Mr. N is not being nice
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Mr. N is not being nice
My daughter is now living back home with us. Her son will be joining us in July. He is 2 1/2 years old. Since our arrival home on Sunday, we have kept Mr. N away from Josalyn. When he sees her, he will sometimes bark and jump at the screen door. This is frustrating for us because it was just last Thanksgiving that she & Tyler were here and Mr. N was wiggly with delight for both of them. Tonight we will be doing our evening walk. We plan to have Josalyn wait for us outside on the sidewalk and see what kind of reaction Mr. N has toward her. We hope it will be good. I think we are all a bit nervous about this. Mr. N might pick up on the anxiety - not sure. I don't think he would try to bite but we're uncertain.
Any ideas on how we should go about re-introducing Mr. N to Josalyn?
Thanks, Karen
Any ideas on how we should go about re-introducing Mr. N to Josalyn?
Thanks, Karen
Mr. N sounds very protective of his property - same as my Sheena. Usually I introduce someone to her at her favorite place, the park, w/a petting session or at some other location at least a block away from the house and then shortly thereafter everyone comes into the house together. Sheena is still cautious, however, realizes it's OK.
I also find Sheena to be very jealous of the attention I give my friends so I show her extra special attention when I am home and my friend is there. I also allow her favorite treat to be given by my friend instead of me when I've given her a command to sit. I hold the treat jointly w/my friend and when Sheena takes the treat I have my friend say "good girl." and I second it. I don't give her one of those little tidbits but a large piece of 100% chicken breast jerky so if Sheena decides she doesn't like the hand who's giving her the treat the treat is long enough so she can't bite the hand.
Make sure your daughter is not on your sidewalk in front of your house but up aways with Mr. N on his leash. Sheena doesn't eat in public only in the house but if Mr. N eats publicly you can do the treat thing outside as well and then inside.
That's the only advice for reintroduction that I can muster up. Good luck Karen! Let us know how it goes.
I also find Sheena to be very jealous of the attention I give my friends so I show her extra special attention when I am home and my friend is there. I also allow her favorite treat to be given by my friend instead of me when I've given her a command to sit. I hold the treat jointly w/my friend and when Sheena takes the treat I have my friend say "good girl." and I second it. I don't give her one of those little tidbits but a large piece of 100% chicken breast jerky so if Sheena decides she doesn't like the hand who's giving her the treat the treat is long enough so she can't bite the hand.
Make sure your daughter is not on your sidewalk in front of your house but up aways with Mr. N on his leash. Sheena doesn't eat in public only in the house but if Mr. N eats publicly you can do the treat thing outside as well and then inside.
That's the only advice for reintroduction that I can muster up. Good luck Karen! Let us know how it goes.
Jennifer & Sheena
Both Shiloh & Mr. N love those chicken breast jerky strips! I got a great deal on the Dingo brand ( ~ $1 per bag versus $4 at PetSmart). Now I get the $9.00 bag from Costco. It's a big bag. Another favorite (special) treat are the Baa-Baa's (lamb treats).Juniper wrote: I hold the treat I don't give her one of those little tidbits but a large piece of 100% chicken breast jerky so if Sheena decides she doesn't like the hand who's giving her the treat the treat is long enough so she can't bite the hand.
Make sure your daughter is not on your sidewalk in front of your house but up aways with Mr. N on his leash. Sheena doesn't eat in public only in the house but if Mr. N eats publicly you can do the treat thing outside as well and then inside.
Well, we did have our daughter wait on the sidewalk last night - but it was on our sidewalk versus your suggestion (which I didn't get to read until after our walk). He was initially more focused on going about his walk since he had not been on a walk for almost a week. Once we got going he kept looking back and checking her out. A couple of times he stopped to sniff and/or jump in her direction. I always kept his leash short enough that he couldn't do anything unexpected. Toward the end of the walk, he turned back at actually tried to nip at her.
No verbal warning just a short snap of the jaw. Not good. I don't know why he's behaving this way.Lou suggested that I "bait" Mr. N by letting my daughter give Shiloh attention and treats. Maybe he will see that everything is okay if Shiloh is fine with everything. Shiloh doesn't mind Josalyn at all so we don't think he's trying to protect her.
