5 month old male Bull Terrier always jumping/nipping my kids
I have the sweetest puppy in the world, but I don't how to remedy this one problem: he jumps on, and bites my kids. Not sure about what to do, any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Comments
We adopted him. Every time he jumped on me I would catch his front paws and walk him backwards.
To say the least, he disliked walking backwards A LOT. I instructed the rest of the family to do the same.
Couple of days of that treatment and his habit was broke. When excited, he would hop his front legs a little for a few weeks after that. Then just quit it all together.
Now the nipping... That might complicate things trying that method.
It's been 3-4 weeks and he hasn't been jumping in anyone since. Bite inhibition is going to take a "ouch" every small nip along with a firm hand after. Will take a while as well.
Commonly, Bull Terrier go through a rebellious stage where they "test" themselves with their dominance and even bad behavior. They are Very smart dogs and are quick to realize what they can and can not get away with. In the incident that I viewed from your video clip I would have instantly yelled "NO" and pinned Kraken to the ground and held him there for a moment probably adding a few more "NO's." I realize to most this may seem a bit harsh but in reality it's something that doesn't hurt the dog but instead quickly submits him into a position that he understands as being dominated by you. The emphasis on "NO" will drill in his head that you are very displeased with his actions. The aspect of being put flat on the ground and held on his side will hurt his feelings I guarantee you. Just don't pet him after you let him up. Show him you are displeased. Tell your daughter to yell "NO" at him too when he is held on the ground by you. I guarantee Kraken has taken notice of your duaghter and other kids backing down to him and providing him with the confidence and false reassurance to show dominance to them. Yes, he will grow out it as he matures but I wouldn't wait until then. I would teach him now that's it's unacceptable.
The jumping and hyperness is common for a young Bull Terrier that is still in his puppy stages. The fortunate thing about Bull Terriers is that really want to please their owners and they will get their feelings hurt when they are scolded and disciplined. It’s hard not to love them when they come back to you looking for your affection but you need to provide them with a direct and solid message of your displeasure when they are acting inappropriately. It seems as though at around 20-24 months old a Bull Terrier finally see’s the light and their antics just stop. It’s like a light switch went on and they just give in to good behavior. Until then they can be honoree and mischievous.
Jumping up on people will be your hardest thing to control. It won’t happen to you and will also stop with your kids. However, when your doorbell rings and visitors come over Kraken will be the first to the door and he will realize very soon that jumping on a stranger results in getting attention, being pet, and visitors over you won’t yell at him or disciple him in a manner that prevents him from doing again and again. Don’t let him develop that habit. Don’t open your door until he leaves from the area. Practice it with a friend that is willing to help you. Kraken won’t know what to do when the doorbell rings and he goes to jump on a stranger and they say “NO†and you take action instead of the visitor saying “Oh it’s ok I love dogs†and start petting him.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Excuse me butting in here. But, why not use what we humans have learned in the way of PHYSICS and just control your pup until he recieves his OBM(Optional Brain Module) in the mail! Put a LEAD on him and thus give yourself leverage on him in the house and outside! How hard is that? Then you have something to grab and so do your kids, and can control him and give him guidence without any rough stuff. He will learn with praise when he keeps 4-ON- THE-FLOOR!(the rule here at my house). After all, what is training but instilling a HABIT? The habit not to jump on anyone but DO SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD! Like a skill or trick. SIT, ROLL OVER, DOWN ...you name it.
No histrionics needed, just guide him into the right moves with patience and repetition AND THE RIGHT TOOLS! We are after all, Tool users are we not? Again that IS what training is.Yes? No need to be yelling NONONONONO!! I think that word should be against the law when training dogs! There is no reason for it and many times its used instead of THINKING and doing the work. Fine yourself 5 bucks for using that "fourletterword"! Then use the money for some nice toys for your furkid. Think of ways to guide your good pup into doing what you want him to do and then PRAISE, not yelling NO at him when its too late anyway.
Just MY Humble Opinion here after so many litters of nipping/biting/jumping puppies I lost count! LOL
Sonja, Pumba & Brooklyn
Ok, I'm gonna jump in here. I have a male lab, 13 years old and over 100 lbs. He thinks everyone that comes to my door is to see him. He doesn't jump on them, he puts his nose between their legs...yep in the groin....and he sniffs them and tries to walk between their legs! Now don't tell me not to say "NO". Gets embarrasing when the knock on the door is a man to do work on the house.
