Dog Lovers' Hints/Tricks/Techniques Thread

mikea said:
My dogs usually let me have 4 inches or so of my side of the bed.
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Sounds about right.

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denverpilot said:
Don't take this wrong. Just like flying, YOU need training. Way more than the dog needs training.
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Exactly. Doggie school doesn't train the dog...it trains the human how to train the dog. Go once and you'll never have to go again...probably...
 
I've never had a problem with my lab - and he was given up by two previous owners in a six month period prior to me adopting him three years ago. The moment I got him home we established the bounds - he was not allowed on any furniture or in certain portions of the house.

I never feed him people food, ever (except a steak on his birthday each year). I never feed him if he whines for it and as a result he NEVER whines for food. He eats on my terms. If he is outside in the fenced yard he is not allowed to enter the house without permission even if the door is open. He is not allowed to exit the house without permission. When I do put food in his bowl he must sit for at a least a minute before I tell him he is allowed to eat it.

You can leave a steak at his level and he will not touch it. Has never chewed on anything, etc.

Things happen on my terms and a result he is an extremely well behaved dog even though he is naturally quite hyper. He has never ever in his life ran from me outside. He will not get more than 100 yards from me regardless of the scenario and if I call him he comes immediately. I never use a leash.

He listens to other people, even complete strangers, just as well as he listens to me.
 
dtuuri said:
I feel sorry for the dog. Dogs aren't toys, they're family. They crave companionship. My dog was literally abandoned. A live-in couple split up, "he" took one of the two dogs and then "she" placed her two kids with relatives while trying to sell the house. She came by just long enough to feed Cocoa. I adopted her when she jumped through my car window (true story). Now she has severe separation anxiety. I've left her in the car while I went into the ER to check on my mother. When I came out, she had eaten half the interior and headliner trying to get out to find me. Did the same to screen doors and wooden window slats. Afraid of being abandoned again. I bought a crate to save the car on hospital visits (can't leave her alone in the house), but it had such a bad effect on her I only used it once. She was an angel sent from heaven one month and one day after my previous dog died, same exact weight as he was when I found him at the airport. It's easier for me to adapt to her than try to make her change for me. Don't know what else I can tell you. :sad:

dtuuri
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I'm not sure why she is so anxious all the time. I guess I can understand being left in the crate all day is a bad thing because she's so energetic, and not being to burn that off or run it out would drive me crazy. I work days, she works nights. Which means that she's in the crate when I'm at work, and then when I get home I am up for a few hours and she's out, then I sleep and she goes in the crate. Then my GF is asleep when I'm at work which means that she's in the crate again. It's an awful thing to do, and I don't think it's fair by any sense of the word.

I've tried to adapt since she got her and it's been rough going. I have had a cat before and it was much more laid back. Everything is attention all the time with this dog.

WBI Flyer said:
Overdrive,

You are not alone. Each dog is unique, like us, but.... it will help if you can remember what you are experiencing is an expression of anxiety... from an animal that cannot use logic or reason to calm itself down. It will have to learn through experience that "x" situation is "ok". In order for that to happen, the dominate human(s) have to remain calm. So... train when the pressure is off, have low expectations, and reward good behavior. I always kept a chalk bag (rock climbing kit) filled with kibble treats when working with our pup. You can use a clicker or just say, "good!" and immediately give the treat to reward the behavior you like. 15 seconds later, and the pup will not be able to connect the reward to the desired behavior.

Crates: If a dog is feels safe and is comfortable in the crate, there is nothing wrong with crating them.

Energy: It seems that you all could benefit from a conistent exercise routine (for the pup) before you leave ... and a good, long exercise before friends arrive (careful if you live where it is warm). A tired dog is always a better dog than a stir crazy one. Good luck!