We're going to keep doing the walks and try some of the suggestions you and Lou have offered. I have to admit that some of this is our fault in not doing better at socializing him
....so a word to others - make sure you socialize them from the very start!Thank you,
Karen
Sounds like a great idea - letting Josalyn pet and give treats to Shiloh. I think Lou is on the right track for sure. Just make sure Mr. N is watching. He'll have a tendency to give his back and ignore in defiance. However, watch his reaction to it carefully. If he gets more nippier or more frustrated afterwards, then this may not be the method that works for him.
In my training classes w/Sheena @ Petsmart she basically just watches the trainer training the other pooches. I consistently turn her around and command her to watch. Sheena won't do anything for the trainer or me at the training sessions. She makes me look like a complete fool when I try to show them how well trained she is.
[Except when it was time to get a certificate and show the trainer her stuff. I got pretty stern w/her and told her how very important this was. She actually realized it from my voice and of course she performed basic training perfectly in front of everyone - go figure. We're in advanced classes now and she's back to making me look like a fool and not even sitting on command!] However, when we get home I only need to go through the commands a few times and she's got it down pat and understands. So when we are at the no-leash park, or park she listens to my commands and obeys. And that is all that counts.
I think you just need to find how Mr. N learns best, learns to trust and once you've got that down it should be OK. It just takes quite a bit of observing his reactions to things.
Also, pecking order is extremely important. I would have your daughter always walk slightly ahead of Mr. N, never behind him. He needs to know she's a leader of the pack and not a follower. You can have her walk at equal stance w/you but never Mr. N.!
Do you firmly say NO when he gets nippy to others? Sheena stops immediately when she finds displeasure in my voice. I usually find Sheena's nippy when something's gotten her erked and it's up to me to find out what she's erked about. Check the environment, yard, do neighbors have new people/animals visiting, is his special spot being violated by Shiloh or anyone else, does he have a special spot? Mr. N feels threatened about something and it's not just Josalyn. It probably started before she arrived and he's acting out now because it's too much to handle all at once and he's feeling out of control.
One thing I've learned with Sheena is that the more training I give her the happier and more attentive she appears to get. Sometimes I feel as though I'm too stern or demanding but the more I show her who's boss the more it brings her confidence and trust level up.
If Shiloh is into it, make sure Josalyn gets down on her knees - at Chow level - that also makes all the difference in the world with building trust. If Mr. N sees her playing w/Shiloh, giving commands and treats, I'm sure Mr. N will at some point turn around. However, I wouldn't do that with Mr. N until he's accepted Josalyn as a leader of the pack. I've trained parrots, parakeets & a canary; and even my 6 cats were well-trained to come on command and do a host of other things. You've got to let them know who the leader of the pack is and that there is more than one human leader.
Mind you I do let Sheena lead me when we walk in the no-leash park or on-leash at the park - that's her free time to be herself and she loves it. Although she's not that keen on the no-leash park she understands it's another training period to socialize her. However, on-leash whenever we get to a curb she must wait, sit, and not move until I say it's safe to hurry let's go. She does appear to understand it's for her safety and she merrily takes back control of the walk once we're back on the sidewalk.
Also, I never, never, never, give any treat without Sheena performing a command first. She has to do something to get something otherwise she feels she has a right to it, period. And, if she doesn't perform well she doesn't get the treat until she does it right.
I've always had a knack for training any type of animal so let me know how it goes and good luck.
In my training classes w/Sheena @ Petsmart she basically just watches the trainer training the other pooches. I consistently turn her around and command her to watch. Sheena won't do anything for the trainer or me at the training sessions. She makes me look like a complete fool when I try to show them how well trained she is.
[Except when it was time to get a certificate and show the trainer her stuff. I got pretty stern w/her and told her how very important this was. She actually realized it from my voice and of course she performed basic training perfectly in front of everyone - go figure. We're in advanced classes now and she's back to making me look like a fool and not even sitting on command!] However, when we get home I only need to go through the commands a few times and she's got it down pat and understands. So when we are at the no-leash park, or park she listens to my commands and obeys. And that is all that counts. I think you just need to find how Mr. N learns best, learns to trust and once you've got that down it should be OK. It just takes quite a bit of observing his reactions to things.
