Need some serious help with dog

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handoverfist

Golden Member
Apr 1, 2001
1,427
0
0
Originally posted by: lavagirl669
Originally posted by: handoverfist
Thanks for the replies. I am still confused on what to do when she is play biting. Some ppl say to grab muzzle, while others say to turn around and ignore dog. Or is it a combination of both?

DON'T grab her muzzle....this will only encourage the behavior.

This is not what the trainer at petmarts told me. I thought grabbing the muzzle is the same action that the mother dog uses to correct pups?
 

Nitemare

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
35,461
4
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Originally posted by: handoverfist
Thanks for the replies. I am still confused on what to do when she is play biting. Some ppl say to grab muzzle, while others say to turn around and ignore dog. Or is it a combination of both?

Leave her alone or smack her with something like a flyswatter.
 

remagavon

Platinum Member
Jun 16, 2003
2,516
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Wow that dog sounds likea ton of trouble! I'm so lucky to have had a good experience with my dog (shetland sheepdog):)

We got her at around 10ish weeks old and she has NEVER, EVER went #2 in the house, only had 3 accidents when she was first brought home and has never chewed up anything other than her dog bed, and even that was just a little hole. The leash pulling she did when we first got her but one trip around the house for 20 minutes with a stern walking (basically ignore the dog) made her be basically perfect. She doesn't even need a leash now to follow us around. Aslo we have never, ever hit her for anything, and never even gone so far as to hold her face and demean her. She knows when someone yells they're upset, and feels bad whether or not she's involved in it. :p :)

Sounds like it just might be the breed, you're probably going to have to get professional training to straighten out a dog that old. Good luck!
 

dman

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
9,110
0
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You have to give her something she's allowed to chew or bite when she does something wrong... redirect...

Say (command): Bad chew then
Say (Command): Good Chew = 'toy'

Give her the toy and then repeat if it happens again. It'll take some time, puppy's like to chew and they also take a while to learn you just have to be consistent and always discipline during the act not a few minutes later on... etc.

Plus lots of attention, if you can't watch her and catch her immediately when she's being bad, then you need to crate her or put her in a place she can't get into things you don't want her to. And if you have to crate her for lots of hours (or leave her unattended) then you should consider giving her away. Doesn't sound like that's the case though.

The play biting should go away over time if you ignore it somewhat. You can't redirect because if you do, she may think biting leads to 'good activity' so that's why they say to ignore. Or some minor negative-reinforcement, pull on leach/choker, or something she doesn't like. Just make sure you aren't allowing play-biting at any time, if you do even once when fooling around she won't learn when it's allowed and when it's not.