So Finn has really upped his "in your face" behaviors these days. Unless he's super tired from the park or something, if I'm doing chores around the house he is like right there trying to put his nose into everything I'm doing! It drove me nuts yesterday while just straightening a few rooms of clutter. Like he's RIGHT there either trying to sniff what I'm doing or he's underfoot and I'm tripping over him. It's cute but it gets old VERY quickly What is a good way to teach him to give me some personal space?
I have this on days i work at home, i have to figure out how to get 8 hours work in, a couple of hours of housework plus keeping monty entertained. Frozen kongs are my fall back solution once all exercise and training options are exhausted. Mostly soaked kibble, a bit of cooked veg plus some interesting meat, fish or cheese. I can get 15 to 20 minutes of peace from each one. they are normally an outside treat so gives me some space. Plus after one or two he often goes a bit sleepy, konged out
I don't know if it would help, but with my recent foster dog, Toby, I taught him "All done". He constantly wanted to be on my lap or getting pets and I too have to work all day at home so this just wasn't possible. Plus he'd scratch and bite me at first when he wanted attention! First I started turning my back and completely ignoring him if he started the scratching and biting. No verbal attention or any kind of pushing him away, as both were positive reinforcers to him. I just kind of lived with bruised arms for a while as he would scratch where my back was turned to him. Then I WOULD give him attention if he "only" came up to me wanting attention without the scratching and biting. I'd bring him on my lap for a few minutes or play a short game with him with one of his toys. Then I'd say, "All done" and hold up my hands. He also often got a Kong after "All done" so that reinforced that "All done" wasn't a bad thing at all. It took quite a while (like two weeks, lol!) but eventually he understood that "All done" meant that we were done playing and that scratching didn't get him anything at all. At the end he was sitting for pets and leaving me work when I said "All done". I don't know if that was the "right" way to do it, but I got the end result I wanted. Also I agree with @leejane - lots and lots and lots of Kongs.