Also, pecking order is extremely important. I would have your daughter always walk slightly ahead of Mr. N, never behind him. He needs to know she's a leader of the pack and not a follower. You can have her walk at equal stance w/you but never Mr. N.!
Do you firmly say NO when he gets nippy to others? Sheena stops immediately when she finds displeasure in my voice. I usually find Sheena's nippy when something's gotten her erked and it's up to me to find out what she's erked about. Check the environment, yard, do neighbors have new people/animals visiting, is his special spot being violated by Shiloh or anyone else, does he have a special spot? Mr. N feels threatened about something and it's not just Josalyn. It probably started before she arrived and he's acting out now because it's too much to handle all at once and he's feeling out of control.
One thing I've learned with Sheena is that the more training I give her the happier and more attentive she appears to get. Sometimes I feel as though I'm too stern or demanding but the more I show her who's boss the more it brings her confidence and trust level up.
If Shiloh is into it, make sure Josalyn gets down on her knees - at Chow level - that also makes all the difference in the world with building trust. If Mr. N sees her playing w/Shiloh, giving commands and treats, I'm sure Mr. N will at some point turn around. However, I wouldn't do that with Mr. N until he's accepted Josalyn as a leader of the pack. I've trained parrots, parakeets & a canary; and even my 6 cats were well-trained to come on command and do a host of other things. You've got to let them know who the leader of the pack is and that there is more than one human leader.
Mind you I do let Sheena lead me when we walk in the no-leash park or on-leash at the park - that's her free time to be herself and she loves it. Although she's not that keen on the no-leash park she understands it's another training period to socialize her. However, on-leash whenever we get to a curb she must wait, sit, and not move until I say it's safe to hurry let's go. She does appear to understand it's for her safety and she merrily takes back control of the walk once we're back on the sidewalk.
Also, I never, never, never, give any treat without Sheena performing a command first. She has to do something to get something otherwise she feels she has a right to it, period. And, if she doesn't perform well she doesn't get the treat until she does it right.
I've always had a knack for training any type of animal so let me know how it goes and good luck.
Jennifer & Sheena
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Judy Fox
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Would it be an idea to have Josalyn take Mr. Nakohe for a walk on her own. If he likes his walks, he might accept that she is a pack leader if she takes him. It is then a showdown to a degree between them and she must make sure that she is the one in charge, not him!
Just a thought!
Just a thought!
(Thank you Sweetpea for my new banner.)
Progress between Mr. N & Josalyn
We are taking it slow. The last walk (it's been too hot for a daily walk), we had Jos be the pack leader and walk in front of us. Mr. N kept an eye on her most of the time. He is becoming use to seeing her and his barking at her is decreasing. Today she told him "Quiet" and he did back off. So the progress is slow but it's still progress. The next thing we will try is having her give Shiloh a treat and lots of attention.
I'll keep you posted!
Thanks!
Karen
I'll keep you posted!
Thanks!
Karen
Glad to hear things are progressing. We should be having cooler weather for the rest of this week in northern CA. Enjoy the walks!
Glad to hear Mr. N backed off on Josalyn's verbal command. Sounds like Mr. N is getting the message. When you feel it's right, try Judy's suggestion of Josalyn taking the leash. Mr. N will definitely get the message then about who's leader of the pack.
Glad to hear Mr. N backed off on Josalyn's verbal command. Sounds like Mr. N is getting the message. When you feel it's right, try Judy's suggestion of Josalyn taking the leash. Mr. N will definitely get the message then about who's leader of the pack.
Jennifer & Sheena
We have two of my wife's nephews staying with us for the summer both are teenagers, One of the nephews has no fear of Pekoe and thinks she's the greatest thing to ever walk the earth, Pekoe follows him around, wags her tail when she sees him and doesn't mind him walking her. The other Nephew is nervous around Pekoe and shows some fear of her, Pekoe follows him around growling everytime he moves, sits outside of his bedroom door and growls everytime he opens the door, if you hand him the leash on walks Pekoe will sit down and refuse to move until someone else takes the leash, Pekoe deliberately follows him around just to torment him.
