disciplining my pup?

ive had a couple pit owners tell me to discipline my pup with a empty paper towel roll. does anyone think this would be a bad idea? i think it might promote more agression back to me. im not sure what to do when she starts biting me (the owner). i usually just ignore her, say "NO!", walk away, and then give her a chew toy after performing a command such as "sit". it usually works, but last night she continously bit me very agressively. i eventually got her to stop by averting her attention with a treat after giving a command of "sit". is this good or should i use the paper towel roll as a threat or with a soft hit to the body?

 

I've always corrected a mouthing issue the same way the pup's mother would. When the pup starts to bite, scruff them firmly and put them on the ground, belly up. Say "No bite" and start rubbing their throat and underside, all the while keeping them scruffed. Only allow them to get up when they have submitted. They must lie there, no fighting back, just submissive. This has worked for me on puppies. You could give it a try and see if it works for you.

 

I just like to use the redirect method but I like it to be quick. So a sharp NO and then give her a chew toy. When she chews it, pet and praise. Sometimes you can (gently) hold the mouth closed for a second after saying NO!



I've never heard of the papertowel holder but I have heard of something similar with a small watergun. If it can be avoided I try to never hit a dog. Its a dog, you should (imo) be able to outsmart it enough to not have to hit.

 

i've tried rolled up news paper, water bottles, and some other methods but if you hold the muzzle shut and a firm " No Biting" the pup usually gets the hint pretty quick.JMO

 

i would put my hand gently over the pups mouth and say no bite

 

Nice post. I redirect as well. A FIRM "NO, or "NO bite", and then give something that he/she can bite.
I NEVER use an "object" to redirect MY anger. The tone of my voice has always been sufficient with my dogs, and IMO, is how it should be.
Just found this article, which you may find useful.




<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap width="100%"></TD><TD noWrap></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[font=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>Dealing With Normal Puppy Behavior: Nipping and Rough Play</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> </TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It's not always easy to convince a new puppy not to bite the hand that feeds him . . . pets him . . . or plays with him, for that matter. When puppies play with each other, they use their mouths, so they may also be inclined to bite or "mouth" your hand during play or when being petted. This is rarely aggressive behavior meant to do harm, but it is a difficult habit to break unless you encourage your puppy to try an acceptable alternative behavior. The goal is to redirect your puppy's energy onto acceptable chew toys, and to teach her to be gentle when a hand is in or near her mouth.

Encourage Acceptable Behavior

Redirect your puppy's penchant for nipping and biting by offering her more acceptable objects (such as chew toys) whenever you pet her. This technique can be especially effective when children want to pet her. As you or the child reaches out to scratch her behind the ears with one hand, offer the chew toy with the other. This will not only help your puppy learn that people and petting are wonderful, but will also keep her mouth busy while she's being petted. Alternate which hand does the petting and which one has the chew toy. You may need to start off by petting or scratching your puppy for short periods of time, since the longer she's petted, the more likely she is to get excited and start to nip.

Discourage Unacceptable Behavior

You must also teach your puppy to be gentle with hands, and show her that nipping results in unpleasant consequences. Teach your puppy that nipping "turns off" any attention and social interaction with you. As soon as a nip occurs, look your puppy right in the eye and yell "OUCH" as though you've been mortally wounded. Then ignore her. Leave the room if you must, but ignore her until she's calm, and then try the chew toy and petting method again.

Jumping Up

When your puppy jumps up on you, she wants attention. Even if you push her away, she is still getting attention (even if it is a response that you might consider negative).

When your puppy jumps up:

• Fold your arms in front of you, turn away from her, and say "off."
• Continue to turn away from her until all four paws are on the ground, then quietly praise her and give her a treat. If she knows the "sit" command, give the command when all four paws are on the ground, then quietly praise her and give her a treat while she's in the sitting position.
• If she begins to jump while you're praising her, simply turn away and repeat the second step, above. Remember to keep your praise low-key.

When your puppy realizes that she gets no attention from you while she's jumping up, but does get attention when she sits, she'll stop jumping up. Remember, once you've taught her to come and sit quietly for attention, you must reward her behavior. Be careful not to ignore her when she comes and sits politely, waiting for your attention.

What Not to Do

Attempts to tap, slap, or hit your puppy in the face for nipping or jumping up are almost guaranteed to backfire. Several things may happen, depending on your puppy's temperament and the severity of the correction:

• She could become "hand-shy" and cringe or cower whenever a hand comes toward her face.
• She could become afraid of you, and refuse to come to you or approach you at all.
• She could respond in a defensive manner and attempt to bite you to defend herself.
• She could interpret a mild slap as an invitation to play, causing her to become more excited and even more likely to nip.

Never play "tug-of-war" or wrestling games with your puppy if you're having a nipping problem. These types of games encourage out-of-control behavior, grabbing, lunging, and competition with you, behaviors you don't want her to learn.

Be Consistent

It's important that all behaviors, acceptable and unacceptable, be managed consistently by all family members. And remember that any method you try will probably not be effective unless you work hard to teach your puppy an acceptable alternative behavior.

A Note About Children and Puppies It's very difficult for children under eight or nine years old to practice the kind of behavior modification outlined here. Children's first reaction to being nipped or mouthed by a puppy is to push the puppy away with their hands and arms. This will be interpreted by the puppy as play and will probably cause the puppy to nip and mouth even more. Adults should closely monitor all interactions between their children and dogs. © 2002. Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal behaviorists at the Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. All rights reserved.



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Good post Suki my girl just got me real good in the jewels earlier today i'll try the arms folded thing.

 

Worked for me!

 

thanks everyone! she's slowly learning the right things.

 

Use more positive encouragement and less negative. Generally a very loud higher pitches "No" works wonderful. This would be the same thing another dog would yelp like if she was playing too rough. I let them carefully mouth if they are not biting me like a little crock. This helps teach them the difference between being too rough and playing. I don't use paper towel rolls or anything else to physically threaten an animal. I believe that just betrays their trust in you (their master). If you have a particularly bad pup and the "No" method isn't working, I calmly close their mouth and tell them "No" again. Don't close it hard enough it hurts them or makes them yelp. You should never have to physically hurt a dog to train it.

Regards,

B

 

thanks again everyone!

 

I use to scruff them, pull up on the scruff until their front legs were off of the ground, and give them a lite shake. It seems to have worked well.

 

In my expirience most dogs don't like the sound of rattles. I made a rattle out of an old powdered drink mix container and some beans. I works great when ever the dog is bad you pick it up and shake it and they'll quit beacause they dislike the sound of the shaker or rattle. I also use the gently holding thier mouth and saying no though. Making sure you are the Alpha dog is also a good control tool to aid you in training.

 

For mouthing issues, I let them start to mouth me and then grab their lower jaw between my thumb and hand (thumb in mouth rest of hand under jaw) tell them NO and they get the point after a couple times.