Dog training question

[AylaM]

We've agreed to take in my Uncle's dog while he and his family try and get back on their feet.  We're going to have him for at least another year, perhaps longer.

We've got two problems with him that I've been attempting to look up on google.  But the first problem I can't find a solution for at all.  The second I find advice for similar situations, but nothing that looks like it will help.  SoI was wondering if any EHellions had ever had the same problem and solved it successfully.

We've considered a dog trainer if we can't do it, but  money is tight at the moment, so it'll be a while before we can.

He is a big dog.  Like 100+ lbs.  The problems we are having is that he just bowls through everything and that he thinks it is ok to jump in your lap. 

For the bowling stuff over:
He does it with anything.  In the house that means people, furniture,  plants, trash cans, and really anything that he can move.  He can't move larger stuff, but our small cabinets and chairs and coffee tables get pushed around all the time.  It is frustrating.  I can be using my small desk and he can want to get by between me and the desk: If I'm not fast enough he'll tip the whole thing and my computer will hit the floor.

For the lap thing:
For the crawling on our laps, we trained it out of our dogs by just pushing them down whenever they did it.  But if he tries, we cannot physically stop him.  We struggle to push him off and it just excites him.  He doesn't jump up on people when they are standing.  But if you're sitting on the couch or in bed, he'll sometimes just climb all over you.

With other dogs, they seem to pick up on the fact that they are breaking the rules when we correct them.  He's the biggest doofus I've met.  You can get mad at him and he seems to have no clue at all.  On one hand he's the sweetest dog.  On the other hand he makes me so angry.

[Judah]

Does he have basic obedience? If not, I would start with a sit and stay. If he's sitting, he can't be bowling things over or getting in your lap.

[doodlemor]

I can't claim to any great dog training abilities, but I have read a lot about the subject.

I think that some authors recommend putting a doofus like yours on a lead in the house, and giving the dog off time as the creature behaves better.  In your case, it sounds like you would need a gentle leader device besides.

We have a large doofus at our house, too.  He is getting much better now that he is older and more settled.  For several years we thought that he wasn't smart enough to learn things, but we now realize that this was a doggy airhead act to get his own way.  Fortunately, like your doofus, he is a very sweet dog, too.

[Hillia]

A solid 'sit' command is your best friend for dogs with no manners.  If he tries to climb on you, 'Sit!' and reward if he does it.  If he's about to push in between you and a piece of furniture, 'Sit!', move the furniture or redirect him to another path.

I have a dog who jumps up and I hate it.  He has a decent grasp of sit so I use it frequently, more often after idiot BIL and FIL have been over encouraging him to jump on them.

[JenJay]

I agree that I'd start by keeping him leashed in the house and working on sit, down and stay.

[Iris]

A solid 'sit' command is your best friend for dogs with no manners.  If he tries to climb on you, 'Sit!' and reward if he does it.  If he's about to push in between you and a piece of furniture, 'Sit!', move the furniture or redirect him to another path.

I have a dog who jumps up and I hate it.  He has a decent grasp of sit so I use it frequently, more often after idiot BIL and FIL have been over encouraging him to jump on them.

Are you me? Or do we just have the same dog and the same relations?

OT, I would go with JenJay's advice. Get the basics down and control him until he has them.

[DavidH]

I can also recommend finding something he hates (not something harmful) and using that as a means to discipline him when he does something you don't like.  For example, my dog hates being squirted with a water gun.  It's harmless, so when she does something not allowed, like jumping on the couch or begging at the table, she gets squirted with it.  It has gotten to the point that if i want her to stop doing something, I can reach for the water gun and she immediately stops the behavior. 

[mmswm]

I have a 120lbs Mastiff "puppy" (he's a bit over a year old).  He came to me with very little training, and what he did know was in a language I don't speak. Within a week I had a very well-behaved dog who knows how to tip toe around the parts of the house where he can do damage, and almost never tries to get into my lap.  He slips on that one occasionally.

That said, I totally agree with the suggestions to work with basic obedience and keep him on a leash while he's inside.  I know some might not agree, but a choke collar can work wonders if you use it properly.  The collar should be right where the bottom of his "chin" meets his neck.  Hold the leash right where it connects with the collar and give it a light to moderate 1/2 second jerk accompanied by whatever command you're trying to give him, in a firm tone, but normal volume.  I also find that dropping the pitch of your voice to the lowest you can possibly manage seems to be more effective than higher pitches. 

For the first few days keep him on the leash and make him lay on the floor next to you when you're sitting on the couch.  Lead him around the house physically putting your body between him and any furniture you don't want him getting too near (say, the end table with the picture frames you don't want him to accidentally knock over with his tail, or the TV, or whatever).  You don't really have to say anything, or really even do much except make yourself the barrier as he moves through the house.  Depending on how stubborn he is, he'll figure out to keep a foot or so of space between himself and those pieces of furniture anywhere from a day or two to a week or so.  Keeping him on the leash while you sit on the couch also helps you react faster and more effectively when he tries to get on your lap.

*I'm positive that I didn't make total sense, so please feel free to ask questions if anything I wrote makes no sense.

[reddevil]

I totally agree with the idea of keeping him on a lead in the house, it has worked with numerous foster dogs. 

Also, if the water gun idea doesn't work (we had Labs and they thought it was awesome) a pop can with a few pennies inside and tape over the mouth works, too.  It makes a sound that none of our dogs liked.  We coupled shaking the can with the word "stop" and now have two dogs that will freeze in place if you say "stop." 

I like the idea of basic obedience, too, a sit and stay is a great place to start.  We also use a two man team to do things....dog jumps on Man1, Man2 grabs collar, pulls to ground and uses command "off."  Over and over and over and over until its in your dreams...


Good luck!