# help with disobedient cairn terrier



## Katie83 (Oct 16, 2011)

Hello - this is my first post. i have a very disobedient Cairn Terrier and I need some advice.

Sam is 2 years old and he is the love of my life. i live on my own and have had him since he was 8 weeks old. i fear now that i have treated him a bit like my baby and so his resulting behavioural issues are absolutely my fault. I accept that but am ready to address it now and need some tips.

I grew up around dogs - namely lab retrievers. My experience with these dogs led me to believe I know how to train a dog. I was wrong - or at least I never appreciated how different a terrier could be. 

To give some insight as to our life together, here are the things i feel are relevant:
- Most days I work from home so he is rarely alone
- The days I have to go out to meetings, I use a dog walker who takes him out for a few hours at a time
- He eats a raw diet and throughout the week gets a combination of raw meat, bones, offal, fish, veg and rice
- He's in good health, is not overweight and is well exercised
- He gets about 45 minute a day walks, Mon-Fri not including short toilet breaks throughout the day and Sat/Sun he gets a good 1-2 hour ramble through countryside, beaches etc

Before i detail his shortcomings, here are the good things:

- He is super friendly, both with people and other dogs
- He wants to play all the time, both with people and other dogs
- He is good with children and toddlers
- As with many terriers, he is exceptionally bright and good at tricks


But here are the problems - and I'm fairly sure they are all my fault

- On a walk, he often will not come when called
- He jumps up on people
- He will steal toys from other dogs at the park and will not drop them (not even so I can throw them for him - so he can run away with them)
- If he does not get what he wants, he will bark and bark and bark and bark (for example if I have is tennis ball in his hand - he will bark until I throw it)
- He snaps with his jaw. He doesn't actually do this on people's bodies or skin - but if he's excited he will jump around and his jaw will make a *snap-snap* noise. He's never bitten anyone and his behaviour is eminently playful, but coupled with him jumping up at a stranger in the park, it's quite off-putting and I wish I could train it out of him. He's done this since he was a puppy.
- Sometime at home, if i'm not paying him attention, he will growl and act aggressively. It doesn't accelerate into actual biting - but generally he will go into a play bow and bounce around on the floor jumping and growling in this position. Sometimes he will go for my trouser leg or sleeve and pull at the fabric. Clearly this is unacceptable.

I have been trying to deal with these issues but today I had a dreadful experience with a man at the field we often go to. The field was deserted and so I let Sam off the lead. He ran around and I tried to practice his recall by playing with a ball, calling him to me, making him sit and giving him a treat before releasing him again. After 30 minutes of good behaviour and response to my training, the man arrived with 4 collies. Sam went completely deaf and ran to join in their game. Despite my command to call him to me, he went totally deaf to me and tried to join in all their ball games. The man had no sense of humour, picked up his ball and held it behind his back and refused to look at Sam. Of course Sam began to bark and bark and jump up at him to try to encourage the game. He simply would not come to my call and so I went to the man to try and get him. The man had a huge go at me saying I should not let my dog off the lead and I clearly could not control him etc

Eventually I was able to grab him to put him back on the lead - but it took about 5 minutes, all with this man speaking to me like I was dirt and should be ashamed of myself. Sam kept darting away from me any time I reached for his collar - and any time I tried to walk away from him (which usually works( he just ran off to join back in with the 4 collies).By the time i left the field I was in tears. He has never been as bad as that and I was frustrated and embarrassed.

Please give me some guidance -

is it too late to get my dog out of these bad behaviours ?
How can I get him to see me as the leader?
Are two years of bad habits ingrained by my bad leadership, too much to train him out of?

I feel as though he doesn't listen to me or even like me sometimes. When i have visitors he will wrap himself around them, licking them, tail wagging and trying to lie across their laps. Whereas with me, he ignores me 24-7. He acts happy to see me when I arrive home or first thing in the morning he will run to the bedroom and give me a lick on the cheek. Beyond that, the rest of the time he will ignore me.

