Coco going Loco

[caroljay]

Hi Folks CJ Again

Looking for some advise. Coco is going a bit loco when we try and disipline him. For example when you tell him off for say jumping up on the table or try to retrieve something he has stolen, invariably he will have a snap at you.

A concerning devlopment this morning was that he actually bit me whilslt I was trying to retrieve a packet of stolen lockets. It seems that when you try to discipline him his answer is to get aggressive in order to get his own way.

He doesn't seem to get agreesive and loco with anyone else only me and my partner and generally has settled in well after only 3 weeks.

Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated

CJ                    

[Tricialane]

We have the same problem with Max.  I read somewhere that it was wrong to snatch something off the dog.  Instead now, if Max gets hold of something that we dont want him to destroy or could harm him, we ask him to trade it for a biscuit or treat of some kind.  It seems to work and it saves any chance of him biting either myself or the children.  I dont know if he would actually bite but he certainly used to growl if you tried to just snatch something away.
I know it sounds like bribery, but it seems to work for us.
This is our first dog though, so we are not experts.  Please could someone let me know if they think we are doing the wrong thing.

Tricia                    

[Jane S]

Tricia is right - "swapsies" is a very good way to train a dog to give up something he or she shouldn't have without confrontation which can make the situation worse. Coco is probably approaching adolescence when puppies can regress in their training, although it could be that he may not have received much in the way of training in his previous home anyway. I would suggest you find a good training class if you can (classes are not just for baby puppies). Have a look at www.apdt.co.uk for details of trainers in your area & also consider buying a book or two on dog behaviour/training which will help you understand why dogs behave like they do eg "Why does my dog?" by John Fisher or "Good Dog Behaviour" by Gwen Bailey.