Discipline Help!
My corgi is 6 months old now and I really need some help with disciplining her correctly. Every where that I've read stated that it's normal for Corgi puppies to nip at ankles due to their herding instincts and you should use a loud "NO" or a loud noise to help correct this behavior. Since I've been trying that for about 4 months now, I've become a little desperate. It's not just the ankle biting (she's actually gotten a little better), my main issue is that she'll snap at you at certain times. These moments include when she jumps on the couch and we're sitting there already, she'll start to nip my arms. In the end, if I'm doing something she doesn't "agree" with, she snaps her teeth at me. If we discipline her, she basically looks at us with a "who cares" look on her face. We tried the short time-out and that hasn't worked either. She definitely has a mind of her own and I feel like I'll never have a well-behaved dog! Help!
Tags:
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sammie Esposito on
-
She might be a little older then a newborn but she is still a puppy. Puppies need guidance to know when they are playing too rough. How old was she when you got her? She might not have had enough experience with her littler mates to know that biting wasn't okay. When she nibbles at you make a high pitched yelp like puppies do when they are hurt, then turn away and ignore her. That tells her that it hurts and you won't play with her when she does it. If you can get everyone to do this, even at tiny nibbles on the ankles she should eventually stop. Just remember she doesn't need praise when she stops, that could be misinterpreted as praise for biting.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
If she nips when she comes up on the couch, I would promptly put her back on the floor and not let her come up again for a few minutes til she's calm. Then only let her up when invited, and only allow her to stay when she's being calm and well-behaved. Being on the couch is a privilege, and the humans in the house have a right to revoke any privilege the dog has shown she has not earned.
A loud "no" only tends to work (in my experience) with dogs who are inclined to submit. For those who are a bit more stubborn, the loud noise can just excite them further. For ankle-nipping, she is doing that to keep you moving. Deny her the pleasure; whenever her teeth come near your legs for even a second, stand absolutely still and continue to stay still AND IGNORE HER until she wanders away. You want to picture the biggest snob in high school and be like that! lol. Chin up, look at the ceiling, ignore the obnoxious puppy and she will quickly learn that "teeth on mommy = game over". For some dogs, if you make a loud sound they interpret that as you joining in the excitement and it's counter-productive. I always correct my dogs with a lower (not louder) tone and give all my commands in a regular speaking voice. It makes for a calmer household; I only raise my voice if they are being so loud that I need to yell over the din, and on that rare occasion one loud "ENOUGH" brings everyone to a standstill because they so rarely hear it.
I agree with the person (I think it was Bev?) who suggested obedience classes and the NILIF program. Corgis can be little stinkers. A thirty-pound dog bred to move a few thousand pounds of cows up a lane needs to be tough. Yet they are very sensitive and some of them won't tolerate any man-handling at all. You want to find a method for you that makes you think of yourself as the calm, in-control leader. Jack went through a stage where he would bark back at me and then run around the house doing full-speed laps if I would try to stop him from doing something he wanted to do. I would stand with legs shoulder-width apart, arms crossed over my chest, and just wait him out. After a minute or two he'd come up and sit by my feet and then I knew he'd worked it through and was willing to listen. He's bossy as heck but extremely sensitive and had I used physical corrections or raised voices with him, I'm pretty sure he would have turned into a bit of a neurotic mess.
You'll find your own system, and a good positive-based obedience instructor can help.
-
Permalink Reply by Carla on
-
I agree with Beth; if she can't handle being on the couch politely, then she shouldn't be allowed up. Only when she's acting properly should she be given "privileges" such as being on the couch. In reality, the couch itself doesn't matter, but letting her know that you "own" the couch, and that you decide who goes up, when they go up and how they act when they're up will (along with other things such as obedience class and NILF) teach her valuable lessons about whose in charge. If she jumps up, just put her back down. If she tries again, just block her from coming up. When I was first training Casey to stay off the couch until she was invited, I could tell long before she actually tried to come up when she was planning on doing it. I usually just moved my body into a position where I was blocking her entry to the couch and said "nope;" then simply break eye contact and go about what I was doing. They're very smart, and understand exactly what you're saying (whether they listen or are happy about it is another matter....)
