Please help, my dog is a retard......

[Rank_Tyro]

My gf has a Labrador retriever, a big lovable stupid yellow dog.

The dog is neurotic.

For some reason she sometimes becomes afraid of the floor in the hallway. Normally this happens around midnight, when she wants to lay on the couch instead of her plush dog bed in the bedroom.

She will half bark, half yelp until my gf or I (usually "I") get up and help her through the hallway.

My method is ...........smack the dog on the head untill she decides going through the door is the easiest thing to do.

The girl will sit at the other end of the hallway and coax the dog through the scarey hallway. (Bear in mind this is happening in the middle of the night.)

Either way, we both get woken in the middle of the night by a neurotic Labrador. My method makes me feel better, but the girl says I am just exacerbating the problem.

Can any BOTL's shed some light on my dogs chronic stupidity? Is any Brother out there a "Dog Whisperer"?

 

[tubaman]

I'm not a dog whisperer, but I can tell you any kind of smacking your dog is counterproductive to getting the dog to do what you want. And trust me, I unfortunately have the same initial feeling.

So I have a few suggestions, don't know if they will work, but give it a try. Do you have a light in the hall? Maybe you could leave the light on at night if the dog is getting freaked out.

Or maybe move the dog bed into the living room and keep the dog in there at night. That way the dog doesn't have to go down the evil hallway.

Good luck!

 

[Moglman]

Don't hit the dog as it will only make her scared and she won't connect it to either the hallway, the yelping or the time of day.

What's the floor made of? I have seen dogs nervous on hardwood or dark, slippery linoleum. If either one of these, try putting down a hallway runner (rug) so she feels her feet won't slip out from her. A small nightlight should help a great deal as well as she can see where she's stepping.

 

[Jwrussell]

That's really strange. Something had to have happened at some point while she was going through that hallway to spook her. Your GF is right, bopping the dog on the head really isn't helping all that much, lol. You say "sometimes"? Is that because the dog doesn't always get scared going through the hallway or because she doesn't always get up to go lie on the couch?

Unfortunately, I think the best you can do is to help the dog through the hallway without coddling it (it's ok fido, it's ok schnookems). Act confident and interested in what she is barking/yelping at and try to convince her to walk through with you.

Is there ANYTHING in the hallway that might be causing the dog's anxiety? Can you think of what might have caused her to freak originally?

This kind of stuff is amazingly difficult with dogs. My dog spooked in the obedience ring this past Wed. No clue what caused it. We were healing around the ring and reached one corner and all of the sudden he was a complete freakazoid. I don't know if the refrigerator in the corner turned on and spooked him (I didn't notice it) or if it was some type of scent or what, but he was a freak the rest of the class.

 

[Greg]

You may need to remove a poltergeist from the house.

 

[Jwrussell]

What's the floor made of? I have seen dogs nervous on hardwood or dark, slippery linoleum. If either one of these, try putting down a hallway runner (rug) so she feels her feet won't slip out from her.

A very good point. :thumbsup:

How old is the dog?

 

[dpricenator]

I think you should get a catle prod and as soon as that dog yelps, You stick that thing right on it ars and pulll the trigger. Your dog will be down that hallway in no time. If that seems like overkill, the hallway runner sounds lika a plan.

 

[TexaSmoke]

Close the door so the temptation on moving to the couch is no longer there.

 

[ATCDub]

peanut butter will fix most problems with dogs.

 

[Trumpetchris]

peanut butter will fix most problems with dogs.

I like mustard or chili with mine, but I'll try anything once.:eyepoke:

 

[David]

Maybe is you hadn't jumped out into the middle of the hallway that one night at midnight with a dog catcher's uniform and a snare, you wouldn't have this problem. Seemed real funny then, eh!?

 

[dpricenator]

Maybe is you hadn't jumped out into the middle of the hallway that one night at midnight with a dog catcher's uniform and a snare, you wouldn't have this problem. Seemed real funny then, eh!?

lol that's f'n funny

 

[Headbanger]

Usually distracting the dog from what they are doing bad helps like with a soda can with a few coins or clapping loud, then removing from the hallway. Then rewarding for listening to you or giving her something else to do productive. Could you crate at night or limit access to the hallway? Ask your vet or get a pet therapist for help in breaking her of the bad habits. I imagine there is a simple solution for this problem.

 

[PetersCreek]

There could be any number of reasons the dog acts a little freakish about the hallway...insecure footing, weird shadows, or little gremlins only dogs see.

My dog isn't terribly fond of our hallway because the floor is slick laminate. He'll nogotiate it...but very carefully. The guest room is even worse and he avoids it almost entirely. Put him on that floor and he's likely to end up four paws North, South, East, and West. But we don't have your problem for another reason. The dog doesn't decide where the dog sleeps...I do. He's got a bed and that's where he sleeps. That's one of the "pack rules".

Now, about the smacking...if you hit the dog long enough and/or hard enough, you may eventually get the desired result but likely with undesired consequences. Her stress will only be multiplied because you're teaching her that you are to be feared, distrusted, and avoided more than a hallway. She'll still be scared of it but now she's got you to worry about on top of that.

If you're girlfriend is set on allowing the dog her choice of sleeping places, I'd try this: keep her leash handy and when she has her midnight freakout, put her on lead and walk her down the hallway. Don't say anything other than obedience commands. I would not acknowledge her fearfulness in any way nor coax, beg, or cajole her into walking down the hallway. I'd be very matter-of-fact about it...no big deal...business as usual.

If she complies on lead, I'd enthusiastically praise her and go back to bed. If she balks at the hallway, I'd walk her back to her bed and put her on down for the night. Lather, rinse, repeat. Be patient. It will probably take quite a bit of time.

If this doesn't eventually work, you may need the help of a professional trainer/behaviorist.

 

[Halon]

You could possibly have a dead body in your walls.
If you just want the dog to shut up, get one of those water misters like hairstylists use and give the dog a squirt on the nose everytime it barks. It'll stop real quick.
Do you have lights on in the hallway? I might just move her bed by the couch. Is it an old dog? If not, look into crate training. I did it with my puppy and it's great.


TYLER

 

[jwintosh]

8x10' kennel with a 10x40' dog run. dogs don't come into the house!

although, a nite light may work.

 

[CWS]

My first thought, having owned a number of older dogs, is how old is the dog and what is the floor made of. Our Golden is very careful after slipping in a tiled hallway and will avoid it if at all possible. When he slipped it was very painful on his hip. We finally put a runner in that hallway.

 

[cvm4]

My ex-g/f's dog did this with her laminate floors. She would avoid the kitchen like the plague. May'be the dog is just scared to walk on the floor, so it barks at it, who knows :dunno: