this hurts

[shean]

i have been trying to find info on what is happening with Princess ( 6month and 60 pound female) and myself, she is a rescue i have had her for 2 months. So here it is.

situation; we are walking on leash in the dog park meeting other dogs everything is ok then Princess decides she's had enough of being on the leash limited from the other dogs. so she starts jumping and biting my arm through my coat, not biting my hand even when i push her head away she just keeps lunging for my arm. the calm No and holding her under the collar till she stops squirming and is resting against my leg only works till the next dog strolls by then we start all over again. she talks alot during this process and it is not aggression that is coming across it is play with me... we go to obedience classes and this was passed off as a dominance issue thing is when i tried the advise of pinning her to the ground and let her know i'm not happy she smiles (yes i know the difference) so when i let her up she is acting like it is play time not like she just did something wrong.
I like this dogs personality, no fear, everyone is her friend, take no prisoners, this the way she is expressing her self.
I just want the damn biting to stop

shean

[Greg_1111]

6 months old. She is still in the formative stage, and she is a puppy in one of many phases Rottweilers go through. But regardless of everything else, the fact that she feels that biting through your coat to your arm is acceptable is a clear sign that you aren't in control of this pup. You are cow towing to her. training classes are nice and interesiting, but they are no subsitiute for the most important element which is your personal relationship with your dog. It's all about psychology believe it or not, it's not about anything else. You have to educate yourself in the science of "dog management" (sorry if it sounds like a nerdy new age term). To put it into a more familiar context. adopt the NILF philosophy (nothing in life is free) This program works miracles and is really the basis for a healthy relationship with you and your dog. You will probably have to put the little gal into "Boot camp" ( another incredibly valuable resource) But you need to learn about these things yesterday if not sooner. This is the perfect time to do it. when they become a year old, it becomes much more difficult.. "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" etc. When all the smoke clears, once you establish the ground rules and the heierarchy,, it all becomes so much easier, and the bond becomes very strong.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by shean

i have been trying to find info on what is happening with Princess ( 6month and 60 pound female) and myself, she is a rescue i have had her for 2 months. So here it is.

situation; we are walking on leash in the dog park meeting other dogs everything is ok then Princess decides she's had enough of being on the leash limited from the other dogs. so she starts jumping and biting my arm through my coat, not biting my hand even when i push her head away she just keeps lunging for my arm. the calm No and holding her under the collar till she stops squirming and is resting against my leg only works till the next dog strolls by then we start all over again. she talks alot during this process and it is not aggression that is coming across it is play with me... we go to obedience classes and this was passed off as a dominance issue thing is when i tried the advise of pinning her to the ground and let her know i'm not happy she smiles (yes i know the difference) so when i let her up she is acting like it is play time not like she just did something wrong.
I like this dogs personality, no fear, everyone is her friend, take no prisoners, this the way she is expressing her self.
I just want the damn biting to stop

shean

What happens when you're simply walking around your backyard, or your neighborhood, and not in a dog park, complete with 10million distractions that are more fun than you?

[Judi W]

If you are referring to the restraint I described elsewhere, that is for little puppies and this girl is no longer an infant. I suspect you need to be considerably more honest with her about her using her teeth on you. I know you don't want to wait until it is no longer jacket weather. If she acts like it is play then your "corrections" are not getting the point across. No second chances when she does this. Remove her from the area and do some boot camp heeling, some stays and back home. Every time. The fact that she is repeating means that you are not letting her know this makes you angry.

[Stubby]

Judi, I have witnessed times when this type of activity is dealt with in a more.. shall we say.. agressive manner, by the handler. I.E. holding the dog by a choke chain and cutting off it's air for a short period of time. I've never done this myself, but have seen people at my Schutzhund club do this as a means of "correcting" a dog that carries on in a similar manner as to what the OP is reffering. Is this something you think is acceptable? Or, is this type of correction best left to more experienced handlers??

[Lorrie]

That be a "hangin" .. and if done should only be by experienced handlers.

[Stubby]

copy that....


21 letters..

[samanthac]

Originally Posted by Lorrie

That be a "hangin" .. and if done should only be by experienced handlers.

Exactly. Its generally only used on really hard dogs when no other methods have worked. This is absolutely not a method that a novice handler should be using without proper instruction from an experienced trainer. If this correction is done improperly it can injure the dog.

In addition, if you do this and your dog gets pissed and ups the ante, you had darn well better be prepared to go toe to toe with 100-lbs of VERY pissed off Rottweiler. I don't know too many people who have the mental or testicular fortitude to do that.

Also, I would NOT do it out in public. Unfortunately with the current alarmist climate that we live in, all the bleeding hearts and AR activists out there need to do is see that NOT understanding the why's or how's, and you can wind yourself up with animal cruelty charges...unless you get a really nice officer who is experienced with dogs, but they are few and far between.

I'd whip her bottom into shape with some serious boot camp OB like Judi suggested.

[Lorrie]

Originally Posted by samanthac

In addition, if you do this and your dog gets pissed and ups the ante, you had darn well better be prepared to go toe to toe with 100-lbs of VERY pissed off Rottweiler. I don't know too many people who have the mental or testicular fortitude to do that.

LOL!!!! :D But very true ... if not done right - "hangin" will agitate the dog more .. and as Samantha says .. when those feet hit the ground you better be prepared for a dog coming at ya.

