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Home: Dog and Puppy Training: Dog Obedience Training & General Training Topics:
4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me







mastercpu
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Jan 23, 2004, 7:58 AM

Post #1 of 6 (1240 views)
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4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me Can't Post

Hi! I hope someone might have some answers for me here.

My wife and I adopted a Chow, Chow/New Foundland Mix, named Maribel from a Humane Society. She is 4 months old and is responding very well to crate training, when to go to the bathroom and to go outside, and the verbal commands to SIT, DOWN, and NO. I know puppies take time and work and a lot of attention. My problem is with my wife and the puppy. For some reason my wife is starting to have a hard time controlling Maribel. I think Maribel just wants to play, but she is constantly jumping up at my wife and nipping at her and my wife is really starting to take it personally and getting upset. I know some of this is normal behavior for a puppy especially during this important time because of teething and stuff, but I don't know what I can do to help my wife. I've grown up with dogs my whole life and I know how to interact with them for the most part and I have no problems controlling Maribel, but my wife has only interacted with other peoples dogs and has never had a dog of her own. She has tried telling Maribel, NO and DOWN and SIT, she's tried to kind of act like the biting hurt more then it did, but Maribel still pursues. We have a visit to the Vet today to get Maribel updated on her shots and I will ask the Vet some questions, but I've been reading through the forum and everyone really seems nice and willing to give advice, so if anyone has any suggestions or ideas I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks! Nick


milooh
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Jan 24, 2004, 8:32 PM

Post #2 of 6 (1222 views)
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Re: [mastercpu] 4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi Nick, sorry to hear that your wife has a hard time controlling Maribel. I think dogs treat their owners differently. I swear its true. My dogs harass my husband everyday and will not let him eat lunch because they want to go to the park. They climb all over him, knock his hands and arms around and stare at him till no end. But they dont act like that when I am at home and they never harass me.

The way we trained our dogs, especially Milo is to say No, leave it, or No, come here, No, off, etc. Have you tried doing that with Maribel? Also, I dont know if this apply to your situation but when I get frustrated with my dogs and start yelling in a high pitched voice, they go at it more. Then I lower my voice and that seems to help. I dont really know why. May be you should also compare your behavior and body movements and the way you say the commands with your wife's. Who knows, may be there are subtle differences.

Of course I cant leave without saying something about clicker training. Ignore your puppy when it is harassing, when it stops, click and treat it. Soon Maribel knows, harass will be ignored, quiet will be rewarded. If you havent tried clicker training yet, its a good time to start. Hope you find my post somewhat helpful.

Rossie
Rossie
www.jef-b.com/Dogs

(This post was edited by milooh on Jan 24, 2004, 9:00 PM)


mastercpu
New User


Jan 26, 2004, 11:27 AM

Post #3 of 6 (1203 views)
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Re: [milooh] 4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me [In reply to] Can't Post

Rossie,

Thanks for your ideas. I appreciate any extra info that might help. We do say "No" and stuff like that and it works for me more then my wife. Although the past day or so Maribel has responded more to her. I agree about the whole tone thing. If myself or my wife use a higher tone Maribel feeds off of that, but with the lower tone she responds much better. About the clicker, are they available at most pet stores? That might be a good idea to try out and see how she responds. The only problem with ignoring her is that she starts biting and ignoring might cause more injury then my wife can handle. We are even considering taking Maribel to classes to see if that helps. Thanks again!

Nick


milooh
Member


Jan 26, 2004, 4:25 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1198 views)
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Re: [mastercpu] 4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi Nick, as far as I know from reading the posts on this board, there is no store in Malaysia that sells clickers. But you can use toys that make clicking sounds. Going to class is another good idea too but from experience with my 3 dogs, avoid classes that use chock chains as a training method.

As for ignoring your dog when its naughty, turn your body away from the dog, or if it jumps on you, turn away and gently bump it with your shoulder or something. I used to yell and yell at my border collie, Gael, and that seems to pump her up more. But I ignored her and looked away and soon she got the message. Good luck.

Rossie
Rossie
www.jef-b.com/Dogs

(This post was edited by milooh on Jan 26, 2004, 4:26 PM)


surchinmy
Ultra ALPHA

Jan 29, 2004, 8:23 AM

Post #5 of 6 (1179 views)
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Re: [mastercpu] 4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi ...

Well ... you certainly have a very interesting mix there ... Chow & Newbe ... both very strong minded breeds indeed ... and it sounds like your pup has taken that trait rather seriously ... Smile ...