I think Mr. N. is playing the same game as Pekoe with your daughter, Mr. N has the control and everyone is trying to figure out what to do about it. Mr. N and Pekoe are enjoying every minute of this and having a great time but I don't really think Mr. N or Pekoe would actually bite or harm them.
I would be way more careful with the 2 year old though we make it a point to always tell my 3 year old grandson never to run around Pekoe or disturb her especially never to approach her when she is sleeping or touch her with out her seeing him first.
I think Mr. N. is playing the same game as Pekoe with your daughter, Mr. N has the control and everyone is trying to figure out what to do about it. Mr. N and Pekoe are enjoying every minute of this and having a great time but I don't really think Mr. N or Pekoe would actually bite or harm them.
I would be way more careful with the 2 year old though we make it a point to always tell my 3 year old grandson never to run around Pekoe or disturb her especially never to approach her when she is sleeping or touch her with out her seeing him first.
Mr. N's game
I don't doubt Mr. N is playing a little power trip game. I don't think he would bite but I'm not going to take the chance. It was quite funny yesterday morning. Normally, the two of them lounge around in the kitchen while I'm getting work lunches ready and then I put them out and let my daughter know when it's okay to come out of her bedroom. Well yesterday we thought she was sleeping in so we put Mr. N & Shiloh out and went to work. My daugther called me at work and asked why we didn't let her out 
.... She didn't know everyone and the Chows were out...she was sitting in her room waiting for the "coast is clear" signal.Anyway, this morning she opened her door alittle and said good morning to Mr. N. and Shiloh. I gave her some treats to give to them. Mr. N just seemed curious about the room behind her. So - yeah! progress. We did go for our walk yesterday afternoon and Mr. N seemed to ignore her more than anything else. He was pretty focused on run, sniff, and "tag" his usual spots.
We will be very careful with our grandson being around both Mr. N and Shiloh. Besides being careful to not startle them, Mr. N & S are just too big.
(Poor Mr. N was miserable last night...it was raining but he wanted to watch my husband BBQ...finally Jeff fixed a little tarp where he could lay on his bench without getting wet - then he was happy
Meanwhile, Shiloh was running around in the yard and was soaking wet and she was happy, too)Great to hear Mr. N is coming around. When I read about Pekoe's air of dignity and overpompousness? do I dare say? I would almost think the two are related. Correct me if I'm wrong, Jeff and Karen, but are you both spoiling your sweet Chow-Chows and allowing them to rule the roost more than they should?
Sheena tries that stuff w/me but I guess I come across like Attila the Hun and am very sharp with my commands. If Sheena doesn't obey the first time she gets the "Did you hear me?
" immediately knows I mean business and obeys all commands after that......of course, she will always take another opportunity to try my patience, to see if I won't be so adamant, but I am always more persistent and Sheena realizes she can't win w/me, no matter how burnt out I may be at times.
All three of the Chows sound like lots of fun, laughter and surprises and are definitely characters. I've really enjoyed reading about them. I can't wait to see what surprises my first weekend camping trip w/Sheena will hold! I'm making sure I take a vacation day from work the day after I return.
Oh, and Jeff, you are so right about showing fear w/a Chow. They eat it up, take control and are lovin' every minute of the person who is afraid. I always wondered, how in the world, when I rescued my Sheena from the street, she didn't bite me after I'd gotten her into my yard, just grabbed her, put her in my truck and took her to the vet. I do remember her teeth pressing into my arm but when it began to hurt I told her "Don't go there or you'll be put down at the pound instead of being brought to health at the vets. " She released immediately and wasn't even a problem at the vet. I'd seen her in the street for 1 1/4 years and everyone was afraid of her, including me. But of course she was so sick it overrode my fear. Thank goodness 'cause she's bringin' so much joy into my life. Thanks for reminding me about the fear! Next time when I invite people over to my home I'll need to tell them to leave the fear outside the door when they enter.
Well done, everyone, on keeping up the progress and persistence. Sheesh, we definitely need to keep it up with these Chows!
Correct me if I'm wrong, Jeff and Karen, but are you both spoiling your sweet Chow-Chows and allowing them to rule the roost more than they should? Sheena tries that stuff w/me but I guess I come across like Attila the Hun and am very sharp with my commands. If Sheena doesn't obey the first time she gets the "Did you hear me?
