Training and question about some odd behavior
Kiyoshi and I are going to be starting some SAR training come the end of the month. I found a phenomenal trainer in the area who has over 40 years of EXPERIENCE in training including basic obedience, showing, SAR, Pet Search, Agility, Weight pulling, sport sledding, and a variety of other odd things. She's also trained service dogs and has more certifications and titles than I can count, and she makes them available for you to view in person if you so desire.
Trying to find a trainer for Kiyoshi was sort of difficult in this area. I kept running into many younger people who use Animal Behavioral Shcool as a qualification to teach and train dogs, or just the simple fact that they've trained they're own dogs. I had one guy who hadn't even finished his 'schooling' and wanted to charge some $60+/hr for training with nothing else on his resume besides training his own dogs. I didn't want just anyone to help me train Kiyoshi...
I'm paying for a whole program (so I have to wait for taxes returns), but as soon as that comes through then we'll be starting. I think the plan is to start with some fun scent work, trailing, and tracking, and work on fine tuning in his basic obedience. He gets way too excited when he see's people. He'll hang himself on his leash and choke himself silly to try to get to someone, with the intent to give them slobbery kisses, but it's GOT to be more controlled. She'll aslo be helping me to get him show ready! I'd like to take him to the NIPPO Classic this year but he won't do well if all he wants to do is lunge and slobber on everybody...
I've been wanting to do SAR for the last couple years but haven't been able to wiggle my way into a group. They're very cliche like and don't take well to new members...and don't seem to want new members. But she's agreed to help me with some of the training just to prove to myself that we can do it, even if we aren't part of a group. She's also thrown out the idea of Pet Search for Kiyo so we'll see what works best for him, if anything. It'll take a LOT of training, commitment and most importantly time. It might work out good for him but it might not be his fore. I have hope but I'm not gonna be devistated if it's a complete disaster. LOL
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On a different note he's been acting kind of odd at night recently. He'll lay on my bed and whine at nothing in particular several times during the night. He's awake when he does it and it's always after I've gone to bed. I take him out to pee but he doesn't seem like he has to go, we come back in he lays down and a short time later I hear him whining again. I just can't figure it out. Sometimes he'll get up and pace, then start panting, then lay back down, then get up, then get a drink, whine, pace, whine....we go out to play in the courtyard (at 3am), he runs around, we come back inside, he lays down to sleep, I wake up to more whining and pacing, I take him outside, he pees, I bring him back inside he goes back to sleep...I get ready for work.
It's been like this the last 3 nights. Any ideas what could be upsetting him? I haven't changed my routine and I know he can hold his bladder longer than that. He normally sleeps at least 6-8 hours straight, I take him out when I wake up and he normally goes BACK to sleep while I do housework. That's why this is so unusual. He gets more sleep than I do sometimes, I'm the one that wakes him up! We go on walks, play fetch and he gets to run around in the courtyard at least 3-6 times during the day/night before I go to bed so I'm not sure if it's from too much energy either..
I just can't figure it out! Anyone have any ideas?
Trying to find a trainer for Kiyoshi was sort of difficult in this area. I kept running into many younger people who use Animal Behavioral Shcool as a qualification to teach and train dogs, or just the simple fact that they've trained they're own dogs. I had one guy who hadn't even finished his 'schooling' and wanted to charge some $60+/hr for training with nothing else on his resume besides training his own dogs. I didn't want just anyone to help me train Kiyoshi...
I'm paying for a whole program (so I have to wait for taxes returns), but as soon as that comes through then we'll be starting. I think the plan is to start with some fun scent work, trailing, and tracking, and work on fine tuning in his basic obedience. He gets way too excited when he see's people. He'll hang himself on his leash and choke himself silly to try to get to someone, with the intent to give them slobbery kisses, but it's GOT to be more controlled. She'll aslo be helping me to get him show ready! I'd like to take him to the NIPPO Classic this year but he won't do well if all he wants to do is lunge and slobber on everybody...
