you think???

can you teach an old dog new manners ?

R.T.Blinds

artieanna

It sounds like elmo has become bored....Is he home alone for long during the day?

Try giving him a bone to chew on during the day or some toys....He's pushing it and he needs you to be firm with him when he is naughty...A firm NO is required....

luckat

Is there a mouse in your room?

fits

Elmo is getting bored/anxious when you are out.
My dogs rip up newspapers the odd time. Its their way of telling me I've been out too long and they're not getting enough attention/stimulation. You'll have to figure something out as to how you can alleviate this. A kong is a good idea. Getting a neighbour to take him out during the day is another.

peasant

For an old, settled dog to change its habits it usually takes some changes in the environement/conditions to trigger that.

The mentioned mouse could be one of those changes ...also, are you gone longer now than you used to be? Is there something new around the house? Building work/other distractions going on outside?

*Could* also be medical reasons / old age setting in. If he keeps this up and you can't find any other explanation, get him checked.

RaiseTheBlinds

yes,........thanks for the reply everyone.
well,... he's still in the same old routine as always, i wake him up at 9 am , let him out the back garden for a few minutes, for a drink and a pee.
thewn he comes in and gets a "bonio" (biscuit treat) ....... where he proceeds to my bedroom and hops up for his sleep.
by 9.20 am im off to work and he's fast asleep.
by 1pm .. 3 1/2 hours later theres people back in the house for company for the rest of the day...
no sign of mice,..... he aslo like to ransack the living room where his couch is.

but i feel its a case of him breaking the rules when he knows we're not there !!

another example : elmo knows hes not allowed onto my bed when im going to go asleep,...... so now he's waiting till im out for the count, and then hops up.
i seem to wake up every morning with a mouth full of black dog hair, and a tiny fraction of space as im pinned up against the wall.

ive given him the strict "NO" instructions,... but thats when his total deafness kicks in.

he's due a check-up early next week, but i think he needs more training than medical help. wonder if that dog borstal program is still going or not ? hmmmmm

luckat

Hmm. Sounds like an old gent crying out for training - in other words, bored!

Have you used clicker training before? It would be fun to 'teach an old dog new tricks' and clicker-train him to do a couple of new things. Would stop him being bored, and would reset his idea of who's really in charge - you! You're the one holding the treats and the clicker!

I assume he does 'sit' and 'give the paw' ('fait le beau' in French, btw!) - so what about teaching him to crouch/lie flat and alert on command?

Take a look at www.clickertraining.com for tips.

(If you don't know how already, basically you 'charge the clicker' by getting something that makes a sharp sound, like a clicker or a whistle, then every time you click you give the dog a *small* treat - I use cat kibble, others use little bits of cheese or grilled liver. When you have the dog convinced that every click means a treat, you then 'shape' his behaviour towards the action you want. You only train one action at a time, and you don't train for more than five minutes at a go. But you can read more about it on the link above, and there are a few maillists for clicker trainers too.)

Jules

Clicker training is wonderful.... I have a 4 year old gsd that i rescued from a place in tipp. He was owned by a drug dealer in Louth and he was basically starved and beaten to keep him mean. Now he hates men, hates them with a passion but when it comes to the ladies Gerry is a complete slut. Anyway got a man in to help me train him, by the names of Jim Stephens. And within 20 minutes he was in the same pen as Gerry, he was on a lead, but Gerry wasn't even barking or growling. Went on to clicker training then and it works a treat. He used to bark at his own shadow, and jump up on me whenever i went into his pen, but now i can walk him and he i sloving life!
Tried to do it at first from a web page but i need to get someone to come in and help.

http://www.petsbehave.com/contact_01.htm Is his website, might help.

let us know how it goes. Best of luck

peasant

another example : elmo knows hes not allowed onto my bed when im going to go asleep

I take it he's allowed onto the bed on other occassions, i.e. when it suits YOU:D

You can't honestly blame him for doing the same thing, going up on to the bed when it suits HIM

There has to be a clear either/or rule here. Either you make the bed a total taboo zone or you just get used to the invasion :rolleyes:

Dogs don't do compromise ...they take all or nothing

Gillie

Peasant is spot on there! I'm afraid you can't be selective when it comes to when he can do things that you've already allowed him to do!

12 might be a tad old to train him!

