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Old May 18th, 2006, 08:01 AM
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Lissa Lissa is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
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Like Jessi - I am worried at how long this power struggle has been going on for. And since I have already mentioned clicker training, I won't get into it again but if you choose to give it a try, I will send you a PM on how to use it properly.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sprayeddog
By "going crazy" I mean he'd bite his leash (if he's on a leash), try to pull me / my wife back on the leash, and when you tell him to "Let go" he'd jump at you, and try to nip / bite your hand / arm. You try to handle him and he'll keep running circle around you, you try to step on the leash and he'll keep struggling, until you've finally got him down and literally sit on top of him. Then he'll finally give up and behave better for the next few hours - until his next incident.
Since we have discussed Matty so many times, some of what I say might be repetitive (I'm sorry if it is). Since he's leash biting is really bad and it inhibits your ability to get Matty listening, I would suggest you soak it in bitter apple or something strong that dogs do not like (like tea tree oil or lemon) - you might want to get a cheap leash for this. Or maybe you can try those leashes that have a nylon/leather handle but are chain linked.

With regards to jumping - if you let him fall (move out of the way) does he persist? If you hold onto his paws and move backwards and don't let him get down does he stop? Since it seems like you know exactly when he is going to jump, you need to offer him a better choice before he makes that decision to leap on you. So maybe have a toy ready to toss.

Pinning a dog down only encourages them to struggle and if he really hates it, it keeps him from trusting you IMO. If he is crate trained, I would put him in the crate as a time out or you can tie him somewhere to give you both a chance to calm down. Neither one of you are in the frame of mind to be working after all that chasing, stepping on the leash and pinning him down. Part of me thinks that Matty thinks its a game, another part of me thinks he just has no idea how to please you and your wife.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sprayeddog
Other disobedient behaviour throughout the day include not remaining down while you've asked him to down-stay, not following command when you tell him to get "OFF" the counter top, not returning the kong to you after fetch, not coming after the recall command, taking forever when you ask him to 'sit'.
It sounds to me like "off" is a lost cause...he either hears it so much that it means nothing because it isn't enforced. Personally, I don't think Matty should even have the opportunity to jump on the counter but if he does, I wouldn't even give him the opportunity to make the right decision (and get off) - I would just go over and gently but firmly pull him off (or I would try the can of pennies trick).

I don't think Matty should be off-leash at this point - I certainly wouldn't let him have that freedom (off-leash is a privilege that Matty needs to ears). You have to understand that even if you are doing NILIF at home but Matty can be just as disobedient outside, its sending him mixed signal and just confusing him. I won't even get into the possible safety risks of letting Matty off-leash he doesn't come back.

With regards to the down-stay, if you stodd right beside him and stepped on his leash so it was impossible for him to break, would that work? If not, then I would wait Matty out (still be stepping on his leash right beside him) and the instant he chooses to go back into a down, I would practically let him eat off my dinner plate (not really but make sure you have a high value reward for him!) - he obviously needs to have a CLEAR mark when he has done the right thing!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sprayeddog
I know labs take longer to mature, and Matty, from the day we got him home I knew he's a stubborn dog. We've been patiently dealing with his antics and teaching / guiding him to make the right decision. I don't think it's got any better though, and in fact I think it's got worse. His 'nips' got worse by the day and both my wife and I have some bruises when he goes crazy and tries to challenge us. We can't let strangers pat / play with him neither as his way of playing is just way too agressive.

I want to know if this type of behaviour is normal for a 1 yr old lab. I want to know if there's anything extra we can do, or if it's just primarily his age and there's little we can do other than continue to train / guide him and wait for him to finally 'mature' and 'get it'.

It's hard to be optimistic but I've gotta be optimistic at the same time.

I wonder if there's any professional dog trainer in the Toronto / GTA area that can give us some help 1 on 1.
I want to address the rest of this as well but I don't have time - when I get a few minutes, I will come back and edit/finish my response!
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