As Beth said, some dogs do get more excited with corrections or yelping, and it can just make things worse. Casey was definitely like that as a young pup; if you yelped or said "no," she would just become more excited and start racing around the house doing more of what you just told her not to do (biting, chewing, etc.)
For me, I would just calmly pick her up, put her in her "time-out" area until she had calmed down (sometimes this would take a while, depending on how riled up she was) then she could come out again.
Her time out area was in a room other than where my husband and I were, so she would be isolated from us (could not see us, but could hear us from a different room).
It can be frustrating; sometimes I would spend an hour in the living room, 55 minutes of which were spent waiting for Casey to calm down, bringing her out, having her freak out again, and so on. But remaining calm and ignoring the behaviour really might work best.
Combining tactics (puppy class, NILF, ignoring unwanted behaviour) you'll likely be surprised at the result.
And don't forget: the more exercise they get, the less energy they'll try to burn off in the house biting and chewing at things!
-
-
Your Casey sounds an awful lot like my Jack, and your methods that worked sound similar to what worked with Jack.
I spent many an evening going into the kitchen, sitting down to play with him, exiting because he was just too jumpy/bitey/barkey, coming back in a minute or two later to try again, and so on. My hips got sore from stepping over baby gates!
Now, he is a fabulous dog who responds to a low word or a subtle hand signal. Sensitive, pushy dogs can mature into wonderful dogs who are in-tune to your every mood, but it does take a couple years of really hard work! A lot of performance-dog owners do look for the one in the litter that's the first to push boundaries, as they are more likely to be bold, forward, independent thinkers.
Still, having one of each (a soft people-pleaser and an thinker), the soft dogs are a bit easier to live with. It's a trade off. She's easier by far, but not quite as fun to work with.
-
-
Most definitely. We have sofa/loveseat covers on our living room furniture, but they're crappy Walmart brand, so they don't fit properly and sort of hang off in places. When Casey was 3/4 months old, she used to LOVE grabbing at the pieces of fabric that hung off a little, and tug at them. I started off trying to correct her with "NO" and what-not, but she would just race around the house, then come back to the living room furniture and start pulling at the sofa with even more fervor. The correction just heightened the excitement and made her more crazy. I tried redirection, but the sofa cover fabric was just SO much more interesting.
Eventually, she would do it and I just picked her up and plopped her in the kitchen, and then went back into the living room. After maybe a half dozen times, she stopped tugging at the sofa fabric because she realized that if she did, the fun stopped and she had to spend time alone doing nothing in the kitchen.
I've come to realize now that, for Casey at least, that's pretty much the best way to shape most of her behaviour. Just leave (or remove her, depending on the situation). We've significantly reduced her whining this way, I taught her to play fetch using this technique (if she didn't bring the toy back, I would just take my toy and leave, much like children on a playground) and it's surprisingly effective, but involves no physical or verbal corrections. Just social snubbing!
-
Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
-
this is encouraging for sure!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Cornacchia on
-
I will definitely try all of your suggestions. We did enroll her in puppy classes and she did great. She does all of the commands (although she's not THAT great with 'drop it') she does have all of the other commands down and will 'sit' or lay down when she is told. It's usually bad when she gets in one of her moods. Thanks so much for your tips, I hope we will be able to end this before it gets any worse!
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
Ditto to what Beth said. Sparty who was nothing but trouble as a puppy grew up to be a very well behaved although vocal dog. He is 12 now and minds extremely well. I think he is a mind reader and never has to be told no twice (except for his barky greetings!Lol) Your persistence will really pay off.
-
Permalink Reply by Vee Luther on
-
I've found the low pitched but nasal "enhh"..noise, sort of like the you made a mistake buzzer sound, works well wtih my guys. There's an instant response to that noise rather than a word. Does this make sense? Seems to work with horses, too.
As to nipping and mouthing, I've found that a high pitch squeal and turning away or leaving works really well to stop the behavior.
-
-
my puppy of 9 months has some of these same issues and im having a hard time staying on course and being patient with her ..the correction and training are constant .. wow this is as hard a rearing children~!
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