We also broke Willie from nipping at our faces and trying to bite our ears with a big fat "NO".
The method of pinning a dog is to send a direct message to them in regard to control and dominance. It is done in a fashion which is not rough and not intended to physically hurt the dog. However, their feelings will get hurt and they will surely realize their dominance and control has been taken over appropriately. You can love and praise a Bull Terrier 24/7 but there's no question they require trained control and proper obedience. In the event you have a strong willed Bull Terrier with some dominant issues the hugs and kisses just won't work.
In time you'll be able to say "NO" from a distance and your Bull Terrier will stop whatever negative antic he's doing because he truly understands the word and realizes something he's doing is upsetting you. This can be done with the lead still in the closet and the treats, hugs, and kisses awaiting correct time and use.
(I've raised a couple litters myself.
Try both methods and see what works best.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Well Diane, you and your good boy Lab have just proved my point
and I THANK YOU. J If your good boy had of been kept on a LEAD in
the house during his puppy days, or even later on (it is never too late to train
a dog! My first Ob Match winner was a 12 yr old Aussie right off the ranch when
I took her to school with me in LA. She never saw formal OB before and just
aced it). So your boy would have already
known how to be “human†polite to visitors. We all know of course that “Canine
polite†is sniffing the privates of another dog. But we are humans and so this
is not acceptable in polite primate company. LOL<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Your good old boy would have already known how to SIT/ STAY
back from the door until YOU had given him his OK to go greet the new human
visitor politely (as we humans do it,)by going up and holding a SIT while the
visitor quietly greets the dog. Not just any dog can be greeted this way of
course…. But Bullies and Labs in the main, yes. Instead at his advanced age, you are stilling
yelling NO at him. No need for it at all.
So, teach your good boy how to be Human Polite by putting a
lead on him in the house until he knows what you expect of him. He is just being
a dog after all. I rest my case.
By the by, there are times in our relationships with our furkids when danger is imminent and we must scream anything to get their atttention. Oncoming auto out of control, oncoming dogs out of control...whatever. I teach my dogs an emergency DOWN but I can see myself losing it and just screaming anything at the lose dogs or whatever in these types of situations, especially when I must be in the city for a time. We are all different in what we need to be prepared for I know.
You guys are just
sooo much fun! Sonja, Pumba &
Brooklyn
Sorry for the wierd text up there! I was trying to put in a Happy Smile and don't know how to do it on this forum. Dang! Frustration! Bark! LOL
Sonja, Pumba & Brooklyn
Allowing a puppy to run around the house with a lead on while supervised could be beneficial for getting them used to the lead itself thus making it easier when the time comes to walking them outside. However, keeping a lead on a puppy for a prolonged period of time and possibly without constant supervision could result in a half chewed up lead with the missing half located in the puppies stomach.
A leash or lead is a training device to keep a dog to the owners side and in control. A dog that has mastered this will not pull, tugg, or stray away from the owners side. A dog that's on a lead for reasons of training not to be aggressive, jump on people, or other bad habits requires further training outside the sole use of a lead.
If you've ever had the opportunity to attend an AKC show you may have noted the dogs are all on small skinny looped leads. Part of their overall score includes how they were on the lead. They shouldn't be pulling and the handler should be able to guide the dog around the ring by voice commands only. The lead should remain loose on the dog at all times. A good trained dog requires no control what so ever with the lead. Another thing you will note is that all dogs are trained to understand voice commands and trust me when I say the word "No" is a common word within their scope of training.
I would be a little nervous about any dog that was on or off a lead that had no understanding of voice commands. I can pop my head out my front door and see one of my Bullies barking at someone walking down the road. With my Bullie about 100 yards away I can say "No" and "Come Here" and he'll listen right away. I'm glad I don't have to rely on a lead that long to obtain the same results.
