Well I say pup, but he is nearly a year old gone so quick!!

My dad got smudge in April 2010, he is a black and white border collie.

(problem one)

Now when he was small he was extremly cuddly so he was allowed to sleep in the bed, but now he is a big boy, and insists on sleeping in the middle of my dad and his partner. They do not get a comfy sleep no more, smudge kicks, fidgets and scratches as he sleeps. also taking up 75% of the bed!! Two months ago my dad decided enough was enough and tried to teach smudge to lay in his own bed.
Now they have tried this in the bedroom, but obviously the dog just jumos straight into bed, so my dad lifts him out back on to his own bed, but his went on all night! so my dad tried to put him in another room (there is another dog and cats so he isnt alone) but he howled and whined all night, barking and scratching the door. so my dad gave in and he is happily in the bed again.
2 months down the line my dad has kind of given up and just lets smudge rule the bed!! He is exhausted, with big bkack bags under his eyes.

So how can he do this where it isnt torture for the dog?

(problem 2)

when I have my children round (one is nearly 6, one is 13 months), he firstly adores six year old, but is extremly protective of 13 month old. Now when myself, my dad, his partner etc...play with 13 month old she sometimes does this giggle which makes him bite us! He has nipped my bum elbow and most painfully my nose. Now obviously we know the trigger (the noise) and am a bit worried that when she makes this noise he may one day go for her?? (we dont leave them alone and he has never shown nastiness to her before)
Obviously I cant say to 13 month old-dont make that noise!! so how can we resolve this, I want him to understand there is no threat and the 'noise'
isnt dangerous.

(problem 3)

When he goes out for his walks obviously he gets very excited. But he sounds like his being murdered
he goes out the front door and yelps and barks and howls!! quite embarrassing!


any advice please??
any other infomation needed just ask

thanks in advance x

1) I foresee a couple of sleepless nights but the dog will eventually get that he isnt allowed on the bed and his place is on his own bed on the floor ... tell your Dad to just be consistent in removing Smudge from the bed
part of this is never allowing him onto the bed again .. it will just confuse him

2) tbh ive never had this problem and im not sure what to advise , so i'll leave this for those more knowledgeable

3) before you get the lead out make him sit and wait quietly by the front door , treat and praise , show the lead ... if he gets excited , put the lead down , and make him sit and wait quietly again , treat and praise
repeat until him seeing the lead doesnt get an excited reaction
go to clip his lead on , if he stays calm , treat and praise
open the door , if he's calm , treat and praise
If at any point he gets excited again , go back a step and start again

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As hes now a year old he will be going through an adolescent stage where he will push at boundaries and test what he can get away with, in fact they usually start doing it a lot younger usually around 6mths, so chances are he has been doing it for quite awhile and the more hes got away with the more he will push.

Also as he has been allowed to do most things since a pup and never been told different then to him its normal and his right to do them, so its not going to be an overnight thing to suddenly change him and what he is doing.

How much exercise does he get a day? It might be a good idea to look at his exercise levels and maybe increase them, A tired dog is usually less likely to be hyper and be easier to manage.

Has he ever had any basic obdience training and if so is it constantly been reinforced, If he hasnt had any obdience training or only did a short course as a puppy and none really since. It might be an idea to take him to training classes and also spend 2 or 3 sessions even 10/15mins a day training/retraining him with all the basics, sit,stay,wait,down,recall etc. use reward based training with treats. Also make sure you carry it through in every day life, sit for his dinner, lead on, sit and wait at the door before going out etc. so its consistently being used. Any good behaviour he gets praise for and attention and initially when putting it all in place treats too for awhile.

Any hyper behaviour or pushy behaviour as I wants etc. Remove him put in him in a crate if he has/uses one or in the kitchen for 5/10 minutes if he is calm, let him out and ignore himant. If he stays calm then reward with praise fuss or treats.

If he trys to jump up and nip, arms folded turn your back and give the command off, walk away and ignore. If he becomes calm and stops it then praise the good behaviour. If he doesnt stop then do the time out as above.
If any time he starts again keep repeating the time out.

The object of all this is that he does something and works for his treats,praise and attention and does good calm behaviour. Any unwanted behaviour by you gets him nothing.

If he has access to you 24/7 when you are there I would even teach him that he has a quiet period with out you for short periods making him a den or bed in the kitchen and giving him a Stuffed Kong or chew so he associates the time on his own as pleasant. You can then use this when the kids are there for some of the time so you dont need to worry. He also needs to be taught things like leave it and drop too,for when he shows interest in things he shouldnt have or picks up.

Lastly the bed. As hard as it is going to be a battle of wills,with all the above in place and you beginning to gain control it should make it easier. However the only alternative is to keep removing him and tell him bed and praising and treating when he does it and removing him and doing it again when he trys to get back on. You could try a crate with his bed in it by the bed to enforce it.
Being close he may settle and cant get on the bed that way. You must not give in though. The minute you give in its going to undo any of the work.

Hope this might help.

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1) Smudge needs to learn that the floor is a great place to be - of course he loves being on the bed with his nearest and dearest! While training allow him to continue with this sleeping arrangement but that in itself should be motivation to work hard on this.

Start to have Smudge sleep on a blanket on the bed that we will use in training.

The rules are that if dogs are allowed on furniture that its on human terms - they only get on if invited and then get off/move over when asked.

Teach on and off on cue ONLY:

Get a mix of Smudges kibble and small soft tasty treats in a bowl. Have Smudges leash on a flat collar (only when supervised). If he tries to get up on the bed without invitation, step on his leash and take him off. Sit on the bed and invite Smudge up with a cue word such as 'up' or whatever you want. When he gets up on the bed, no treats - this is a treat in itself.

Only allow him up there for a three count. Say 'off' and toss a few yummies onto the floor. Repeat.

When he starts to predict the treats falling and responding to the verbal cue, begin to allow him to spend a little more time on the bed. The long he is up there the more difficult it is for him to get off.

Otherwise make sure that Smudge does not get access to the bed - only with permission. Before settling down each night practice this exercise about ten times.

When Smudge gets better at this, start to do this exercise while lying down. Go back to only allowing him up there for a couple of seconds and work through that again.

Teach mat targeting:

Here is more on matwork. This is an excellent exercise for all dogs. To teach him that settling on his mat will help teach him some self control and help with teaching him that this is the place to be.

Here is a shaping plan for matwork: Settle & Matwork | Pet Central's Pawsitive Dawgs Blog!

You can soon start to combine these two exercises. When you get to the point on your shaping plan that Smudge is lying on the mat start to build the time he spends there.
When he settles there for the required time (which will slowly build), treat him and then allow him up on the bed for a snuggle.

Then say off, treat, onto mat, treat, settle there and repeat.

Settling on the mat becomes the key to getting on the bed!

Within two weeks of plenty of work, you should be able to have Smudge sleeping on his bed.
I would suggest that Smudge is tethered while on his mat overnight too.

2) I am far more concerned about this behaviour however and feel that this requires professional help asap with a behaviourist who works with child-dog interactions.

Anytime a dog shows conflict behaviour around a child this is pretty alarming. Smudge MUST be separated from baby by a baby gate or closed door.

This nipping, frenetic behaviour is conflict behaviour which is expressed when dogs are kinda worried in a situation, inhibitions lower and they are not sure which behaviour relieves their stress.

Some child-dog work must be done, especially as baby is going through lots of changes at the mo - starting to walk, become more mobile etc.

Here is more on child-dog safety: Kids & K9s – what parents, kids, dog owners and dogs need to know | Pet Central's Pawsitive Dawgs Blog!
Please pass on this info to your dad.

3) Work on teaching Smudge that only calm behaviour gets him what he wants.

Start working when Smudge doesn't expect to go for a walk ie. none of the other signs are present. Have the leash hidden and begin to work when everyone is sitting in the sofa in the evening for example.

Show him his leash, just a flash, and immediatley toss a yummy away. Hide the leash. Repeat and repeat and repeat......

This teaches him an alternative behaviour at the sight of the leash. Practice like this before taking a walk too.

Increase the amount of time the leash is out for as he improves.

If he shows any non-calm behaviour on sight of the leash, say 'uh-oh' and put the leash away and ignore him for a ten count.
Bring the leash back out and repeat.

No progress toward walkies without calm behaviour - new rule that must be consistently applied.

Numbers one and three are simple training issues but the baby issue worries me a lot - please get help with that one asap.

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Anne, owned by Rufus & Tripod

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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

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Thank you all so much for your replies I will be passing this all on to my dad and the training can get underway!

He gets alot of exercise, a good hour in the morning , then a long walk in the middle of the day that varies from 1-3 hours, then a short walk late at night, usually 30 min. As a border collie we know he has high energy levels, hence so much physical exercise and mental stimulation. My step-mum is always home, so is there to play tug, fetch, hide and seek the toys etc......
He is obdient in sit, stay, fetch, drop, leave, paw, lie-down etc.....
He never goes on the furniture in the living room, but this was a rule enforced from day one so I know he has the capabilities in learning right from wrong!

There is another dog involved, she is a chiuhuahua x and she is a hyper little thing, I think he has copied her behaviour on the lead, but as he is a lot stronger and louder than her so its more noticeable.

I think I have answered all the questions asked, I will go back and check, and also look at the links left.

Once again thank you so much for your advice!