My Used Dog

[Autumn Dusk]

I gut a used dog from the shelter. She's well trained (sit, lay, heel, come, down, stay, get down, paw, go....alot of things). However, she has some quirks that I need help on.

1) is it normal for dogs to LOVE rolling around on their backs? My dog LOVES it...and I mean head over heels, going for broke rolling around on the carpet. Its new carpet so there's nothing to roll [i]IN[/i] per se and I brushed her several times so she can't be itchy.

2) she or barks like a nut everytime I leave for work...or actually any time I leave (unless she's at my neighbors) she's a bit attachment-disordered I guess. How do I get her to be quiet before my neighbors break in and strangle her?

3) she's TERRIFIED of my guitar...like balisstically terrified. She won't go near it when its down much less when I'm holding it. She'll get curious and then bark her head off and run into the bathroom (the farthest room from my bedroom). I need this to stop beuase my brother is a musician and my dad and other brother are an amateur musicians...she hasn't been around them, but she will and i don't want there to be issues with them

[Archaeology cat]

I've known dogs that love to roll on their backs, and one of my sister's dogs goes nuts and barks non-stop if she's gone (drives my dad insane). I don't know how to stop that, though. If I think about it, I'll ask if she's had any luck with that, and ask what she did.

[Mercy me]

Congratulations on your new friend! How exciting for you.

The you are describing is separation anxiety. Try not to give her attention right before you leave and right after you come back. Do what you would normally do when you come back it then give attention but only after a minute or two. The idea is that the time around when you come and go are not a big deal and things remain calm.

I can't tell what the cause of the issue with the guitar is. My feeling it that you might need to try to desensitize her to it. And let her get used to you doing it and having her realize that it is nothing to fear. Short term you may need to keep her way from you when you play. The will take time. Try to be patient.

You might check with the shelter on some of these behaviors. Shelters often employ animal behaviorist in order to prevent new pets from coming in and to ease transitions. They don't usually charge for the service.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='Mercy me' post='1621263' date='Aug 8 2008, 10:15 AM']The you are describing is separation anxiety. Try not to give her attention right before you leave and right after you come back. Do what you would normally do when you come back it then give attention but only after a minute or two. The idea is that the time around when you come and go are not a big deal and things remain calm.[/quote]

Hmm. My parents own two golden retrievers. Now that I've moved out of the house, and 3-4 hours away, I only make it home once a month or so. So when I come home, they go nuts. Maybe I should stop petting them as soon as they come up to me when I get home? Just wait a couple of minutes, and then call them over to me?

Problem is, the behavior may be pretty deep-seated. When I was in college, it was the same thing, so the behavior has been practiced for about four years, now.

[Mercy me]

[quote name='mommas_boy' post='1621289' date='Aug 8 2008, 11:31 AM']Hmm. My parents own two golden retrievers. Now that I've moved out of the house, and 3-4 hours away, I only make it home once a month or so. So when I come home, they go nuts. Maybe I should stop petting them as soon as they come up to me when I get home? Just wait a couple of minutes, and then call them over to me?

Problem is, the behavior may be pretty deep-seated. When I was in college, it was the same thing, so the behavior has been practiced for about four years, now.[/quote]

There is a difference. They are greeting you when you come home. The issue with Autumn Dusk's dog is that she is carrying on while she is out.

[Justin86]

[quote name='mommas_boy' post='1621289' date='Aug 9 2008, 12:31 AM']Hmm. My parents own two golden retrievers. Now that I've moved out of the house, and 3-4 hours away, I only make it home once a month or so. So when I come home, they go nuts. Maybe I should stop petting them as soon as they come up to me when I get home? Just wait a couple of minutes, and then call them over to me?

Problem is, the behavior may be pretty deep-seated. When I was in college, it was the same thing, so the behavior has been practiced for about four years, now.[/quote]

When I went back to the States on leave after a year of being in Japan, my dog didn't even remember who I was.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1621295' date='Aug 8 2008, 11:38 AM']When I went back to the States on leave after a year of being in Japan, my dog didn't even remember who I was.[/quote]

Ouch.

[Justin86]

I think I just have a stupid dog really.

[Justin86]

Cute, but stupid.

[img]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc131/justin86_bucket/Home%20and%20Family/DSCF0075.jpg[/img]

[puellapaschalis]

CUUUUUUUUTE!

(I'll take your word for it on the stupid)

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1621204' date='Aug 8 2008, 07:01 AM']I gut a used dog from the shelter. She's well trained (sit, lay, heel, come, down, stay, get down, paw, go....alot of things). However, she has some quirks that I need help on.[/quote]

Do you know what breed or mixture? Certain breeds have their own quirks.

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1621204' date='Aug 8 2008, 07:01 AM']1) is it normal for dogs to LOVE rolling around on their backs? My dog LOVES it...and I mean head over heels, going for broke rolling around on the carpet. Its new carpet so there's nothing to roll [i]IN[/i] per se and I brushed her several times so she can't be itchy.[/quote]

Yes, it is normal. I have heard that it is their way of transmitting their smell to the carpet, grass, etc. (be glad that it is this way and not another way!!!).