- remember this: basically, the pup is dependant on you (two) for everything (food, water, when it can go potty, when it can run, what work it gets to do, affection, and companionship...etc,etc,etc). If you think about that dynamic, that is a lot of power to wield over a living being, keeping that perspective may help you to be gracious, giving, and humble in your relationship.
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I think you hit on some key points. I get frustrated because she just doesn't listen to me when I tell her to do things. Even a simple command like sit is hard to actually get to work, harder to stick. Unless there's a treat involved - in which case you can drop it right in front of her and say stay and she'll not move an inch. In my mind, she knows what I'm asking her to do, she just doesn't care. Which upsets me for some reason.

And when I tell her to sit or stay when company gets to the door, she gets excited and won't listen to anyone. I'm not sure if it's because she doesn't see me as "alpha" or if she just can't handle focusing on more than one thing when she's excited. I can't ever let her off the leash because she'd see something move in the bushes and be gone.

Training when the pressure is off, having low expectations, and immediately rewarding good behavior are three key points that I think I'm missing. I only really push her to do things when we're doing them. People come over, sit. And then she doesn't. I think it'd be wise to try that outside of situations in which she doesn't have a distraction other than me. And the expectations part I know I fail at immediately - I want her to be obedient and I get upset and frustrated when she doesn't listen to me (after all, I'm the alpha right? I am the human). Rewarding good behavior is something I try to do, whether with a treat or a pet or just an enthusiastic response, but she almost never does what I ask so I don't know how to get her to do what I want more except using treats to get good behavior instead of encouraging good behavior in the first place.

I don't think she likes the crate at all but with the schedules being what they are, and with her being a destructive and energetic force without a container, she's been shoehorned into one. I really don't like her being in one, I'd like for her to be able to roam and run around and relax where she pleases but she misbehaves and gets sent in the crate, which makes her misbehave more, which gets her the crate again.

After each of our work days we're pretty tired. I have been trying to get in shape again and we used to ride bikes with her alongside. She enjoyed the exercise, but it's fallen by the wayside unfortunately with circumstances. I will try this though.

And it is a lot of responsibility and power. Not necessarily one that I asked for, but one that I am saddled with nonetheless. She's a cute dog, I just wish I could get her to be obedient and listen. I would enjoy being around her so much more if that was the case.

denverpilot said:
Don't take this wrong. Just like flying, YOU need training. Way more than the dog needs training.

8 weeks, one night a week, with a professional dog trainer, is the bare minimum for both human learning dog behavior and dog learning to listen to human for a "newbie" to dog ownership, IMHO.

That'll get you thru basic obedience. To get to to AKC Canine Good Citizenship certification for you and the dog, will take more.

The vast majority of dog behavior problems are rooted in the human's misconceptions about dogs. If the dog is ignoring you completely, you've already lost Alpha status in their pack and/or the dog doesn't respect you as their leader, whichever training methodology you feel like describing it as with human words.

Ultimately the dog is an individual but a dog without a pack leader does whatever it feels like doing, and you're there right now.

My advice, stop trying to learn to fly on your own and get a pro to teach you how. You and the dog will be better off for it. Ask your vet for a trainer recommendation.
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No offense taken. Actually, there was an offer to pay entirely for obedience training and she refused because she took offense to it (as in she wouldn't be able to train her own dog). I went along with it, but a good amount of time later and I'm not seeing much improvement. She has had a dog before, but it has since passed. I was kind of relying on her previous experience but I'm not sure she's ever had a dog this energetic before. I appreciate the advice and agree completely.

Henning said:
Overdrive, get your dog a cat.
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Oh god not another pet. I like cats but she'd probably destroy one if it was in the same house.

timwinters said:
Exactly. Doggie school doesn't train the dog...it trains the human how to train the dog. Go once and you'll never have to go again...probably...
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I am hoping it's not too late to fix the whole thing. She's a relatively young dog (year or two I think?) and I hope she's not set in her ways. That or unable to accept not doing what she wants to do.

Look at this face. Even not being a die-hard dog person, I still like that face.
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Overdrive:

Honestly, I see good things in your openness. Being humble is a HUGE requirement to filling an alpha role. Ask me how I learned that. :)

Crate: (I say this with understanding and no judgement. At one time, I didn't know this either.) Her crate is her safe place. Never, ever, ever use it for punishment or teaching. If she does something and you think you need to put her in the crate, don't approach it as punishment, and don't use crating to try to correct th behavior. If you need to be separate from her, just give it a second, and then get her to go in the crate - no big deal, no fuss, no reason... it's just time. - then reward her when she goes going to her safe place. Her entering the crate, being in the crate, and anyone relating to her while she is in the crate should be 100% relaxed and positive for her. It might be a good thing to toss/give away/sell the current crate and purchase a new one that looks a bit different w/ different bedding and start over with crating. I know it has bars, but the crate is not a prison or a detention room. The dog only sees it that way if we make it feel that way.

Alpha: We're only alpha if we act like alpha (confident, generally calm, and appropriate in relating - lots of reading on what dogs see as alpha available to you.). Exerting force/control, etc. in any other manner just makes us an unhinged agitator in the pack. Force alone ≠ Alpha... really. Harsh isn't it? :) That's the way the pups see it.

On behavior and "doing what you tell her to do". Train often, and train the same way, every time - in safe, dedicated training sessions. Life is not training, and if she is not following 100% on any given command in a dedicated, safe (for her) training environment, expecting her to obey in real life is way, way, way unrealistic. Don't be the boss, be Alpha. There is a difference. Alpha is not equivolent to the brain controlling the hands. Alpha is the most respected member of the pack - a pack of independant beings who learn to work together for the benefit of all.

Sounds like you may need a few months of focussing on enjoying the good things and expecting very little from the pup. Set her up to win and enjoy it when she does. When you are able to enjoy her and respect her limitations, you are ready to start training.
 
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I don't know if this has been mentioned, but make sure she has rawhide chews to knaw on. I helps a lot to burn off her anxiety. Regular walks, too. Running if able. Twice a day or more. Teach her to fetch, but I've learned not to use a frizbee because it can rupture disks in a dog's neck when they land.

dtuuri
 
Crates: Sleep with a blanket for 2 weeks, cut it in half, use it to cover your dog's crate and to line it. Your dog's crate is its den.
 
Overdrive....understand that you have a high energy dog. With your schedules this may not be the best breed for you.

Your best option is to burn that energy off...when you get home and when your significant other gets home there has to be long walks to burn some that energy. Only then will your training be effective. High energy dogs are not for everyone...takes a very serious commitment or you end up with your situation.

Make it a goal for at least an hour a day with each of you to run her legs off. (Might need more)

I had a weim that i would run for 10 miles daily on a mountain bike....and that barely slowed him down. But after the run i would also work with him a lot....made training much easier.

You have a high maint breed....you have 3 options....keep what your doing and be miserable.....change your lifestyle and work hard to find the balance....or find her a new home where her needs can be fulfilled.
 
Yep, the dog needs someone to play with, your pet needs a pet, seriously, the pound has lots of cats and dogs you can get. Dogs are social creatures and they need companionship, you have a needy one.:rofl:
 
If my dog has the need to chew, he goes straight for a nylabone. I have to buy a couple a year, but they are tough.
 
timwinters said:
Exactly. Doggie school doesn't train the dog...it trains the human how to train the dog. Go once and you'll never have to go again...probably...
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I may book some time with my trainer for learning how to teach in a new type. Doggy training BFR? ;)
 
denverpilot said:
I may book some time with my trainer for learning how to teach in a new type. Doggy training BFR? ;)
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I have an outside cat that is IFR certified.(I Find Rodents)

That's the best thing about cats...IFR certification is cheap...little cat food and water. Im allergic so no inside for him. Plus the dogs would eat him.

