How much stubbornness is "normal"?
Situation 1: We are going to take a walk down to the end of the street and back. So far, this is about as far as I can really get her to go. She's not wearing a collar or leash inside the house at all, so the collar goes on, with the leash snapped to it, and off we go. About half a block from the house - she just says "nah, not interested", and just... lays down in the street. She'll get up if you really ask her to, but she will do it again in a few minutes. She never ever pulls at the leash - she freaking puts the breaks on! What the heck? I've never had a dog that didn't go totally bananas on a leash outside. I'm not sure how to deal with this, or if it'll pass. Situation 2: It's feeding time, and I get her bowl ready. She acts kinda excited (for her anyway) and I make her sit before I place the bowl down, and then she starts eating. But only as long as I will stand there over her and literally watch her eat. If I walk away to refresh her water, or put the dog food away - she stops eating - follows me, and then given her attention span, starts doing something else. She won't go back to the food unless I walk back over there and stand there with her. Is she manipulating me? Is she not truly hungry? This happens morning, noon, and night. She pretty much will not do a blasted thing unless I am right freaking there. She just lays down, and hangs out. I have never, ever in my life seen a dog that just chills out the way she can and does. Is that normal for an OES? I've only ever had scent hounds and terriers, so I'm in seriously unchartered territory here. I had to laugh when my dog training book wanted me to teach her the "long lay", where I don't give a command, I just teach puppy how to lay down and be calm. Well... I think we've got that down, without even trying. As long as I'm right there. |
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| I have no idea about the walking. So im no help there. The eating part lily does. If she is hungry enough she will eat by herself but its not what she perfers. Its normal for sheepies to want to be involved in everything you do. |
| When we first started taking Mady out for walks (just down the block and back) at around 9 weeks, she seemed to hate walks, she'd only get going when we turned around and headed back to the house. I thought it was just bizarre because I assumed ALL dogs always want to get out and about. She really didn't take to walking around outside for the first month or so. Gracie is a totally different case, because she is not an only dog, she has her mum and her big sister and she learns so much from them and follows their lead in so many things. It's quite a contrast, Gracie desperately wants to be a big girl, and when she sees the other two get leashed up and taken out the front door, she's desperate to be taken too!  Again with food, very similar situation with Mady (that hasn't changed). She has always been a grazer from the day we got her to today. Unless it's a treat or special food (rice and chicken  ) or cheese grated in etc. She'll get around to eating, when she wants too.Gracie and Virginia are pretty much the same as well (with the added challenge that Gracie wants to eat the adult food and the big girls want to eat the puppy food but with their own food, total casual grazers). I would LOVE to have a dog like many on the forums that think the carnival has just come to down and devour their meals every time like they've been starved for a month  So from my experience, both those behaviours are completely normal for my sheepdogs. And With Mady and walking, as soon as she discovered walking outside can lead to FUN PLACES (hello! Dog park!) it was a total different story. And from the age of 4 months or so, she's always excited to go outside. And being a grazer can be annoying, but Mady does eventually eat what she should be eating, at least she'll never get fat  |
| Whew! I was seriously starting to wonder if it was just my dog, lol. Mady sounds a lot like Ava. I can't really complain about this dog - she's smart as a whip, she is pleasant. She rarely has an accident in the house, and the crate isn't even a freaking issue. She is, by most puppy standards, a dream come true. (We shall see if it remains so in the next few months, but right now, I'm not going to complain) Even my husband, who has had many dogs, is just shaking his head over her apparently totally relaxed behavior. I just told my co-worker, also a sheepie owner, that I was afraid I was going to have to borrow hers for awhile, so my puppy could learn how to be you know... A DOG.  Oh, and when that puppy is tired, she is DONE. I had to pry her out from under the kitchen table last night, because she just wouldn't wake up and walk the 15 feet to the crate! |
| What a tweetie pie! 1. Is there alot of traffic or other things going on that might make her anxious? If so, you might just want to sit quietly outside with her and get her used to the sights, sounds and smells of your neighborhood, without the walk, and than add that in when she's more comfortable. If you want to get her to walk now, find a really nummy treat that she loves and take it with you, keeping it and doling it out from your left pocket. This is how I taught Oscar to "heel". On a walk, he is glued to my left side.  ( I used dried liver. Oscar would perform brain surgery for dried liver.) 2. Never had a problem with this as Oscar eats whatever you put in his bowl the second it lands. I trained him to wait but than I would have to clean up a huge puddle (pond) of DROOL!! (I think he's part St. Bernard.) If Oscar were like Ava, I think I would stand there with her until she ate her food. I don't think she's manipulating you. I just think she's a "sheepdog shadow" and doesn't like to eat alone. This makes me wonder if Oscar could go potty without an audience. Since we got him at 10 weeks old, he's never been out off leash due to his deafness, so every single time he's done his "business", someone has been there, watching. Maybe that's why he returns the favor and follows me to the bathroom. Consider yourself lucky with the whole "chilling out" thing. It could be the honeymoon period, and she's just getting the lay of he land before revealing her true, maniac self.  Laurie and Oscar |
| Oh, forgot to mention....... If you look up the word "stubborn" in the dictionary, I'm certain there is a picture of an OES. Laurie and Oscar |