From your posting your pup is intelligent and taking well to general training ... Maribel seems healthy and energetic ... and with your experience with dogs, I particularly note & accept that you are not concerned that there is any aggression being shown ...

However, at 4 months - your pup might be a little too young to be expressing "dominance" in any serious way ... Chances are, your pup is just being very playful and is treating your wife like her litter mates ...

But that said - it's never too early to teach your pup good manners ...

If I may ...

(a) You are right ... tone of voice plays a big part when trying to control and train a dog (including dogs testing dominance).

Use a low tone when issuing commands. Ideally, the "NO" ought to be a low growly "NOOO" ... learn to draw out the sound ... It doesn't have to be yelled or particularly loud - low and growly is more effective. One good low "NOOO" will work more effectively than repeated "no, no, no" said in a high tone.

Repeated short high sounds, induces excitement and encourages play ...

(b) Maintaining correct posture when issuing the reprimand "NO" also helps ... when the dog tries to nip or jump ... immediately stand up straight, fold your arms or stand akimbo, lean slightly forward over the dog and issue a low "NOOOO".

(c) One effective way to assert leadership and maintain status is to exert control over food.
  • Let your wife feed Maribel ... but first, for your wife to hold the food bowl & take Maribel through the Sit, Stay and Down routine before placing the food down ... (While Maribel does not have to perform perfectly - she must obey the commands - Just do not hold the command too long and give Maribel a chance to rebel - holding & maintaining the command can come later) ... When Maribel has performed reasonably, place the food down BUT Maribel is not allowed to touch the food until your wife says "OK" (or appropriate release command) ... Then once or twice during the meal - withdraw the food - repeat the whole routine and continue feeding ...
  • Perhaps, for the time being, you can stop giving treats or toys to the dog ... All this to be done by your wife. But again - no treat or toy is given gratis ... Before any treat or praise is given Maribel must carry out the the Sit, Stay & Down routine ... Keep the routines short & sweet.

(d) Everytime your dog nips or jumps at your wife, the "NOOOO" command is issued immediately and all activity stops and the pup is ignored until she calms down ... Once the pup calms down, your wife to take Maribel through the Sit, Stay and Down routine ... treating & praising at the end ...

(e) If Maribel is particularly strong minded ... consider attaching a short leash to her collar ... and when she nips or jumps at your wife ... say "NOOO" ... but if Maribel persists, step on the leash ... It's an effective and safe way to calm down an over enthusiastic dog once a "NO" command is given. Do not release the leash, until the command down is obeyed ...

Do remember not to leave the leash on Maribel when unsupervised.

(f) For your wife to participate more actively in training Maribel ... training builds bond between dog and owner ... and more importantly in this instance, establishes responsible leadership over the dog ... It will assist very much if your wife were to spend a few minutes, a few times a day, teaching Maribel some new commands ... whatever they may be. This will give your wife good opportunity to treat & praise Maribel on a more positive note rather than just issuing "NO" reprimands ...

Remember to keep upbeat through it all ... avoid physical reprimands or yelling ... that merely escalates the situation and can make the situation more difficult.

Finally, a tired dog is a happy dog ... very often just providing a dog with sufficient exercise, resolves many potentially difficult problems ...

This is a useful website explaining dominance ... and how to avoid issues of dominance ... http://www.leerburg.com/dominac2.htm

All the best ...

Cheers Smile




(This post was edited by surchinmy on Jan 29, 2004, 8:25 AM)


comel23
Novice

Jan 29, 2004, 5:51 PM

Post #6 of 6 (1172 views)
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Re: [mastercpu] 4 Month Old Biting Wife But Not Me [In reply to] Can't Post

Hello Nick

Sorry that I missed this column earlier - and I am sure your wife and puppy is porgressing well after all the good advise you received. Your pup is trying to get your wife's attention, unfortunately, nipping and jumping are part of a pup's play, just like when they are playing with other pups. My dogies were doing this all the time when they were a pup and they will outgrew it.

Just a thought though, try to use treats as part of the training. Whenever she did something good and listens to her command, give her bits of good treats. Alternatively, praise her with a happy voice and have a couple of minutes of playtime (toys and treats must be ready at this point). Your pup will soon learn that whenever she behaves, she will get treats and the attention she deserves. Buy some good toys that they can chew on all the time - this will surely help.

Good Luck...!
Cheers Everyone

"Love Your Dog and You'll Be Loved Unconditionally"

 
 




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