Hi, I am new to this forum and would like to get some opinions on puppy behavior.
I have a lab pup 5 months old and she has always been a mouthy pup since I got her at 6 weeks - Terrible with the puppy biting!!!
And what I was wondering is how you can get her to quit being so mouthy - On occassion she will snap at me - I don't know if she is playing or becoming aggressive?
I have been trying to teach her to take little nibble treats gently out of my hand - she is not too bad - but gentle is not the word I would use to describe her - She is definetly more gentle taking the small nibble than a larger treat.
One day when I was letting her run in back yard off leash (fenced in yard) and I called her to put the leash back on her to go inside - she snapped, came forward at me and barked - I gave her a stern NO - did not have my hands close enough to grab her. She then raised her hair - barked and snapped again - I didn't know what her motives were - I turned and walked away from her, because there was no way I could grab her without her taking off and I didn't want her to think I was playing a game, by chasing her. Well, she hates to be ignored, so she came right up behind. I gave her the sit command and the leash was put on her without any further incident.
I probably handled this situation wrong - but I really didn't know what to do.
I will give you a little history on her:
She has been to puppy preschool
Where they advocated the muzzle correction for the puppy biting - Well she probably had a million muzzle corrections - and instead of curing the puppy biting, it seems like it made her a little hand shy. Which I am trying to reverse by a positive association now.
She has had about 4 or 5 private lessons at this same academy - Knows the basic commands - sit/stay, down/stay, come, and heel -
She definetly is not perfect in performance - but knows what she is suppose to do.
She is on the hyper side - But when I am working training sessions with her she is very calm when in a command situation.
She is definetly a bull in the china shop any other time though
I guess what I am concerned with is that she is still mouthy at 5 months and seems to be getting braver in her actions and I want to stop any aggressive behavior now before it becomes a problem.

Their evaluation of her at the dog academy:
She is a very confident pup
Very smart and trainable
But Somewhat Stubborn and Headstrong

I am no longer taking her to this dog academy for training because she is good as gold in class - It's at home she needs some direction - And they do not provide in-home training.
I would like to find a trainer that will come to the home and work with her.
I called every trainer listed in the phone book for in-home training and got recordings.
I left messages and have only received one call back and this trainer uses the gentle leader type method - Which I have been using the prong collar and don't want to switch to something else and confuse her. One thing that concerned me was that this trainer told me that using the prong collar will only make her more aggressive, if she is an aggressive dog.
Right now I would kind of like to know how much you can expect from a 5 month old pup?
And how to deal with her when she shows herself in a way that seems aggressive?
Also if anyone in this forum knows of a good trainer in the Columbus, Ohio area - I would sure appreciate knowing how to get ahold of them!
Thanks - Sharon

Their evaluation of her at the dog academy:
She is a very confident pup
Very smart and trainable
But Somewhat Stubborn and Headstrong
Interesting eval. Sounds like a dog to me got too young. Again I will ask why do people get puppies that young. Cuz, of irresponsible breeders.

Anyway, a pup that didn't learn the dominance exercises from the rest of the littermates. A pup who didn't learn how to deal with stress from the mother and littermates. A pup, who I could go on and on.

If the dog is as good as gold at class, what are you doing differently at home? EVERYTHING!!!

This is a problem I deal with on a daily basis. When at class did you take the dog off leash and let run in an open area? I doubt ever. However, we get home and hey lets do it. Be as strict at home as you are at class and you will see changes. Use a crate. Forget the muzzle. Squirt bottles do wonders. Leave the leash on in the house so you have some semblence of control. If you can't watch her. She is in the crate. This is just a start. There are plenty of other things that need to be done as well. Quit picking the dog up and carrying it. Get it off the furniture. So forth...

Sharon,

I don't know squat about dog training.....so the only "qualifications" i have are my own mistakes!

I hope I'm not steering you wrong on the following...if I am I'm sure someone will set me straight!

Stop using your hands to correct your pup-via muzzle grabs,neck scruffs, or trying to reach for her collar. I may be way off on this one, but these things did nothing for me- only made things worse. Let your pup drag a leash around the house/yard (supervised of course) when she's not in her kennel. It's the calmest way to correct for mouthing, stealing, chase games, etc. and the easist way to distract her into an obedience command when she's got an attitude goin' on.

If you don't use a kennel or crate- start doing so immediately. You'll get some good advise from the experienced on how to use that thing.... and use it they way they tell you! It really is a sanity saver.

Make sure you know how to use that prong collar! I thought I did...found out later that I didn't! Turns out I didn't need it at all- maybe you really don't either? Since your pup is used to the prong, try leaving it on, but attatch your leash to a regular flat collar. Just curious- for what reasons are you using it now?