SamHeinous wrote: Sigh, I think Ava is testing me. I have a few behaviors I'm worried about, maybe needlessly, but if anyone has suggestions how we can overcome it before she's huge, it would be awesome. Situation 1: We are going to take a walk down to the end of the street and back. So far, this is about as far as I can really get her to go. She's not wearing a collar or leash inside the house at all, so the collar goes on, with the leash snapped to it, and off we go. About half a block from the house - she just says "nah, not interested", and just... lays down in the street. She'll get up if you really ask her to, but she will do it again in a few minutes. She never ever pulls at the leash - she freaking puts the breaks on! What the heck? I've never had a dog that didn't go totally bananas on a leash outside. I'm not sure how to deal with this, or if it'll pass. Situation 2: It's feeding time, and I get her bowl ready. She acts kinda excited (for her anyway) and I make her sit before I place the bowl down, and then she starts eating. But only as long as I will stand there over her and literally watch her eat. If I walk away to refresh her water, or put the dog food away - she stops eating - follows me, and then given her attention span, starts doing something else. She won't go back to the food unless I walk back over there and stand there with her. Is she manipulating me? Is she not truly hungry? This happens morning, noon, and night. She pretty much will not do a blasted thing unless I am right freaking there. She just lays down, and hangs out. I have never, ever in my life seen a dog that just chills out the way she can and does. Is that normal for an OES? I've only ever had scent hounds and terriers, so I'm in seriously unchartered territory here. I had to laugh when my dog training book wanted me to teach her the "long lay", where I don't give a command, I just teach puppy how to lay down and be calm. Well... I think we've got that down, without even trying. As long as I'm right there. OMG!! Did you take my dog when I wasn't looking! ahaha Langley is like that sometimes even at three years. |
But seriously I still have to yell YEAH, Yipppee, whoohooo!! when we start a walk and have tons of cookies. You cannot do this yet but I eventually had to stop two meals a day and finally had to do it at the end of the day. It was getting to stressfull trying to get him to eat before work. So now they eat when I get home from work. He never takes forever or not finish his food. But you probably are still on 3 meals a day. Yep the ol grated cheese been there.  Patiences and be exciting on the walk. That is my two cents for a fellow layed back sheepie owner. Enjoy it really, honestly the other end would be way more crazy. Because that will rear it's head. I still get nipped if I move to quick no horse play in my house. Have you had the sheepie zoomies yet?? Usually around 4-5 months if I remember correctly. She sounds like a sweetie and so cute. |
| Lady went through that phase where she didn't want to walk out of view of the house or car. I carried her around so she could get used to the sights and sounds. (I got some weird looks carrying such a large puppy downtown Fredericksburg) It only lasted a little while. Now at 18 weeks I took her to watch a triathilon with 800 participants and she walked around with me pleased as punch to see so many people. |
| With the not wanting to walk...I also lean towards too much making her anxious. Do you have a friend or someone in the neighborhood with a dog that can walk with her...a dog teaching the puppy. My two eat at the speed of light so can't help you there. One other thing...can we re-visit this post in say 2-3 months I think it will be VERY different. |
| Are you describing Chowder? Who is now a healthy 2 year old pup who is still a picky eater and doesn't love to go for walks. |
| For the first 6weeks of bringing bloo home he hated the outside. He wouldnt even get out the car after being in it for 3hours! He never used to go out the front door, we had to pick him up. The furthest we went was 5 houses down the street then he sat down,picked him up and carried him back. Now he is loving walkies,but every now and then he refuses to move. Hes a bit big to carry back now so i literally have to drag him home!! As for food.Bloo used to have soaked chudleys biscuits, but we thought wed give him some wet food too. Now,weve tried chappie,butchers,pedigree,ceasars...All he eats is Natures menu,wouldnt mind but its £1.80 a pouch!!!! Bloo picks the most expensive to like |
Tiggy was quite tentative as a puppy on the lead in the street. She didn't stop and lie down but I thought I had the perfect puppy she stayed in a close heel and looked to me all the time.  And really didn't want to go too far from the front door. Then she finished all her shots and we went to the dog park.  Now I long for those puppy days as we argue about who goes first and who decides where we'll go!!  She heels for 4 steps then lunges ahead to sniff at a smell and then if the smell is really important stops dead. sigh |
| We don't have a lot of traffic on our street - but we DO have a lot of dogs. They are all contained, but you can hear them barking. Maybe that's what's weirding her out. We'll wait a bit and try to resume walks then. She's having some tummy trouble at the moment, nasty poop, so the vet had me put her on the chicken and rice last night. For the first time, she wolfed down her food, and I was able to walk away. Sigh. Stubborn. |
Oscar's Mom wrote: Oh, forgot to mention....... If you look up the word "stubborn" in the dictionary, I'm certain there is a picture of an OES. Laurie and Oscar I love that so true! Ava sounds very normal to me. Cloud loves to be watched when he eats and he has always been fine with walking. Celyn was just like Ava when a pup walk for a bit then get bored and either lie down or want to go home. Enjoy her she is just lovely. I am very jealous. Debs xx |
| My 1st likes to have me around normally when she eats. She is also a grazer, I swear it's a female thing, she could care less about food and sometimes even turns her nose up at it. I always say she just wants to stay fit and trim! She eventually eats tho and when she's hungry, she will eat. Always on her time tho, haha. |
| Well now she's having some tummy trouble, probably from the parasite she has - coccidia. Either that or the meds for it are causing her serious nasty poo. The vet suggested the chicken and rice diet, which I have to say, she gobbled up, regardless of where I was in the room. |
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