Demanding Attention

[driven]

My boyfriend has 3 daschunds who I am working with. They are good dogs, but I am teaching them some basic obedience. Nothing to do with that though, every time I pet one of them the other 2 come rushing up and Harvey (the only male) gets extremely jealous and is very demanding when it comes to getting attention. He will nudge, lick your hands, bark and get all crazy. He even gets upset with whatever dog I am petting and bites them (gently and nothing aggressive, just telling them to back off and let him be pet). How do I get him to stop getting so crazy every time I pet one of the other dogs or even when I am petting him? I'm so used to my dogs where whenever I pet them they love it but they are calm. They can just be laying there and I will come up to pet them and they won't get all wiggly and over excited. I want the same for these dogs but they don't know how to be calm while getting attention. Need some help please. Thanks ahead of time to everyone who replies!!!

 

[Jean Cote]

That is an interesting problem you got there - I myself have been pretty lucky, both of my dogs are very tolerant of each other and are not overly jealous of each other.

Sorry, I wish that I could help you more but I have never had this problem.

 

[drgnrdr]

It's veyr ahrd to address this issue, I really need to see what is going on in the social dynamic of the house, the doxies don't sound like they have been trained much, I would never pay attention to a dog who is pushy or demanding becasue then I am rewarding craziness. But I am like Jean I have never had this problem with multiple dogs because I am leader, and my house is run by me and the NILIF methods.
He is asserting himself at them to say HE gets attention not them, back away.
Some say let them correct each other, some say step in your the boss.
It depends on the dog and the others and the type of training they/he has, and if you can watch so he doesn't retaliate at them later.
So I don't have enough info, only you can decide. You can try to stop him by using a negative sound, EH! and don't touch him, or turn away from him so he see's you are not allowing it, the others aren't part of it.
Oh NILIF is "nothing in life is free" in case someone doesn't know that.I also wrote a paper on how to be leader of your dog, if you'd like for me to post it..

 

[fickla]

I would try and teach all three dogs the "off" command. Off generally means to back away from something, you a treat, toy, etc. so you can use the command "back" instead if you want to. The reason i suggest this is so that the dog's learn that the only way they can get what they want (petting in this case) is to move away. Being pushy or bossy does not get them anything.

You can start by putting treat on the floor, telling them off, and then clicking and giving it to them as soon as they turn their head or back away from it.

When it's just you and Harvey, and not the other dogs, you can also try ignoring all barking, hand nuzzling, etc. and only pet him when he's calm. So i would stand up, turn your back and ignore him no matter how hard that is. If he knows the off command when you try this, that can help, but it not fully neccessary.

So, I would first teach off with a treat, then go to just you and Harvey and off for petting, then Harvey and one other dog, then all 3. You can also try body blocking Harvey away from the other dogs by using your torso and body language to move him backwards.

 

[Jean Cote]

How about just walking in between the two dogs and ignoring the one who is pushy. Dogs in packs do this to each other to avoid confrontations between two other dogs. :dogsmile:

Reference: See 'Calming Signals' by Turid Rugaas

 

[leema]

I thought I had answered this before, and I had on Dogsey!

Here is my reply for forum members here benefit:

Just finished watching Jan Fennel on TV. She requests only one dog at a time, and rewards only that one dog with attention. She pays no attention to other dogs except to push them away from her.

Victoria Stillwell, however, would say if the dogs start an argument over you, to just get up and leave. That way, NO ONE gets you.

At the moment, Harvey is resource guarding you.

Dorrie, my current foster, is quite bossy with demanding attention. I've taught her a cue ("off") which means "go away or I'll push you away". She is catching on and sometimes takes herself away... When she does this, I congratulate her with more cuddles.

She DEMANDS attention, but doesn't get bossy with the other dogs. I am trying to teach manners.

 

[driven]

I thought I had answered this before, and I had on Dogsey!

Here is my reply for forum members here benefit:



Dorrie, my current foster, is quite bossy with demanding attention. I've taught her a cue ("off") which means "go away or I'll push you away". She is catching on and sometimes takes herself away... When she does this, I congratulate her with more cuddles.

She DEMANDS attention, but doesn't get bossy with the other dogs. I am trying to teach manners.

Haha cool!:doglaugh: I didn't know you were a member on Dogsey. That is awesome.:dogbiggrin:

 

[driven]

Thank you everyone for the replies. It really isn't a huge issue, and he doesn't get mean to the other dogs, just very jealous. It's just frustrating more than anything. Thanks for the help.

 

[driven]

Oh NILIF is "nothing in life is free" in case someone doesn't know that.I also wrote a paper on how to be leader of your dog, if you'd like for me to post it..

I would love for you to post it. My boyfriend and I both are pretty good at keeping the pack leader status. They know they have boundries in the house and are not allowed in certain places such as: the kitchen, the bedroom, and the office. They also know that they never get any kind of reward for negative behavior. They are also asked to sit every time they get a treat, and to go into their room while we are eating (which they usually stay perfectly in there until we are done eating and they know they can come out). They listen 97% of the time and I think they know who the leaders are, but I would love to read your paper.:dogsmile: There is still a lot to learn and probably more that we can do to make sure it is 100% clear that we are alphas and they are not. I am also trying to work on some basic obedience with them because I know that is important for that reason.

 

[driven]

I would try and teach all three dogs the "off" command. Off generally means to back away from something, you a treat, toy, etc. so you can use the command "back" instead if you want to. The reason i suggest this is so that the dog's learn that the only way they can get what they want (petting in this case) is to move away. Being pushy or bossy does not get them anything.

You can start by putting treat on the floor, telling them off, and then clicking and giving it to them as soon as they turn their head or back away from it.

When it's just you and Harvey, and not the other dogs, you can also try ignoring all barking, hand nuzzling, etc. and only pet him when he's calm. So i would stand up, turn your back and ignore him no matter how hard that is. If he knows the off command when you try this, that can help, but it not fully neccessary.

So, I would first teach off with a treat, then go to just you and Harvey and off for petting, then Harvey and one other dog, then all 3. You can also try body blocking Harvey away from the other dogs by using your torso and body language to move him backwards.

They know the "off" command that we use which means "off" if they jump up on us, but they do not know "back" which would be a good idea to teach them. Thanks.

 

[diezel5x]

When you are reaching down to pick up your dog and the other two come crashing in it is your job to create a boundary around the dog you are picking up. Your dogs sense something wrong with the dog you are giving attention to so they (taking the role of the pack leader) are coming in to "tell" your dog to stop whatever state of mind it is in. Your job is to stop the other two from taking the role of the pack leader. When you are reaching down to pick up your dog have your boyfriend block the other two. To block them stay calm yet assertive and snap your fingers and give a slight touch to redirect the attention to you or or boyfriend then stand tall and proud and use your legs to continue to block them and push them backwards. While the blocking is occuring you can help then assist your boyfriend in asserting yourself. I hope that makes sense if not just let me know and I would be glad to try to re-explain myself haha.

 

[drgnrdr]

Driven: I posted my info about leadership for you and anyone else who'd like some info,nothing beats a professional evaluation from an Accredited or certified trainer to help you.