I've been wanting to do SAR for the last couple years but haven't been able to wiggle my way into a group. They're very cliche like and don't take well to new members...and don't seem to want new members. But she's agreed to help me with some of the training just to prove to myself that we can do it, even if we aren't part of a group. She's also thrown out the idea of Pet Search for Kiyo so we'll see what works best for him, if anything. It'll take a LOT of training, commitment and most importantly time. It might work out good for him but it might not be his fore. I have hope but I'm not gonna be devistated if it's a complete disaster. LOL
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On a different note he's been acting kind of odd at night recently. He'll lay on my bed and whine at nothing in particular several times during the night. He's awake when he does it and it's always after I've gone to bed. I take him out to pee but he doesn't seem like he has to go, we come back in he lays down and a short time later I hear him whining again. I just can't figure it out. Sometimes he'll get up and pace, then start panting, then lay back down, then get up, then get a drink, whine, pace, whine....we go out to play in the courtyard (at 3am), he runs around, we come back inside, he lays down to sleep, I wake up to more whining and pacing, I take him outside, he pees, I bring him back inside he goes back to sleep...I get ready for work.
It's been like this the last 3 nights. Any ideas what could be upsetting him? I haven't changed my routine and I know he can hold his bladder longer than that. He normally sleeps at least 6-8 hours straight, I take him out when I wake up and he normally goes BACK to sleep while I do housework. That's why this is so unusual. He gets more sleep than I do sometimes, I'm the one that wakes him up! We go on walks, play fetch and he gets to run around in the courtyard at least 3-6 times during the day/night before I go to bed so I'm not sure if it's from too much energy either..
I just can't figure it out! Anyone have any ideas?
Comments
He's trained you! LOL.
Kiyoshi's thought process (oversimplified).
"If I whine, not only will my owner wake up and let me out, but she'll continue to stay awake with me and pay attention to me!"
Is he sleeping on your bed with you?
"Sometimes he'll get up and pace, then start panting, then lay back down, then get up, then get a drink, whine, pace, whine....we go out to play in the courtyard (at 3am), he runs around, we come back inside, he lays down to sleep, I wake up to more whining and pacing, I take him outside, he pees, I bring him back inside he goes back to sleep...I get ready for work. "
Try to avoid giving him water after 7 pm, it'll make him more alert and throw off his pee schedule to be drinking so late at night. I only give my adults access to water in the evening.
He's bored and restless and you're inadvertently awarding him for it:). There are "I'm bored" whines, and "I need to PEE!!" whines. Ignore the former, attend to the latter.
Jesse
I don't lock him in is crate but he normally prefers to sleep in it at night since it's a bit cooler than the carpet. Sometimes he'll sleep on the floor by the bed or by the windows ledge. He'll sometimes get in my bed but normally quickly changes his mind and heads back to the floor. But when he's been waking me up he's come onto the bed and started his whining, laying right on my feet. The first night we had a really bad thunderstorm and I thought maybe he was just spooked but it's been every night since then.
He's too smart for his own good! If only it were that easy to train him lol
I'll remove the water for sure.
This is him in his crate, he starts out on the small bed and then moves to the empty part. I've put a nice bed in there and a mat at one point but he just drags them out of his crate and chews on them. The only one he leaves alone is that small black one and he curls up on it when he feels like it.
One of my friends gave me this crate for him
His self control is improving a lot! I'll have to have someone record our training sessions sometime. He does better than I can imagine some days..and other days leave a lot to be desired, but I'll take what I can get.
We should meet up again sometime! Hanzo's grown up so much since we met him
http://kustomk9training.com/
She's working with us on show handling also. I'm pretty sure she can train agility too..she does a lot of stuff! I'm very happy with her so far and her rates are more than reasonable. It all depends on the type and method of training you prefer.
She was impressed with my drive to teach and care for kiyoshi so she immediately took me under her wing