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Originally Posted by maxdog  I was reading too quick and did not see the part about a gentle slap on the back of her head. It is good to see that you realize this is never appropriate. Not only is it not a good training technique but it will have a negative effect. They will start to flinch when you just reach down to pet them because they will be expecting to be hit. I am embarrassed to say I used to slap my dogs when I was younger but I have learned not to and it absolutely makes a positive difference in the personality of your dog.
The leave it command was simple to teach. Put a treat on the floor and keep your foot just over it so she knows it is there but she cannot get it. Tell her to leave it and when she stops trying to get it give her a treat you have in your hand. Repeat until you reach the point that you don't need your foot to prevent her from going after the treat. This command came in real handy when Toni dropped a whole bottle (500 count!) of aspirin on the floor in the kitchen. Max looked at it like he had hit the jackpot of treats but she yelled "leave it" and he stopped in his tracks and did not touch a single one.
For the drop it command we used a toy he liked. Let her get it in her mouth and say drop it while showing her a treat in your hand. When she drops it she gets the treat. Repeat a few thousand times (just kidding) until she drops on command.
It is not an over night process but with some patience and love you can teach them what they need to be safe.
Good luck! |
Yeah I know what you mean. I mean I felt it was necessairy as the action was done and she was already chewing on it(it was in her mouth and she was trying to swallow it) so while I am not saying I condone my actions on the other hand I'd rather her flinch for a while if it means she wouldn't have had died right there and then. I know it was my fault for missing that part. I don't like what I did, but I thought it was the only way of getting it out of her mouth-- as again she is completely untrained, she had it in her mouth, she was attempting at swallowing it whole (she raised her head back and I quickly acted)-- I said in a stern voice to drop it to try to see if by a miracle she was taught that command but she didn't. I tried getting her attention with treats but she snuffed her nose at the treats(didnt care much for them). (I have treats at hand usually) I tried calling her to see if that would get her to drop it. I tried to open up her mouth a little but she wouldn't budge and that's when I thought if I tried she may seriously try to bite me.
The moment I slapped the back of her head (and like I said I did it as soft as possible) she dropped it and faced me. Oddly she just licked me and I was lucky enough to grab the chewed up piece and throw it out.
As for the fear of being petted-- she already had that when we adopted her. From the getgo she was twitchy and flighty. Over the past few days she's opened up and has been calmer but much happier.
I hope that this in the end doesn't affect her, as I will take more care next time. I actually didn't see the piece before bringing the dog in- but I should had scanned the floor for stray objects.... She was with me in the living room and she was by my feet, she was attempting to bite the rocking chairs' legs, and this chair... (the wooden part) to which I moved them back after I shushed her. (doing a shhh sound quickly grabs her attention- usually and not in a scared way).
Still I don't like that it had to come to that, and I don't like that I allowed it to become that-- even if it was an accident.