I can't control him!!! :(

[Oliver21508]

Because it allows us easy access to him if he starts to bark. The problem in the garden is that we can't get him into the house if we need to.

[supergirl]

Don't know if it will help at all, but whenever Roly won't come inside from the garden.  I just shut the door and lock it - for some reason he comes running when he hears the door lock.  Could take it even further and rattle food/treats.  He's about the same age as Ollie and has been showing some signs of rebellion (worse still encouraging Misha to misbehave).  I try to ignore most of it, and be very workmanlike with him, ie, not making too much a fuss of him as he loves attention (what cocker doesn't!!), so he has to earn it a little.

[JennyBee]

Don't know if it will help at all, but whenever Roly won't come inside from the garden.  I just shut the door and lock it - for some reason he comes running when he hears the door lock.  Could take it even further and rattle food/treats.  He's about the same age as Ollie and has been showing some signs of rebellion (worse still encouraging Misha to misbehave).  I try to ignore most of it, and be very workmanlike with him, ie, not making too much a fuss of him as he loves attention (what cocker doesn't!!), so he has to earn it a little.

That's what I do, or I pretend I have just found the most exciting thing in the whole wide world on the kitchen floor. She's so nosy she can't resist wanting to find out what it is

You have done so well with Ollie so far, Laura, I'm sure with a little time you'll be able to work through this - the teenage stage won't last forever

[Oliver21508]

But our garden is very long, and at the end of the garden (where he usually is), you can't hear the door lock, and if you walk away or leave him alone, he doesn't care and just carries on barking. Even if you take a treat out, he's not too bothered.

[supergirl]

I also have a long garden (not quite as big as yours), but I've divided it in two with a simple fence made from mesh panels.  I did this when both dogs were puppies as I couldn't get them in at night when they went for their bedtime wee.  They'd spend ages milling around, chasing etc.  This way they have access to the garden (half of it nearest the house).  It also means that any damage to plants, digging is controlled.  The garden on the other side is just beginning to recover.  The panels that I got came from Croftonline and were initially used in the house to form a puppy pen.  Panels just clip together, and are easy enough to get through if you need to get to the other side.

http://www.croftonline.co.uk/products.asp?category=Showman+puppy+pens&subcategory=Single+puppy+pen+panels

[Helen]

I think the clue is in your title - I've never tried to 'control'  my dog, it's always been a matter of building a relationship and bonding with him and shaping his behaviour's in ways that suit us both whether that be whistle training or agility or general behaviour in the house and garden.

He's a dog, thinks like a dog, acts like a dog, and it's a matter of working with that and understanding how and why he reacts the way he does.

You've let him form the habit's you're now trying to change...like barking at the birds, and treating going on the lead as a game (and he's NOT taking the mickey, he's a dog, he doesn't have the same thought processes as humans - it's merely fun for him seeing you running around and yelling...and why would he want to come back to you if you're angry and frustrated and he knows he's going back on the lead?)

Your rules of the lead on in the garden to stop him barking at the birds clearly aren't working...have you tried spending some time with him and a squeaky toy instead to distract him instead of leaving him to his own devices?  He sounds bored to me....
 
TBH I think you should speak to a trainer and have a one 2 one session to try and help with these problems because none of us can see exactly how Ollie is behaving and we're giving only general and personal opinions on what you can do.

[bibathediva]

I agree with Livercake...Ollie is a dog and you cant expect him to behave in the way you feel he should every single minute of the day....we all have days where our dogs ...wont come back...roll in smelly stuff...bark at stuff...chase birds...chase cats and generally misbehave and annoy us to death  but thats what dogs do sometimes and me personally thats what i like about my dogs,that they still have enough personality to some days put one finger up to me without fear of the repercussions 
If he has hit the teenage years then you really will need the patience of a saint and a little sense of humor to survive it 

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

If he has hit the teenage years then you really will need the patience of a saint and a little sense of humor to survive it 

Im sorry but I completly disagree with this, what you need is VODKA and VALIUM 
Bries teenage phase passed me by in a lovely drink fuelled haze

probably why she is still alive

[Jeanette]

If he has hit the teenage years then you really will need the patience of a saint and a little sense of humor to survive it 

Im sorry but I completly disagree with this, what you need is VODKA and VALIUM 
Bries teenage phase passed me by in a lovely drink fuelled haze

probably why she is still alive

    Just be thankful that a dogs teenage stage is brief and not like humans - give me a dog anyday 

[bibathediva]

I would have suggested Alcohol but Laura is tooooo young to turn to drink 
and yes the human teenage years last until they are about 25   

[*Theresa*]

thats what i like about my dogs,that they still have enough personality to some days put one finger up to me without fear of the repercussions 

Please can I have some of what you are on....Glen had one of those days today and lets just say I was none to appreciative as he not only stuck a finger up to me but put it to his nose stuck his tongue out and waggled it all around   

[Oliver21508]

Your rules of the lead on in the garden to stop him barking at the birds clearly aren't working...