But he is awesome...exit out the garage door and don't look down...your likely to get a squish from the prize he left you.:redface:
 
Overdrive:

A story about why the front door is so hard...

To build a habit in a human they say takes 30 days. She needs 30 days of following the "sit" and "stay" commands flawlessly in a safe zone with no distractions first. Then with someone coming in she knows. Then with a stranger who's been prepped to completely ignore her and look at you for guidance if she jumps around... THEN... She will do okay with a total stranger.

Make sense? I've exaggerated it to the extreme. Some dogs learn faster than others. Breed is a critical factor in that.

Our trainer relates it to us humans as a stop light. Green is a totally safe environment with no distractions for learning. Yellow is a distracting but dog is still listening environment. Red is dog went out of control.

To make the front door new person green, takes a lot of successful repetition and praise for some breeds at a real green. Then a contrived setup where it'll be yellow for the dog but the people involved are aware. Then try the former red zone. Any misbehavior is corrected and the dog taken away from red until they listen, and good behavior is praised like crazy. Some dogs see praise as attention. Some like treats.

Whatever they LOVE they get only when they're behaving. But there's limits. Dino has to wait for a command to leave his crate but I learned long ago that he needs a run immediately or he's utterly deaf to commands. He is released and he gets to do what he loves, run up the stairs. He knows that's the rule. Wait until released and then go go go for a couple of minutes. I don't change demeanor or recognize the play he attempts during that release run. I just calmly follow him upstairs to go do whatever I was going to do. He comes over in less than a minute, ready to listen.

Dogs are VERY habitual. If you get them on a track toward good behavior and listening, it snowballs.

We forgot we had to teach Dino a trick to pass his first class. I started only four days before the test. But eight weeks of learning to listen and how to communicate with him, I walk in thinking he'll get an average score and barely pass if he'll just barely do his new "roll over" trick. I am allowed to arm myself with a treat for the trick and I do.

We work our way through the various tests and then one by one we get called to do tricks. I notice he's watching the other tricks very closely but don't think anything of it.

Sit. Down. ROLL! And before I can even run the treat a quarter of the way around his head, he's rolled faster than I thought a dog his size could have and he's eating it. The class actually applauded.

He got a perfect score, "best heel I've seen today" (which I've allowed to go completely to hell in two years on 4 acres), and honors in his diploma.

Cracked me up. What I figured out, and we've proven it with other dogs, is that he's a damned show off. If THEY do it, he has to do it BETTER for the attention. The one thing he LOVES is an audience. And I didn't know.

So he'll do all the things fine when it's just me and him but if there's a better trained dog in the room, he tries harder. Craziest thing.

Anyway. Train in green if you have a distractable breed who's also bred for independence vs need to please. Most hunting breeds have some level of "I'll do this my way" because they'd be bred to track or point game on their own without human interaction. Herding dogs too, usually.

Jesse has one of the best breeds for human interaction. Labs love their people and doing stuff together. Breed makes a big difference.

Some breeds are off the scale smart but also totally independent if not reigned in like Border Collies. They're the ones who'd buy a lock pick set online and have it mail ordered to effect a breakout of somewhere they didn't want to be.

I think your pup is a reasonably good breed to train. She's just firing off of your anxieties now. A vicious circle. You need to remain utterly calm and your demands must be simple and easy at first. Lots of praise for good behavior. No praise or growling for bad.

Voice tone is a big deal too. Listen to wild coyotes or dog packs. High pitched almost whiny is happy/good. Level pitch is normal. Low pitch/growl is Alpha upset with you.

Gotta make a connection. The first repeatable command is the hardest. The second easier. It can take lots of time. Dino hardly ever sees company out here so front door is STILL hard for him two years in. But he will sit... He also relearned some bad habits at camp. They ignore jumping but they don't *correct* it.

If you have a really tough case, there's trainers who will take the dog for a while and get their heads working and then you join them for later sessions and learn how to take over. The dog goes to training camp so to speak.

