how do I get my baby Thor to listen and obey
Thor has been super stubborn for the past week and its only getting worse... idk if its his age or what but he is starting to refuse listening to me and wont stop disobeying please can someone help with some pointers... plz and thank you
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If he is not doing something that you want him to do, like pulling away and not coming where you want him to come, ( again, for example) you need to encourage him and reward him when he does it... Just as powerfully as you discourage him from bad things... He must quickly learn that Charles is in Charge and that he is not the boss and he must please you and not pain you... Do it with love, never get mad ( oh shit, that's easier to type than it is to do) and do it every time.... Unfortunately it takes time... Try not to have other distractions around while you are dealing with him... Sometimes I make the mistake of taking Marco in my office when I have a conference call scheduled... If he gets out of hand when the call's going down... I can't treat him properly... I treat him according the way the call allows....that's wrong.... If you can't focus on him, leave him in his box.... You get my drift.... Good luck... I'm sure others have other/ better techniques.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
If you haven't already-start doing NILF training, its a sanity saver in the long run!!!!
NILF stands for
"Nothing In Life is FREE" training meaning-he gets NOTHING without doing SOMTHING.
he wants on the couch? make him wait until he is invited.
he wants his breakfast? make him wait until he is done jumping up or begging for it while sitting or lieing politely.
he wants his toys-make him do some tricks for one.
he wants to be petted or wants your attention? ignore him until YOU decide to give him attention.
he wants to go for a walk? make him sit and be polite while you put on his lead and then wait for you to allow him to walk thru the open door.
He needs to learn to be calm and respect you, he will learn that by you running a strict but fair household.
When Cesar began going thru puberty-he was actually snapping at my mom and my nephew trying to guard food and bones.
he would run away while off lead and not listen to me.
I ran an incredibly strict routine with him, before he was allowed out of his crate in the morning he had to be calm and wait for me to invite him out (with the crate door open while I walked across the room) he could not leave his crate unless I asked him to.
then before he could go outside to go potty he had to sit and wait with the front door open until I said it was okay to leave the house.
everytoy I touched he had to let go of and leave alone till I gave it to him, if I said "no more" and set the toy on the floor in front of him-he was not allowed to touch it unless I said he could.
he was not allowed on furniture unless I invited him.
if I layed on the floor he was not allowed to even sniff me unless I invited him to.
he was not allowed to drink water unless I said he could.
this seems harsh-but I was never cruel, I never yelled or hit him or grabbed him, I was gentle and fair.
he was offered water when ever he was good or atleast every half hour.
he was allowed to play with his toys freely so long as he was being good.
he was called onto the furniture whenever he was beng respectful and good-I always made sure to reward his good behavior.
another thing you should look into is picking up a copy of the book
"When pigs fly" by Jane Killion
a very good read on using the clicker and using your bullies desires (other then food) to help them want to work with you.
Remember- To have a happy obedient dog you need 2 things
Respect-and- trust.
a dog will not respect you for being loving towards them-but they will not trust you for being hard either.
you need to be fair, but firm.
meaning-don't without hold water from your thirsty dog because your angry or frustrated.
don't without affection because you don't feel like it
and don't reward because your dog is asking for it.
Just want everyone with puppies to remember:
They go thru puberty around 6-9 months-and it normally doesn't end until around 18 months.
so be prepared for lots of snotty, bratty, embarrassing, stubborn puppy behavior and be prepared to be supervising them nearly 24/7 for the first 2 years.
BUT-know that its normal for your 16 month old to not act like a 16 month old and to be stubborn and do everything they can to push your buttons (including thigns they already know they are not supposed to do!)
I used to say Willie did NOT want to please us. From 5 mos to about 16 mos she was a brat! Eventually the 'light' went off in her head. I saw you said you do not want Thor affraid of you, but 'tough love' is needed at that age. We do not hit our dogs, but we do put Willie down if she becomes nasty. You have to establish alfa at this age. You're right, classes to better educate you and Thor as to how to handle situations and build a bond is definately the right choice.
