# Reaction to the Water Bottle



## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

So our trainer had told us we could spray Oso with a water bottle when he tries to get on the sofa. She said he won't associate it with us and will just make the activity a bit less pleasant. We didn't have to do it with the sofa, but now, months later have decided to do it when he eats grass or picks up stuff to eat when outside.

Oso has now gotten both giardia and coccidia from putting too many things in his mouth (or the wrong things) in his mouth. He doesn't eat poop, so it's gotta be the sticks/grass/clumps of dirt which once had poop on them, so I thought this was a worthy cause.

Oso's reaction is really strange. He doesn't like it at all. He jumps like something is biting him and then comes to me wagging his tail and body and looking like he wants some love (he gets licky as well. I typically give him the love (I don't say anything when I squirt). It actually has worked pretty quickly. 

Have any of you used the squirt bottle, how does your V react? Also, Oso has no idea it is the bottle, he actually likes the darn thing and will mouth it if I leave it on the floor.


----------



## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

We never tried using a water bottle... I think Riley would just enjoy trying to bite the water as it came out. What has worked really well for us is clapping right behind her (scares the heck out of her when she is really focused on something) and shaking an empty soda can filled with a handful of pennies.

Have you trained him with the command "leave it" and "drop it"? These have been so useful with Riley - she also loves to pick things up in her mouth.


----------



## Lincolns Parents (Aug 6, 2011)

We use it on Lincoln.....he just looks at us like whatever and goes and lays in his bed. It does work on him but that V look is too funny! ;D


----------



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Funny. All we have to do is grab ANY squirt type bottle and both dogs will stop doing whatever they were doing and head out of the room.

For two fairly fearless dogs, a mist or stream of water does strange things.

RBD


----------



## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

Squirt bottel works. I use it on Rojo when he wants to dog play with Lucy in the house. It's strange that your dog has picked up so many parasitics just from puppy chewing and picking thing up on walks and such. I use positive training and never discourage my pup from picking up sticks and things on walks.


----------



## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Personally, I wouldn't do the water bottle thing outside. Inside, the situation is diffferent. It is normal to explore and pick things up. That's why we kept an eye on him constantly and literally kept taking things out of his mouth. They get over it and one day as if by magic they become much more selective. 

Eating grass is natural to most if not all dogs and I sometimes feed it to him if he looks like he want some. They tend to like the soft, fresh and juicy grass blades. The reason I choose to help feed him sometimes is because I can rip the grass blade in smaller bits. The long grass blades stimulate them to vomit and it's not what I want. Same goes for spaghetti or long stringy stuff, learned that the hard way.

I tahght Sam "leave it" instead of hosing him down with the spray bottle. Since it is much harder for them to leave something than chase it. I consider the leave it command a real academic endeavor, allowing for the relatively short attention span of a puppy. 
Also, spraying him every time might lead to developing a phobia of some sort. He may associate the unpleasant experience with standing next the lamp post, for example. If the dog is standing next me I address him directly. 
There is a lot more to phobias as environmental stimuli may lead to strange associations. In any case, if possible, the dog should associate only good things when around the owner.

Good topic.


----------



## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

redbirddog said:


> Funny. All we have to do is grab ANY squirt type bottle and both dogs will stop doing whatever they were doing and head out of the room.
> 
> For two fairly fearless dogs, a mist or stream of water does strange things.
> 
> RBD


Strangely enough, I don't think it's the stream of water. The reason I suggest this, is that I can achiever the same thing by just making that sound through my front teeth. Placing my tongue firmly against the inside of my two front upper teeth and pushing saliva through it makes a similar sound. Next time, make the noise and see what the reaction is! My dogs disappear when I do it.  

By the way, why is it you think the dogs don't like your stream of mist? Is it the smell or is it too warm?


----------



## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

Ruby seems to have regressed a bit lately in her behaviour, (maybe something to do with her coming into heat?) so the squirt bottle has come out again to get her off the sofa,,,,it works for her, no messing about and straight onto her mat.


----------



## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi all,

I sure hope Oso doesn't get a phobia from this. My thought is, he isn't going to - at least from how he's reacting so far. I also try very hard to spray him as soon as he gets it in his mouth. If its been there a couple seconds, I just tell him to drop it and we move on. He actually decreased his mouthing behaviors a LOT outside already. He knows leave it and we are continuing to work on it. Part of the problem with that is that I was letting him pick up sticks too for the most part. It's just for whatever reason this dog keeps getting parasites. Also with leave it, he leaves it, but then a moment later goes back for something else. Where he used to try to pick up probably 4 things on a potty trip, he hasn't gone for anything the last couple times. 

Part of it is probably the city we live (Los Angeles). We have no backyard and there are a ton of dogs who walk by and poop outside. When we were at the vets she said a dog comes in everyday with it and a women in the waiting room had a cat who was diagnosed with giardia as well.

It sounds like there is a bit of an epidemic. We catch Oso's darn poop in a paper towel when he goes outside and then put it straight in the trash. If not, we actually clorox the spot so other dogs won't get it. Other owners aren't as careful (it's a lot of work), or may not even know their dog is carrying it (if they don't show symptoms yet). 

Anyways, I was surprised with how Oso responded to the bottle. It was really cute that he came to me for comfort and with a wagging tail.


----------

