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I am 100% behind Ceasar Milan! I'm in the pet industry & have been trying for YEARS to make people understand dogs are NOT people and should be treated like dogs! First understand your breed. Cockers were HUNTERS! Although they've been turning into a family dog, they still retain their genetics & hunters instincts. Your average 20 minute walk or ball throwing session will not suffice to expend that energy! And energy they have! They'll channel it into some very annoying or destructive type habits. Exercise his mind AND body! Shake up the types of exercise and do it in different locations. Can't? Expect the behavior to continue.
A calm firm hand & voice goes a long ways. Yelling, clapping, chasing all ADDS to his excitement. Body language is huge! Perfect example: A Cocker owner goes to pick her dog up from the groomers. Upon seeing the dog she goes into a high pitched goochy goo voice & wiggles at her dog. The dog is then jumping, whining, panting, peeing & so forth.
The next owner goes in to also pick up her Cocker from the groomer. The dog comes out. She makes no eye contact, quietly takes the leash and pays and leaves. Is the dogs feelings hurt? No. His reward is going home, being near his owner in a calm manner & the car ride. YOU determine your pets behavior! Don't expect an overnight change. But it will come. Good Luck!
I'm new here, but I came for help, I adopted a senior cocker/toy poodle mix named Chloe and she looks more cocker spaniel than toy poodle. I still can't believe she is a mix except that she is only 12 lbs with a fat little rump. My problem is I can't seem to get her trained. Chloe is 12 yrs old and was not abused but there are some issues such as she cringes when I put her leash on her and it's not the leash that bothers her as much as the swinging of the leash, she cringes and goes down very low and she does the same thing with the iron cord and the vaccum cleaner cord. She belonged to an elderly lady who passed away and the family did not want her so they took her to be put down. When she was left at the shelter the rescue group was notified immediately and they in turn immediately called me to see if I would like to adopt her, at first I said no because in the past year I had lost my toy poodle named Sophie whom I adopted from this same rescue group, she was 10 at the time and passed away 02/03/07 at the age of 18. Just before Sophie I lost my 15 yr old cat named Miles to cancer, then after Sophie I lost my 15 yr old cat named Gatito to cancer and I just wasn't ready for another pet, but I let them talk me into fostering her that very day 3 days after she had been dropped off at the shelter, when I saw her she looked so unkept, I wasn't sure what kind of dog she was, but my fostering went into adoption the very same day. I took her home bathed her, cut her fur and low and behold there was a dog. Cute as a bugs ear and bossy on top of it all. We started some training especially getting her used to going out to urinate and using pee pads indoors. I felt we were getting somewhere but then 3 weeks after her being home with us she went into renal failure and I almost lost her. She spent 17 days in the hospital with me there everyday from 7am until 2pm then I would go to work. I work the pm shift so this was a good opportunity to be with her. She got better and finally came home, but it has been pure hell. I cannot get her potty trained, and if I am not careful she will pee on the carpets which I just had professionally cleaned due to her urinating. Just about 3 weeks ago she started peeing on my bed. I woke up yesterday morning and had to change the bed because she had peed all over it, clear thru to the mattress, so here I am at 4:30 in the morning cleaning up her little pee mess. I realiaze she is elderly but for 12 she is more spry than a puppy, but what am I doing wrong. I take her out in the morning before she eats to urinate, then again after she eats, then before I go to work I take her out again, then once again when I come home at 12:30 am., during the day if my daughter comes home from work early she will take her dog and Chloe out together for a walk. I think she has enough walks so what is the problem here. Am I doing something wrong, I never even went thru this with Sophie and she truly was extremely abused. She was found in a garbage can at golden gate park with broken ribs, a broken hip and a broken leg, and as abused as she was she was the sweetest little thing you'd ever want to have in your home all 8 lbs of her, and never did I go thru anything like this. Does anyone have any ideas/my frustrations are wearing me thin . I recently took her to petsmart to see if they had any tips in potty training and the trainer said that in rare occasions you have to smack the dog on the butt because some dogs are very defficult to train, especially senior dogs, and I don't want to do this to her. Any ideas from anyone would be helpful.