To be honest it's very rare I put my dogs on a lead. I guess it's nice to know they don't require them and listen to my commands. My opinion is that I would much rather have my dogs listen to me and my commands vice hear nothing from me but feel the constant tug of a lead. Give it a try and you may find out quickly how much more effective it is. Your dogs might even find out they only have one tail when you finally take that lead off them.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Ahh, misunderstanding here. LOL No I do not mean that a dog once trained to do what you wish the furkid to do needs to be dragging a lead around! ABSO-DOODLE-LUTLEY Not! This is a training tool until the dog can be trusted loose in the house and yard and learns a reliable recall and other commands...like LEAVE IT! This is what I use instead of "NO".
Also, no youngster or new dog should be bopping around the house UNSUPERVISED! So no danger of any pooch chewing up a lead!
I don't want to take up too much space here but as I can't attached things I'll put in my Cover Sheet that goes out with every foster pup/dog that leaves this place with their new owner. Here it is:
TIPS ON TRAINING PUPPIES AND NEW DOGS
Scientific research has shown without a shadow of a doubt this works…every single time.
Much of this research was done by the world famous facility at The Monks of New Skete’s German Shepherd Kennels and also the world famous Labrador Field Training Kennels at Shadow Run Farm.
Here’s what each person should do that is helping to train the offending dog/pup. Roll up a heavy newspaper…like several sections of a Sunday edition. In some cases where you meet resistance, stubbornness, inattention and/or laziness you can tape a medium potato in the funnel of the papers and firmly duct tape it in.
When you encounter something that has been chewed on or dug up or a house training accident by the puppy/dog, take the rolled up newspaper and hit each person over the head who is responsible for training and watching the dog and make them repeat several times “ I FORGOT TO WATCH THE DOG! I FORGOT TO WATCH THE DOG! I FORGOT TO WATCH THE DOG!†If your dog laughs when you do this offer treats.
Then promise your dog to adjust your training methods and your expectations of what a dog or puppy can or cannot achieve with patience, repetitions, clear directions and kindness, then do it.
Hugs and puppykid wags from Sonja and the Posse. ]
So you can see that my byword is WATCH THE DOG! LOL Right now Brooklyn is dragging around a six foot lead still, inside the house. She is not yet solid on not jumping up on tables etc so this give me a tool to quickly pull her away from what I do not want her messing with.
She'll get to the point where she won't need it any longer, but she must earn it by showing me she can be trusted in the house and leave my laundry, countertops and tables alone!
Sonja, Pumba & Brooklyn
They do love the laundry don't they!! I get the "WATCH THE DOG" everytime Marco goes running through the kitchen wearing one of my wife's bras on his head! :-))
Apollosmama,
Yes, the jumping and "biting of hair" is the biggest problem I'm facing with Kraken right now. It doesn't help that my two kids are so wild and crazy either... their behavior only seems to aggravate the situation.
Thank you for the advice, I have started pinning him down a couple days ago and its starting to help. Although, this puppy is quite stubborn!
By the way, Apollo is gorgeous!!! I have been really curious about how Kraken's littermates are doing
Kraken was such a beautiful pup! Can't wait to see updated pics. I saw on Kate's post you saw Sergio. That whole litter was gorgeous!!!
Mmm hmmm, that's what I thought bubba!
some pics
1- Kraken and Max get lovin' from Daddy
2-Kraken and Apollo
3- Sibling love
4- Double trouble!
Brook has made me real proud of her as she's getting a rock solid recall these days from where ever she is out there. Good Girl! I can hardly wait for classes! I need sharpening up myself, badly. One of my most annoying habits(according to the trainer) is that I start talking baby talk to the furkid and bending way over instead of walking straight up with shoulders back. But, Holy Cow, how can I see my feet then so I won't trip over them!???
I'll let you know how things go in classes and if I can remain upright, at least most of the time! Sonja, Pumba & Brooklyn
Sonja, I look down too when we walk!! Usually I'm watching for mondo ant piles and mushrooms!
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
We tried to get our kids from Steve and Craig, but he hit me over the head with a Newspaper/ DuctTape/ Potato Pie... see origin of comment above... Just kidding, we couldn't wait, so we got them from a private breeder who bred his female with a nice champion from Australia.. We are very, very happy with them but envy anyone with Steve and Craig's chillen'.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Tough love, I know, I love my babies too... I mean my Bullies, (too old for babies),.... but if you have kids, or frail older family, you must teach your loved ones to respect your next-best loved ones
:-((