Vet thinks pup is 'dominant'

daisygirlmac

neveranymoney wrote: »

I know this little fact due to a shock hump when I was in my nightie.

:rotfl:oh I'm sorry but that just made me laugh! My mum's dog is very similar to yours OP so was reading with interest, he is much older and has always been the same. He doesn't hump since he was neutered though (unless it's a towel on the washing line, he loves towels) and he doesn't nip anymore after I gave him the absolute row of his life after he nipped a small cousin. We refer to him as Little Lord Fauntleroy! Your Shadow is gorgeous.

neveranymoney

She's a wolf in Sheeps clothing alright. The creeping realisation that I won't be able to do my usual Christmas decorations hit me when I saw the coca cola 'holidays are coming' advert. The majority of my family are Christmas birthdays and I was a Christmas bride So it's usually like a grotto in here (tasteful, mind!) it's going to have to be a twig in a bucket job with her ladyship knocking about!

elsien

With gitdog, he just doesn't "get" no at all. I'm wondering (given his lack of training) whether he just heard it so often that it now goes in one ear and out of the other. Plus if he susses that something gets him attention, even telling off attention, he does it twice as much.
So I'm trying to teach him alternative acceptable behaviours to the annoying ones, that he gets rewarded for, and when he's being a total !!!!!, he gets doggy time out, out of the room. It wouldn't work for all dogs but because gitdog is very person focused it works for us. Although its a very slow process!
I think you have to work out what shadow is gaining from the behaviours then take it from there. Obviously set boundaries, but then show her what else she can do instead that's ok.
I'm just starting on clicker training, which I've never used before, but I'm a fan already. Is that something you've thought about?

krlyr

I think the thing with "no" is that it becomes so many different commands. "No", as in don't jump up at me, "No" as in get down off the sofa, "No" to barking at the door, "No" to eating cow pats, "No" to being overly friendly with the dog he's just met, and so on. Teaching specific alternate behaviours is much more effective IMO - so "Sit" stops the dog jumping up, "Down" to get off the sofa, "Quiet" to stop barking, "Leave it" for the cow pat, etc. give specific instructions to the dog.

meritaten

You learned such a lot from scampers and I remember the poor chap well!
while the 'dominance' theory has sort of been debunked - I still firmly believe the dog should know its place in the pecking order! I think you need to be firm and definitely 'in charge'! I don't think its bad that the dog gets on the sofa or even on the bed - but only when YOU invited him!
Personally I think he is behaving like a teenager! and a randy hormonal one at that! and is 'testing the boundaries'!
I think you know what to do hun - and using your new insights I think you will have him 'behaving' quite quickly!

neveranymoney

I have been using the clicker, albeit intermittently. If it's a tricky thing I am teaching and want to mark the behaviour initially I do, eg, getting into bed, naming a toy (that one was super fun, poor piglet gets tenatively touched during this yet mauled to death the rest of the time) she is mucho clevero, but all mummies think that.

Off means get your chops off things that aren't for eating or chewing, feet, Jammies, clothes/clothes horses, human limbs etc, leave if for something that has fallen on the floor and not dog consumption and we are working on stay, which is wonderous lay effective when she knows food is on the go. I know saying no is not effective continuously (I've two kids who often ignore it) but god it's very hard not to say it at half six of a morn or when your son is crying because she nipped him.

The humping happens when she is either all biz to see us all in the morning, my daughters fleece pyjamas really do it for her or when she's over tired/playful. She has been out in the kitchen for ten seconds when it has been particularly bad and exhibits the floor sniffing. I'm not going to look at anybody behaviour if she really feels chastised, but she certainly doesn't come over to kiss and lick round you.

We are more than willing doing the training, my husband has signed up to a great guys videos on YouTube, I cannot for the life of me remember his name, he's American and I would say in his twenties and has a Facebook page and his cartoon image he has stubble on it..... I have lost my memory completely.


Anything negative is ignored and all good behaviour is praised and sometimes treated, say she is just siting minding her own business, I say look at that great girl and she will let you ruffle her around her neck. She would have had your hand off if you tried that 10 days ago.