We have only started this today, and we have changed it so that he's allowed off lead in the garden but if he barks, then he gets put onto the lead in the garden. This then shows him that if he barks, he gets put on lead. Don't know how successful this will be as we haven't tried it yet, but we'll see.

I know I've let him do these habits which is why I said I was too soft on him before, but you don't want to be too firm either as he's a really sensitive dog and you don't want to affect him. Yes, I should have finished his puppy biting stage, and now he thinks mouthing and biting is acceptable. Yes, we should have stopped the barking at birds, but we didn't know how to, it's hard work trying to find a solution to it. His recall was 100% before a few days ago, so I was really happy I taught the recall on my own, and I'm sure in a few weeks on long line, he'll get it back again.

I think he's bored too, but we don't really know what to do about this. His routine is very regular, he gets a long (was off lead) walk in the morning to the same park meeting the same dogs, then he goes out in the afternoon for a walk through the streets (this can be similar routes). The rest of the day, he's left to his own devices, which is where the barking and stuff started. Also, my nephews come round every day (near enough) which occupies Ollie but sometimes he is locked away in the kitchen. What can I do to stop this boredom?

We are thinking of castration in another month or so, because I do worry that he'll wander and chase after the scent of a bitch across roads. All the roads are busy round here, so if he left the exit to the park, he'll have a high chance of being run over. He has got more interested in dogs recently, one was a castrated male that he followed around and humped for around half an hour and he wouldn't listen to me or anything.

[JaspersMum]

Do you have a garden Laura, read about these slow exercises over poles on the ground that make them stop and think about what they are doing, really tires them without doing much.  Part of T touch.  I'll try and find some links later if no one else gives one sooner.

This is what it says on the Tellington Touch site
"Teaching dogs to organise their body by leading them through a series of poles laid on the ground, over different textures such as matting, wooden boards or raised surfaces such as low lovel walk over board helps to improve co-ordination and focus.  It encourages function of the brain and is excellent for providing necessary mental stimulation without over exciting the dog.  Even the most hyper of dogs settle and seem to mature with these simple exercises and it is perfect for dogs that cannot be walked for long distances or allowed to run off lead to burn off excessive energy. By improving self-carriage the dogs learn greater self-control andself confidence."

I have no idea whether it might help - look at the site http://www.ttouchtteam.co.uk/ to see if there is someone in your area. It's something I'd be keen to put to the test with Lou to give him mental stimulation without the need to gallop around at 100 mph and b***** off at time to go home 

At the risk of him being more hyper, how about doing some agility in the garden to to give him reason to listen to you and rewards when he does well.  Lou's under my feet when I get the jumps up in the garden 

I have to say castration certainly didn't help Louie and his sexual drive which we found to our cost when Heidi came into season.  It only stopped the end result of unwanted puppies!

[speedyjaney]

Laura what you have descibed above is just a normal young pup going though his teenage years...

It sounds to me like he is bored and as he has a similar routine every day he *knows* whats coming and can be confident with his naughtiness.....

I would keep him onlead for a few days and vary where you walk him...go a different way, teach him tricks in the garden using a clicker.....I found that my dogs were much more tired having a thinking training session than a hour off lead run....

I taught lots of daft tricks but they are fun and rewarding....teach him things like rollover, high five, twirl, beg etc etc....there are loads of them...try and do one a day if poss, if not then keep doing them...10 mins at a time.....till he is perfect at it.

He will still try you...its what dogs so - mine still do it now and they are nearly 6.....I love that bout them...shows they have their own ideas and personalities.....

Dogs do need more than shelter, food and exercise....

[september]

When he won't come in have you tried just leaving him?? Roxy does this occasionally at night.  She likes to do a little patrol around the garden and often finds an interesting sniff. I call her and then shut the door and go away from the door into another room, shutting the door (we have a patio door in the kitchen so this way she can't see me)  just for a couple of minutes. When I go back though she is always waiting..

This also works when she goes into the front hall and wont come out, if you leave her, shutting the door for a couple of minutes she always comes out when you open the door again.