Pomeranian + new neighbor = problem

To begin with, I have a pomeranian named Bounty(lol don't ask) whos almost one year and a half and always has bundles of energy.
Over the last couple months he's calmed down some and been a bit more obedient. But he's also created the habit and bolting out the door if we open it. Before he started doing this continuously, he had escaped once or twice before but he'd eventually tire and chase one of us back into the house and that was the end of that. Now there is a new factor added...:
a neighbor... with a dog.

Before he would always stay out of the backyards and simply run down the sidewalk but now that he found a Labrador in the backyard across our house, he likes to pay him visits and taunt him since this lab is always tied up in his backyard because there's not fence. All of our other neighbors are understanding and get that we're trying out best to control him but this neighbor isn't. Since the first time she started screaming at me as if I purposely did it. But now its happened about 7 times and shes threatening to call the cops, although by now, I understand my dog visiting can be irritating.

So here's my problem, I can't seem to control my dog when he's not on a leash or inside. I've even gone to the length of buying a small shock collar from PetSafe and keep it on the lowest level possible but I still hate using it and sometimes it doesn't even work because his hairs so long it interferes with the shock.

Is there anything I can actually do or teach him to stop him from going into this yard?

 

do you live next door to me?

My neighbors have a pom that I would love to use as a football (okay I'm kidding...but when this little dog chases my 87 year old friend down the street I seriously consider it - and then the stupid owner goes and gets his dog pets her head and says "what a good dog" cause she came home to him I change my mind and want to use him as a football).

Anyway....if your dog bolts everytime you open the door first thing you need to do is teach this dog to sit and stay when the door is opened. And it's obvious this is a dog that shouldn't be allowed outside without a leash of some sort. I say this due to her size....my neighbors mentioned above had a little chi mix. I mentioned to my neighbor many times about his 2 small dogs chasing cars. His answer "when they get hit they'll stop". I nearly fell over at that attitude. Well his little chi mix did get hit - in front of my house and I'm like 95% sure they think we did it but we were out to dinner. They cried like babies when they found their dog laying dead in the road (they had left the 2 dogs outside when they went somewhere - alone to chase cars to their little heart's content).

anyway...not only cars but predators and maybe a larger not as nice as the lab. A dog that size should never be allowed to run around outside without supervision or restraint. And personally....if I were your neighbor I would probably also complain. I have a large dog....I worry about the chances of her hurting my neighbor's little dogs if they should play, or if the play turned rough. Sadie (my dog) doesn't leave our yard. And if any of those little ankle biters next door (they got 2 more little dogs after their chi mix was killed - now they have 3 car chasers instead of just 2) are in my yard I do complain. I complain cause I do not want to hit their dogs with my car!!!! I do not want my dog to injure of possibly kill one of their dogs!!!

Sorry this is so long...but having lived with something like this for a couple of years I can at least give you the perspective of how your neighbor is probably feeling. But you have to get your pom under control somehow, and it shouldn't be with a shock collar. Obdience classes would probably be less painful.

 

Luckily my dog is afraid of moving cars and usually stays on the sidewalk but still, it does worry me. But just want you to know I never let him outside without a leash.

My problem is that my dog knows the sit and stay command when we're inside the house but when the door opens he refuses to listen. I originally trained him outside but he acts like a complete angel and obeys every word on leash but once he finds his chance and is outside without it... its completely frustrating, not only for me but my neighbor, as you've explained.

But will obedience classes really work? I mean if he knows the commands but refuses to pay attention to them when outside, will taking these classes really make a difference? And its not like I can test or practice it off leash outside because he'll only bolt into that yard again. The last two times he's run in there he's had on the collar, which seems to have shortened his trips to the yard to a few barks and then he returns.

((btw in case you were wondering, the collar actually isn't painful, i actually tested it on myself before I put it on my baby. And since its on level one its just enough to make him stop whatever he's doing for a moment and look down as if confused about what happened))

 

Is there a porch outside of the door that he escapes from? If so maybe you can just put a gate up across the porch so that if he does escape he does'nt make it off the porch. Or do you have a hallway that leads to this door? You can maybe put a gate up at the doorway of the hallyway entrance to keep him away from the door when it is being opened. Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is fencing up a small section around the door.
If you seriously want to try to get him trained to not bolt out the door each time it is opened I highly recommend you contact a trainer that does private training....one that will come to your home to work with you.

 

I got to thinking about my post when I went to bed last night and I feared I made it sound like you are a bad neighbor - if I did I'm sorry. I wasn't implying that (I'm home sick today so I feel bad about everything LOL)

We had a dog that would sit/stay when we opened the door from the inside but she'd bolt if we came inside from out with our arms full of stuff (like groceries). She was a large dog. It was very difficult but once she got the idea she would stay away from the door when we opened it.

Can you find someone that might come to your door and use a water pistol to give your dog a squirt when the door is opened from the outside? Or shake a can of coins or marbles at her so she'll be a bit apprehensive about going near the door when it is opened from the outside.

This works at getting cats to steer clear of a door opening not sure with dogs though.

 

I agree with mary about getting someone to help and use a squirt bottle or coins.

get someone to come to the door, keep your dog on leash so he doesnt bolt and when he start to, at the same time pull him back and squirt or or shake coin can and give a comand you want like use for this like stop. I would try the coin can trick first and keep at it

honeybear

 

You need to train the dog not to bolt out the door! Like everyone said, you teach him to sit until you release him. AND you do NOT let him outside without a leash unless your yard is fenced.

There are many ways to teach the sit at the door. One way is to put a leash on him and use it to restrain him if he tries to bolt. Sometimes two people make this easier. I also taught my dogs the "wait" command but did not use a leash. I would stand between them and the door and tell them to wait. If one moved past an imaginary line I had in my head, I would use my body to block them and sort of herd them back to the other side of the imaginary line. You eventually start to open the door just a little, and then more and more as the dogs start to learn, always keeping your body between them and the door so you can block them if you have to. Eventually you get to the point where you don't have to do that any more and you can open the door wide and the dogs will stand there staring at you until you give the release word.

You should probably look into hiring a trainer that will come to you house to work with you there. Sometimes that is more useful than obedience school. Look for someone who teaches general house manners and uses positive methods, like a clicker. The Association of Pet Dog Trainers is a good place to try to locate a trainer: http://www.apdt.com/

As far as your dog not obeying commands - that is normal. Any dog will try to ignore you when there is something more exciting going on. What you do is you "proof" the dog. That means you first teach a command where there are no distractions. Then you gradually add minor distractions, like waving your arm or dropping a toy. You increase the level of distractions until the dog is performing well no matter what you do. Then you do something like move farther away from him, or take the leash off, etc. One thing at a time. You can always put a 30-foot line on him to practice things, so if he takes off you have something to grab to get him back.

Or, simple enough - put his leash on before you open the door. Walk outside with him to play or do his business and bring him back in. Or fence your yard if you live in a house. Problem solved.

 

He he he... :lol: I don't have any ideas for you, because my dogs run all over me lol! But I do sympathize with you because my Mom has a Pom that sounds just like Bounty! His name is Reuben but I call him Ricochet cuz he bounces off of EVERYTHING!
I have a gate up at my livingroom entrance because my weenies would go out the door too if they had the chance.

 

have you tried yelling a loud word when they approach an open door. I say loud because it sort of startles them. Then you use your foot to block them in and move yourself in. Eventually, they'll pause when they hear the word (i.e. 'back') and there's no need to yell.

I've used 'back' with my two dogs and it seems to work. My little guy still goes out on rare occassions but all he does is circle me and comes back in.

I don't know how big your pom is and so putting your foot at the door way might not work but my shih-poo is 9lbs and it works with him. If you try it when you're not actually tied up, it may be an ok training way.

As for making your dog listen to you while outside - I had a similar problem with my big dog. I found that what I needed to do was get one command down really really good with him. In my case, it's the sit command. If he's out of control - nothing will work but sit. Then I have his attention and I make him stay - which means i can put on his leash, etc.

Maybe that will help too.


Finally - remember to treat every step of the way as reinforcement!


good luck

 

Ah, its so frustrating

This situation is getting extremely frustrating. See, I'm only 16 and go to school (yeah, I'm probably a baby to ya'll lol) so I'm not there all the time and the only time he runs out is when my younger sister or mtoher opens the door and aren't careful enough. If someone rings the doorbell Bounty beats me to the door barking and waiting for the door to be opened so when I reach the door I make him sit and I pick him up, but he doesn't do that with either my mom or sister, so they attempt to open the door when he goes away for a second but in a flash the 7 lbs dog runs out. :? But he usually escapes when someone opens the door to bring in groceries or something and he sneaks out.

-We've tried the bottle of coins, he doesn't really mind it. Like sometime it startles him but after a few shakes he learns to ignore it. He also realizes when the can is near or not.

-Training him on a leash is how I taught him his commands in the first place but he realizes that when hes not on the leash there's not way we catch him since he's so small and so(...) fast.

-With gates, my house doesn't have a hallway that leads to the door so baby gates aren't possible.

These are the curses of having a dog who's too clever and finds a way around everything. I think I'll have to try the training and adding distractions because that seems to be his weakness. I hope this works. My mom's worried that my dog might run into that yard and one of the neighbor's kids gets a hold of him the wrong way and he might snap at them. That and in the city I live in their really strict about pets causing problems and is a hefty price to pay. A good friend is willing to take him because they have other dogs he could be with and a lot of land in which he could be happy playing around on and my mom is considering it but I love my dog and would hate to give him away.... Thanks for all the advice. I'm reeeally hoping it works.

 

Why can't your mom and your sister put him on a leash before they open the door? Or you could gate him in a room when you know you are going to be doing something like bringing groceries in. Dogs that are clever and find ways around things are not that uncommon, but you have to remember you really are smarter than the dog and be creative. Plus, you have opposable thumbs!

For instance, we use an ex-pen extended out in a straight line to gate the dogs into the family room, since there is no "doorway" where we can use a baby gate. We usually just step over it, but when we open it, we accordian it up. Nala, our border collie mix, figured out how to do it herself, and we would come home from work to find it neatly accordianed up and the hallway decorated with toilet paper. We eventually figured out a new way to rig it so she can't open it herself. And then we had to rearrange furniture and put a new ex-pen up to fence off the couch and chairs so she wouldn't eat them while we were away.

Seriously, a dog and the problems that always come with one can be a pain to solve, but every dog has issues and you know that before you buy/adopt one. So it might be a pain to find the dog and corral him in a room when you have to open the door, but that's life with a dog...

I would really look into having a trainer come to your home and work with the whole family.

 

Something needs to be done about this immediately or you could end up with a dead or seriously injured dog. I too would be annoyed if my neighbour's dog came on my property and taunted my dogs. Although mine are not tied up nor kept outdoors, but if they happened to be out running in the yard would likely think your visiting dog was a "bunny" or other critter and prey drive would kick in.........and I'd hate to think of what could happen......sadly in any situation where your dog escapes and goes onto someone's property you are at fault. It's unfortunate the neigghbours leave their dog tied - not something I agree with but its still their property and you can't fault your little guy for not knowing property lines!! Mary is right, get started with the sit stay at the door.... it could save your dogs live. 7 times is a lot of luck... Make sure he is leashed (work up to using a long leash so that you can reinforce a recall if he does slip by you. He may already know the commands but they need to be reinforced - every time. Each time he gets the chance to escape he is rewarded and will try again. Hopefully you also have a small crate which you can keep close to the door so that if someone comes over or you need to open the door you can just pop him into the crate until door is closed. That will prevent an escape.

The best thing, IMO is fencing your yard, the back or front whichever you let him out to do his business. Ditch the shock collar, as in this instance it is not being used effectively and possibly doing more harm then good. Your dog is smart maybe knows the zap/tone is coming and associating it with you (calling, yelling chasing him etc) so he's outta there ASAP!!

Sorry if anythings a repeat, didn't get to read all the posts yet.

Good luck!!
Jas

 

Oh! I just remembered another technique you could try! This one requires at least two people, though. And it is actually for dogs that charge the door when the doorbell rings, but you could adapt it for your situation.

Have someone ring the doorbell. Assuming Bounty runs to the door, call him over to you at a place well away from the door - pick a good spot that he can remember and is safe, or put a dog bed there or something. Anyway, call him to you and feed him the best treats ever. Repeat this a bunch of times. He should start to associate the doorbell ringing with getting treats in this spot and he will go to the spot automatically when the doorbell rings. You can then put a command to it if you want, like "go to your place" or something like that. Start delaying the treats at this point so that he goes to his spot and doesn't immediately get rewarded but will be very soon, and gradually increase the time he has to wait for his treat. This should get him to stay in that spot and wait for his treats. If you don't want to use the doorbell, you can just have someone open the door a crack and then call him away. Hopefully he will start to associate the door being opened with running to his spot to get treats.

Similarly, Nala's "come" command has never been very reliable. But in agility when we are not allowed to bring treats into the ring, I started telling her "let's go get your treats" as soon as she finished her run and then immediately go to my treat bag and reward her. The other night we let her out to pee and she started barking at a dog a few houses down who was also out and barking. We called her but she wouldn't come in and it was really wet and nasty outside. So instead of calling her I said, "Nala, let's go get your treats!" and she came right in. I of course then gave her treats. I certainly won't overuse the technique, but it will be handy in a pinch.

Whatever you decide to do, the whole family has to be in on it at the beginning for it to work. Consistency is important. If everyone enforces the sit at the door, or go to your place, or whatever you decide to do, he will learn faster.

 

Thank you for Everything

Yeah, I was planning to do something similiar with his bed. I've been teaching him the command of "bed" in which he voluntarally goes to his bed and sits their patiently for a treat. I'm hoping this might solve the running out the door problems.. We'll see.
I've also decided to re-train him with this Ebook I've purchased that has been having good effects so far.

Thanks for all the advice and comments, they've all helped me one way or another. I'll keep you posted on how does with his new training and I'm guna try to put some pictures of him up Once again, thanks everyone!

 

http://www.k9magazinefree.com/k9_perspe ... 17p9.shtml
Try working on a better recall. Go back to basics. Above are some great tips on recall. I use these games a lot when training shelter dogs to come.
I might add one more usefull tip that I have used on my own dogs when they have gotten out. When my dog gets out of the front accidently (I try 100 percent to let this not happen but we all know accidents can arise) I quickly get my car keys and jingle them so the dog can hear me. I then get into my car and offer the dog a ride to go "Bye Bye". Once the dog jumps in the car (always does) I take him/her down to the local donut shop and get him/her a small treat. I then take him/her on a quick two minute dog walk and proceed with taking the dog home. This way they are conditioned to learning that when I start my car, they come running to me wherever they are.
It does work for me. Give it a try.
Good luck.
Sue