Hi,
I adopted my dog from a rescue and we have no idea of what his past is. We've had him for 9 months and made a lot of progress with him. When we first got him, we thought he was deaf, because he wouldn't turn his head for high pitched noises or whistling. He's not, just very focused on what he's doing. We've been able to teach him all the basics, plus a few more tricks. I've tried to see a trainer, but there is not a trainer within a 4 hour drive of where we live.
When we got him, he nipped us all the time, but through working with a trainer, we got him to stop. ( Whenever he would nip us, we would put him in the bathroom for a minute or two. ) Outside, the problem has escalated, and I have no idea how to get him to stop. We will be playing fetch and all of a sudden he will jump up and latch on my arm. He keeps coming after me until I get inside and lock him out. He has started biting harder, but hasn't drawn blood. The two times it happened this week, he's left scractches and bruises from his teeth. He has had a problem with jumping since we got him, but any time we would turn our backs to him, he would nip/bite us.
I know the more info the better, so here ya go: He eats Wellness Super 5 Chicken, and his schedule is:
The past week, he's been waking up an 10 minutes- an hour before our alarm goes off at 6.
6:oo- We wake up and let him outside. He stays about 10 minutes.
6:30- He eats breakfast in a busy ball and either plays outside or inside.
7:30- He goes in his crate while my husband and I go to work.
11:30- Dog Sitter 1 comes and plays with him outside for 45 minutes.
12:15 - Back in crate.
2:00- Dog Sitter 2 comes and plays with him outside for 30 minutes.
2:30 - Back in crate.
5:00- I get home and play with him outside for about an hour, then let him run around outside. (We have a chicken wire fence, so he and the dogs across the sidewalk will run back and forth for about 20 minutes at a time.)
7:00- Husband comes home and plays with him outside for another hour.
9:00 We both go outside with him and play for 30 minutes.
10:00- He goes outside to potty/play for about 20 minutes.
10:30- Bed
I know we need to walk him, but he is very reactive on leash, and we have a hard time finding a place to walk him where he will be able to make it through the walk without going crazy.
Please help!
Thank you!!
Biting
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: Biting
Hi JaxMom, just bumping this up for you in the hope you get some advice. As a point of interest, does the dog walker/sitter have this biting problem with him? Is the biting just over excitement or really aggresive do you think?
Re: Biting
So, when he's jumping up and biting your arms is he being aggressive towards you or is it a game? One of the issues with ignoring jumping up in the hope that it will extinguish is that the jumping up is a reward in itself. Many dogs just escalate the jumping up and add nipping into the issue.
If you were walking through a shopping centre with a young child and that child was picking his nose, would you ignore it? If you did the child would think it was acceptable to do so and carry on being rewarded by nose picking (we all know it's fun, right? or is that just me?
) You'd be much better training an incompatible behaviour like 'down' or 'sit'.
Also, you mention the chicken wire fence and the dog running with dogs from across the sidewalk? Can you elaborate on that situation?
In the meantime, it may be helpful to keep a tug toy on your person and redirect the dogs lunges at your arms to that...
If you were walking through a shopping centre with a young child and that child was picking his nose, would you ignore it? If you did the child would think it was acceptable to do so and carry on being rewarded by nose picking (we all know it's fun, right? or is that just me?
) You'd be much better training an incompatible behaviour like 'down' or 'sit'.Also, you mention the chicken wire fence and the dog running with dogs from across the sidewalk? Can you elaborate on that situation?
In the meantime, it may be helpful to keep a tug toy on your person and redirect the dogs lunges at your arms to that...
"Oh what gold there is to find when one is blessed with an open mind" - me, not five minutes ago 
Re: Biting
I think it is from over excitement. He tends to get over excited and spaz when I take him on a walk also. When he starts jumping up at me, I tell him "off" and "sit," but it doesn't do much. He doesn't really respond to commands when he gets over excited. We practice watch me in the back yard, inside and on walks, but when he gets excited, it's like I'm not even there.
Usually he jumps up when I pick up the toy to throw it. I'll have it in my hand and he'll jump on me and then start biting. I don't ignore the issue of him jumping, I just don't know what to do. If I turn my back, he jumps up and bites/nips me. The idea of a tug toy is great, but if I already have one in my hand, what do I do? Just put that in his mouth and walk away?
