Stubborn puppy problems?

Question

Well I know its alot but these are my problems...

My dog barks at everyone she doesn't know, i take her for a walk she starts chasing a car or following another dogs tail and then when it starts moving she starts to bark, also we're all eating next thing y'know she jumps on the table and starts eating our food as if its hers, i try teaching her a trick, she'll only do it if there is a treat involved, btw I've been teaching her for about a couple of weeks now ands she'll only obey me if theres food in my hand and she doesn't listen to my commands she sits 'cause she knows she'll only get the treat if she sits, and she jumps only because she trys to catch the treat by jumping, its like 100% concentration on the food, and also if you could help me with her walking "problem", you see whenever i take her for a walk she gets distracted really easily, and i tug on the leash to get her attention and she just obviously ignores me and goes back to sniffing the grass or barking at someone walking past us or attempts to runaway from a dog half the size of her, i have one last problem with my little girl, whenever me or anyone goes to stroke her she starts nibbling on our fingers, it used to be alright... but now her teeth have become sharper and stronger so she's practically biting on them, and if she doesn't get her way, e.g my sister doesn't get up when she gets up on the sofa, she starts climbing on top of her e.t.c, i have quite a few other problems but this is all that seems to come to mind right now...

i hope to hear from you soon

Answer 1

i watch this show "it's me or the dog" on animal planet and the trainer uses a few tricks i'll share.

as for the walking, you need to make a loud noise to get her attention. when she starts chasing after a car or dog across the street, you need to turn her around and change the direction you're walking her in for a few steps and then turn back. dogs hate it because they don't want to be turned around so eventually they learn they have to be calm and walk nicely to get where they want to go. it is important though to expose her to other animals on walks so she get desensitized to other animals being around. if you're constantly keeping her from other dogs they will be too exciting for her to ignore. just give her a second to greet a dog when it's walking directly by her.

as far as the nibbling, yelp loudly like she hurt you and then ignore her. it will click in her head that her behavior is wrong and she gets no attention when she does it.

as far as treats. treats are common for training. you should use healthy treats and positive reinforcement. you've only been working with her a few weeks so it's normal to get no response without a treat, you have to keep working and eventually treats won't be required.

when she gets on the soft when she's unwanted, you have to get up. every time she climbs up on the sofa, stand up. every single time. eventually she will understand that she is not allowed. but you have to be consistant, it's very confusing for an animal if one time she's allowed on the sofa and another time she's not. so she's either allowed or she's not.

Answer 2

Hi there.  She sounds like a perfectly normal puppy if you ask me.  Food obbessed  - not a Labrador by any chance?  ;)

Barking is often a reaction to something exciting.  When she starts barking at something, redirect her focus onto to you using what she loves best - food.  I assure you that there is nothing 'wrong' with having a food motivated dog.  Food motivated dogs are generally very easy to train.  Just make sure that you are using the food as a reward and not a bribe.  

If she is attempting to jump on the table at meal times, crate her, have her lay on her bed in a down-stay or remove her from the room.  Most dogs will jump up and steal food if given the chance - they are opportunists.

I suggest that you work on a focus exercise such as 'watch me!'.  This command involves the dog sitting in front of or beside you giving you eye contact.  You can do this simply by holding a small treat (a bit of hotdog or something you can break off into very small pieces) at eye level, giving the command and rewarding for eye contact.  After a few sessions you should be able to have her watching you without holding the treat up.  This exercise is GREAT for when she starts reacting to something, or you think she is just about to react to something.

For the pulling on the leash, you might want to try an anti-pull harness.  I generally recommend training over training aids, but they are often very helpful in getting resistant dogs under control.  The company that make Gentle Leaders/Haltis make an excellent front-clip on harness.

Good luck!

EDIT:   Please IGNORE the pack leader/Cesar Milan garbage.  Your dog is not trying to dominate you, or "be the pack leader" - she is being a perfectly normal puppy!  pack theories have been long outdated and disproven.  You don't need to dominate your puppy to have a good relationship.  Bulling dominance techniques make a dog fear you, not respect you.  Trust is built through hard work.

Answer 3

my dog is going through some of those things too. But you have to patient and be assertive when you tell her "no" or "sshh" and then push her away...is very dificult to be like this especially with a new puppy, but you have to teach them early. What is helping us TONS at the moment is watching the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel. Cesar Milan gives very good advices, which trust me, work like magic!!

But if you dont have this channel, check out his site at http://www.cesarmillaninc.com

Answer 4

You need to start to become your puppy's pack leader.  She currently controls you.  You must start by learning to walk her but walking her the correct way.  Keep her beside you or behind you.  A dog that walks in front, becomes the pack leader.  You must keep yourself calm and assertive.  If you are stressed your puppy will also be stressed and you will not be able to teach her anything!

Check out these websites and videos from Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer).

Answer 5

How old is your puppy?  This sounds like normal adolescent puppy behavior to me.  Sounds like you and the puppy need to go to a good dog training class so that you learn how to train her and she learns to respect you.  The food issue can be used to your advantage but you need to learn how to use food properly and not as a prop or bribe.  So look in your area, ask your vet, groomer, or boarding kennel person about a good dog training class in your area.

Answer 6

Try using a squirt gun or a little airhorne. I have read that both of these work well. I used the squirting m,ethod with both of my female dogs(pug and a long haired chihuaha) and it really worked wonderfully. use short commands 1-2 two words. when i say "no bite" my dogs will now stop nibbling and l**k instead. they are both well manored dogs and get compliments on them all the time, i think the squirt gun helped alot. good luck

Answer 7

she is a dominent little dog and u will have to scold her and teach her that her behavior is not allowed. try a harness when u are walking her and u will have more control over her by pulling on the shoulders instead of her neck,then make her sit for a few minutes until she calms down.with nipping hold her nose and say no over and over and she will stop.the same goes for barking.never let her jump on the table and scold her and put her on the floor until u are done eatting then give her a share and tell her how good she is for waiting. she wants attention when she want it and is showing her nature by acting this way. teach her the rules and work with her all the time until it clicks in. with love,patience and persistence along with praise she might start listening and become a good girl. u are the boss and not vice versa. she has a stubborn streak so with teaching her every day and catching her bad habits u can teach her. good luck

Answer 8

sounds like you need a dog trainer.  try not to train w/ food, as you've noticed it doesn't really work because often the dog won't obey the command without the treat.  try a spray bottle filled w/ vinegar and give her a squirt when she's doing any unwanted behavior like the jumping on tables, barking, etc.  just try to squirt her nose and avoid the eyes.  if you do get her in the eyes, it'll sting for a second, but won't do any harm.  for the biting, when she bites you, IMMEDIATELY stick the bottle in her mouth and spray.  she'll learn really quick that biting is a no no.  we did that w/ our puppy and she stopped right away.  that vinegar is no joke.  good luck!