One space cadet friend did that on a reference from someone; he got back a perfectly trained gun dog for hunting. He wanted a family pet.

He ended up re-homing the dog with an avid hunter.
 
Speaking of faces. This is one of the most special dogs I ever had.
We lost him a couple years back

Bloodhounds are awesome dogs.

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WBI Flyer said:
2nd the nylabone.
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Yeah, actually me three. I don't buy them for her anymore for similar reasons, but I thought it was 'cause she can gulp one down the size of her head with knots on the end in like five minutes flat. Forgot about nylabones. My last dog chewed them, but they seemed to be really rough and sometimes sharp where chewed. I'm willing to give 'em another try for Cocoa.

dtuuri
 
Regarding grain free foods, i.e. Kirkland and Taste of The Wild...

I feed our dogs "4 Health". It's only available at Tractor Supply and is their "private label" food produced by Diamond (who also makes Taste of The Wild).

As far as I can tell, it's the exact same ingredients as Taste of The Wild, but at half the cost. It's about $1/# instead of two. My dogs love it and their coats are great. I feed a combination of grain free "whitefish and potato" and non-grain free "salmon and potato".

Their grain free varieties include:

Pork and potato
Duck and potato
Beef and potato
Potato and peas
Turkey and potato
And
Whitefish and potato

Regarding nylabones & rawhides.

I quit buying nylabones at least ten years ago when I had two dogs crack teeth and the vet blamed the nylabones saying that they were too hard. Don't know if they've changed them, haven't tried them again since.

I buy rawhides at Sam's. That's the only place I can find them in large quantities and reasonably priced in my area, bags of 15 for about $15. The dogs get one a week for teeth maintenance. As Ron said, it makes the poop soft for a day. It also puts them "on the water wagon"...must be pretty salty. But they REALLY enjoy them.
 
timwinters said:
I feed our dogs "4 Health".
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Uh, I used to buy that in the cans, but it made my dog sick once. I only gave her half a can for supper, so I got the other half out of the fridge and took a good whiff. Whew! It smelled really bad! So, I did research (not easy at all) and found that the food was processed by a company, Simmons, in Arkansas. They had me Fedex the remainder to them at their cost for analysis. I never heard back and never bought the stuff again either.

EDIT: Btw, www.dogfoodadvisor.com does a nice job of reviewing dog foods.

timwinters said:
Regarding nylabones & rawhides.

I quit buying nylabones at least ten years ago when I had two dogs crack teeth and the vet blamed the nylabones saying that they were too hard.
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Hmmm, thanks for that. Maybe I won't try them again after all. My previous dog broke a tooth on a rawhide chew and his root canal cost me $700.

dtuuri
 
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dtuuri said:
Uh, I used to buy that in the cans, but it made my dog sick once.
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That's the issue with buying anything made by Diamond; whether it's the Diamond brand, Taste of The Wild, 4 Health, or anything else they might make. They've had their share of QC issues over the years for sure. It's given me a bit of pucker factor feeding my dogs 4 Health. But I've only bought the dry stuff and, thus far, no issues.

If there was a Cosco in our area I'd likely try the Kirkland, but there's not. I might check with our locally owned pet food store to see if they have it or can get it...if it's not proprietary to Cosco anyway.
 
Right on


denverpilot said:
Don't take this wrong. Just like flying, YOU need training. Way more than the dog needs training.

8 weeks, one night a week, with a professional dog trainer, is the bare minimum for both human learning dog behavior and dog learning to listen to human for a "newbie" to dog ownership, IMHO.

That'll get you thru basic obedience. To get to to AKC Canine Good Citizenship certification for you and the dog, will take more.

The vast majority of dog behavior problems are rooted in the human's misconceptions about dogs. If the dog is ignoring you completely, you've already lost Alpha status in their pack and/or the dog doesn't respect you as their leader, whichever training methodology you feel like describing it as with human words.

