Odie bit me for 1st time/new behaviour problems - please help....

[Jessie_Pup]

Totaly agree with Karma about using a clicker. A clicker is a marker to the dog that he has performed the correct response or a behaviour it is not to get the dogs attention. You might have to go back to basics and retrain Odie with the clicker that he understands the clicker is a marker for his good response.   It might be worth while looking at some books on clicker training.  Have trained both mine with a clicker and Jessie for HTM, it is a very useful tool but like any dog training equipment it has to be used in the correct way to have a benefit.  Or looking at Top Barks videos how he uses the clicker when training his dogs.

Erica   Dylan & Jessie

[Nicky]

Regarding the clicker we have always clicked and treated good behaviour. i.e they are barking and are given the command quiet, they respond then I click and treat. My trainer has alway said 'what you click is what you get'
But if your finding it effective and wish to use it and its working for you, carry on.
Anyway I hope you can get to the bottom of this.

[Karma]

You could try a verbal command that is charged up similar to a clicker (What's this?? said without emphasis on the "t"'s and very hissy/excited tends to work quite well) - get him to associate the verbal command with a treat, in the same way as the clicker is, but without it being dependent on him doing something you approve of, which the clicker should be... so you can say "Wassisss" he'll turn to you, and then you can get him to do something you approve of, and then click and treat.  By continuing to keep "Wassisss" charged by saying it and giving a treat regularly, it should be a positive enough sound to continue distracting him without undermining the association with the clicker...  otherwise he will start to learn that "click" = look at Mum, not that he's done the right thing, which will mean teaching other behaviours with the clicker becomes tricky!!
Or if he is toy motivated (I can't remember off hand) you could simply keep a tuggy toy in suitable places around the house (out of his reach) and use that to distract him...

I do understand where you are coming from, and in your situation you may feel that the gains you make by using the clicker in this way are worth it (it depends how much you want to use the clicker to train tricks/obedience in future), but it's worth pointing out the potential for a short term gain actually causing long term difficulties.. 

[Sarah.H]

Well Karma, I'm unsure how else to manage the situation .  If I need him to leave something or stop undesirable behaviour, surely I need to redirect him. If I'm not supposed to approach him or wave him away from it, then the only way I can remove him is get him away by clicking (or whistling - but that isn't 100% tbh ). 

How would you deal with a scenario where you need to stop him doing something Karma? (ie. he's got something he shouldn't have).  I need to be getting the method right!!

You could try a verbal command that is charged up similar to a clicker (What's this?? said without emphasis on the "t"'s and very hissy/excited tends to work quite well) - get him to associate the verbal command with a treat, in the same way as the clicker is, but without it being dependent on him doing something you approve of, which the clicker should be... so you can say "Wassisss" he'll turn to you, and then you can get him to do something you approve of, and then click and treat.  By continuing to keep "Wassisss" charged by saying it and giving a treat regularly, it should be a positive enough sound to continue distracting him without undermining the association with the clicker...  otherwise he will start to learn that "click" = look at Mum, not that he's done the right thing, which will mean teaching other behaviours with the clicker becomes tricky!!
Or if he is toy motivated (I can't remember off hand) you could simply keep a tuggy toy in suitable places around the house (out of his reach) and use that to distract him...

I do understand where you are coming from, and in your situation you may feel that the gains you make by using the clicker in this way are worth it (it depends how much you want to use the clicker to train tricks/obedience in future), but it's worth pointing out the potential for a short term gain actually causing long term difficulties.. 

What about training 'look at me'? Hold a treat in your hand and lift it up to your face, as his eyes follow it then click and treat. Keep doing this then start adding the words 'look at me'. Then just point to your face without the treat in your hand. Eventually just saying 'look at me' should prompt him to make eye contact. Hopefully if he responds well to this then you are only asking him to look at you and then he should still come away from the situation and to you for his reward after the click. I use this with Millie when she starts getting too focused on the chickens in work.

Also has anyone else suggested putting a house line on him? Then you can move him around without touching him or running the risk of him ignoring you. 

[Geordietyke]

Brilliant, thanks Karma   Will try that with him.  He's very hit and miss with his own toys, he prefers to 'steal' and play with my daughter's plastic sand toys instead so using a word makes more sense.  Fingers crossed!

[Geordietyke]

Sarah, I've used a houseline since he was a pup but all he does is bite it!  He really doesn't like the idea of something trailing around after him but I will try the look at me and see how we get on

[mlynnf50]

Aw Lesley I am so sorry to hear you are having problems, it could really be his upset tummy as he is not like this usually.   If selby has something he shouldn't it depends on what it is as to if I want him to give it up, if it's bad for him I use the wassis oh this is lovely and he usually comes to see what I have and I swap for a treat and up to now this is working, but he turning into a really nice dog.

I do hope you can get him sorted and am surebwhen he feels better he will be back to his normal self. Lynn x

[Geordietyke]

Thank you Lynn   You of all people realise what it's like being bitten so I'm sure with the methods listed above, I'll have him sorted soon.  Healthwise, he is back to normal, eating and pooing fine now, must have just been a 24 hour thing

[mlynnf50]

Hi on one of the other sites someone said soak the line in vinegar or lemon juice and that is spposed to stop them x

[Geordietyke]

Hi on one of the other sites someone said soak the line in vinegar or lemon juice and that is spposed to stop them x

If I used vinegar I'd be thinking about fish n chips all the time   May try lemon juice though

[Karma]

I warn you, Honey liked the vinegar when we tried this as a pup!!! 

[montydavies]

Monty likes vinegar too!!

[Geordietyke]

These pesky cockers with strange tastes

[Sheepscheeks]

If Freddie pinches something he shouldn't have I don't even say anything to him I just take a piece of cocktail sausage over to him and 9 times out of 10 he drops his "prize" immediately and sits for the treat. I then say "good boy". If it is food, I don't bother trying to get it from him, just put it down to experience and remind myself not to leave anything in his reach! Maybe not an ideal way of handling the situation but it works for us and we don't have any snarling or growling.

I hope your wounds are healing and you don't lose your confidence with him. 

[Geordietyke]

I never leave anything he shouldn't have within reach, it's my 2 young daughters who do but they are getting better.  I've been saying to him "Good boy Odie, let's swap that for a treat" and he runs after me for it, it's working very well. 

On the snarling/biting front, he still gets very worked up the second someone raises their voice and nothing apart from removing him (or the kids) can calm him down so that is the method I'm having to do.  I just hope he'll calm down as he matures more.