RaiseTheBlinds

hmmm..... yeah, i actually expected to be told that about the bed issue.
suppose its fair enough,...i can handle sharingthe bed 50/50 , but its more like 70/30 in his favour.
i also have a bed made for him in my room,........ like a big wool lined box on many blankets,....or more recently a double bed duvet folded in 4.

i have actually slept in his bed one night when i couldnt get him off my bed.... and its not too bad to be honest.

im going to get one of those clickers ,...hope he can hear it !!

12 may be too old ???..... but we got him when he was 10 or so from the pound... he has funny back legs and i think he may have been tied up for so long his back legs grew in a deformed manner, must post a pic of his tripple jointed feet someday )) a right old contortionist !!

he was so skinny and hungry, ill never forget the first feed we gave him,... he savaged half a pot of stew (potatoes n all).... hes put on 15 kilos in 6 or 8 months. thats like 2 stone.

peasant

i have actually slept in his bed one night when i couldnt get him off my bed.... and its not too bad to be honest.

Lol

You might as well sleep there every time now ...he's won, I'm afraid. That bed (the proper one) is his ...you lose

Start showing your authority a bit more. Whenever he wants / expects something (food, door to be opened, lead to be put on, etc) make him "work" for it. Let him do a simple "sit" or whatever else he can readily do first and then give it to him. This way he will have to take some more note of you and might actually listen the next time you tell him to get our of your bed.

12 is a good age for a big-ish dog ...he might be a bit set in his ways, go easy on him with learning new things, have patience and don't expect too much.
Some older dogs get a bit like some older people. Slightly stubborn, a bit bewildered and not too fond of changes to the routine ...keep that in mind and watch him for signs of distress when you introduce a new regime.

As for the bed ...try to introduce a "by invitation only" rule. He can get on it, as long as you expressly invite him to do so, otherwise he has to leave. Plus he has to get off, if asked to do so.
Forget that, if it would result in a wresting match ...in that case it's either/or

artieanna

RaiseTheBlinds wrote:

i have actually slept in his bed one night when i couldnt get him off my bed.... and its not too bad to be honest.

im going to get one of those clickers ,...hope he can hear it !!

He's definitly the boss if you sleeping in his bed!!

If he can't hear the clicker you may have to try sign language to train him and thats another days work:rolleyes:

Tabitharose

your dog is getting old - he could be getting confused - he could be getting scared when left alone - hence the destructive behaviour...... this is something that I am more aware of in cats but would suggest goggling it. As pets get older - like humans they can find it more difficult to stay warm - could explain why he is getting into your bed - for the extra warmth - a snuggle pad in his bed may help if that's the case - I have an older cat & her behaviour has changed as a result of her aging...

Victor

Close bedroom door.

luckat

Hmm.

Couple of thoughts. Maybe jules80 might put you in contact with Jim Stephens, who sounds like a good trainer? In fact, if Mr Stephens would like this, perhaps s/he might post his contact details in the Pet Resources sticky, with his/her note about the training of Gerry?

And have you thought of a crate when you're out? If Black Lab is feeling insecure enough to trash the place, a crate in his favourite room with his water, bed and food inside may make him feel more secure while you're out of the house. (It'll also stop him trashing the place, but the main thing is that he may feel more secure.)

Unless dementia is in question here, no animal is too old to train with clickers (or flashing lights, or scents, or whatever will work) - because clicker training is basically play.

A final suggestion: could I suggest that you bring Black Lab to a vet for assessment? If this is dementia, you need to know now, because it will change how you treat it and what you expect from your dog.

RaiseTheBlinds

ok, thanks.........
elmo's going down to the vet for a "booster" injection in a couple of days, so he'll be getting the once over anyway.

im pretty sure its not dementia !!!! thought it was just boldness to be honest.
im pretty sure he never lived inside a house before we got him,......
we picked elmo up in meath pound one weekend after seeing him on "PAWS" or a website like it.
so he was a country dog, but when we got him home he did jump the couch staright away, but other things convinced me that he wasnt used to ever being indoors....... like when he seen himself in the mirror for the first time !!!
so funny,.... trying to move really quick to catch the reflection out etc. !!!
everything seemed to arouse his curiousity.

anyway,.... have been getting him to sit now before he gets a treat and that,... so the new training process has begun already

thanks a mill for the reply's folks.

Ron and Elmo xx

Oliverdog

Just wondered how you're getting along - sleeping arrangements OK now?