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09-30-2005, 09:03 AM | #1 |
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| :( Mason is being a brat!!!! I love my Mason to death but im just about at my wits end. I got him to where he goes potty on the pee pee pad BUT has started going on it AND the carpet, linoleum...etc.....I was sitting on the couch and he hiked his leg right there by me and peed . What am i suppose to do..He was doing soooo great but now hes pooping all over the house and pees anywhere he feels like it. EVEN with me right there.... Please...any advice would be wonderful.....he'll be 4 months tomorrow. which i know is still young but still...i think he's just being a brat...cause after he does it ill tell him no and hell jump in front of me and growl and bark and than run around the room......Do you think hes wanting attention? I mean good Lord the big baby sleeps with me...hes soooo spoiled..... hmmm...maybe thats the problem! LOL Kristy and Mason |
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09-30-2005, 09:44 AM | #2 |
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| 4 months sounds pretty young, but this sounds like classic dominance issues. I think that's probably marking behavior with the couch. Yelling and telling him "No." Is not the best way to deal with poor potty habbits from a dog. You are adding anxiety to the issue of potty training which will undo all that you have built. It's probably getting worse and worse judging by your description of the dog's behavior, and it's a clear result of your reprimand. The barking and growling are a brazen display of the pups frustration. Make it more clear and provide potty guidance for you pup. When your dog goes somewhere they are not supposed to, you need to simply keep a poker face and clean it up. Be sure you get every molecule of scent removed or you are at risk that the pup will smell his mark and go there again. I use a veterinary grade odor remover, recomended by my vet. Then watch for next time you see it coming on and take them to the pad to go. Add a command when they go "Good potty!" , and treat them when they are finished. When you see him go to hte pad on his own, JACKPOT! Give a huge reward, like a whole pile of treats, or a walk or something really nice. Ignore any attention getting attempts with bad potty habits and don't take it out on the dog. There are signs that a dog needs to go, and you will see them. Have you guys been in a puppy obedience class yet? I'd recomend that right away to get a handle on any dominance issues. Your pups a bit young for this behavior to be of any significant concern, but left unchecked over the next months and you will have a seriously annoying dog. |
09-30-2005, 10:55 AM | #3 | |
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09-30-2005, 11:02 AM | #4 | |
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09-30-2005, 06:50 PM | #5 |
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| I'm glad someone asked this question, because Parker started doing this last week too. And come to think of it, he turned 16 weeks last week. I know I still have a way to go in the potty training, but he really was doing good. He at least knew where his area was and went there Most of the time. And he ALWAYS pooped there. Then he just started being lazy, going where ever he felt like it. So I guess I'm going to try limiting his space until he gets back on track...he's not going to like that though |
09-30-2005, 06:55 PM | #6 | |
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09-30-2005, 08:12 PM | #7 | |
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I had the "barking at me" issue at about 4 months (but not the potty issue). He would "back talk" me anytime I told him what to do or just when he wanted me to "play", if I did not respond to his attempts to get me to play. I didn't really know what to do and I didn't have access to this forum at that time, so I decided to think like his dog mom. I had his harness on him and when he would bark at me, I would pick him up by the harness and gently shake him (like his mom would shake him by the nape of the neck). While doing this I would say, "no" firmly. This really startled him. It only took 2 or 3 times of this correction and the barking at me stopped completely and has not returned. He started listening to me better and I have had no dominance issues at all since then. I have no clue if my actions were correct, but they worked for me in terms of dominance. He WILL NOT go through a doorway before me and sometimes I wish he would - for convenience reasons - but I always go first.
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09-30-2005, 10:22 PM | #8 |
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| I would not recomend the "ALpha Roll" method you are reffering to, nor any of the other drastic measures for a pup that young. There are far les traumatic ways to assert dominance in such a young dog. For starters, if hte owner hasn't tried obedience classes yet, then that's the first step. Anything else is over reacting. ALpha rolls are getting some press lately and it's not good. I read a really rough&tough trainer's article on how alpha rolls are dangerous and not effective. As for walking in front, that's not so big a deal as long as there's no tugging. Walking in front but still following the owner is a desirable obediance skill caleld walking at "parade" I think...I might be a little mixed up on the parade thing, but that's what I gather. If you have a dog over 1 year old who is exhibiting signs of dominance agression then you should start reducing status. Some gentle methods to assert dominance that I would recomend for your Yorkie (that have worked great with my bull-18lb alpha dog) include: 1. No sleeping in the bed. Get a heated crate, keep the room cool. The dog will gravitate toward the heat and give up the prestige of the higher position. 2. You go through all doorways first. 