Posted: 4/22/2003 3:12:46 PM EDT
|
Ok, I'm at my wits end with our new puppy. I say puppy, but he's 6mos old and weighs 70 or so pounds. He's a purebred yellow lab and he's the fourth lab I've raised from a puppy. He is nothing like any of the other labs we have had or like any of friends or family. This dog will NOT stop jumping on people and will not settle down....EVER !! He just does not settle down no matter how much exercise he gets or how tired he is. Whenever he gets exited, which is all the time, he pisses all over (can't control himself) We have tried every method from books, internet, past experience, and trainers, with no luck. I have never seen anything like this and am really getting tired of it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. |
| Try getting an electric shock collar. They are very effective training tools. They have variable power that can be applied - use the minimum necessary to get a reaction. They also have two types of correction: a warning tone or a warning tone followed by the zap. I used one on my dog and zapped him maybe 6 times total over a couple of months. After that, I have only needed to use the warning tone. Now just putting the collar on him will settle him down. |
|
In time he will calm down!!! Use a rolled up newspaper to beat him on the nose the sound will scare him and you can beat him as hard as you want without hurting either of you!!! He also will asociatte beatings with the paper and not with your hands/feet! MAKE SURE HE KNOWS WHY HE IS BEING BEAT WITH THE PAPER!!! dON'T GIVE HIM TABLE SCRAPS IT WILL ONLY MAKE IT HARDER TO TRAIN HIM!!! BUY A TENNIS BALL MACHINE AND TRAIN HIM TO FETCH AND PLACE THE BALLS BACK IN THE HOPPER HE WILL WEAR HIMSELF OUT AND CALM DOWN!!! GOOD LUCK BIG |
| On the peeing when excited, I haven't a clue. With the jumping, you have probably tried a strong sharp voice (no need to yell). I'm not a fan of hitting dogs, as it isn't normally needed but you can add a smack on the nose. Most important in my experience is that he has to accept you as the "dominant male" (or Alpha male) as dogs are, unlike cats, pack animals with an instinctive social concept. Stare him down, be prepared for him to challenge you then (normally doesn't happen though) and just put him down on his back when he does it & stare at him for a minute. That sort of thing should at least establish your authority, then comes the rest of the training. |
|
Come on, DO NOT BEAT YOUR DOG! It does not work and can make them more aggressive, overly submissive, or have other negative effects. My advice, take you dog to a reputable trainer for "doggie boot camp." That's what I had to do--I was ready to get rid of my 7 month old Chessie. Same shit--would not listen, tearing stuff up etc. He spent 5 weeks at the trainers (boarded and daily training sessions). He was a new dog when we got him back. It was like magic. He still gets crazy (he's a little over 2 now) but so long as he gets out for at least a half hour per day, he's manageable. And, he follows commands and knows his place (Beta) in the house. The bill was $400; so it doesn't have to break the bank. Trust me, it was the best $400 I ever spent. |
|
DonR...Yes, wood and aluminum. [:D] Keving67...Thats interesting, I'll look into it. As far as shock collars and nose whacking, I really don't want to hit him, I never had to do that with the other dogs. He is destructive, but all labs are while teething and puppies. He gets nothing but dog food (IAMS) and water. No scraps or other stuff. I have yelled at him, but he cowers and pisses when I do that. He acts like a dog thats been beaten before, but he never was. I got him from the breeder who is a Vet and is really into non violent animal training, so I know he wasn't beaten while there. It's just really hard to try training him when he will not settle down and he pisses if you look at him crosseyed. The doggie boot camp sounds great, but I would really like to try doing it myself first. |
|
Quoted: ........My advice, take you dog to a reputable trainer for "doggie boot camp." That's what I had to do--I was ready to get rid of my 7 month old Chessie. Same shit--would not listen, tearing stuff up etc. .................The bill was $400; so it doesn't have to break the bank. Trust me, it was the best $400 I ever spent. This is the best advice so far. Listen to Magnum_99. It sounds like your dog needs a lot of work. Training him is going to take time, lots of it. |
|
Quoted: DonR...Yes, wood and aluminum. [:D] Keving67...Thats interesting, I'll look into it. As far as shock collars and nose whacking, I really don't want to hit him, I never had to do that with the other dogs. He is destructive, but all labs are while teething and puppies. He gets nothing but dog food (IAMS) and water. No scraps or other stuff. I have yelled at him, but he cowers and pisses when I do that. He acts like a dog thats been beaten before, but he never was. I got him from the breeder who is a Vet and is really into non violent animal training, so I know he wasn't beaten while there. It's just really hard to try training him when he will not settle down and he pisses if you look at him crosseyed. The doggie boot camp sounds great, but I would really like to try doing it myself first. Ok, but unless you are a pro, expect plenty of diffuculty and not so good results; and LOTS of time involoved. Do you have the time, patience, expertise, and know-how so as not to screw the dog up? (and not make yourself crazy too) If not, suck it up, and take the dog to a pro. I've learned quite a bit about training a dog from having a trained dog--but I stil wouldn't attempt it with a new dog that was not amenable to training. I might try it with a very smart and calm dog that is eager to please. That's not your dog. Good luck (no sarcasm intended). |
|
Did you start obediance training as soon as you got him? What age did you get him? Can he sit? When he jumps up on you knee him hard in the chest. I would also stick him on a 6 foot lead at all times. He has to know the basic commands of sit, stay, here, and lay down. The pissing sounds like youve got him scared to me. I train dogs fairly regularly but ive never had an obediance problem because i always start young. Well ive never had a major problem like this. Just give him a hard knee and tell as many others to do the same. Command him to sit after the knee. If he doesnt listen you might have to give him a good spankin. Labs can usually take abuse like it was nothing, just dont go overboard on the beating. Just enough so that he knows he is being punished and make sure he knows why he is being punished. |
|
Understand that your dog is basically a wolf. And once you realize that you will understand his pack mentality. I raised a few litters of Springer Spaniels and had some wild ones and some real calm ones. First when he jumps up on you grab his front paws and use your knee to assist in tossing him over on his back as you sternly say "NO". At his age 4 commands only should be used repeatedly with no variance in the way they are enforced, they are Sit, Stay, Come, and No. Eventually sit and stay become one in the same. As for the pee, it's not uncommon especially in females but it happens with males too. Labs are said to be the most intellegent of all canines barring wild wolves. Repetition and praise for positive behavior is what teaches him. Beating him does nothing as he doesn't understand it. I noticed how my female would deal with unruly pups. She would grab them by the scruff on the side of their face, growl and shake them until they yelped in pain. She was pretty good at getting them in line. The same practice works on adult dogs as well as long as you take the dominant "Alpha" role. Grab him by the scruff of his neck or face, stand tall over him, look right at him, shake and speak the word NO clearly and loudly. He will recognize that you are unhappy with his behavior. It is the physical ques that do it. In his brain the imprints of how his mother acted when he was a pup doing wrong will help reenforce your methods. He jumps on you to greet you because he really loves you. You and your family are his pack, and visitors he sees the same way as long as you welcome them. He disires your physical contact for reasurance and to bond, it's part of pack behavior in dogs. He will calm down and learn bladder control in time. As for exercise. He's a Labrador Retriever right? Take him swimming! All times of the year, he can handle with ease any water temp that is still in liquid state so don't worry about him being cold. He'll love it and it will burn off the extra energy and he will be healthier and live longer. He just wants to be everyones buddy! But you probably knew all this anyway! Sounds like he'd be a hell of a hunter with all that energy! |