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Comment by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on March 7, 2012 at 9:32pm

Probably not something you can do, but we had a bit of the same kind of 'rough play' problem with Kadi at first. Then we let our Boston Terrier handle it. He put her in her place when she got to rough with him, and now she doesn't do that to us either. If you have access to an older, but trustworthy dog, you might try some play dates and see if that will teach Franklin the lesson. Older dogs are naturally tolerant to a point with puppies (our Boston is normally dog aggressive, but not with Kadi) and when the puppy passes that point, the older dog can be very effective in teaching the pup quickly not to cross the line again.

Comment by Stephanie Ward on March 7, 2012 at 7:36pm

Okay so I read all your comments as well as the NILF article and I'm already giving the tactics a try. I've been trying to teach Franklin to fetch for a while now and today was the first day he got it. His success was directly related to NILF. He hasn't had an outburst again, but when he does I will be taking this approach. 

This is my first dog so I'm doing just as much learning as he is. Thanks for all the insights!

Comment by Stephanie on March 7, 2012 at 7:33pm

I have one that is what I refer to as a "firecracker."  I don't consider her aggressive, she's just bossier than Bear.  Goldy is very vocal when she doesn't like something AND when she does like something.

Personally, I think it's because her herding instinct is stronger, and therefore she is a stronger personality in general.  I have no science to back it up, it's just my experience.  But she doesn't bite out of "anger" she bites out of the need to control a situation.  I put a pretty good stop to it when she was a puppy, by standing my ground and not letting her get her way.  It still shows up every now and then, but overall she's a great dog and out of the two is better with children. 

Just treat him like you would a child.  Be firm and be consistent.  Don't give in to his cuteness.  When you say no, it's no - period.  If he doesn't like it, that's too bad.  After a while he'll realize that he's not running the show and he'll settle down.

Comment by Jane on March 7, 2012 at 9:29am

You've already gotten good advice but I will just echo what the others said about pinning him. It's probably doing more harm than good. How would you feel if someone put you in an uncomfortable situation, and when you expressed your displeasure they threw you on your back and forced you to deal with it? Would you want to do it again? How about instead when that situation arose someone offered you a hot chocolate and a hug, wouldn't you be more likely to give that scary situation another chance? Find a good positive based obedience class to take him to and you can google NILF and implement that to show him you are the leader. Physical punishment and domination isn't the way to go IMO.

Comment by Bev Levy on March 6, 2012 at 9:09pm

I was told several years ago by a trainer of dogs for police work that a dog doesn't bite to seriously hurt someone until they are three years old. Don't know much about that but since she trains attack dogs I took her word for it. I agree with Beth, he is just having a tantrum and positive methods of redirection will work best.

Comment by Melissa and Franklin! on March 6, 2012 at 8:30pm

The article Ludi posted is VERY good. So many people just think throwing their dog in their back is going to fix the issue. The total opposite is true. Take a step back, start from square one, and condition him to associate the brush with treats and praise. His "red zone" is going to get much larger if you continue to "dominate" him. He will never know the appropriate way to react and will likely become more aggressive in an effort to defend himself from your perceived attack. I think  you guys would benefit from an obedience class where he can learn some clear guidelines. Sounds like he is throwing a temper tantrum and my guess is because he is confused about right vs wrong and what is expected of him.

Comment by Michelle on March 6, 2012 at 7:26pm

Ps I am not sure it is a red zone in reference to anger....he is just stimulated by the activity....^,,^

Comment by Michelle on March 6, 2012 at 7:24pm

We have always found a semi loud "AAAWWWWHHHHHH" to be effective for the biting.  You are not being dominant, he is just learning that the behavior is not acceptable and hurts!  Hang in, all puppies go through a "test" period where they are seeing how far they can go.  Remain calm and state no assertively but not loudy, praise him when he does well, ie sitting after correcting reward with a "good sit" and pet him on the head.  Corgis are smarties he will get it!  ^,,^

Comment by Ludi on March 6, 2012 at 7:01pm

Please read this article: http://www.apdt.com/petowners/choose/dominance.aspx before you pursue a route of correcting Franklin's behavior. An important quote:

Basing one's interaction with their dog on dominance is harmful to the dog-human relationship and leads to further stress, anxiety and aggression from the dog, as well as fear and antipathy of the owner.

Now, you may or may not agree with this but I certainly do. I believe what Franklin needs is counter-conditioning of his response to your handling of his body. Start by setting him up for success extremely easily - for instance, just waving your hands (not touching him) in the brushing pattern over his body, or setting down the brush a metre away from him. If he is very touchy about it, you'll need to start small and work slowly towards success.

Comment by Beth on March 6, 2012 at 6:36pm

And please don't pin him.  I'm with Bev on this one.  I think it has a place in very expert hands with those small handful of dogs who truly want to hurt people because they think they are king of the world and are correcting people for misbehavior.  There are VERY FEW dogs like that out there.   I've spent many hours watching dogs of all sizes and breeds play.  Very few dogs actually pin other dogs to correct them.  I know one who does and all the other dogs think he's a big bully and avoid him.   If I had pinned Jack when he was a bossy, mouthy puppy I'm absolutely certain he would have turned into a biter; he does not tolerate man-handling.   Sweet submissive Maddie would wonder what on earth she had done to deserve such violence and would walk around with sad ears when all she ever needs is a quiet word. 

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