I've been taking her up and down the street to get her used to a lead also, she ruddy loves that, before anyone says that she isn't immune yet. Up and down the street takes 45 seconds and there is no dog poo, well there is, some dirty beast hasn't lifted their dogs mess in someone's front garden but shadow has been no one near it and I genuinely think the benefits of getting out on lead early outweigh the risks if you are cautious.

I've already bought a new long line and a cheapy ordinary lead for the interim. All scamps stuff went with him, they were his. I say to Shadow, 'are we going out?' As I always said to scampers, 'where's your lead?' And he loved that so I keep that saying in my head for him. Is that a bit silly? God knows, Shadow has been called scampers a load of times, and my kids names too if I'm honest.

meritaten

one thing about your reply has jumped out at me 'all negative behaviour is ignored'! might work with kids (though I doubt that), but, I think with dogs you have to address negative behaviour WHEN its happening! A sharp NO! (NAME) and using the sit command - I found that invaluable. once its learned its so useful!
also - she shouldn't be 'nipping' - to me that's a cardinal sin and would earn a 'time out' in English but in Welsh that would be a 'go cwtch'! meaning dog is in disgrace and go to their bed! let your displeasure be known! it isn't going to traumatise them for life!

Person_one

Mouthing is a perfectly normal behaviour in puppies. Its how they learn bite inhibition. If they were still with their siblings and mother they'd mouth at them and nip them in play, and get told clearly when they were being too rough or too snappy. That's why its recommended that you 'yelp' like a hurt puppy when their teeth make contact, it teaches them that it hurts you, and they don't actually have any desire to hurt you!

Dogs rarely need to be taught that they aren't 'in charge' or 'top dog' either, because its completely obvious! We decide when they can eat, what they eat, when they go outside and for how long, which room they can go in, what toys they get, we're bigger, stronger and we come and go as we please. We're clearly in charge!

neveranymoney

Oh meritaten, she is scolded and then ignored, I think I am making sense when I type things, if only I could load my brain thoughts onto the screen!

Her bite inhibition is slightly better since her arrival but not wonderful. Ten minutes ago was a prime example of her demon behaviour. I came down the stairs in my jams, fleecy dressing gown and slippers, obviously doggy catnip, the humping, biting legs and slippers, told very loudly 'shadow, OFF' at it again, a very loud 'shadow off' and you could actually see her backing off a bit and really thinking about going in for another go! She slunk off under the clothes horse and started licking her behind like a possessed thing, which is another one of her things when told off and I called her and told her to sit nicely and that broke the spell. She wandered about and took herself into her weird bed in the kitchen (this is the mat that that actually came with the crate, the actual crate has vet bed, blankets and her soft toy, moo) now I have to sit in a flipping draft as I can't close the living room door tightly or I wouldn't hear her!

She did sit in front of me briefly and I would wager it was to get up in the settee, but this lasted five seconds and she took off and wasn't a bit bothered. My husband thinks she shouldn't be let up as 'she will be a big dog and how will you get her down then?' Mega sigh from me. I'm fully aware she will be big, i will train her when she is able to get up and down properly herself but I'm flecked off now with the whole ruddy lot of them!

con1888

Person_one wrote: »

Mouthing is a perfectly normal behaviour in puppies. Its how they learn bite inhibition. If they were still with their siblings and mother they'd mouth at them and nip them in play, and get told clearly when they were being too rough or too snappy. That's why its recommended that you 'yelp' like a hurt puppy when their teeth make contact, it teaches them that it hurts you, and they don't actually have any desire to hurt you!

Dogs rarely need to be taught that they aren't 'in charge' or 'top dog' either, because its completely obvious! We decide when they can eat, what they eat, when they go outside and for how long, which room they can go in, what toys they get, we're bigger, stronger and we come and go as we please. We're clearly in charge!

Usually I would agree but some try to push the boundaries regardless. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. So it's important not to give them an inch from day one.