Where we live, our backyards are connected by chain link fences. A sidewalk seperates our backyard from the house behind us's backyard. The house behind us has 3 chihuahuas and they run back and forth along the fenceline with each other (Like a mirror image.)
I'm not sure if Jax nips at the dog sitter, I'll ask. I know Jax jumps at my husband, but less frequently than he does with me.
Usually he jumps up when I pick up the toy to throw it. I'll have it in my hand and he'll jump on me and then start biting. I don't ignore the issue of him jumping, I just don't know what to do. If I turn my back, he jumps up and bites/nips me. The idea of a tug toy is great, but if I already have one in my hand, what do I do? Just put that in his mouth and walk away?
Where we live, our backyards are connected by chain link fences. A sidewalk seperates our backyard from the house behind us's backyard. The house behind us has 3 chihuahuas and they run back and forth along the fenceline with each other (Like a mirror image.)
I'm not sure if Jax nips at the dog sitter, I'll ask. I know Jax jumps at my husband, but less frequently than he does with me.
Re: Biting
He jumped up and bit at the dog sitter one time, but the dog sitter said he usually doesn't. Jax did it again, this time I was talking to my neighbor, who was inbetween our fences. Jax was barking at him, so I told him quiet, but when that didn't work- I threw his tug toy for him to fetch. He fetched it, but as soon as he got back to me, he jumped up and bit my chest , then kept jumping up until I was able to get away. It's getting to the point where I'm scared to be outside with him. Please help! ANY ideas are appreciated.
Re: Biting
This is kinda similar to how if you fill a toddler full of sugar and then take him to a fairground, fairly soon his behaviour is going to get pretty unpleasant...
From your dogs point of view his life is, fun fun fun - quiet - fun fun fun - quiet - react play fun - quiet - hype hype hype... etc etc
When he gets overly worked up he loses any self control he possesses, which isnt much to start with, boils over and goes crazy biting and rushing about because thats fun, its utterly self rewarding and very 'easy' to do without any thought or control.
Sooo...... cut out the 'mindless whizzing about' - although it may seem like it provides exercise, it winds him up further so no more hurtling about fence-running with the neighbours dogs.
Games must come with rules which you can enforce, so playing fetch means he must give the ball back. If he doesnt then the game ends and you have to set it up so you can enforce that - just stick a harness on him and have enough leash trailing that you can grab that without having to grab him. [use a length of leash with no handle on the end so it cant suddenly get caught on anything].
Tuggy games are good, but the rule MUST be that no contact is made with your skin or clothing. Again if it does, game ends for ten seconds and you must set yourself up a way of ensuring you can do that.
He has worked out he can get rewarded, ie it is enjoyable, to hurl himself AT you and bite and nip - to convince him now that this will not work you have to be 1 step ahead of him.
Set things up so that he is never in a situation where it might work. Keep a harness and leash on him when you are playing or walking or generally, outdoors - if he starts you can take one end and stand on it, or you can loop it round some thing so he cannot reach you.
Tuck your pant legs into your socks, wear boots, dont have flappy sleeves, keep hands in pockets. Choose to train him indoors where you can step out of a room easily.
There will be more ways than this but only you know the layout of your house and yard.
Do training with him not just games - clicker training is excellent and will mean he HAS to use his brain rather than brute strength to get what he wants. Theres a thread in the articles section about clickertraining, and also one called 'its yer choice' about impulse control so take a look at both of these.
Walks - you do not HAVE to walk him for an hour, two hours etc - You CAN head out and do five minutes if you focus on walking nicely on a leash/paying attention to you. You can do LOTS of five minute walks and each one is far less likely to end in a scene or an incident because it is only five minutes long - thus the habit is formed that you walk, that he pays attention and doesnt pull.
IF you see something he is goingto kick off at, avoid it - take IMMEDIATE action the second you see it, not the second he reacts - avoid, go the other way, stay confident and happy about it and within a few weeks of this you will find his stress levels decrease on walks and he is easier to handle and deal with.
Once you are at that stage where you are one step a head and feel more confident at handling him and managing the problems, we can then explain how to go about getting him relaxed and comfortable walking when there are other distractions around, but for now I would stick with the above, its plenty to be getting on with.
Do be aware that if you are not giving him enough to do both physically and mentally, he IS going to revert to the way he knows best to get attention and fun, which is by hurling himself around and biting you - there is no way to eradicate this without replacing it with something more appropriate so keep tht in mind.
