I think the planets aligning is messing with my dogs' heads

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OKRev

New member
So for the next month 5 planets are lining up and can be seen with the naked eye just before dawn. I think this celestial anomaly is messing with my dogs' heads, because I can't figure out what's going on.
My 14 week old GSP is peeing all over the house, she pees in her kennel before I can get her out, when I open the door for her to go outside the house, she'll actually run in the opposite direction and squat. If I pick her up from her kennel to not give her the opportunity she just pees when I carry her. We give the dogs tons of potty breaks during the day so it's not the length of time inside. She's getting progressively worse. I just don't know...
My 7 month old GSP is regressing in her bird work, she bumped a couple of coveys today, then pointed, broke point, and chased singles. Then refused to retrieve anything, in fact I think she picked up a bird walked off then dropped it because we searched for 15 minutes for a bird today and only found a big handful of feathers where we saw the bird drop. this is a dog that was pointing, holding and retrieving to hand at 18 weeks. I know that she's still a puppy and I'm not expecting perfection or for her to have it all figured out, but this regression is kind of unexpected. I am at a loss for what is going on with my dogs.
Nothing really new has gone on in our home. Any ideas on what in the world could be going on with my dogs?
 
with those symptoms you need to bring the pup to the vet and have her checked for a urinary tract infection


the 7 month old pup is acting like a 7month old pup will, I would ignore it she will grow out of it
 
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bobman said:
with those symptoms you need to bring the pup to the vet and have her checked for a urinary tract infection


the 7 month old pup is acting like a 7month old pup will, I would ignore it she will grow out of it
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Starting my pup on antibiotics today. Hope it helps.

I think I'm going to work on some slow down reinforcement exercises with my older dog this week.
 
I hope your pup fares well.

Speaking of "planets aligning," when I coached young ladies' fast-pitch softball, around mid-season one year a whole bunch of biological clocks aligned. That day stands alone as the "crabbiest, crankiest game I've ever coached," lol. And no How to Coach" books, seminars, or advice ever taught me how to deal with it . . .
 
Try running your dog down first. Take him somewhere where you can let him run long distance to where he's wore out. Let him have a break, then go put him on birds. Sometimes they do better after the piss and vinegar is out of em.
 
PheasantWhisperer said:
Try running your dog down first. Take him somewhere where you can let him run long distance to where he's wore out. Let him have a break, then go put him on birds. Sometimes they do better after the piss and vinegar is out of em.
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I haven't been able to wear her out yet, seems like the longer we're out the harder she goes. Dog runs like a Kenyan marathoner. LOL. I'm working a lot with her on general obedience at home, today we will take a "field" trip to a new place to work on some stuff. I think you're right though she just gets over excited and loses her mind.
 
OKRev said:
So for the next month 5 planets are lining up and can be seen with the naked eye just before dawn. I think this celestial anomaly is messing with my dogs' heads, because I can't figure out what's going on.
My 14 week old GSP is peeing all over the house, she pees in her kennel before I can get her out, when I open the door for her to go outside the house, she'll actually run in the opposite direction and squat. If I pick her up from her kennel to not give her the opportunity she just pees when I carry her. We give the dogs tons of potty breaks during the day so it's not the length of time inside. She's getting progressively worse. I just don't know...

My 7 month old GSP is regressing in her bird work, she bumped a couple of coveys today, then pointed, broke point, and chased singles. Then refused to retrieve anything, in fact I think she picked up a bird walked off then dropped it because we searched for 15 minutes for a bird today and only found a big handful of feathers where we saw the bird drop. this is a dog that was pointing, holding and retrieving to hand at 18 weeks. I know that she's still a puppy and I'm not expecting perfection or for her to have it all figured out, but this regression is kind of unexpected. I am at a loss for what is going on with my dogs.
Nothing really new has gone on in our home. Any ideas on what in the world could be going on with my dogs?
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wow, this pup can do all this at 18 weeks?? you have pushed the hell out of her wayyy to fast......go back and slow wayyy down until all this ability is solidified in the dog.....she is familiar with the performance you seek, but way too young to mentally execute these actions consistently.....she is too young to handle the pressure to obey all these commands under different field scenarios....again, slow down!
 
hunter94 said:
wow, this pup can do all this at 18 weeks?? you have pushed the hell out of her wayyy to fast......go back and slow wayyy down until all this ability is solidified in the dog.....she is familiar with the performance you seek, but way too young to mentally execute these actions consistently.....she is too young to handle the pressure to obey all these commands under different field scenarios....again, slow down!
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No pushing from me. That was all natural! I was so pumped I almost Gronk spiked the first bird she brought me. Lol. She's the hunter I just drive her there and shoot. But slowing down and reinforcing basic obedience stuff is exactly what I'm doing. She's like a teenager, the stuff she loved doing as a little puppy, i.e. retrieving, she's not as interested in anymore. I know what she's capable of and I'm excited about it! Next season she'll be 16 months and I am really looking forward to it, and the nine months of training before it starts!
 
OKRev said:
Starting my pup on antibiotics today. Hope it helps.

I think I'm going to work on some slow down reinforcement exercises with my older dog this week.
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not trying to be a wise guy, did you go to the vet? If you just give some antibiotics you had on hand and they are not the right type or the duration isn't long enough you can make the situation chronic. I've delt with this UTI issue on several of my female dogs over the last 45 years.

I would let the precocious 7 month pup develop without any pressure a two year old pup is a teenager a 7 month is a toddler, no need to rush things.
 
Ive hunted some of mine at a young age too. I think of it as letting them get exercise and whatever they do up until age 2 is a bonus. My young pup now is 17 months old. Last year she was just a butterball but I took her because she was pointing and fetching already at 10 weeks. This year she started pouncing in right when we would get ready to kick. Just developed a bad habit because she would point mice, then dive on em. And she catches a lot of mice! But its easily fixable. Havent tried to fix her yet because I dont care. She's still young. Finds birds, great on hunting dead, and retrieves really well. Bonus.
 
bobman said:
not trying to be a wise guy, did you go to the vet? If you just give some antibiotics you had on hand and they are not the right type or the duration isn't long enough you can make the situation chronic. I've delt with this UTI issue on several of my female dogs over the last 45 years.

I would let the precocious 7 month pup develop without any pressure a two year old pup is a teenager a 7 month is a toddler, no need to rush things.
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Yes, we went to the vet yesterday. Antibiotics 2x day for a 10 days, cranberry pills if we want then, get this...if that doesn't stop the chronic piddling, going to bottled water.

PheasantWhisperer said:
Ive hunted some of mine at a young age too. I think of it as letting them get exercise and whatever they do up until age 2 is a bonus. My young pup now is 17 months old. Last year she was just a butterball but I took her because she was pointing and fetching already at 10 weeks. This year she started pouncing in right when we would get ready to kick. Just developed a bad habit because she would point mice, then dive on em. And she catches a lot of mice! But its easily fixable. Havent tried to fix her yet because I dont care. She's still young. Finds birds, great on hunting dead, and retrieves really well. Bonus.
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The mice! Oh man, that's it! My dog will lock up solid then turn coon hound on armadillos. Freakin hate those things and they are everywhere around here! I never even put two and two together, but now that I think about it, this behavior didn't start until after her first armadillo contact. It's really had me scratching my head.
I said at the beginning of this season that we weren't really hunting, but would be going on a lot of long walks together. I'm sure my original post has lead a lot of people to think I'm some bird crazed task master and that's just not it. I was just wondering what would have happened to make a dog with all this natural ability to go "average" LOL. I'm not going to get too worried until she has about 3 seasons under her belt, that's been my experience for when dogs really "get it", I've really appreciated all the advice on this thread. And I'm super interested on your mouse breaking techniques.
 
If you hunt a lot you can use the power of manipulation. I had a pup that did it about 5 years ago. When it would pounce on a mouse I would say "NO". Act disgusted and walk the other way ignoring the puppy. And puppies do not like to be ignored. Then when it would point a quail I would walk in the direction just like normal hunting. If it would pounce the quail and jump it I would not shoot but keep pursuing the quail. ( This works better on pen raised birds because you can find them over and over.) When the dog finally stops and doesnt pounce. SHoot it. You can also try a check cord. When the dog starts to get birdy and smell the bird, whoa him. Then hang on to the cord so it cant pounce. Kick it up and shoot it. Do this two or three times. Then off the cord repeat it. If it dives and flushes the bird dont shoot. If it holds and lets you kick it. Shoot it. In the beginning when my dog points I walk two or three circles around the bird and the dog, taking pictures and saying nothing. Then I come in from the front and flush the bird into the dog. Then they hold because they arent sure if the bird is gonna fly into them or not. Just a couple suggestions...
 
PheasantWhisperer said:
If you hunt a lot you can use the power of manipulation. I had a pup that did it about 5 years ago. When it would pounce on a mouse I would say "NO". Act disgusted and walk the other way ignoring the puppy. And puppies do not like to be ignored. Then when it would point a quail I would walk in the direction just like normal hunting. If it would pounce the quail and jump it I would not shoot but keep pursuing the quail. ( This works better on pen raised birds because you can find them over and over.) When the dog finally stops and doesnt pounce. SHoot it. You can also try a check cord. When the dog starts to get birdy and smell the bird, whoa him. Then hang on to the cord so it cant pounce. Kick it up and shoot it. Do this two or three times. Then off the cord repeat it. If it dives and flushes the bird dont shoot. If it holds and lets you kick it. Shoot it. In the beginning when my dog points I walk two or three circles around the bird and the dog, taking pictures and saying nothing. Then I come in from the front and flush the bird into the dog. Then they hold because they arent sure if the bird is gonna fly into them or not. Just a couple suggestions...
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Thanks, I'm actually planning on getting some pigeons to do just that kind of stuff with. As soon as I get a coop built...
 
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