SOMEONE HELP.. I am having trouble raising my 4 month old Puppy..

I was hoping to find a forum that would discuss animals or maybe even animal rights, but I haven't found anything so I figured I should put my topic here in the "RELATIONSHIPS" Forum; I have a 4 month old puppy that is a mix between a German Shepherd and a Border Collie, normally he is pretty good, generally peaceful at home, but also very very playful.. His baby teeth are still present and he mouths and bites all of the time, and for the most part, this is my primary issue. He mouths and bites so much, that taking him out for a walk has become an issue; Sometimes the mouthing and biting while we are walking, becomes a wrestling match between me and him, and at times, I feel it gets out of control-- So he needs to cool it, and to realize that I'm the boss both at home AND when we are outside-- It's when we are outside that he changes, and attempts to display his controlling aggressive mouthing/biting behavior; Sometimes when we're outside he also refuses to sit, so that's a pretty serious affront to me and my authority! What to do,, maybe you guys have some advice for this one; Also mods, I wonder if we could also place this post in other sections so that it can get as much exposure as possible.. Ok, thanks,

Use McDonald's hamburgers and break them up as a treat, first start a square and walk in the square in the back yard for every corner that he walks too and is good, break a piece of the hamburger and tell him to sit.

I never had any issues with my dog, Mine is aggressive and I have to walk him in the dead of night where there are no other dogs. If there are other dogs around, it turns into a battle. After the dog fight he's been too traumatized to go for walks now. He goes one house and that's it then turns back home.

I wouldn't trade him for the world.

reply to post by tony9802


4-months is still pretty young. At this point patience is what matters. If your puppy bites on the leash while you walk, just let em. You can still maintain authority by not letting it get to you. All in due time things will become easier.

Dog Whistles !



only 2$ at the pet store

reply to post by tony9802


Normal puppy play - it's just a phase

Use treats or whatever works for him to get him to listen outside - toy, ball, whatever will get his attention

If he is mouthing your hand lightly pop him on the nose & tell him to stop (lightly is the key...it's not punishment, it's just an indication to him to stop - a signal) & stop giving him your hand

If it's your legs while your walking then make him stop & sit (using treats is easiest with this) - it will take a lot of patience but CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Until he gets it you won't be doing much actual walking...it will be more like - take a few steps, "no" "stop" "sit" treat, good boy, repeat

Set a time & place where he knows he can play also - walking is not that time but maybe the backyard is

Hopefully that's some help - it's what I know from training a handful of dogs in my lifetime - 3 pits, 1 rot, 1 great dane

They've all turned out to be pretty good at following directions...

You need to teach him that what he is doing is not acceptable. If he is biting too hard, grab him around the nose and squeeze his gums into his teeth. Do it just hard enough to hurt a little, but not too hard. Make sure every time he does this he gets the negative reinforcement. He will get it very soon.

Dogs just need to know what is right and wrong. If he does right praise him and pet him and give him treats. If he does wrong tell him "No!" in a stern voice.

I s he fighting the leash? or trying to be boss dog?
You have to be alpha male and show him that.......hes supposed to look to you for guidance...not the other way around......not only patience but consistance is key.......dont give up at all.....teach him one thing at a time too.....

Hes only 4 months old so not much you can do but training him. Just be dominate. When i was training my dog, I would rough house with him, when he got to aggressive I would hold his head down to the ground, he would try to wiggle out of my hand but could not. They will put up a fight for dominance so you have to counter it. Eventually he learned. Its a puppie and its going to bite, dont punish him for it just be dominate. Dogs dont have hands they have mouths you want to teach them how to use it before it becomes powerful. I have tough my dog light holds to hard bites so he knows what hurts. I dont know about you but I dont want my dog to be to submissive, after all he is his own being just as you are. I dont want him to make his choices based out of fear of punishment. I have tough my dog good from bad most of the time he is good but every now and then he makes a bad choice and thats ok because it means he still has his own freewill.
Teach your dog good from bad, be EXTREMELY emotional so their is no communication barrier. If hes good

AHHH WOW your such a good boy your so good yes you are

BAD DOG!!! BAD!!! VERY BAD DOG why are you going threw the trash?

Here are some things to try.

www.dog-obedience-training-review.com...

I have had several dogs,none of them were the same.

I had one dog,a yellow lab,that shredded my couch when I left her alone for a day.
Separation anxiety in that one.

But the puppy stage,well they are teething,so they need something to chew on.
Get a rawhide bone or some appropriate chew toy to keep him happy.

reply to post by tony9802


Puppies will bite and it is all a part of the teething process.

I wouldn't focus on the nipping and biting issues unless it becomes an act of agression about a year from now.
Usually the biting stops at around a year old.
(You prolly did the same thing, Ask your mom.)

