Dear Adam:
I bought your book over a year ago and still use it. I have my dog Cosmo where I want him, except for one problem. I have a friend,
Brian, who comes over to visit from time to time. Cosmo just goes nuts over this guy.
He will not respond to any commands– and even hard motivational commands when this guy is visiting. And I mean a motivational #6 on the e-collar (electronic remote collar)… he just goes back for more. I have never seen anything like it. He just loves this guy, and can’t seem to get enough of him.
Last evening I put him in his hut because I knew Brian would be stopping by, and closed the door to the bedroom. Brian just walks in, no knock, doorbell or anything. The bedroom where the hut is kept is at the other end of the house. Well, sure enough… as soon as Brian came in he started going off in his hut, whining and crying etc. It is only this one person. He is otherwise very well behaved. We go to the park where there are plenty of other people and dogs, and I have no problem. We walk down the lane off leash, and he responds to all my commands when other dogs approach, (even barking growling aggressive dogs) he comes and sits when cars approach and in every other aspect, as well behaved, mannerly, loving dog. His behavior towards Brian is the good kind, (if you call going berserk good) he just wants to play with him, jumps all around, licks him, etc. What I am trying to say is he is not mean, but like totally loves the guy and goes to another planet. I have tried chaining him, using the E-collar, leashing him, putting him in his hut, all to no avail. He absolutely will not respond to me at all. Don’t really know what to do at this point. He is on another plane. Any suggestions???
– Jeri
Dear Jeri:
Thanks for the e-mail.
Who makes your collar? Is it Innotek, Dogtra or Tri-Tronics? If it’s made by any of these companies, you need to call them and they will give you a way to boost the intensity. Or– much more likely– they may have you send it back as it’s unlikely (especially if it’s an Innotek) that the dog will simply ignore a level 7 stimulation. If it’s a Tri-Tronics collar, they will probably send you a higher intensity plug.
This sounds pretty extreme, but it’s really quite common. Either the collar isn’t putting out the way it should or the dog’s sensitivity is just very high.
Also, make sure to synchronize the leash correction with the e-correction and make sure you say the word “No!” first so that the dog knows the correction is coming from YOU and not your friend Brian.
Remember, the dog’s “drive” to play with Brian is going to be higher than his food drive or his ball drive. So any attempts to distract him will likely go unnoticed.