agressive puppy?

[Lucid]

Ive got a few questions about my pup Blake who is now 8months old.

When we try to tell him off and say no, he mouths back and snpas his mouth and then starts barking at us, and I dont know how to control his reaction as if I keep on saying no and trying to ignore him, he just gets worse.

He bites when he starts to get worked up and this has been going on a while now, there doesnt seem to be much that we are doing thats helping it so could you give me some info on how I could curb this behaviour?

 

[Dekka]

First off we need more information.

Does he actually know an 'off' command. As in he will get off other things.. just not all things? How did you train off?

Does he know come, sit, stay etc?

What do you do when he won't get off? What seems to trigger him to get worked up? How do you play with him? How much exercise and stimulation does he get?

 

[Lucid]

Really only any off command he knows is down or no, he doesnt have anything that relates to that not.

He does know, sit and we are working on stay bit by bit and he can come when asked.

When he wont get off I either take the thing away from him and walk away or repeat the command until he eventually does.

He gets worked up usually when I said either or or Eh Eh, something that Im telling him to stop it he doesnt like it.

When we are both working he gets 45mins to an hour of just pure running around the beach with his ball in the water and over the sand, running about with us chasing each other and just playing games and if we are off we usually do that twice a day followed by a slow walk home.

 

[Dekka]

First off you need to train an off. If you use the word down.. then make sure you use a different word to mean lie down.

Is it 'off' people you have an issue with or 'off' furniture?

 

[Maxy24]

Does he actually know an 'off' command.

She means "tell him off" like to reprimand, I think.

Does he do this every time you tell him or only in certain situations? What sort of things are you reprimanding him for? What is his body language at the time he acts out at you (ears forward or back, does he move forward or back or stay in place while barking, is his tail wagging, up straight or tucked etc.(anything you can think of))

 

[Dekka]

ahh, well then that is easier to fix. Quit telling your puppy off and train him to do what you want him to do.

 

[Lucid]

She means "tell him off" like to reprimand, I think.

Does he do this every time you tell him or only in certain situations? What sort of things are you reprimanding him for? What is his body language at the time he acts out at you (ears forward or back, does he move forward or back or stay in place while barking, is his tail wagging, up straight or tucked etc.(anything you can think of))

Yea he does this nearly every time I tell him off, I just try and give him instruction to stop and distract him with a bit of a sort sharp shock, nothing to harm him or anything just to try snap him out of it but its not working for me.

His body language is usually standing up looking at me and its hard to explain he usually gets down on his bell with his butt up in the air then he will start barking and trying to jump up at me or my partner, he does move forward yes while he is barking, his tail is almost always wagging, like 99.9% of the time.

I feel like he takes it as playing most of the time.

Also in responce to dekka, I am trying to teach him, Im a new puppy mum and thats why Im here to learn how to train him not to do this, so its hard to just "quit telling him off".

 

[Maxy24]

He either thinks it is a game or he is scared and is trying to appease you (make you quit being mad) by looking as non-threatening as possible (play bowing, tail wagging). The barking is the only thing that makes it seem more playful but it could also be nerves (nervous barking).

I do agree with Dekka, telling a dog off is very confusing as the dog has no idea what you are talking about. You just get all angry, he is doing all he knows to turn your angry reaction off. So it's fine to clap hands or make a sharp sound to get the dog's attention but that should be immediately followed by instructions as to what you WANT the dog to do INSTEAD of his current behavior.
Don't forget we can help you with that part!! If there are some "bad" behaviors he is doing that you need help fixing in a positive and productive way we can help you with those, just tell us what they are.
Also remember that basic obedience is your friend. You can effectively control your dog without getting in a confrontation if he knows his basic commands.

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

I am trying to teach him, Im a new puppy mum and thats why Im here to learn how to train him not to do this, so its hard to just "quit telling him off".

OK, but here's the problem with that approach: Pup does something you don't want him to do, so you get angry and "tell him off".

What you say:
"Why did you do that again, Blake?!? I told you not to do that ever, Blake!! Stop it right now Blake!!"

What your dog actually hears:
"Blah, blah, blah, Blake!! Blah, blah, blah, Blake!!"

 

[Dekka]

If its jumping up thats an issue, teach him to sit to greet people. Its called teaching an incompatible behaviour, he can't be jumping if he is sitting. All telling him off will do is make him anxious.

 

[lizzybeth727]

How old is he? Have you taken a puppy obedience class with him? If not, when are you planning to take the class?

 

[Lucid]

Ok I dont think Ive made myself to clear on this, I dont tell him off like I tell a child off, I either respond with Ahh Ahh or shhht either that if it doesnt work its a lowered voice saying no.

I dont speak to him in a sentence if Im giving him into trouble, I chat to him all day when my partner is out, just general rubbish but never when telling him off.

I just need direction on how you correct the behaviour with the command, he doesnt listen to the short noises Im making and I'll either tell him to sit or stop but its not happening for me.

he is a very treat orientated dog who will listen if a treat is involved but sometimes I wonder if I should be working that way is its alright to do that.

He is 8months old, and hasnt been to classes yet as we dont have any in our area but I did this evening while out on our walk take down the number for someone who comes out to your home for private training within your home.

So thats a start.

 

[Dekka]

the whole point is YOU DON'T correct the behaviour. You train the dog what you do want it to do.