Any thoughts?


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## grandad (Apr 14, 2011)

Katie83 said:


> Hello - this is my first post. i have a very disobedient Cairn Terrier and I need some advice.
> 
> Sam is 2 years old and he is the love of my life. i live on my own and have had him since he was 8 weeks old. i fear now that i have treated him a bit like my baby and so his resulting behavioural issues are absolutely my fault. I accept that but am ready to address it now and need some tips.
> 
> ...


I'd start tinking about going down the behaviourist route. The interaction between you and your dog needs assessing in my opinion. You are right in saying that these habits are ingrained in him after two years. The neural pathways are strong and this is going to be a long haul to have those neural pathways diminish. So a behaviourist with good knowledge, good experience can help you devise a trainng/rehabilitation regime that will help you.It may mean going back to basics. It will certainly mean patience and consistency. You need to be shown how to be centre of his world, so that being with you is the happiest time ever. Which means creating such a bond that he needs to be with you. Which in turn will lead to him returning, because you are more pleasure to him than other dogs or other people. 
Ever thought why children seem to have a better bond with dogs than adults? It's because kids always play with the dog and this playing creates the bond. A good behaviourist of the right background will show you how to do this through training, games and food.


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## edidasa (May 7, 2011)

Answers below: hope it helps



Katie83 said:


> - On a walk, he often will not come when called *training problem - not leadership*
> - He jumps up on people *training problem - not leadership*
> - He will steal toys from other dogs at the park and will not drop them (not even so I can throw them for him - so he can run away with them)
> *get a toy and play with him - training issue, he needs to understand rules from you (good and bad, positive and negative)*
> ...


*SAY AGAIN TAKE HIM TO AGILITY CLASS WITH GOOD TRAINERS (NOT WANABE PET TRAINERS) GO TO A TRAINER WHO COMPETES IN AGILITY. NOT A HOBBY AGILITY PERSON.*


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## vickyM (Dec 31, 2011)

Dear Katie83,

Having read your message about Sam I fear that me and Trixie (my cairn) are heading in the same direction. She is only 5 months but already we have most of the problems Sam has. We were wondering how you were getting on and if there is light at the end of the tunnel. Can you suggest some of the most helpful things you have tried if recall has improved. Reading your trauma at the park with the man sounds very familiar to me and naughty little trixie. She is lovely but very hard work.

Cheers VickyM and Trixie


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## PennyGC (Sep 24, 2011)

Firstly don't despair, 2 is certainly not to late - nor would 12 be!

He's spoilt and he basically takes you for granted so why does he need to make a fuss or work for anything?

You need to change a few things - watch some of Victoria Stilwell's programmes and work with him rather than try and 'be the boss'.

I'd make him work for his treats and games - don't make him make you work. I'd keep him on a lead for the moment - then put him on a long training line so that you can get him back if you need to. Use treats and toys and reward good behaviour, ignore bad (like barking to get his ball), train in the house, assess what you do with him in the house and perhaps give him time out so he's not always with you - on a mat, in a room or crate on his own.

Yes you have a clever dog and I agree agility would be a good idea once you've got him to focus on you. Have a look on agilitynet for a decent club nearby and go and see what they get up to. There may be a trainer (rather than a club) who may offer 1 to 1 training. Your dog will find group training difficult until he can focus on you and the equipment rather than other dogs - but not impossible given some basics.

The man was horrible and you should ignore him - as if you didn't know your dog was naughty. They are around and are best totally forgotten as they offer nothing of value to you ;-)


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

You need to design some rules, post them on your fridge and implement a programme of NILIF with this particular dog at this particular time. Currently your dog is the one that calls the shots.

Some practical help

Get your self a harness, some gloves and a long line and start training the recall.

If you have a recall and/or he is on a long line he CANNOT a) jump up at people b) steal balls

You cannot blame the other dog owner for your dog's behaviour, you have taught him that barking works, when he does it for long enough you give in, as your dog has not been taught impulse control.