Yes, find a knowledgeable and experienced trainer to help you read your pup! Don't trust the so called "obedience instructor" types. I did.. not one, but two of 'em. BIG mistake! The joke was on me, 'cause they were both wrong. Make sure you know how to correct your pup. Maybe your being to strong- I was- but then again I was an ass and listened to those two so called obedience instructors that didn't know squat!

**Don't get frustrated! Be very patient & stay calm. Listen to the advise here- you'll get alot of good stuff! I wasted alot of quality puppy time "fighting" my pup. I'm still kickin' myself in the butt....

Thanks Todd!! You da man

Oh yeah- you might wanna read up on dominant behavior....

Quote Sharon-M
"She then raised her hair and barked again"
Is this a domanant dog or fearful aggression?
Puppies initially learn bite inhabition from their littermates. When taken to young,4,5,6 wks, they sometimes have trouble controlling their mouths.

Thank You for the responses - I now know that 6 weeks is too young to take a pup - At the time I didn't know this - I figured if the breeder thought she was ready then she was ready - but I also now know that some breeders just want to sell their pups. How do you undo this damage of buying her too soon???
Also when in obedience class they stress be consistant - discipline - discipline - discipline - It was never told to have play time or let her just be a puppy at times - And I tried to follow everything I was told to the letter. I have read so many different things now on how to train a puppy that it gets very confusing.
I don't want her to be robot obedient - I really want their to be a close bond between us - and trust -
And I just want to know how to achieve this!!
I actually feel I have been way to strict with her -
A little further information - so that you have a clearer picture - She does have a crate - She is never left in the house unsupervised - I always keep a leash on her unless we are playing in the yard - and there I am afraid she will run past something and correct herself if the leash gets caught and wonder what she is being corrected for (I didn't want to confuse her)
She has never be permitted to be on the furniture - And I definetly do not carry her - She is 5 month lab and weighs 48 pounds - But Todd, you are right about when she is in class she knows this is strictly business - no playing around - - So I guess what I am wondering is - how do you work the two things together? Play & Train ? Because when I am working with her in a training session at home - I usually do about
10 -15 minute sessions a couple times a day - (because thats what was suggested by the trainer) And she is very attentive and responsive during these times - So what do you do in between sessions?
We go for a walk, early morning before I go to work - But then she is penned up all day. And then in the evening when I get home I let her run and play in the backyard - to release some of that energy that has been stored up all day (without the leash on - as to not get tangled on the deck or glider swing etc.)
I wish I could find a really good trainer -
I would really like to find someone that could show me how to do this right!
If anyone knows someone in the Columbus, Ohio area - Please Let Me Know
And any HELP you can pass my way to help my pup I would appreciate it!!
Thanks Sharon

I am not very experienced here, but my advice is:
do not panic, relax. If you are consistent with your training she will soon know you are the boss. She just told you she does not like to be leashed, no big deal IMO.

if she hates the leash, associate the leash with good stuff, not bad. I would definitely not take her back to the place that advocates muzzle corrections. My little devil (high drive pit bull) learned not to chew on hands/pants/shoes through redirection to toys and voice corrections.

If she is biting you she is bored. Go play with her, or get her something to chew on. Thats probaly why she doesn't bite you at puppy class.

Robert

Labs can tend to be quite mouthy as pups, and can require a lot of exercise. I agree that the age of this pup when brought home certainly could have interfered with her learning bite inhibition. It's also not uncommon for a pup to "sass back" at this age. Redirecting her to an appropriate object such as a toy, along with firm but not harsh voice corrections, should work just fine for the biting. Be sure to praise her when she bites the toy and not you. In my opinion, the reason that pups sass back is that they think they can. When you have no control and they know it, the opportunity is ripe. By keeping control through the use of a check cord, you should be able to avoid setting up that dynamic in the first place.

I think it's important that your pup get enough exercise, and playing with her in the back yard is good for that. I would encourage you to keep a check cord on her, clipped to her buckle collar, under these circumstances. Just let her drag it around as she plays, under your supervision, of course. Never leave a check cord on an unattended puppy. A 10 foot length of light nylon or polypropylene rope attached to a swivel hook is cheap and easy to make. This extends your area of influence and gives you greater control. If you're concerned about entanglement, you might consider rearranging your yard furniture. But I think you'll find that the light poly rope doesn't tangle as easily as one might think.

If she doesn't like to be leashed, I would imagine that it's because she associates the leash with the end of fun time. Playing with her for a few minutes AFTER leashing should take care of that in a few days. You should probably continue the practice intermittently on a long term basis, though, just to reinforce.

Hi
Please tell me what is the meaning of IMO and sass back. I'm not from America. I'm AsiAN tipical Chinese LOL( that what I know)HI Hi Hi Ha Ha loud funny eh! Tipical Chinese.