Tell us the sorts of things he is doing that you need to 'correct' him for...

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

he is a very treat orientated dog who will listen if a treat is involved but sometimes I wonder if I should be working that way is its alright to do that.

If you have a tool that works, USE IT!

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

he is a very treat orientated dog who will listen if a treat is involved but sometimes I wonder if I should be working that way is its alright to do that.

Yes, yes, YES!!

Not only is it perfectly all right to use treats in training ... it provides a perfect incentive for the dog to do what you want him to do!! Dogs who are very food-motivated are actually easier to train than dogs who are not. The fact that you have already found what motivates him (treats!) means you most certainly should use that easy motivator for his training.

 

[Lucid]

Ok so Ive found what he likes and wants so I need the training to train him.

I have tried clicker training, thing is, it seems to work when he is doing something I dont want him to do, I click he stops and knows he is getting a treat.

Now Im almost sure its not supposed to work like that but if it works then it works.

My question is that if I repeat these things over and over with treats, will I have to use these treats all the time ? or is it good to sometimes give him them and sometimes not, Will I have to phase them out?

Is there any commands that you use to correct your dog that you think work best?

If you had a dog that had a bad habbit of jumping up when he was excited or just in general, (blake tends to jump up and use us to stretch on at times. How would you train this behaviour?

Oh well, treats here we come lol

 

[noludoru]

If he already knows sit, ask him to sit when he greets people.

Have him on a leash when someone comes into his general area (20 feet or so, or into the room you're in, etc) and ask them to wait out of reach while you ask him to sit. Give treats every couple of seconds for sitting and have the person slowly advance. Ask them not to smile or talking in a baby voice, to keep him from getting too excited. If he gets out of the sit, their job is to IMMEDIATELY turn around and walk away until he is calm and sitting again. After that they can advance a bit more slowly. Remember to keep giving treats (REALLY good treats) and keep him right beside you. When he is sitting until the person gets within two feet or so of him, your volunteer can reach out to pet him and give him a treat for sitting - but remember, if he gets out of the sit, they have to turn around and walk away instantly and wait until he is sitting to return. If you have lots of trouble with him jumping up when the person reaches out to pet him, you can physically restrain him by the collar, but remember to keep giving out treats. Once sitting for new people is easy, you can step it up a bit and ask them to smile, talk in a baby voice, rush up to him, encourage him to jump up, etc, to proof the behavior.

Usually the problem is getting the other people to play along - not the dog. They get it pretty quickly: Jumping up = person he wants to greet walks away. Sitting = cookies AND being petted by a new person.

Edited to add: I miss your post because mine took so long to write, but I think I mostly answered your question as to a specific method that should work for you (there are plenty of other ways to teach it, so if this doesn't work for you, don't worry!). As to always giving treats? You'll start to phase them out once he's good at it. instead of giving a treat every few seconds, make it every ten, every twenty, every 30, until you're just giving treats for not jumping up at the end of the session. Then when he's really got it down it just becomes a habit and you can reward every couple of sessions until you stop rewarding the behavior completely.

 

[Dekka]

Ok so Ive found what he likes and wants so I need the training to train him.

I have tried clicker training, thing is, it seems to work when he is doing something I dont want him to do, I click he stops and knows he is getting a treat.

Now Im almost sure its not supposed to work like that but if it works then it works.

No it isn't. The click means YAY you did something right.. your reward is coming. Anything he is doing when you click will happen more often.

My question is that if I repeat these things over and over with treats, will I have to use these treats all the time ? or is it good to sometimes give him them and sometimes not, Will I have to phase them out?

You should make sure the treats are out of sight when training, or seeing the treat becomes part of the cue. How are you training.. if you give us some examples we can help you better.

Is there any commands that you use to correct your dog that you think work best?

I don't use any. IMO its not fair to punish a dog for my lack of training him.

If you had a dog that had a bad habbit of jumping up when he was excited or just in general, (blake tends to jump up and use us to stretch on at times. How would you train this behaviour?

Oh well, treats here we come lol

First off I would teach a rock solid sit. Have it so the dog is offering a sit when he wants things. Ie sit for dinner, sit for pet, sit for a toy, sit to go outside etc.

Then I when I came home I would ignore the dog, turn my back and wait the dog out. Then either when the dog is calm and has all four paws on the ground say sit.. or if the dog just offers a sit reward and bend down and greet your dog.

No corrections necessary. Your dog is doing what is natural to dogs. Young canines great family members by jumping up (if they are small) and licking faces. While this is natural to dogs, its not good in human society. So instead of correcting the dog for doing what is natural.. you teach the dog an alternate way to great people. Make sure that he does get greeted when he sits, and that people ONLY pay attention to him in greeting when he sits!

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

You should make sure the treats are out of sight when training, or seeing the treat becomes part of the cue.

^^^ Very true!!

Lucid, I should clarify that when I said "treats as incentive" it did NOT mean to dangle a treat in front of the dog like a carrot so that he will do what you want. Instead, when he does something right you click or use a signal word that tells him he did the right thing and he should THEN expect his reward ... a treat.

Since you were wondering if it was "right" to use treats in training, guessing that some people have told you that training with treats will mean the dog won't do what you want UNLESS he sees the treat first? But those people have the wrong idea of training with treats. The right idea is exactly what Dekka said ... DON'T use the treat as part of the cue ... use it as the reward after.