Ultimately the dog is an individual but a dog without a pack leader does whatever it feels like doing, and you're there right now.

My advice, stop trying to learn to fly on your own and get a pro to teach you how. You and the dog will be better off for it. Ask your vet for a trainer recommendation.
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dtuuri said:
Yeah, actually me three. I don't buy them for her anymore for similar reasons, but I thought it was 'cause she can gulp one down the size of her head with knots on the end in like five minutes flat. Forgot about nylabones. My last dog chewed them, but they seemed to be really rough and sometimes sharp where chewed. I'm willing to give 'em another try for Cocoa.



dtuuri
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The Kong Extreme products work better than Nylabone for heavy chewers. They're made of harder stuff (black colored) with some "give" and they go through the dishwasher well for cleaning.
 
denverpilot said:
The Kong Extreme products work better than Nylabone for heavy chewers. They're made of harder stuff (black colored) with some "give" and they go through the dishwasher well for cleaning.
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My dog made a Kong Extreme into little pieces within a day. But he is less of a chewer now.
 
Found a nice system that's basically a wireless invisible fence and trainer in one unit. I've been pretty happy with the results although on both of the dog's collars the little plastic GPS antenna on the top has broken off. Solved with duck tape. http://dogexpeditionsystems.com/

One of our dogs is a German Shorthaired Pointer... conventional fencing is pretty much useless with a breed of his jumping/climbing ability.

My best tip is probably for treats- just buy the cheapest package of hot dogs at the grocery store(I find them for $1), cut them up into smaller pieces, and put them in a zip-lock or tupperware bag. The dogs love them and it's probably better meat than what you get in even the premium dog treats anyway.

Oh and just an observation on the grain-free dog foods. We keep chickens which we feed a combination of straight cracked corn and layer pellets(basically 100% grain). We have to keep the stuff locked up or the dog will eat it. He gets plenty of good dog food, the occasional raw egg, hot dogs, etc. He still wants to eat the corn. He was ripping sweet corn out of my garden and eating it. Now, none of this means grain is necessarily good for him... and I do stick to foods with meat as the primary ingredient, but I just find it interesting that it's something he actively wants to eat if given the opportunity.
 

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cowman said:
My best tip is probably for treats- just buy the cheapest package of hot dogs at the grocery store(I find them for $1), cut them up into smaller pieces, and put them in a zip-lock or tupperware bag. The dogs love them and it's probably better meat than what you get in even the premium dog treats anyway.

.
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Only one tiny disagreement with that. Get beef or chicken only. Dogs do not have the enzymes to process pork, which is one of the reasons their stool gets so bad when folks feed pig ears and foods with pork in them. If you look at the ingredients of quality dog food carefully, you'll note there's never any pork in the good stuff.

Our professional trainer otherwise completely agrees with you. He takes it a step further, he nukes the hot dogs after cutting them until they turn to jerky bits.

Gets rid of a lot of fat, makes then easier to transport in quantity, and dogs go insane for them. It's a rare dog that doesn't like it when he reaches for a treat.

An entire week's treats for training is cooked up from a $2 package of hot dogs in about 5 minutes.
 
Alright, folks, I need some help.

We've got an 7 year old Beagle / Bassett mix that we rescued about three years ago.
We've never really cared if she's on furniture or not. The couch and recliner are two of her "safe spots," and are important as she's by nature a skittish dog.

A couple weeks ago she started limping on one of her hind legs. The vet says it's impossible to know for sure without an MRI, but it's possible that she tore or strained her ACL. We're not supposed to let her run or jump while we see if it will heal on its own or if she'll need surgery. She's actually shown quite an improvement since that first visit. The problem is that I can't think of any way now to keep her off the furniture. I feel like since I've never prohibited her from jumping up on the couch, chair, or bed before that I can't all of a sudden start disciplining her for doing so.