You have found out the hard way, what happens when you fail to control your dog properly.

You were lucky, your dog could have been kicked by another owner or bitten by their dogs.

Teach your dog to go to bed, teach him a "no attention is available" signal, crate train him if necessary, ensure that your attention is contingent on his behaviour.

You are nothing more than a means of transportation to fun parks and a mobile treat dispenser at the moment, in other words your dog's slave.

You can maintain this position or you can change things.

Where do you live perhaps we can recommend a reputable trainer to help you.

*Why cant I get a reliable recall?*

Come is no harder to train than any other behaviour but in real life it has a huge number of criteria that have to be raised one at a time in order to guarantee success.

Often when puppies are brought home to their new owners this is the first time they have ever been separated from their dam and siblings and so they naturally attach themselves to their new family by following them about everywhere. Owners find this quite attractive and wrongly assume that this trait will continue into adolescence/adulthood, whatever the circumstances. A dangerous trap to fall into

At some point in time, usually from around 6  10 months, depending on the individual, Velcro dog will morph into Bog off dog (this is especially true of a breed that has been developed to exhibit a high degree of initiative). This is the time when owners suddenly realize that their dog will not recall when it sees another dog/person etc. Not only is this inconvenient but potentially dangerous as the dog could be at risk of injury from a car/train/another dog etc.

*How and when do I start with a puppy?*

My advice is to prepare for this inevitability from the day you take your puppy home. If you are lucky the breeder will have started this process whilst still in the nest by conditioning the puppies to a whistle blown immediately before putting the food bowl down during weaning.

Dogs learn by cause and effect ie sound of whistle = food. If you, the new owner, continue this from the moment your puppy arrives you will lay down strong foundations for the future.

By using the whistle in association with meals/food you need to establish the following criteria:

	Come from across the room. 
	Come from out of sight 
	Come no matter who calls
	Come even if you are busy doing something else
	Come even if you are asleep. 
	Come even if you are playing with something/someone else
	Come even if you are eating

Once this goal has been realized in the house, drop all the criteria to zero and establish the same measures, one at a time, in the garden.

Once this goal has been realized in the garden, drop all the criteria to zero and establish the same measures, one at a time, in the park/field etc.

To train this, or any other behaviour:

1.	Make it easy for the dog to get it right
2.	Provide sufficient reward

Do not expect a dog to come away from distractions in the park until you have trained it to come to you in the park when no diversions are around. Be realistic and manage your expectations; your sphere of influence/control over your dog may be only 20m to begin with, therefore do not hazard a guess that the dog, at this level of training, will successfully recall from 50m or more away. Distance, like every other criterion, must be built up over time.

Some simple rules to follow when training the recall:

	Whistle/signal/call only once (why train the dog to deliberately ignore your first command?)
	Do not reinforce slow responses for the dog coming eventually after it has cocked its leg, sniffed the tree etc (you get what you train!)
	If you know that the dog will not come back to you in a certain situation, go and get him rather than risk teaching him that he can ignore you. (If you have followed the programme correctly you will never put your dog in a position to fail).
	Practise recalling the dog, putting him on the lead for a few seconds, reinforce with food/toy etc and immediately release the dog. Do this several times during a walk etc so that the dog does not associate a recall with going on the lead and ending the walk or being put on the lead with the cessation of fun.
	Eventually, when the behaviour is very strong, alternate rewards ie verbal praise, physical praise, food, toy and also vary the value of the rewards, sometimes a plain piece of biscuit, sometimes a piece of cooked liver etc so that you become a walking slot machine (and we all know how addictive gambling can be)!

In my experience recall training should be consistent and relentless for the first two years of a dogs life before it can be considered truly dependable. You should look on it as a series of incremental steps, rather than a single simple behaviour, and something that will require lifelong maintenance.

