Big Dog, Pregnant Owner

[Dizzyjenni]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hey all

Hoping for a bit of advice!

My sister is well on her way to being heavily pregnant (7 months at the mo).

Her dog is an absolutely lovely boy but he is very, very big and has a tendency to get over excited and at his size, it causes a few problems.

He is about 5 years old now and goes on roughy 3 walks a day. He isn't great on a lead and can rarely be let off unless they are far away from roads as his recall isn't too good.

The main concerns I have are:

* He gets extremely excited when ever someone comes to the house and jumps up you - how can this be calmed down? As he's so big, it can hurt ! But I'm worried about when children will be going to the house.

* He pulls on the lead and gets very excited whenever he meets a stranger. Now my sister is getting quite big, she's going to struggle with this.

I do know this all should have been addressed years ago.

Any tips would be fab!!!

 

[TTT]

Has this dog ever underwent any sort of 'training'? Basic training/manners, such as what can be learnt at dog training clubs, routinely address basic issues such as these. Of course, training only helps if it carried out with commitment and consistency.....the good news is.....it is never too late to learn! A family member could attend classes for guidance, or they could get an experienced trainer to visit to go through the options.......but do get working on it before the baby arrives. Step 1................buy a cage.............step 2................use it. Step 3...........buy a 'Gentle Leader'.........step 4.............use it.

Good luck!

 

[Dizzyjenni]

Thank you for your reply!

He has had a fair bit if training - if he isn't excited and is just at home with his 'people' then he's very well behaved. But it all seems to go out the window as soon as anyone new comes to the house!

I do think more training could've been done with the walking though and I do really worry about that.

I'm definitely going to pass your suggestions on!

 

[eingana]

I think that this could be sorted out with just 3 things- a home routine, a decent head collar and some consistency.

When they're at home, as soon as the door goes the dog gets sent to his safe space, which is either behind a closed door (in a utility room or wherever) or behind a baby gate, which physically leaves him unable to jump up. This happens before the door is opened, and if necessary can involve shouting 'I'll be with you in a moment' or similar through the door as you put the dog away. When the visitors have been in the house for 5/10 minutes and the dog is calm then he can come out on a lead to come and RESPECTFULLY say hello to them.

Any break of this respectfulness leads to the dog going straight back behind the door and he is then denied meeting the new people who get him so excited, so either he learns to control himself or he just doesn't get to meet them. Apply this one consistently and he'll learn really quickly.

Follow that up with him getting pointedly ignored when he gets overexcited (wherever he is), by standing up, folding your arms and turning your back until he's more under control in all sorts of circumstances. A new rule that is applied ALWAYS is that dogs don't get fussed unless all 4 feet are on the floor, unless you've asked him to give a paw or rest his front paws on something. It may take a week or two for that to sink in and become normal, but there's no need for telling off, shifting him about physically yourself or any other intervention, just love when he's being calm and denying him any attention at all, including eye contact, when he's not calm.

When out on a walk I'd suggest a decent head collar, like a Dogmatics or a k9bridle (you didn't mention his breed, so fitting around the face can make some head collars more appropriate than others) which will allow your sister to take control of which way he is facing so that he doesn't get to pull away from her and jump towards anybody else. These two collars work in different ways- the k9bridle links at the back of the neck and pulls their head down when they try to pull upwards and the Dogmatics links under the chin so you control which way they are facing, making it much easier to turn them away from a problem.

With how strong dogs are it is much easier to turn them than it is to pull them backwards, so if they're pulling to get to something turning 90 degrees and keeping walking is always going to be easier than pitting your bodyweight against how hard they can pull. This takes a bit of a mind shift in how you can do things, but with a head collar that allows you to turn them easier, it never becomes a fight as to who is in control.

I hope that things are a bit calmer before the baby is born and that the home routine is positive for all sorts of circumstances including when around the baby

 

[Dizzyjenni]

Thank you!

They've had a big baby gate for some time but are now getting a door fitted to help.

I'll be looking those leads up

He is a bearded collie cross, but I don't know the 'cross is' (I'm sure I did know!!).

 

[eingana]

Unless he's crossed with a donkey the chances are that he's not as big as I'm expecting, since the dogs I deal with in rescue are either 50kg GSDs or American Bulldogs who are even bigger.

Any dog can learn new things, but a relatively young collie cross should be more capable of learning than most.

Good luck

 

[TTT]

Some good advice there but i would still get a cage for the dog. I would take no chances with a new baby in the house. The changes it involves including the noises, smells, equipment, toys, change in routine etc can be upsetting for dogs, who after all, are only animals and can be unpredictable when confused. When the dog is safely in the cage, it leaves the parents free to concentrate safely on the baby.

 

[eingana]

The baby gate fulfills the same role as the crate but allows the dog more space. I'm advocating keeping dog and baby separate until he's learned some self control around people too.

 

[TTT]

I would say a cage is safer. When the dog is in it, it is safely contained. Gates, just like doors, can inadvertently be left open by people moving between rooms, especially visitors and children. Better safe than sorry. :thumbsup:

Just to add to the above post, in a correct sized cage, a dog should be able to stand, turn and lie down. Trained properly, a dog should be happy to lie and sleep in a relaxed manner in his cage.

 

[Dizzyjenni]

Thank you for the replies, I really do appreciate your help