From your dogs point of view his life is, fun fun fun - quiet - fun fun fun - quiet - react play fun - quiet - hype hype hype... etc etc
When he gets overly worked up he loses any self control he possesses, which isnt much to start with, boils over and goes crazy biting and rushing about because thats fun, its utterly self rewarding and very 'easy' to do without any thought or control.
Sooo...... cut out the 'mindless whizzing about' - although it may seem like it provides exercise, it winds him up further so no more hurtling about fence-running with the neighbours dogs.
Games must come with rules which you can enforce, so playing fetch means he must give the ball back. If he doesnt then the game ends and you have to set it up so you can enforce that - just stick a harness on him and have enough leash trailing that you can grab that without having to grab him. [use a length of leash with no handle on the end so it cant suddenly get caught on anything].
Tuggy games are good, but the rule MUST be that no contact is made with your skin or clothing. Again if it does, game ends for ten seconds and you must set yourself up a way of ensuring you can do that.
He has worked out he can get rewarded, ie it is enjoyable, to hurl himself AT you and bite and nip - to convince him now that this will not work you have to be 1 step ahead of him.
Set things up so that he is never in a situation where it might work. Keep a harness and leash on him when you are playing or walking or generally, outdoors - if he starts you can take one end and stand on it, or you can loop it round some thing so he cannot reach you.
Tuck your pant legs into your socks, wear boots, dont have flappy sleeves, keep hands in pockets. Choose to train him indoors where you can step out of a room easily.
There will be more ways than this but only you know the layout of your house and yard.
Do training with him not just games - clicker training is excellent and will mean he HAS to use his brain rather than brute strength to get what he wants. Theres a thread in the articles section about clickertraining, and also one called 'its yer choice' about impulse control so take a look at both of these.
Walks - you do not HAVE to walk him for an hour, two hours etc - You CAN head out and do five minutes if you focus on walking nicely on a leash/paying attention to you. You can do LOTS of five minute walks and each one is far less likely to end in a scene or an incident because it is only five minutes long - thus the habit is formed that you walk, that he pays attention and doesnt pull.
IF you see something he is goingto kick off at, avoid it - take IMMEDIATE action the second you see it, not the second he reacts - avoid, go the other way, stay confident and happy about it and within a few weeks of this you will find his stress levels decrease on walks and he is easier to handle and deal with.
Once you are at that stage where you are one step a head and feel more confident at handling him and managing the problems, we can then explain how to go about getting him relaxed and comfortable walking when there are other distractions around, but for now I would stick with the above, its plenty to be getting on with.
Do be aware that if you are not giving him enough to do both physically and mentally, he IS going to revert to the way he knows best to get attention and fun, which is by hurling himself around and biting you - there is no way to eradicate this without replacing it with something more appropriate so keep tht in mind.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
Re: Biting
Thank you so so much!! When the game with me is over, should I bring him back inside so he doesn't have the chance to run around with the dogs?
I had never really thought about going on a short walk for 5 minutes. We do clicker training for about 20 minutes a day, so we'll up that into a few more short sessions. If his harness is on him, and we are not on a walk, he tries to eat through it (same with his leash). How can I keep a harness on him for training without him trying to eat through it?
Would using leave it be effective for that?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do it right. Thank you!
I had never really thought about going on a short walk for 5 minutes. We do clicker training for about 20 minutes a day, so we'll up that into a few more short sessions. If his harness is on him, and we are not on a walk, he tries to eat through it (same with his leash). How can I keep a harness on him for training without him trying to eat through it?
Would using leave it be effective for that?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do it right. Thank you!
Re: Biting
Along with the excellent advice above, I think it may also be good to work on training games focused on impulse control and relaxation:
Magic Carpet: A settle game where you use a blanket, towel or pillow and the dog goes to settle on the "carpet". Once settled, release and move the "carpet" to a new location.
I'll bet that he is easily distracted by my normal things around him...birds chirping, other dogs, cats, movement etc...
"Hey Look at That" is a great game to help overcome many impulses and distractions. First you need to be aware of the required distance where your dog will notice something and become alert, but not reactive. Once you know this, and if you have experience with clicker training, mark (click) the second he alerts to a distraction. Present your treat so if forces your dog to break his focus on the distraction (He has to turn his head). Over a short period of time you should start to see the following: Your dog looks at a distraction, and then immediately turns to you before you have clicked...that's when you know you are ready to move to another distraction, shorter distance to the same distraction etc...only change 1 parameter at a time. Always use high value treats (for my dogs I tend to use cheese or real meat).
