Need help with my dogs bad behaviours.

Well I've recently posted the exact the text in the general dogs forum and I've been advised to post here so I will do so. Please don't be discouraged to read the text below because I truely need help. Well here it goes:

need lot's of help/advice for my little dog, so that I can train it properly. First off, I have a 10 month old Shih Tzu, I did get it when it was a very little puppy but considering it's my first dog I didn't have a clue what to do with it which I now regret. Well my dog has TONNES of bad habbits...It bites so strongly and fiercly all the time (it bites me, my family, and others), it doesn't listen one bit and I even try buying books at pet stores how to teach it but they are all scams. The thing I hate most is that when I try to pick her up, my dog growls and bites so bad that some marks stay for quite a while, and she is a little shih tzu and nobody would suspect this from her. I can't leave my door because my dog will escape onto the hallway (yes I live in a building) and when I try to pick her up she will bite realy hard. All my neighbours are scared of my dog, and for now she is heading towards a bad life, literaly. Please, I need the best possible advice because when I look at other dogs and see their owners are capable of picking the dog up and seeing them call their dog and it will respond and it makes me quite sad that my dog can do none of this...


My questions are:

How can I stop my dog from biting?

Any best ways I can train it to listen, perhaps an online guide which is preferably free?

I also need to know, what is the best food I can feed my 10 month old shih tzu and what kind of treats are good for training. Sites that I can refer to would be appreciated.


Please I need help as soon as possible because my dog just gets badder at the minute and I truely do love her.

I gather from your other post that you live in Canada. Can you give me a general idea where..are you in Alberta?

As far as the biting goes, it really depends on what the circumstances are. It sounds like your dog bites you when you try to pick her up. To me it does sound like she's maybe running her own show a bit. Is she fed on a schedule? Is she crate trained? Does she know any behaviors like sit, down, stay,...?

How do you react when she bites you?

I would love to help you as much as I can. I may be able to find you some volunteer help if you let me know (very generally) where you are located or you could have your mom PM me.

The problems that you posted require more than quick answers and I can send you information on every problem but it would really benefit you and your family to have at least one training session. I with you were here in Calgary.....

There are a few good sites. I'll come back and post more in a bit, once I've reviewed some for you I'll post links.....

I live in the area of Toronto, Ontario. My dog isn't crate trained and not on a and isn't fed on a daily based schedule because for once, my dog barely likes to eat and I find her eating lots of bad stuff sometimes. And no, my mom doesn't use computers so she won't be able to pm you. When my dog bites, I try to say "no" and when she stops I give her a treat. I found this very useful lately but for example my family usualy hits my dog when she bites and I think this is the source of most of her bad behaviours.

See, Michal, I knew you would get better help here. Doc is awesome.

Will you have the support of your family if you explain to them that the hitting is likely a big part of your pups problems?

Have you heard of a NILIF program? This leadership program will help you to get your dog back on track but it is imperative that the hitting stops. NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) is essentially a program where your dog earns everything that she values. Food, treats, toys, access to outdoors, everything that she considers important in her life must come at a price. The price can be something as small as a sit or a down but this will not only help her to see you as a leader, it will also make her feel more secure and looked after.
http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm (this is a version of NILIF)

Give it a quick read and I'll be here for more questions..

Well thanks for all your help today, I will check some of that out but for now I'm going to sleep. Good night.

Thanks BP I was just off reading Michal's other thread and was thinking that you were doing great helping out yourself.

I will search some good trainers for you in your area and post them in the morning...good night!

Err, thanks. I was just trying to help. I'm glad you came along, though. You are more knowledgeable then I am. :hail:

I'm waiting for emails back from some certified positive trainers in your area. I'm off to work for a few hours and will check back again when I return.

Alright and the city I live in exactly is "Mississauga", it's right beside toronto like 5 minutes away.

Thanks Michal, that helps. No one has emailed me back yet..probably due to the holiday but I'll let you know as soon as I hear back.

Thanks, you're just great for putting yourself into so much trouble and helping me out.

No trouble.. I just wish they'd get back to me, I'm anxious to get some information.

Alright well I took some various opinions and advice, read a few articles and I earned some knowledge on training my dog even more. At the moment my dog hasn't bitten for almost the whole dog and I see a great improvement. Can anyone suggest great treats so I can give my dog as a reward?

The best treats to use to reward your dog are tiny (pea sized) soft treats. Some that I like to use are ZUKES tiny treats (many different flavors), soft rolls like Natural Balance which can be cut into tiny treats and also come in lots of different flavors. You can also use small bits of chicken breast or any lean meats that your dogs tummy does well with.