Is he marking is territory?
well, he does make sures he occupies prime location...areas that he can be in-the-thick of the action even while he sleeping. Like sleeping at doorways to make sure no one goes out without him knowing!
First thing I do when I get out of bed is to open the front door to let him out to pee. Usually, both of us just end up standing at the door staring outside. I think Ruki thinks if he goes out, he'll miss his breakfast. Some days, he goes out first as he can no longer hold it in ... like today. After his big poo-poo session, he rushed in with the did-I-miss-anything look in his face. The next thing I knew, he peed on the floor...then continued to pee around my carpet. Horrors! He controlled his pee to make a full circle round my carpet. Interesting.
I guess trying to take over my study territory now!
So, it got me to research on territory marking.
First, is your dog neutered? NO, I didn't want to consider to cut his manhood that early. *gulp*
Second, do you have any other dogs in the house? No
If not, have other dogs been visiting your house? Not for a month now.
Who is the “Alpha” in your pack? Most humans will say that they are the Alpha in the pack and they truly believe that they are. Sometimes without realizing it, the human has let the dog gain the upper hand or paw. You may have done so without realizing it. If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you may be guilty.
Does your dog sleep in your bed? No, just next to the bed. He only jumps in if I oversleep.
Is your dog allowed on the furniture? With you? Or anytime he wants to? Ruki controls most of the furniture in the house.
Do you give your dog attention immediately when he demands it? *Guilty* I resist until I can no longer. He's a very persistent boy.
When you both go through a doorway, who goes first? I allow him to go out first.
A lot of times, humans can love their dog too much. They will elevate their dog to the same status that they are, and before you know it, your dog is controls the house. He sleeps and sits wherever he wants, he orders attention from you whenever he feels like it, and he marks territory in the house sending a signal to you that “this” is HIS. Clearly, he needs to be cut back down to size. If this is the case, do the following to take back control of your house. *gulp*
When he gets on the furniture, put him OFF the furniture, ensuring that you also tell him “OFF “as you put him on the floor.
Do not allow him back in the bed, and tell him OFF as you put him back on the floor.
When he nudges your hand for attention, tell him NO and move your hand away
Do not allow your dog to walk through the door first. Put a leash on him and hold him back as you begin to walk through the door. The “WAIT” command (which I am covering later this week) is very useful here.
For a while, keep a four to six foot non-retractable leash on your dog while he is in the house. Make the dog stay in the room where you are. Do not allow him free run of the house. This is a privilege that he has lost, and it is a privilege he can have back once he figures out that he doesn’t make the rules, YOU DO.
I would also suggest that when you are away from home, put your dog in a crate or a confined area. The message you are sending is:
This is MY house and you will respect MY house or you will not be able to enjoy the comforts of MY house!
By leaving the leash on your dog, you are also sending him a message: I control everything in MY house, even you.
I guess I need to show him who's the real boss!! This is my house, Ruki, MY HOUSE
So, I guess the real question to ask in this situation, who is in charge in YOUR house? errr...*me*?
This last thing may sound kind of silly. Do not let your dog see you when you clean up his marked spots. If he sees you or any human down on your knees cleaning his messes, what kind of message are you sending to him?
oh, I was cleaning the floor as he's biting on the towel.*lecture* *lecture* I had to leash him in the other room before the mopping started. He loves mops. :D
Photo on 2 February 2009 (almost 6 months)
No comments:
Post a Comment