3. Nothing in life is free.This training method means that you make your dog do an act of obedience for evy little thing. Sit before I hook up, or remove the leash. Roll-over before I give you your food dish. "Down" before I put down your water bowl. Etc..You can google search 'Nothing in life is free dog training' and get lots of hits. 4. NEVER let your dog initiate play time, or bark, groan, whine, cute, their way into making you stop what you are doing and playing. You initiate play, always. If your dog happens to, in attempts to initiate play remind you that you have forgotten to attend your dogs neads, wait until the dog loses interest, then you initiate play. 5. After any tugging games, be sure you end with YOU in possesion of the toy, put it away. Never let your dog win tug. Some trainers think this is B.S. 6. To be the alpha...BE THE ALPHA! A dog wants a leader, a fair one, a just one, one who won't hurt them or confuse them. I know for a fact that my ignorance regarding canine behavior contributed to many of Chewy's social problems during his formative months. I was not being a good leader and he became dominant over me. Now I have had to spend at least 3 hours a day, every day, for month after month, to undo the damage that I did. Don't make my mistake. Know what a dog wants in a leader, and be that person. Here's a few tips: A leader is in control, and doesn't explode when the subordinate doesn't get it. A leader rewards the good dogs of the pack, and punishes simply by fading the offender from their sight. A leader listens, watches, understands, and never over reacts. 7. Read and Reasearch online. Get books. Take classes. If all else fails, see a behaviorist. Ultimately you know your dog best, and you should take it upon yourself to see to their healthy upbringing. Find the training methods that work for you and your dog. Avoid those that emphasize punishment and negativity as you will find your life with the dog trappedi n an endless cycle of contests for dominance and agression. Look for ways to positively direct your pup so that they look upon you as a solid and fair leader. For this 4 month old pup, all this dominance stuff will make about as much sense as a romance novel does to a seven year old. At this point, to wean bad tendencies, the owner simply has to change a few things about their behavior to get any budding dominance issues under control. Given the age of the pup, and the appearent experience of the owner, I recomend a good positive class or three for this dog. Clicker training methods will work well for teaching the owner to understand how their dog learns, and teaching the dog to express independance in a positive way (during training sessions!). Doing alpha stuff cut Chewy's nasty behavior in half...however there was an extenction burst that I would not have understood if it weren't for getting also into clicker training. After we got the clicker-trainer relationship established, Chewy's nasty behavior has dropped DRASTICALLY. He does not NAG ME when I'm online. He doesn't try to use boredom barking as an outlet. I have become a better owner because I now know that no matter what books say, he needs a walk every day. I know that he hates being pet by strangers and how it makes him feel. I know lots more about him, and so I'm a more worthy leader. Classes, training, obedience, and time are what makes a terrier start being more and more willing to please. Terriers are the most awesome trained dogs once you make that connection. Far smarter than most breeds, more stubborn to do things right, relentless in their determination and dedication to a taks they understand. Utterly loyal to their leaders. Become that leader by being that leader, and you will have the most amazing dog in the AKC registry...The WORKING Yorkie. |
09-30-2005, 10:35 PM | #9 | |
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My mistake in raising Chewy was that wehn he came to initiate play, I thought it was cute at first...so I would go play...When he got persistent and annoying, I tried methods like you describe, but only made him confused and angry. He would get destructive and avoid me when I rebuffed him. Sometimes he would growl at me and yip. He was not well socialized before I got him. AND I had already made mistakes raising him. I suspect that had you ignored his growling and stuff, he would have had the same lesson "It doesn't get me anything". Chewy was nearly a year old before I realized that I had to know MUCH MUCH MORE abotu dog training. He was your classic dominance agressive dog, as well as hyper-intelligent (canine IQ 54), and bored as hell (walked every other day. Given 1 hour of play a day. I came here and posted. I began to learn. So while certain negative feedbacks can work if you really know the dog, know dog behavior, can observe lots of things, and have a good well socialized dog...I don't give such advice to people who post here because there are too many variables and the potential for a manuver like that going wrong is quite significant. People who post here with basic obediance problems that have classic profiles that they don't recognize, I assume, are like I was then. It is then safe to assume that they won't know how to be a mamma dog, since they haven't been one yet (if you get my meaning). Hope I made sense...Still, yours was a great contribution! It makes me wonder if there has been any serious scientific research done into using maternal dog signals as a training tool in dogs under 1 year of age...I know about Calming Signals which are useful as hell with a high-strung terrier. I know about dominance / pack theory...But I don't know too much about maternal signals and how to use them effectively. I had read in my "puppies for dummies" book that mamma dogs grab the muzzle of a barking / yipping pup and shake it lightly back and forth. That this means: "Settle down wild one..." The book recomended this approach for chronic barkers. Didn't work for Chewy. I found that teaching speak (and then hush) worked better than much else. Also reducing his status...Then using the clicker to build a solid foundation for redirecting his focus. | |
10-01-2005, 03:03 AM | #10 | |
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You have some really great suggestions - but all I know is that my method of establishing dominance worked for me and made a world of difference!
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10-01-2005, 12:46 PM | #11 |
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| Thank You all for your input. I do have to say however I do not have an obideince school here for dogs...I live in a small town and i dont really think driving 2 hours to one one day a week is really going to help...I dont scream at him or yell. I firmly tell him no and he has seemed to stop the barking at me....so i guess im on the right track....thanks for all the wonderful advice however....I have read thru it AND will put some of it into effect! ' Kristy and Mason |
10-01-2005, 12:49 PM | #12 |
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| Good luck with your little guy. He is a cutie. Hope to see you at the meetup
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10-01-2005, 03:52 PM | #13 | |
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