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June 22, 2011

My 3.5 month old Newfoundland puppy will not comply with the down command and has even bitten me when I give her a correction for this. Any advice you can give me on this would be appreciated.

Full Question:
Hi Ed,

I have a three and a half month old Newfoundland pup and have recently ran into some problems while training her on the down command. Up until this point she has been very easy to train, learning sit in just a few minutes and generally being a very well mannered dog. I'm using a 12' training line and a prong type collar as well. She understands the down command but simply does not want to perform it and even bit me a couple of times while I have administered corrections. I have been trying for a few days now to get her to learn this command and she has only done it on her own a couple of times. I always praise her via petting and verbal praise whether or not she has done the command on her own and I'm always sure to end the training sessions with a good play. I am also always keeping in mind that she respects me as the 'alpha dog' and I am very mindful of any dominant behavior she might have. I always walk through doors first and things of that nature. Any advice you can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
There is no 3 ½ month old puppy that should be getting corrections for not following obedience commands. I would ESPECIALLY not be using a prong type collar on a puppy. Our puppies wear a flat collar or a lightweight adjustable harness. Correcting a puppy for not following a command they don’t fully understand is like correcting a kindergartner for not doing math problems. Just because they are starting to understand the concepts, doesn’t mean they are ready for the correction phase. I don’t blame the puppy for biting you, because corrections for this puppy at this point in her education are unfair.

You will destroy any type of relationship you wish to have with this pup if you continue with your current methods.

I’d read the article Ed wrote on The Groundwork to Becoming your Puppy’s Pack Leader. I would read our article on training dogs with Markers.

I would suggest the DVDs Your Puppy 8 weeks to 8 Months, The Power of Training Dogs with Markers, The Power of Training Dogs with Food.

We also have a number of eBooks, which include topics that may help you.

I hope this helps,
Cindy Rhodes

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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