" immediately knows I mean business and obeys all commands after that......of course, she will always take another opportunity to try my patience, to see if I won't be so adamant, but I am always more persistent and Sheena realizes she can't win w/me, no matter how burnt out I may be at times.All three of the Chows sound like lots of fun, laughter and surprises and are definitely characters. I've really enjoyed reading about them. I can't wait to see what surprises my first weekend camping trip w/Sheena will hold! I'm making sure I take a vacation day from work the day after I return.
Oh, and Jeff, you are so right about showing fear w/a Chow. They eat it up, take control and are lovin' every minute of the person who is afraid. I always wondered, how in the world, when I rescued my Sheena from the street, she didn't bite me after I'd gotten her into my yard, just grabbed her, put her in my truck and took her to the vet. I do remember her teeth pressing into my arm but when it began to hurt I told her "Don't go there or you'll be put down at the pound instead of being brought to health at the vets.
" She released immediately and wasn't even a problem at the vet. I'd seen her in the street for 1 1/4 years and everyone was afraid of her, including me. But of course she was so sick it overrode my fear. Thank goodness 'cause she's bringin' so much joy into my life. Thanks for reminding me about the fear! Next time when I invite people over to my home I'll need to tell them to leave the fear outside the door when they enter. Well done, everyone, on keeping up the progress and persistence. Sheesh, we definitely need to keep it up with these Chows!
Jennifer & Sheena
Today was a break-through. Josalyn fed Mr. N and Shiloh some morning treats while standing just inside her door. While they were munching, she came out of the room. Mr. N was very excited and started to jump up on Josalyn. She gave him treats every now and then. We just need to keep him from jumping up on her. Once he came up from behind and pushed her forward with his jump. She let out a short protest and that startled him to react with a growl back.
Bad thing is that she will be gone for the next 4 days and we might be having to go back two steps before we get to where we were this morning.
However, it's doable!
Will be interesting to try the leash thing later on.
Karen
More progress
About a week ago, Josalyn tried to go out on the back deck but Mr. N and Shiloh reacted oddly about it. Probably being protective. Shiloh got the wide eyed look and started doing a little of jumping back up on her hind legs. Mr. N tried to jump up on Josalyn and I could see he was making some nipping motions. Jos went back into the house. Yesterday afternoon, we decided to try it again since Mr. N has been more accepting of Jos coming out of her room - especially because he knows he will get a treat. He still follows her around to make sure she's behaving
. So yesterday I opened up the door and Jos came out with some treats. We progressed to the benches and sat down. Mr. N and Shiloh circled us a few times, did some sniffing, then went to their favorite chairs - until they heard "something" in the yard and off they went to check it out. This morning Mr. N allowed Josalyn to pet his mane. Great improvement in the last few days! Karen
Judy,
Our grandson arrived this past Saturday. Mr. N and Shiloh were extremely excited - barking, jumping, etc. Shiloh has adjusted well but Mr. N is still overly excited when he sees Tyler but his jumping and barking are less and less. Yesterday we went for a walk - pulling Tyler in his red wagon while trying to keep Mr. N from trying to break into a run. (It was too hot for them to run.) Mr. N kept looking back at Tyler but remained focused on his outing. Tyler is quite the smart boy and tells Mr. N to be quiet or down and doesn't try to get near them when they are at the screen door or gates. I think Mr. N would love to sniff Tyler but we want to take our time with the introduction.
Karen
Our grandson arrived this past Saturday. Mr. N and Shiloh were extremely excited - barking, jumping, etc. Shiloh has adjusted well but Mr. N is still overly excited when he sees Tyler but his jumping and barking are less and less. Yesterday we went for a walk - pulling Tyler in his red wagon while trying to keep Mr. N from trying to break into a run. (It was too hot for them to run.) Mr. N kept looking back at Tyler but remained focused on his outing. Tyler is quite the smart boy and tells Mr. N to be quiet or down and doesn't try to get near them when they are at the screen door or gates. I think Mr. N would love to sniff Tyler but we want to take our time with the introduction.
Karen