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Nightly treats

1K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  LadyDi 
#1 ·
Hi I'm new to this forum and I think I'm at the right spot to start a new thread. My now 11 month old doberman puppy Duke which I have since he was 2 months old is giving a nightly treat like a thin bully stick since he was approximately 5,6 months old so he lays down and relax otherwise he still wants to play and we can't never get our free time in...we exercise him and train with him every day but at night he still has the energy. So since he's getting older now I would like to stop his nightly treat and have him chill out but he's not big on chewing on hard plastic toys or kongs...any suggestions on how to break the habbit of giving him a nightly treat and him just want to lay down and relax before falling asleep like a good dog lol you know what I mean we dedicated all day to him and I think that he might just be spoiled at this point! We're just looking for a little rest after all day of dedication.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
 
#2 ·
I'd work on a long down stay with him, during the day, as part of his training, not at night (yet) when he's supercharged. Some dobes actually have to be trained to figure out how to chill. Once he's learned that thoroughly, you can place him somewhere comfortable, still in the room with you of course, and ask him to stay put instead of pestering you for exercise and attention. Giving him a treat to occupy him is nice, but it shouldn't be necessary every single time you need him to stay out of your face. Once you get past the stage where he is lying there staring at your every move (seems to me that's usually once he has learned to stay for about 5 minutes), he'll learn to just sack out and relax for a bit.

It's a nice tool to have when you're out and about too. I always found it nice when I was waiting in line at the pet store. I could just tell mine to lay down at my feet and wait patiently, which was especially useful when I was actually at the cash register, hanging on to what I had bought, getting it in and out of the cart, paying for it…all of those things where your hands are full, and you really want to pay attention to what you are doing, and you don't want to have to be continually dealing with a restless dog. It's useful when you're chatting with someone at your home or even when you're out and about, to be able to have him lie at your feet instead of continually asking you (and your guest) for attention.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for your suggestion, I'll train him with a longer down stay, that's a good idea. Right now he's doing between 1 to 2 minutes every day at different time during his training, I'll increase the time gradually. 1 more question do I have to start a new thread with every new questions or I can keep going with more questions different subjects here?
 
#4 ·
Generally if your questions aren't pretty related if you don't start a new thread with a new question the second question may get overlooked.

This is what happens often with very old threads where there are many answers posted for the original posters question and if someone comes in (sometimes years later) with a similar question or many questions--a new question just doesn't get noticed.

So start a new thread with a new heading that relates to the question and you'll probably get more answers/suggestions.

dobebug
 
#5 ·
I shape calm / relaxed behavior on a mat or bed, so that they associate relaxing with their mat when I get it out (like when visiting relatives' homes) or when they're told to go to their mat at home.

This book does a really nice job of explaining how to start mat work and the idea(s) behind it.

Fired Up, Frantic, & Freaked Out by Laura van Arendonk Baugh

And don't let the title put you off. You're dog doesn't have to be over-the-top to benefit from the mat work method she describes. :)
 
#6 ·
Mmmm... 11 monthly Doberman puppy and "chilling out". Somehow, I am having trouble with that concept.LOL

Now, if you had said passing out from mental and physical exhaustion, that something that I could write a treatise on!

Personally, all my boys have gotten really amped up when bully sticks are around. Upon occasion, they have caused a temporary resource guarding issue. It's just one of the reasons I never feed them to my boys.

Have fun!

John Lichtwardt
Portland OR
 
#9 ·
Welcome Princesse to DT from Indiana :grin2:

Mr. B. was our most challenging puppy to date . I found that sitting on the leash or sitting on the dog as a great training tool - In the video I'm posting - they say 30 minute minimum - to me that's to long - I starte out with 15 minutes - then added minutes to it , I did this every day and its so easy to do - I would come out to my office and start it here ,working on farm business or just checking out DT here :grin2:

We are pretty much a treat free house and have found that better to do , they treat is a new ball of something of that kind .

Here's the link :

Good luck
 
#11 ·
The "Sit on the Dog" exercise that ECIN shared is a good one, too. I might give a tiny bit more leash, but it's essentially just sitting there, ignoring the dog, and the dog learning to simply relax on their own. Some dogs don't know how to do that and they need to be taught/encouraged. This is a great exercise to do, especially when so many of us are home right now. You can do this at home while you're working on a laptop, on your phone, etc. Just put your dog on the leash, make sure they have enough leash to lay down comfortably but not wander too far, and then just...ignore them. Give it a good 20-30 minutes. Don't interact with them. This is great for teaching them to simply settle down on their own and rest. It's not a "stay" it's just a "settle down."