She would gnaw on my ankles constantly, bringing me to tears. One day, I grew so frustrated that I bit her back. She stopped in her tracks like I've never seen before and I'll never forget the look on her face of, "Hey, what did you do that for? That wasn't nice." She stopped biting me thereafter, immediately.
Having raised two kids away at college, I've learned a lot since my college days about consistency and never getting lax about expectations. All of the advice above is great. Best of luck with Thor, but I know he's going to be a wonderful companion for you. You are working hard and seeking advice from people that have been there before. I do wish this forum had been around 30 years ago.
Trayler has been with me almost 24/7 since I got him. Yesterday I went fishing so the wife had Trayler duty and when I go home, Trayler was out of control even with me. I had to get very stern with him and put him to bed early...mistake, he normally sleeps all night but woke me up at 3 am for a potty call.
So far today, he's back to being himself ..nipping at my ankle then stops and gives me that sly look when he sees me grab the rolled up newspaper. Gotta love it.
We have been pinning Stoeger ever since reading about that technique. Finding it here only reinforces the effectiveness of the "make the puppy submit" puppy training tool.
Our experience is that it works for a little while after being administered. Lately Stoeger has become VERY mouthy.
He's 16 1/2 weeks old. We've had him since 6 1/2 weeks old. 99.9% of those ten weeks he has been at one of our sides.
When one of us has been gone for a while and then returns... That is when he gets extremely excited to welcome his "other" favorite human home. During this greeting he goes bonkers rubbing himself on our pant legs (like a cat) as we stand and eventually jumping. Obviously we pet him and give him all the love he deserves. This is when he doesn't have a problem closing his mouth on a hand or forearm. He's not trying to tear it off but I feel if I pulled back his sharp baby teeth will certainly tear skin.
We get him to sit prior to getting pet (we even make strangers wait to pet him till he sits). But once we do physically touch him is when the mouthing begins.
This thread is bringing back so many memories of how hard-headed my dog was. She was so c-ra-zy for a few years, but she did eventually calm down just like others have experienced. The thing that set her off into orbit was when I'd go to my parents' home. They would babysit her when I went out of town and they always fed her in one particular corner, and my Mom would fatten her up. She would charge for that corner and one time my nephew was between her and the corner and she went like a bullet train between his legs and picked him up off of the ground several inches and tossed him getting to that corner to see if there was food.
I was in college, so it was just me with her. Does she do it more to your daughter since she's obviously smaller than an adult? Now my kids are away at college and much taller than me, so I'll be the smallest person in our household and probably the target.
It is just a phase though, and if you can live through it, I'm sure you'll laugh about it later. My "nameless" girl is fabulous now
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Our trainer taught me a good way, that works for us, to help calm him down. I put his prong and leash on, have him sit, then down and make him stay down for at leash ten mins. With him down I put my foot on the leash and hold it with my foot fairly close to his neck so he can't get up. He tries sometimes but knows now that he can't get up unless I tell him he can.
This has worked wonders in our house! The trainer also says that it helps the dog to understand that we are I control not him.
If I didn't explain well just let me know and I can post a video.
She is funny, she keeps us on our toes, it is good for my husbands therapy he is enjoying every minute with her good or bad
I will also take a vid of how I pin Stoge when he misbehaves, I believe it is a similar technique to what Jai24 is explaining.
The prong, leash, foot technique is great. I do not like when dogs "Sit" and stare at me when I'm eating. So it is imperative that Stoeger lays down when I'm eating. He already does "Down" very well. But the temptation of seeing and smelling what I'm doing is too much for him. With the prong, leash & foot method he is quickly getting the idea. Last night, (off leash) he did "Down" and stayed down for quite some time while I ate dinner. We praised him and he quickly lost interest in my dinner and wandered off.