What can I do that's not just throwing out my couch, chair and bed to train her that the furniture is off-limits now?
 
bluesky74656 said:
Alright, folks, I need some help.

We've got an 7 year old Beagle / Bassett mix that we rescued about three years ago.
We've never really cared if she's on furniture or not. The couch and recliner are two of her "safe spots," and are important as she's by nature a skittish dog.

A couple weeks ago she started limping on one of her hind legs. The vet says it's impossible to know for sure without an MRI, but it's possible that she tore or strained her ACL. We're not supposed to let her run or jump while we see if it will heal on its own or if she'll need surgery. She's actually shown quite an improvement since that first visit. The problem is that I can't think of any way now to keep her off the furniture. I feel like since I've never prohibited her from jumping up on the couch, chair, or bed before that I can't all of a sudden start disciplining her for doing so.

What can I do that's not just throwing out my couch, chair and bed to train her that the furniture is off-limits now?
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If your dog is really in that bad of shape she should be crated when you aren't around and lifted up onto the furniture when you are. Dog might not like it, but she'll heal.
 
bluesky74656 said:
Alright, folks, I need some help.

We've got an 7 year old Beagle / Bassett mix that we rescued about three years ago.
We've never really cared if she's on furniture or not. The couch and recliner are two of her "safe spots," and are important as she's by nature a skittish dog.

A couple weeks ago she started limping on one of her hind legs. The vet says it's impossible to know for sure without an MRI, but it's possible that she tore or strained her ACL. We're not supposed to let her run or jump while we see if it will heal on its own or if she'll need surgery. She's actually shown quite an improvement since that first visit. The problem is that I can't think of any way now to keep her off the furniture. I feel like since I've never prohibited her from jumping up on the couch, chair, or bed before that I can't all of a sudden start disciplining her for doing so.

What can I do that's not just throwing out my couch, chair and bed to train her that the furniture is off-limits now?
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Build a ramp to the couch. If her leg s bothering her she will stick to that spot and not jump in the chair. Finding her in the chair is a sign of getting better.
 
Henning said:
Build a ramp to the couch. If her leg s bothering her she will stick to that spot and not jump in the chair. Finding her in the chair is a sign of getting better.
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Yes. I used an inclined sit-up board as a ramp when my previous dog was having trouble.

dtuuri
 
Yeah, ramp. We had to put stairs next to the bed when the Husky got about 10 or 11 years old... She lasted until 16. By about 14 she decided getting up the stairs was too much effort and adapted to snoozing on a rug nearby.
 
denverpilot said:
Yeah, ramp. We had to put stairs next to the bed when the Husky got about 10 or 11 years old... She lasted until 16. By about 14 she decided getting up the stairs was too much effort and adapted to snoozing on a rug nearby.
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Yeah stairs. I could not teach my shephard to use the stairs next to the bed. For several years I would put him up on the bed. Towards the end, he skipped it all together.
The collie only uses them getting down. The Border Collie ignores the stairs. Of course, both the Collie and BC exceeds the weight limit!
I tried a ramp for the truck but none of them like it. It's also too big to haul around in the back.
 
Jake has zero issues with stairs.

Excerpt...

Not too far from us is Amicalola Falls. A mile or two hike from the bottom to the top, or about 300 steps down a winding staircase.

Hiked up with Jake, with the intent of taking the stairs down.

Problem was, they were an open metal grid type step.

After one step it was comical - he just kinda spread-eagled and could not be coaxed even one step farther. Wish I had it on video.

We had to hike back down!
 
I like to get in her mind, a few steps ahead. She is 11 months.
 

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sourdough44 said:
I like to get in her mind, a few steps ahead. She is 11 months.
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Great lookin' dog! We've had a few Shepherds, both full blooded (german german shepherd dogs, not to be confused with american german shepherd dogs...there is a difference) and they are GREAT dogs. A bit of work but wonderful companions and well worth it.
 
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