instinct or learned behaviour?

[Suesumba]

k. so i get home around 5:30 ish -- if i golly woggle around woody will "herd" me out the door. he does this by planting himself flat, barking and pushing me in the direction he wants me to be in. he's backed up!

so. ia it natural or a learned behaviour? i must add. he'll catch a frisbee, but he'll never bring it back.

out of the mouth of babes.

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[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

about deh frizbee ting. Fry 1 piece bacon. Break in half when cold. Go to park. Let him &quot;sniff&quot; it. Toss frizbee and hope he goes for it. If he does, he'll come back. Iz predestined?

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?


TDude, he's not a retriever. he'll catch the dyam ball but he won't bring it back.

[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

How long now has he been herding you out the door?

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

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TDude. this is what i'm talkin' about. he's stronger than he looks. and he loves to run. got a lot of energy. amazing dog. if i lift up the leash, he thinks it's time for him to jump up in the air. quite a spectacle when we're crossing the street.

[Nanook]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour? Both!

Well your saving grace is that you do know of the strong herding instinct. This information can arm you in how to deal with the consequences of your own behaviour.

Now, if you don't mind walking your guy the minute you come home from work, then keep doing what you are doing. But...if some days you would like to just chill for a few minutes first, then you need to change it up some.

The first thing a dog learns is consistency. Therefore if you are consistent, that is what your dog knows.

It was a long road I took to this place, lol...

What I did learn was that &quot;watch dog&quot; takes on a whole new meaning. They literally know how to tell what time of day it is and what to expect at that time, if every day is consistent..

so here:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">k. so i get home around 5:30 ish -- if i golly woggle around woody will &quot;herd&quot; me out the door. he does this by planting himself flat, barking and pushing me in the direction he wants me to be in. he's backed up!</div></div>

First...he will herd you because this is what they do. Second...you can teach him to keep doing this by allowing his attempts be successful.

It's a fine line we must trod sometimes! I used to let my dogs out and feed them at the crack of dawn. Ask me how many days a year I got to sleep past the crack of dawn!

Now, I sit and have my coffee first, THEN I let them out! I started moving feeding time around to NO SET SCHEDULE at all, which was the way I had it when working different shifts. Usually they eat mid morning but they don't blow a gasket over exactly when like they did when I fed them early morning.

We are such good students, according to our dogs...

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turtledude</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How long now has he been herding you out the door? </div></div>

since 5:45. he will grunt. then he'll whinney (?) then he'll plant his two front legs in my kidney area. then he'll get down and start herding me out the door. monster poo.

[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

nevermind, i missed nooks post and the other vid.

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

Nanook: in the heady sweltery days of summer, i'd be up at 5:00. there's a street relief place where for a buck i could get coffees for the two of us (woody doesn't drink coffee). interesting none the less. the father and the denizens know him and love him (patti page). any way, he kinda got used to that and the 2 mile run in the evenings.

now as the days get darker and shorter (sorta like me) it's quite an event. i have to walk him through the chicken bone on the sidewalk neighbourhood (choke). and one gets sadder and sadder and mure sullen as it is.


but he's still just a big (apparently his breed was bred to fight wolves) big, ... gentle dog.

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turtledude</div><div class="ubbcode-body">no, I meant to say how many weeks, months? or fram day one.....ya know?
Jus curious.
Is he getting more aggressive or whatever about it, or has it always been even so?
I know nothing bout em. </div></div>

o. woody is a big suck. like i leave him alone. he's backed up. during the summer he's been used to me taking him out at 4:00/5:00 in the for an hour run in the morning !!!!!. now that the time has changed it's a bit harder to escape the sheets. so i take him down for one half hour so he can do his business.

but he knows when i come home (and what a homecoming that is) he'll get his hour or two of outside activity. when i don't move fast enough he'll start herding me... and he has this thing where he jumps in the air. quite spectacular actually.

[Nanook]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

yeah and in summer I like to get up early early and enjoy my day so my dogs learned to go out earlier too. It's this time of year that we want to change it up but they don't get that part.... Your only recourse is to stand your ground and only go when YOU want to go not because you are being herded. Unless begin herded is fun! That might very well be the case...there is no slacking off when a herder wants his due, it's both learned and bred behaviour!

[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

what used to blow me away wuz our dogs would hear <span style="font-style: italic">my</span> truck coming amile away from inside the house, and they'd be waiting at the top of the driveway as I pulled in! The cats too.
You got a great friend there!

[Suesumba]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

it's kinda cute when he herds me. means he wants to poo. he walks like a lumbering giant. but he's so cute i don't mind. all i have to say is &quot;ba ba&quot;

must add he's gonna be my reason to be trekking all over in the snow this winder. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Click to reveal.. <input type="button" class="form-button" value="Show me!" onclick="toggle_spoiler(this, 'Yikes, my eyes!', 'Show me!')" /></div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div style="display: none;">god spare my life please god</div></div></div>

[turtledude]

Re: instinct or learned behaviour?

....and folks, there ya have it!

<span style="font-style: italic">he's got you right where you want him! </span>