This, in addition to teaching something like a "go to your place" can be really helpful for dogs that don't have a good "settle" on their own.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I think of it as an informal stay—I'm not asking for the dog's focus and attention—just for him to settle down beside me, or in a comfortable place I direct him to. We're talking about the same thing—but my words got in the way of what I was trying to say.

We basically do the sit on the leash thing—once a dog is through young puppyhood (older than 6 months or so), I start with 30 minutes, actually timed by the clock, at least once a day. Set a timer, if you need to, and then ignore him. It doesn't take long, just a couple of days in my experience, for the dog to figure out that he needs to stay put, and relax while he is doing it.

In order for this technique to work, you must ignore the dog—again, you're not asking for attention, just for him to be content and relaxed without demanding yours.

But I do want to make one general comment about the technique of praising and rewarding a dog when you are training him—the time to do that is while he is doing what you want. If you ask for a stay and then reward him when you release him, he is basically learning that he gets the positive stuff when he quits doing what you ask. And he'll sit there quivering and staring at you, waiting for that chance to get up and get that reward. Praise and reward a stay occasionally and intermittently, then don't make a big fuss over him once you let him get up.
 
#13 ·
A few things I did different than the video and to me it worked very well

1. When they finally lay down the clock starts - IF -- they said back up before what ever you set the time at - ( mine was 15 to stat off with ) then I reset the clock - they have to be down for the full fifteen minutes .

2. I started out at 15 minutes , 15 minutes don't sound long - but trust me - on a hyper pup , 15 minutes it a life time , but like others said , it don't take long for them to figure it ok , It was a turn around moment for Kadin
 
#14 · (Edited)
Oh,I love this post.
I so much remember approaching year 1 with Hoss and looking forward to some well deserved human rest.
Ha Ha Ha !!!
Although it did not happen at year one or two. As Hoss approached 4 we noticed a pattern of “bedtime” behaviors.
Almost like his internal time clock.
Your pup is to young and curious to settled down on his or her own currently. Just like human babies they will fight sleeping and can even get cranky. But sleeping is good for them as they are growing pups. They get so big, yet still so young I think we tend to expect a lot more out of them because of their acquired size.
Here’s my trick to you my friend....you have to exhaust these pups mentally (not physically) to get the younger pups to settle down for a nap. Shoot they can wrestle for quite some time and be ready to go again after a drink of water.
My Hoss displayed night time manners of settling down with us during TV just over the past year and he is approaching 5 years of age.
So be creative figure out a game that makes your pup think.
My go to game is hide and seek. This game works with so many things. You can hide, bigger kids can hide, or even finding hidden treats. Thats the cool think about sniffing. They already know how to use their noses.
Also my Hoss will sleep like a baby after what we all call “a sniffery”. I take him for a walk on a 15 foot lead and let him smell. Slow paced and free to roam.
All kinds of game ideas out there check it out and find a good fit for you and your pup.
 
#15 ·
Thank you to the gentlemen or woman that gave me a suggestion on giving him a water buffalo horn instead of the bulky stick treat... it worked and he chewed on it for an hour giving us our TV time before falling asleep. I dont know your avatar name or initials since on my side it only shows guest... like I said before I'm new to a forum and I'm trying to figure it out... thank you for your understanding. I'm also just starting with the sit on the dog trick, thank you also again great trick👍🏻if I'm not answering the response the right way please let me know. On this answer I'm trying to put the person's suggestions on the water buffalo horns in the gray box like I've seen by checking the small square on the top of the post and I guess I'll find out if it was the way to do it when I post this thread😂 thanks to all for all suggestions and for future ones. Princesse which is the name of my beloved girl!
 
#17 · (Edited)
On this answer I'm trying to put the person's suggestions on the water buffalo horns in the gray box like I've seen by checking the small square on the top of the post and I guess I'll find out if it was the way to do it when I post this thread😂 thanks to all for all suggestions and for future ones. Princesse which is the name of my beloved girl!
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