When you discipline your dog, you should find a word and a tone to use and say that and then isolate the dog, and walk away and ignore the puppy.
Either ignore it or find an empty room and place the dog in the room or in a crate IMMEDIATELY after telling the dog the discipline word and tone.

My friends that train German Shephards use the word "phooey".

Immediacy and consistency is very important when training a dog.

NEVER hit the dog.

When you are trying to reinforce a behavior, which is very different than trying to engage in the absence of a behavior (extinguishment), ALWAYS use rewards accompanied by a specific word and a tone of voice.
Initially you want to always reward the behavior with a treat, but after the dog gets used to hearing the word, tone of voice and treat together, you can go to what is called variable scheduled reinforcement.

ALWAYS use the same word and tone when you praise the dog, but begin variably rewarding the dog with a treat.
The goal is to get the dog to associate the treat reward with the tone of voice and reinforcement word.

The same goes for the discipline word and tone of voice.
Initially seclude the dog as a sort of punishment, and when you do this crate it and WALK AWAY.

Let it whine until it stops and then let it out.

This type of behavior modification is called operant conditioning.

Here is a link for more detail.

I will let you know how to make a dog sit in a sec, but I want to see how you digest this first.

Oh snap,... Do not let anyone else train your dog. You have to be seen as the alpha.

Originally posted by mnshooter
You need to teach him that what he is doing is not acceptable. If he is biting too hard, grab him around the nose and squeeze his gums into his teeth. Do it just hard enough to hurt a little, but not too hard. Make sure every time he does this he gets the negative reinforcement. He will get it very soon.

Dogs just need to know what is right and wrong. If he does right praise him and pet him and give him treats. If he does wrong tell him "No!" in a stern voice.

Dont use pain to train a dog or even your kids. They need to understand why what they are doing is wrong.

reply to post by Infi8nity

Dont use pain to train a dog or even your kids. They need to understand why what they are doing is wrong.

+1 and a bajillion stars.

I can't believe some of what I am reading.

I have a degree in psychology and lived in my best friends kennel when I was a kid.
NO DOG will respond well to physical punishment.
It's a crap shoot.
They could become more aggressive or cower every time someone tries to pet them.

Those puppy teeth irritate them and a nice soft hand to chew on is just what the doctor ordered.

I had a border collie and he would sit on my lap while he was a pup and chew on my hand while making loud...almost crying noises. It stopped when he got his adult teeth.
The bonus to letting him chew your hand while he's young is it teaches him that he cant scare you by threatening to bite you.

Dont be hard on the guy, he's still very young.
Because he's got border collie in him you should prepare for mental warfare, I'm not kidding!!!
Mine removed the top from a bottle of juice and poured it into a tray that contained my phone, a camera, and the invoices I needed to make my deliveries, he did it because I left him in the cab when normaly I'd have let him out.
Border Collie = Mental warfare

Originally posted by tony9802
I was hoping to find a forum that would discuss animals or maybe even animal rights, but I haven't found anything so I figured I should put my topic here in the "RELATIONSHIPS" Forum; I have a 4 month old puppy that is a mix between a German Shepherd and a Border Collie, normally he is pretty good, generally peaceful at home, but also very very playful.. His baby teeth are still present and he mouths and bites all of the time, and for the most part, this is my primary issue. He mouths and bites so much, that taking him out for a walk has become an issue; Sometimes the mouthing and biting while we are walking, becomes a wrestling match between me and him, and at times, I feel it gets out of control-- So he needs to cool it, and to realize that I'm the boss both at home AND when we are outside-- It's when we are outside that he changes, and attempts to display his controlling aggressive mouthing/biting behavior; Sometimes when we're outside he also refuses to sit, so that's a pretty serious affront to me and my authority! What to do,, maybe you guys have some advice for this one; Also mods, I wonder if we could also place this post in other sections so that it can get as much exposure as possible.. Ok, thanks,

edit on 15-10-2012 by tony9802 because: (no reason given)

edit on 15-10-2012 by tony9802 because: title caps

Hi! This helped with my dogs nipping and mouthing behavior... When ever you give a treat or a chew stick, do NOT hold it out to your puppy by holding it with your fingers. Instead, while you are standing up, before you ever lean down to give it to your puppy, make a flat hand and place it on your palm. You can even protect your fingers further, by placing the treat on the palm of one hand, then covering your fingers and thumb, with your other hand, so that only the one palm is exposed. Keeping the hand that is offering the treat slightly flexed, now bend slowly down and let your pup take the treat off of your flat palm.