Using the above game in conjunction with using chasing the rabbits as a reward, I was able to teach my agility dog Khan to ignore rabbits and gophers on the agility field where we train. Even as we drive now if we see a rabbit he alerts and watches, but is no longer barking and jumping around in the car. Apollo the same though he will still whine eagerly to let me know there is a small furry creature he want to chase. In chasing the rabbits Khan and I chased them together on leash (waist tether). We certainly could not catch them but sure had a lot of fun trying.
"Doggie Zen" is another great impulse training game: Take your dog's favorite treat and close it in your fist. Present your closed fist to your dog. The game is for him to figure out what he needs to do in order for you to open your hand and present the treat.
Basic level is eye contact, getting your dog to focus on you and not your fist. When your dog looks at you, mark and open your hand. At this level eye contact does not need to be maintained, but you need to mark during the eye contact.
Advance levels might have your dog lay down and give you eye contact, or sit and give you eye contact.
Extremely advanced....dog backs and goes to a specific location and give you eye contact....My dogs are currently at this level and this behavior has generalized. When I get treats out they all go to the spots they know treats are delivered and are either laying or sitting looking at me and not the hand with the treats. Khan and Chloe who have been taught bow will occasionally offer a bow. Its a hoot to watch.
Its important with games like tug and fetch that the rules are followed and enforceable. If you cannot enforce the rules, it's not a game you should play. If his level of enthusiasm is such that 1 toss of the ball or the second the tug toy comes out perhaps start with viewing these toys or the ball with one of the games above. Once your doggie give you a behavior you want...toss the ball, play a short game of tug. Do not let the excitement of the game get to the point where he looses control.
Regular walks and such will also help to curb his level of arousal during play.
Magic Carpet: A settle game where you use a blanket, towel or pillow and the dog goes to settle on the "carpet". Once settled, release and move the "carpet" to a new location.
I'll bet that he is easily distracted by my normal things around him...birds chirping, other dogs, cats, movement etc...
"Hey Look at That" is a great game to help overcome many impulses and distractions. First you need to be aware of the required distance where your dog will notice something and become alert, but not reactive. Once you know this, and if you have experience with clicker training, mark (click) the second he alerts to a distraction. Present your treat so if forces your dog to break his focus on the distraction (He has to turn his head). Over a short period of time you should start to see the following: Your dog looks at a distraction, and then immediately turns to you before you have clicked...that's when you know you are ready to move to another distraction, shorter distance to the same distraction etc...only change 1 parameter at a time. Always use high value treats (for my dogs I tend to use cheese or real meat).
Using the above game in conjunction with using chasing the rabbits as a reward, I was able to teach my agility dog Khan to ignore rabbits and gophers on the agility field where we train. Even as we drive now if we see a rabbit he alerts and watches, but is no longer barking and jumping around in the car. Apollo the same though he will still whine eagerly to let me know there is a small furry creature he want to chase. In chasing the rabbits Khan and I chased them together on leash (waist tether). We certainly could not catch them but sure had a lot of fun trying.
"Doggie Zen" is another great impulse training game: Take your dog's favorite treat and close it in your fist. Present your closed fist to your dog. The game is for him to figure out what he needs to do in order for you to open your hand and present the treat.
Basic level is eye contact, getting your dog to focus on you and not your fist. When your dog looks at you, mark and open your hand. At this level eye contact does not need to be maintained, but you need to mark during the eye contact.
Advance levels might have your dog lay down and give you eye contact, or sit and give you eye contact.
Extremely advanced....dog backs and goes to a specific location and give you eye contact....My dogs are currently at this level and this behavior has generalized. When I get treats out they all go to the spots they know treats are delivered and are either laying or sitting looking at me and not the hand with the treats. Khan and Chloe who have been taught bow will occasionally offer a bow. Its a hoot to watch.
Its important with games like tug and fetch that the rules are followed and enforceable. If you cannot enforce the rules, it's not a game you should play. If his level of enthusiasm is such that 1 toss of the ball or the second the tug toy comes out perhaps start with viewing these toys or the ball with one of the games above. Once your doggie give you a behavior you want...toss the ball, play a short game of tug. Do not let the excitement of the game get to the point where he looses control.
Regular walks and such will also help to curb his level of arousal during play.