[shean]

Originally Posted by poohbearsmom

What happens when you're simply walking around your backyard, or your neighborhood, and not in a dog park, complete with 10million distractions that are more fun than you?

we play, i chase her she chases the ball i have in my hand , i throw it for her as a reward for playing, she returns the toy to me and we do it again for about an half our a day. after i practice the simple stuff for her sit, stay, come here, and some targeting just to get her to pay attention to me and listen to me.
she really is a good dog, i think she just gets really excited maybe? in the presence of other dogs....
i don't know.

[shean]

Originally Posted by Judi W

If you are referring to the restraint I described elsewhere, that is for little puppies and this girl is no longer an infant. I suspect you need to be considerably more honest with her about her using her teeth on you. I know you don't want to wait until it is no longer jacket weather. If she acts like it is play then your "corrections" are not getting the point across. No second chances when she does this. Remove her from the area and do some boot camp heeling, some stays and back home. Every time. The fact that she is repeating means that you are not letting her know this makes you angry.

i just don't want to hurt her, right now i am just really frustrated.
for the last two days when i put her in her kennel/ crate each time she does this she cries like i just kicked the crap out of her. the first day someone stopped by to see what was happening. The training class i am going to just does not have the time to really deal with me on this...

ps. whats "boot camp"?

[shean]

Originally Posted by Greg_1111

6 months old. She is still in the formative stage, and she is a puppy in one of many phases Rottweilers go through. But regardless of everything else, the fact that she feels that biting through your coat to your arm is acceptable is a clear sign that you aren't in control of this pup. You are cow towing to her. training classes are nice and interesiting, but they are no subsitiute for the most important element which is your personal relationship with your dog. It's all about psychology believe it or not, it's not about anything else. You have to educate yourself in the science of "dog management" (sorry if it sounds like a nerdy new age term). To put it into a more familiar context. adopt the NILF philosophy (nothing in life is free) This program works miracles and is really the basis for a healthy relationship with you and your dog. You will probably have to put the little gal into "Boot camp" ( another incredibly valuable resource) But you need to learn about these things yesterday if not sooner. This is the perfect time to do it. when they become a year old, it becomes much more difficult.. "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" etc. When all the smoke clears, once you establish the ground rules and the heierarchy,, it all becomes so much easier, and the bond becomes very strong.

whats boot camp? i have not heard of this before.

[Greg_1111]

Shean, You have to establish yourself as the leader, above all else. It will take time for that to sink in,, there will be a transition period. I wouldn't use her kennel as the "time out" place. I solved a problem similar to yours by using a method that a really good trainer showed me. use a bathroom or a small room to isolate him in. You have to immediately march him into the room as soon as he starts to disobeye your attempt to stop the biting. He will whine and want to be let out to be with the rest of the family,, but ignore it. Don't keep him in the room for more than 5 minutes,, then let him out. When he starts the biting agian, march him right back into the room. it doesn't take long before he gets the message. worked for me. Some people will object to this method and will worry about the room being destroyed. That never happened to me, and at the age of your pup, I doubt he will destroy anything. He will want to get out and be with everyone else. This method achieves two things,, it helps to establish you as the controller of freedom, and it also associates freedom with good or bad behaviour.

Give it a shot, can't hurt

[Greg_1111]

Shean,, boot camp is a program that pays attention to some of the obvious as well as subtle things that you can do to establish the proper pecking order.
Do a search in this forum, you will turn up a multitude of "boot camp" related info. The little things you do can make a huge difference. But If I were going to pay attention to one thing, it would be consistency. If you give a command,, make sure it is followed ( make sure the dog knows what it means of course). If you allow your dog to ignore a command sometimes and obey other times then you relinquish control to your dog. That's a seemingly small thing,, but it's not. It's a big thing. Do the search on boot camp and NILF. you will be pleasantly surprised by the information.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by shean

i just don't want to hurt her, right now i am just really frustrated.
for the last two days when i put her in her kennel/ crate each time she does this she cries like i just kicked the crap out of her. the first day someone stopped by to see what was happening. The training class i am going to just does not have the time to really deal with me on this...

ps. whats "boot camp"?

A proper collar correction will likely "hurt" you more than it hurts her. ;) If you give a "correction", and she continues the behavior, then you have NOT given a correction, you have simply nagged. A real correction will be remembered by the dog, and should not take more than 2-3 times tops for the message to get through, and last for quite a while.

Boot Camp is when you get down to business and gain your dog's respect. Through positive rewarding good behaviors, correcting bad behaviors. If your dog knows a sit/down, etc... then correcting her misbehavior (biting), and promptly putting her through several minutes of obedience sit, down/stay, sit, heel, etc.. reminds her that you call the shots, not her. This way, you are leaving things on a positive note.... 1. correction 2. command 3. success/praise and we're all having a good day now, business as usual.

The reason I asked about environments is because I had a feeling that her behaviors were not proofed, and perhaps the distractions of being in a park with other dogs around were simply overloading her too much to listen to you... in which case, one would backtrack in the focus department and work on obedience and play at home, then venture out once the behaviors are a little more solid.

Sounds like a round or two of obedience classes with a reputable instructor might be up your alley, as well.... :)

Hope this helps....

One more thing... hanging is NOT something that is needed on MOST dogs. The type of dog this exercise is used on is a sharp, hard, aggressive dog. There are very few dogs that fit the bill. If you have a dog that requires this type of action (which you do not), then professional help should be sought, before deciding whether or not this is an appropriate action to take. In other words, kids, do not try this at home. ;)