If your puppy gets too excited and stops the behavior you want them to maintain (a Sit, Down, or whatever) simply stand back up and give the command again, and wait until doggie is back in position, then bend down again to offer the treat on a flat palm.

This worked wonders for my dogs, who used to try to take my fingers off with the treat! I was afraid they would nip the sitter when we were on vacation, so I was looking for solutions, and when I came across this suggestion, it cured the problem. It only took a few times before they were MUCH more politely taking treats from my flat palm, and now it is very rare for one of them to try to snap a treat, at all. Good luck!!!

I have a german shepherd mix that chewed his own doggy door through my wall, he was a rescue. Basically it's a pain to get them to listen until around 6+ months. it takes patients.. a lot of them.. but now he's around 3 years old, and he listens pretty well. He is still hyper around people, cuz he loves everybody, but other than that he's great.

At first it's a nightmare, but over time you grow to love them even more.. at times i wasn't sure if i made the right choice, but now I'm sure he was the right one.

If you want a well behaved dog, get this book. Do exactly what the guy says,follow it word for word. I have used this method to train my last four dogs. They were the best dogs I've ever had. Well behaved, attentive, I could take them anywhere with me.People around them could not believe how well behaved they were.

The Koehler Method

This guy is an expert and did training for animals at disney studios. He was also the head of several large kennel clubs on the west coast.Don't buy into the give them a treat stuff. What will you do when you need obedience and you have no treat. He knows what hes talking about he's trained thousands of dogs.

reply to post by tony9802

Here's a little trick I learned from watching mother German Shepherds correct the negative behavior of their puppies. It's worked with all of the puppies and adult dogs that I've had the pleasure of owning.

Firmly grasp the loose skin on the back or side of the neck, and give a light shake while saying "NO" in a low growling tone.

I'll bet you will be surprised at how quickly your puppy will learn the meaning of "no", and who is the true "Alpha" in your "pack".

See ya,
Milt

beating smacking doesn't work, ever.

it's a puppy it will bite everything it sees including your hands.
once it gets a little older, if it doesn't quit biting you or others, simply grab him by the lower jaw, stick your thumb in his mouth and press down on his tongue, and say no forcefully. dogs hate that and it doesn't hurt them. this has to be done while he is in the act of biting, or he will not understand. he can't bite someone, and then you run over 20 seconds later to discipline him. he will have forgot.

dominance is the only way to get the dog to obey.
but only you can be the dominate one. not your friend, not your brother, not your mom. you and only you.

get him on the ground and lay on him, don't let him up untill he completely submits.
he will squirm for 20 30 mins. if you move an inch, so will he. don't let him up.
he will get the idea eventually.
you will have to repeat this many times.
this will work wonders i promise.
and don't let anyone else do this to your dog.

as for outside leash time. throw the leash away.

get a choker.

when he pulls, lift "up" on the choker.
i repeat "up" , strait up...
not back, not down.
up, directly above his head.

this puts pressure behind the jaw, and they respond to that.

they will choke themselves to death "willingly" otherwise.
a choker is not meant to choke the dog.
it is meant to be used the way i have described above.

one thing i hate about stupid dog owners is when the dog relieves itself in the house, they get all angry and rub the dogs nose is its own $h1t.

this is just plain dumb.

to potty train the dog you must catch it in the act, pick him up, and carry him outside.
it's that simple.
but be careful, don't get any on ya. haha.

don't use treats, it just creates bad habits.
use a light tone of voice, and physical touch to reward the dog.
or his favorite toy. shepards love toys.

if you live in a bad area, let him bark, it will keep the riff raff away.
and don't ever let anyone tell him to stop barking.

it's a puppy, and this journey will be very hard.
don't get angry.
teach.

This is fabulous!! Everyone's advice is absolutely rewarding and supportive- sometimes I get depressed about having maybe chosen the wrong pup, but I just didn't know anything at all about the procedure.. Also, pup training and rearing is a world in and of itself, and I am totally surprised that I hadn't learned anything about raising dogs when I was younger. In any case, just returned to the forum, so I'll have a chance to look more closely at the responses set, to make sure I "GET IT"--

You have to admire the persons who are sort of dog pros and know all of the ins and outs about these darlings--
wow, great answers: Thank YOU.

This is fabulous!! Everyone's advice is absolutely rewarding and supportive- sometimes I get depressed about having maybe chosen the wrong pup, but I just didn't know anything at all about the procedure.. Also, pup training and rearing is a world in and of itself, and I am totally surprised that I hadn't learned anything about raising dogs when I was younger. In any case, just returned to the forum, so I'll have a chance to look more closely at the responses set, to make sure I "GET IT"--

You have to admire the persons who are sort of dog pros and know all of the ins and outs about these darlings--
wow, great answers: Thank YOU.