Either that, or she just wants you to rub her belly.

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1621204' date='Aug 8 2008, 07:01 AM']2) she or barks like a nut everytime I leave for work...or actually any time I leave (unless she's at my neighbors) she's a bit attachment-disordered I guess. How do I get her to be quiet before my neighbors break in and strangle her?[/quote]

Forgive me if I missed this before, but how long have you had the dog? I agree that it is separation anxiety. It is something that could go away with time. I have a cocker spaniel; I used to have two, but the other one died
of old age exacerbated by kidney problems. The two were inseparable while I had them, and when the one died, the other one would cry when I left the house. It took a few months, but she got used to it. One tip would be to leave a radio or TV on (not too loud, but just loud enough for the dog to hear). Either that, or get a second dog to keep her company.

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1621204' date='Aug 8 2008, 07:01 AM']3) she's TERRIFIED of my guitar...like balisstically terrified. She won't go near it when its down much less when I'm holding it. She'll get curious and then bark her head off and run into the bathroom (the farthest room from my bedroom). I need this to stop beuase my brother is a musician and my dad and other brother are an amateur musicians...she hasn't been around them, but she will and i don't want there to be issues with them[/quote]

That is a new one on me. Perhaps the previous owners abused the dog with the guitar, or maybe the previous owner played music on guitars that scared the dog. My old dog would try to attack vacuum cleaners and carpet sweepers (I'm talking about when they were not running). I once tried to convince him that there was nothing to fear and thought by forcing him to be close to a vacuum cleaner he would overcome his fear, so I cornered him in a bathroom with a vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, it backfired, and I had a little mess to clean up.

[Norseman82]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1621295' date='Aug 8 2008, 11:38 AM']When I went back to the States on leave after a year of being in Japan, my dog didn't even remember who I was.[/quote]

That's nothing. I went to Toronto at the end of May for four days and left my dog with my cousin's family. When I left her there Wednesday afternoon, she tried to follow me out the door. When I went to pick her up Sunday night, she just walked right past me like I was a total stranger (she had bonded with my cousin's daughter in the meantime, and it took a few hours to re-bond with me).

[cmotherofpirl]

Dogs love to roll on their back to scratch, and also to show they are submissive. Cleo has rolled accross the room on her back just for the fun of it. She probably wants you to play.
Put a talk show on the radio or tv when you leave the house, or a classical radio station, dogs need company. Ask the neighbors to let you know how much she really barks while you are away. Make sure you take her for a brisk walk before you leave and when you come home to get out some of her pent up energy.

Put your guitar down on the floor when you are in the room so she gets used to it. Sit next to it and encourage her to sit next to you. Pat the guitar and strum it once in a while. When she is calm for that then hold the guitar and strum it. Sing to the radio so she gets used to that as well. When she is calm always praise her. My dog had to get used to a punk band in the house and it takes awhile. . Check with the shelter, they want you to succeed as an owner.

[Autumn Dusk]

The shelter I got her from is a tiny operation and they only work for like 2 hours a day...hours when I'm at work.

I know that she was with a good family for a year and a half. Like I said she's VERY well trained. She is incredible on-lead which isn't very usual for a small dog. Someone worked very hard to train her. I don't know anything about the first two...but it had to be during those years becuase the people who had her a year and a half got rid of her becuase they didn't want to be bothored with doing anything but feeding her.

She is very nervous with the guitar if I lay it out on the floor, even, she won't come in the room with me. I don't know why it freaks her out so much...i had a 2x4 laying around and I lifted it up and she wasn't afraid of it. I can't immagine how someone could of her with a guitar. Unless she never saw one before?

My usual day is getting up, letting her out to pee/poo, eat breakfast/feed her, go for a 20min walk, go to work, come home, short walk pee/poo, have dinner/feed her, then go for a 35-50min walk, then DVD's then bed.

Weekend I'm going hiking...and thats going to be every weekend! YAY New England Mountians!

I think she just likes rolling around..its just annoying to me becuase she does it so blysfully she is like on crack.

She looks alot like Justin's dog, actually.

[Justin86]

[quote name='Autumn Dusk' post='1622095' date='Aug 9 2008, 10:20 AM']She looks alot like Justin's dog, actually.[/quote]
If she's the same breed as my dog then she would be either a JRT, a Beagle, or possibly both (my dog is actually the last of the three, but a lot of people only see Beagle in her).

My dog doesn't have any of your problems, though. Her biggest thing was she used to like to whine constantly and it really annoyed us. We started giving her a special type of color that would go over her nose every time she would do it. It was based off the collar used by animal control for dangerous dogs, but it was designed to be more humane and less restrictive. It was just more of a nuisance for her than actually painful. Anyway, she eventually stopped that because of the collar, and once we got her potty trained she became a great indoor dog! See if you can't find something like that to get her to stop rolling on the floor if that bothers you. I forget what they called it.