Assertiveness Training

[F, Calla & Luca]

How can I teach Calla to be more assertive. She does bark at every real and imagined intruder, the delivery people etc. Yet she never lets me know when she is ready to come in, she could sit on the driveway forever waiting for me. Luca will yip to come in or even to go out if I haven't caught his cues soon enough but Calla does not learn by example. She signals the need to go out by pacing near the door and plaintive looks. Luca can take anything from her without her resisting, to the point where I sometimes intervene, and retrieve her antler for example. The other night Calla was nowhere in sight  I called her to no avail. I then decided I must have forgotten I'd let her out but I could not find her outside. Although, the yard is now escape proof, I went driving around the nearby area. I came home thinking I'd call the police in case she showed up. Finally I heard a whimper. At this time of year I keep the family room doors closed. Calla had managed to get in there and close the doors behind her and then she couldn't get out. You might think she would have barked when I was originally calling her but she didn't make a sound. Any ideas?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Place her in dog group therapy?

[F, Calla & Luca]

She is in a very small group with Luca. But she doesn't respond to peer feedback!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

I think your best response is to LOL. Calla is happy being Calla. Neither of my dogs will answer when they are acidentally locked in a room and I call their name. In my various pairs of dogs their has always been one to get first call on toys, but sometimes or with a certain toy that would change. It seemed perfectly clear to them, just not to me.

[BG and Gavin]

How about a Dale Carnegie course? JK! How about some confidence building activities: tug of war - let her win, hide and seek, super praise when she finds you, teach her more tricks, play chase - you chase her then let her chase you, obstacle courses, agility etc.. How do you feel about bell training to go outside? My guy isn't very vocal but he can sure ring those bells on the door handle!

[Linda and Murphy]

Murphy is now 3 and is getting more assertive. I have bells for the door but he doesn't bark. He usually just comes over and gives me "a look" to go outside. If I'm not paying attention, he rings the bell, THEN if I still don't get it, he comes and looks at me like " I rang the bell, whats you're problem?"
He stll doesn't bark.

[Kathy Spyker]

Lilly is the same way as Calla. She will not bark to be left out or in, and if she is closed in a room she will just lay there until someone opens it. My old dog use to scratch on the door like crazy just to let us know.( I am glad Lilly does not do that) but she could at least give a whimper.=)

[Lori (Wilson and Woody's Mum)]

You could be talking about Wilson. He is the same way. I have to watch him for the "look" that he has to go outside. He has started (he is now 3) to wait by the door. As far as coming, I wait until he comes back to the door - I have to keep a watchful eye. He won't bark, he won't scratch. He just patiently waits. And if he gets closed in a room, he simply lies down and waits. He is pretty passive and while I wish he had more gumption sometimes, it isn't who he is. EXCEPT when it comes to the mail coming through the slot in the door.....then he is Mr. Assertive! Need a fix for that one.......

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I don't know what you can do. I know my Taquito is a chihuahua not doodle, but he is like Calla. One time I shut him in the pantry for 30 minutes. Yes, 30 minutes. I was frantically running in the street looking for him, crying my eyes out...looking insane! Imagine me screaming Taquito at the top of my lungs, and bawling. No noise, not a sound. FINALLY thought to look in pantry. He was just sitting there, shaking. Don't know how to fix it. He has become a little better now that we have Peri, but he is still not too too assertive.

[Julie B.]

I think this is just her personality. She is a much more submissive dog and this is how it is exhibited. Not sure how old she is but my older doodle is very much this way and as she gets older the submissive behavior has turned into some fear aggression when we are walking and run into another dog. I do not allow other dogs to greet her anymore because I am never sure when she will decide to "snipe" at them. Otherwise she is a great dog, she does therapy work every week with kids and shows no signs of fear or aggression. In the dog world she has found her place and I don't think we can do much about that except to manage it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

She just turned one.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

My first springer somehow got into the basement or was stolen and escaped, then got into the basement though a crawl space in the front yard. She was missing for DAYS and we combed the area, called the humane society, called her again and again. We cried ourselves to sleep night after night. Finally early one morning we plopped ourselves down in the living room near the heat register. Everything was so silent and we heard a tiny whimpering! OMG we raced outside to the basement door and even then we had to go into the basement to get her! This dog NEVER learned to bark. She would scratch at a door or come and paw at you to be let in or out but ....... She was such a sweetie - maybe like Calla.