*What about an older or rescue dog?*

Follow the same programme as outlined above however for recalcitrant dogs that have received little or no training, I would recommend dispensing with the food bowl and feeding a dog only during recalls to establish a strong behaviour quickly.

Your training should be over several sessions a day, which means you can avoid the risk of bloat. It is essential that the dog learns that there will be consequences for failure as well as success.

Divide the days food ration up into small bags (between10  30), if the dog recalls first time, it gets food, if it does not, you can make a big show of saying too bad and disposing of that portion of food (either throw it away or put aside for the next day).

Again, raise the criteria slowly as outlined in puppy training.

Hunger is very motivating!

For those of you who believe it unfair/unhealthy to deprive a dog of its _full _daily ration, not having a reliable recall is potentially life threatening for the dog 

*How do I stop my dog chasing joggers/cyclists/skateboarders/rabbits/deer?*
Chasing something that is moving is a management issue. Do not put your dog in a position where it can make a mistake. Again you need to start training from a pup but if you have already allowed your dog to learn and practise this behaviour you may need to rely on a trailing line until your dog is desensitised to these distractions and knows that listening to you results in a great reinforcement. Chasing is a behaviour much better never learned as it is naturally reinforcing to the dog, which makes it hard for you to offer a better reinforcement. If you want to have a bombproof recall while your dog is running away from you then use the following approach:

Your goal is to train so that your dog is totally used to running away from you at top speed, and then turning on a sixpence to run toward you when you give the recall cue.

You need to set up the training situation so that you have total control over the triggers. For this you will need to gain the co-operation of a helper. If you have a toy crazy dog you can practice this exercise by throwing a toy away from the dog towards someone standing 30 or 40 feet away. At the instant the toy is thrown, recall your dog! If the dog turns toward you, back up several steps quickly, creating even more distance between the you and the toy and then throw another toy in the opposite direction (same value as one thrown)..

If the dog ignores you and continues toward the thrown object, your helper simply picks the ball up and ignores dog. When dog eventually returns (which it will because its getting no reinforcement from anyone or anything), praise only. Pretty soon the dog will start to respond to a recall off a thrown toy. You will need to mix in occasions the toy is thrown and the dog is allowed to get it ie you do NOT recall if you want to make sure it does not lose enthusiasm for retrieving.

For the food obsessed dog, you can get your helper to wave a food bowl with something the dog loves in it and then recall the dog as soon as you let it go to run towards the food; again if the dog ignores you and continues to the food, your helper simply ensures the dog cannot access the food and start again. (It is extremely important that the helper does not use your dogs name to call it for obvious reasons).

Gradually increase the difficulty of the recall by letting the dog get closer and closer to the toy/food. Praise the moment the dog turns away from the toy/food in the 
early stages of training. Don't wait until the dog returns to you; the dog must have instant feedback.

Once the dog is fluent at switching directions in the middle of a chase, try setting up the situation so that it is more like real life. Have someone ride a bike/run/skate past. (It is unrealistic to factor in deer/rabbits however if your training is thorough the dog will eventually be conditioned to return to you whatever the temptation in most contexts).

Until your training gets to this level, don't let the dog off-lead in a situation in which you don't have control over the chase triggers. Don't set the dog up to fail, and don't allow it to rehearse the problem behaviour. Remember, every time a dog is able to practise an undesirable behaviour it will get better at it!

Most people do not play with toys correctly and therefore the dog is not interested in them or, if it gets them, fails to bring it back to the owner.

Play the two ball game, once you have a dog ball crazy. Have two balls the same, throw one to the left, when the dog gets it, call him like crazy waving the next ball; as he comes back throw the other ball to the right and keep going left right so that YOU are the centre of the game and the dog gets conditioned to return to you for the toy. Once this behaviour is established you can then introduce the cues for out and then make control part of the game ie the game is contingent on the dog sitting and then progress to a sequence of behaviours.

HTH


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