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:rolleyes: Louie is my first BC - he about 3.5mos - yes, still a baby but oh so smart and very affectionate.

 

I am pretty much the main handler and have gone to puppy training and cont. with commands daily; we hike 1-2x every weekend - this is because I want him to start running with me when he turns ~1 year (the vet says it's o.k. at this time)

 

My issue is this: every time we go for a walk, which is not long at all maybe 10 minutes - he is on a lead and I am working with him - we come back we get into my backyard he jumps up on me, growls and starts biting my coat, etc. My husband claims he does not do this with him and he does not do this with my 2 kids either. At first I thought he was out of his mind from going from a well-behaved puppy - really trying to please me and work with me, etc. to a crazy dog!!

 

Is this him just wanting to play now but a BC way? I get frustrated with this behavior. I have started to carry a Nu-Bone chewy to put into his mouth so he doesn't nip me nor my coat. Is this just reinforcing his behavior. Yes, I have said NO! and all that; tried walking towards him; pulling his neck down to my pants leg and firmly said NO but nothing works.

 

Shoudl I try Bianca spray - yuck!! soemone said I should try this to ward off the nipping. Is he seeing me differently?

 

I am planning to go for the second round of training but not definitive with this decision because it is 5 weeks and really breaks up my Saturdays,etc. I may have to.

 

Thanks in advance for your response.

Diana

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Diana,

 

My dog did that a lot when he was a pup, but he quickly learned I don't condone this kind of behaviour, BUT that my husband does, so he continued to nip at his pants, seeing this as their own game. One time when he was about 3 months old, he did manage to pull OFF Chris' PJ pants, that was funny :D

 

I think what I did was to sternly tell him "NO" and stop any playing with him each time he would bite. If you walk away, he might see this as part of the game, and will try to nip at you again, to get you going again. I'd say freeze in place and get him to stay and tell him no, give him some other toy to play with and then immediatly praise him as soon as he get the toy.

 

Ouzo still playfully nips at my husband's pants, because he lets him and they are having fun this way, but he wouldn't dare do that to me. Same thing with the wrestling - that's what Chris is for, not Anda :rolleyes:

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I would ask for a different behavior when your pup starts this game. If he knows how to sit, ask him to sit, and then you can reward him for sitting. A hand touch (followed by a reward), is another good behavior to ask for when he's doing this. He wants to engage you, so if you just make him stop he'll be frustrated, whereas if you ask him to do something (different), he gets what he wants (your attention) and you get what you want (no holes in your clothing!).

 

You should also be working on teaching "leave it", which can be generalized to use in this situation, but it takes a while to get "leave it" to the point you can use if for all situations.

 

You'll probably want to continue with the training, partly because it's so rewarding with a BC and partly because your pup is still a toddler and you haven't seen anything yet. Wait til he hits his teenager stage :rolleyes:

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Quick question outside of the hiking and walks how much exercise does your pup get? I have a 4 mo old and let me let you he is full of it, even after running and playing with the pack for 30-40 minutes daily. When the weather is bad or too cold for extended play/run time he gets very rammy and demanding. We work on basic obedience ie sit, wait, down ect. in the house two sessions for 15 minutes daily for brain exercise.

If he likes to tug I would put it on a command and designate a time for tugging. Remember you are the boss not him and you decide when and what game to play. Carry a tug with you and at the end of the walk hike when back in your yard bring the tuggie out. First ask for some basic obedience quickly and then tug with him for a few minutes, ask for the obedience behaviors again. Be very up beat remember this is a game, just as all training should be. If he decides to pull on your clothing the tuggie goes away and he goes in a down for a count of 10 -15 and then you go in GAME OVER. Dont let his age deter you from laying down rules in a firm but gentle way it wont take him long to figure out that all the fun stops if he offers an unacceptable behavior.

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Sounds like he's just argueing with you. He's not ready to stop what ever "work" he thought you two were partnering on! That said, don't let him win the arguement! Teach him to "leave it" or 'drop it". And make sure he gets enough exercise! My 3.5 yr old will still try that when he is frustrated. He wants to work sheep, I'm keeping him on lead because they are too pregnant for him to work. After we are done with barn chores I always praise him and tell him he did a good job, then reward with fetch to distract.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest WoobiesMom

My 6 mo old has his evening "wolf time" when he does this as well. No matter how much exercise (longest has been a 4 mile walk and 2 training sessions) he's had, when that sun goes down and he gets in the backyard, he's biting, jumping, barking and running full out the length of the yard. Crazy dog! Turning our backs on him didn't work as he'd bite our legs HARD. I've found that if I remain on the bottom deck step and say "Go potty" over and over, that sometimes works and the other is to just give him lots of high energy directed play that keeps him distracted, he loves fetch and will do it until he collapses so I use that to burn off the "wolf" energy. The last couple days, I've chosen to do an evening, outdoor clicker training session with really yummy treats and that has also worked well.

 

Good luck!

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