Smarter than I!

[charlene wilson]

Because of my mothers lengthy illness, I'm afraid my Doodle, Fergie has been lacking in training. She now completely rules the whole house. A huge problem comes for my husband in the mornings when leaving for work. Or trying to anyway. Fergie absolutely refuses to come in the house when she knows he is getting ready to go. We have changed the routine, tried really yummy treats that she only gets if she comes in, and have had to go out with a leash trying to make her think its walk time. Now she won't fall for that either. He has actually had to let her think she is going by letting her jump in the car, then leash her and take her in the house.
She also is very frightened of the smoke detector, which unfortunately goes off frequently when I cook. She shakes, her teeth chatter and she panics trying to get out the door. She now begins the behavior when she sees the cast iron pan come out!
I need to figure out how to make mornings easier(we have invisible fence) and I really want to help her get beyond her fear of the smoke alarm! Any thoughts?

[Diane Sloan]

Have you tried putting a very light rope on her for her to drag so you can step on it to reel her in when she does not come?  You do have to monitor her so she does not get caught and dont put a knot or anything at the end.  We used this technique with our new GD Molly.  She came to us with very little training 5 weeks ago and come was optional in her book-not in mine.  After a few times-and a handful of treats and lots of praise she got it.  We even had to do this in the house!  We used a shorter one in the house and we have a longer one for the yard-we are still working on the yard as I live by a busy street so we have had her on a lead or on our deck with a small fenced area to potty.  We do have IF but we need time to get her used to it and the ground to thaw a bit to put in the stakes.

Hope this helps!

As for the pan I can not help you there I made the german shephers we had afraid of the camera beep - I never realized that it sounds like the IF collars and they would see the camera and drop their heads like really?!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

1. When she goes out for her final potty of the morning have your DH put her on a long rope, not a leash. Depending on the size of your yard, 30 to 50 feet. Then when he gives the "come" command (or whatever word you use)  he is in a position to enforce it. She needs to learn that not coming is NOT an option.  The "come" command is a tough one for many dogs to learn and obey consistently as there is usually something much more interesting to do. :)

2. Get a new set of pans. LOL I have never known of an animal that didn't freak when the smoke alarm went off.I can't imagine how loud it must sound to them because it is unbearable to me and they have much better hearing. I think you are really expecting a lot from her on this one. I would encourage you to better ventilate your kitchen or make some other changes at your end to prevent the alarm from sounding.

I think from what you said that you already realize that she is really in need of training in all areas. You and your DH need to set boundaries for her and establish a pack hierarchy of which she is at the bottom. She is not recognizing you as leaders and until she does it is going to be tough to have an obedient dog. Join the Training Group here on DK for support and ideas too.

http://http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good advice. for the smoke alarm I could only think of buy take-out : )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree. She needs all around training, and she needs to be on a long line in the yard so that you can reinforce the come command. And every stove should have a ventilator that draws the smoke.

Would it be possible for you or your husband to take her for an actual walk in the a.m.?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

This is a good point Karen. It sounds like she has a lot of energy to burn in the mornings which is probably contributing to her unwillingness to come back to the house. If there isn't time for a walk even a short, but fast and furious, game of retrieving would help release some of her energy.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I completely agree with this advice.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

our yard is not 100% fenced so i have cooper attached to a long line - it is attached near our side door and reaches one way to the end of the drive (so she can help me clear snow from the car) and the other way to the rear of our yard. she doesnt even notice it. i usually have to reel her in as she would play forever out there.  Another thing i do if shes lying down and refuses to get up is i go inside. she doesnt like to be left alone outside and so is waiting by the door within a minute, waiting to be let in.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

Lots of good advice regarding the long leash that I would try , as well as trying to burn off some energy.  

As for the smoke alarm, before you start to cook you might want to try this: turn on any ventilation fan you have, crack a window and keep a magazine or cardboard handy to wave at the fan to diffuse the smoke and stop the alarm.