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Originally Posted by AngEngland  The other thing I've seen really good trainers do it just pick the dog up gently by the ruff of the neck - the loose skin at the base/back of the neck? It's how the mother will correct her pups and just sends the message "That isn't right". Don't pick them all the way up - usually just lifting their front legs off the floor an inch and then gently setting them back down is enough to give them the message.
I use that when our two pups get too rough with eachother. I've seen the "tap/poke" and use it at other times - but on an overly excited pup it can encourage the misbehavior whereas the lifting will interrupt their play and help calm them down.
I'm bummed out I missed it! THanks for posting about this. It was interesting to read how he handled the situation.
Also interesting to see how quickly the dog adjusted to the new rules. It's easy to forget how smart these dogs are!! Guess there's no excuse for poor behavior. :-D
Angela <>< |
That's exactly right. It's like a reenactment of another dogs bite correction. A lot of people view it as mean or nasty but when it's done correctly it's nothing of the sort. It's part of their language.
And he did learn quickly. I was impressed because it can be very challenging to teach such a small dog new tricks
But he was very perceptive and realised his boundaries fairly quickly. The biggest part of the problem was his mom was afraid she was going to hurt his feelings by bossing him but really rules are what dogs need to be happy.