My Portuguese Water Dog is about to turn two. His behavior has started to change the past few months. I have a fenced in yard so I let him out when he barks to go out. He always would come back in when I gave him the command. Now, he often won’t listen when I try to get him inside. Instead he will continually bark at the door, but again won’t come in. It has caused a lot of problems for me when I’m trying to get somewhere, even though I have a fenced in yard I still don’t want to leave him out there. If I try to get him he picks up a stick or ball and turns it into a game. Typical day is *5:00-540 walk *Go to work from 615-215 *Park/beach/play in yard for 30 minutes to an hour *30 minute walk at night Once I get home at 215 he’s pretty much around me the rest of the day. Is this enough activity for him? Could that be related to him not listening to commands?
I think it's two fold. First, he's only active 1 hr 40 minutes to 2 hrs 10 minutes a day. So, yes, he could definitely benefit from some mental stimulation games. Hide and seek, doing tricks, etc - stuff that gets his brain working. Second, you want to reinforce his recall. Right now, he doesn't see coming to you when you call as worthwhile because it means an end to the fun. So you want to adjust your schedule and when you call him back in, spend some time doing indoor games with him. Make coming in a fun thing rather than just being "put away" while you go to work. If you are crating him at night AND while you work, you might want to consider reducing that. You can use baby gates to confine him to a certain area of the house while giving him the ability to move around that space freely.
Awesome thank you so much. I’ve thought about using a bike but he hates wearing a harness. I guess I will buy some stimulation games and toys.
Some excellent suggestions. I'd only add one thing, make sure that calling him in doesn't always put a full stop to his fun. Sometimes call him in, give him a treat, play a game give him a cuddle then let him straight back out again
You don't need to buy anything special really. A game of hide and seek can be you hiding behind a door and having him find you. Or playing with one of his existing toys and hiding it behind your back or under a blanket. Start with the toy being visible and as he catches on to the game, have less and less showing. Teach him to get a specific toy when you ask. Teach him to "touch" - it usually starts by teaching him to touch your hand. Then you can move that to touch a post it note. Then use the post it note to teach him to touch a light switch, etc.
Search the garden/yard for a hidden small container holding a treat. Don't make it too difficult to begin with. Increase the difficulty when he is doing well. The treat is his reward for finding the container. Place a tennis ball in each hollow of a muffin tin. Pop a treat under a different tennis ball each time, and let him find it. Playing retrieve is a great way for dogs to get rid of surplus energy. Set up a row of poles and teach your dog to weave his way through them. Make all his games easy to begin with, so he doesn't fail and lose interest. Lots of praise when he succeeds.