Ok i did not read all of your story...2 cents 1 get eyes & ears tested if they are ok then treat her like she has been abused I am not saying she was but to react like that over a leash sometime in her life something happen to scare her. Ball the leash in your hand when you approch her & talk to her in a calm but normal voice while you clip it to her collar. Keep petting her while you stand & let the leash out. You may also want to give her a small but tasty treat. Let me know if this helps.
When not at home crate her. Since she is having medical problems get a crate big enough for her to have a bed & pee area for her comfort. Poor old gal I do hope she works out for you.
maybe your puppy is reacting to past experiences, but you can train a different behavior.. redirect the energy is my idea ....
Why don't you excercise your dog and then get some awesome treats have one of the kids put on a hat and before he can react start stuffing treats down him and talk soft and calm. let him look up and see the hat. if this is a boredom thing, he'll prefer the treats ...otherwise I really don't know.
Cockers are very smart(in a dopey kind of way) and need to do things.
My moms is crazy too though. When she seems me(whom she's seen weekly for years) she cries and cries like we've been separated for years.
adriean, it doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong, but I do think a visit to the vet is in order. It certainly sounds like she's doing ALOT of peeing!! As a former vet tech, the first thing I think of that she may be diabetic, especially with the renal failure episode. Having been in renal failure, it's very possible that she was/is diabetic, and is possibly going through chronic kidney failure. Some non-invasive testing (urine and blood) to check blood sugar and kidney function will be done. Also, very important to not limit the amount of water your dog is drinking until after she sees the vet. Don't want to let her become dehydrated!! Jump starting those kidneys after becoming dehydrated is a whole other battle...
Also, I have read this book "paws to consider" and they have mentioned cocker spaniels as being in the "a good dog is hard to find" category. i.e. many have been overbred and they have problems resulting from such. I have had this experience with 3 cocker spaniels I have met. One of which bit me (not seriously).
Please consult your vet.
Also, agree with the exercise thing. I think many behavioral problems with dogs can be solved with lots of supervised exercise. Also try some dog training classes, they do wonders!
Also, I have read this book "paws to consider" and they have mentioned cocker spaniels as being in the "a good dog is hard to find" category. i.e. many have been overbred and they have problems resulting from such. I have had this experience with 3 cocker spaniels I have met. One of which bit me (not seriously).
Please consult your vet.
Also, agree with the exercise thing. I think many behavioral problems with dogs can be solved with lots of supervised exercise. Also try some dog training classes, they do wonders!
I second that!!!!!!!!
I mentioned your problem to my mom and she asked the age.
She got a throw away pure bred party cocker when the dog was 1 year old and she was like a rubber ball until she was 3, but she also needed some discipline(whcih I thin helped the most) . she is quirking and defintely over bred!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I was up too late last night. The book is called Ceasar's Way, not what I stated above. Mr. Milan is known as the dog whisperer.
As the poster above mentioned some of his ways are extreme.....Actually, he makes it sound so easy. He does everything in a soft and gentle way, and it really seems to work. He explains all the whys and wherefores about his ways. It does make sense, far more so than I can see how some dogs are trained, but for me and my Katy, I'll just have to see how it goes.
I have used a few whispering techniques on her and it does seem to help. I just must learn to be the leader of the pack, as Mr. Milan reiterates throughout the book. It is quite interesting reading, and he really does blame any behavior problem, fear, or obsession (such as Katy's reflection chasing) on the human.
Before I would spend money on a behavior specialist, I would give the book a try. It's a small investment in comparison. After all, that's Mr. Milan's line of work and if one can be consistent in his recommendations, I believe they will work. He is featured a lot on some TV channel and has been on Oprah. I don't get the "fancy" channels, so I've never seen him and have never caught him on Oprah. A friend told me about him.
Milan's techniques work, the only issue I have is the methods are hidden, behind the scenes, he uses the same training methods as other k9 trainers uses, possibly milder than some, and possibly more extreme than others.
A&E is not going to show what it took to train the dog.
Also, some breeds are just nightmares until they mature - sometimes this is at age 3!! My sister's lab was this way.
DITTO!
Give her something to find ...she's a hound.
Hide her treats in the back yard.
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Chloe
After all, that's Mr. Milan's line of work and if one can be consistent in his recommendations, I believe they will work. He is featured a lot on some TV channel and has been on Oprah. I don't get the "fancy" channels, so I've never seen him and have never caught him on Oprah. A friend told me about him. 
