Puppy training issues

Wow that is great information. As I am not a hunter, this poor dog will not get to fulfill her usual role. In the resume's defense, I did know she was part hound. Though I think she's a purebred black mouth cur. It's unfortunate that only one of or even none of a litter are kept. I can't imagine how many of these dogs are not rescued. Oddly I know of three of them in my immediate area. All from different rescues.

 

I've used the mouse trap, my one extremely hard headed girl took it as a challenge! But it's worked great on everyone else.

With biting I'll grab the lower jaw thumb under the tongue to make it uncomfortable and sternly say NO!

A dog needs leadership and consistency.

Teaching shame, is the most useful. Use a key word and get the whole "pack" involved. Once you can shame them, using a key word every bad thing they do will be more guilt ridden and unpleasant for them.

I don't use treats except for tricks. I've seen dogs ignore when they know you don't have something for them.

Socialization is huge too, bring them around everywhere you can and expose them to everyone and everything. Guns tractors house parties kids water horses...

Being the leader and the boss is hard but in a year or two it all pays off.

I personally hate the whole crate thing. So I won't comment lol.
My dogs don't use leashes except where required mainly tractor supply lol.

We have no fences they know the boundaries, even in the 100+ acerage woods lol. They hunt chase and track patrol, then snuggles with momma at night.

 

Thanks for taking Piper on, I appreciate it. I'm a big fan of rescues and particularly Hound dogs.

It sounds like you've got your hands full. Lots of good advice already...patience, consistency and firm leadership will go a long way. A good pro trainer can be invaluable and a life saver.

Hounds can be a challenge. I find myself reinforcing basic obedience constantly. I use everyday interactions as training opportunities. For example making the dogs sit and wait in front of their food bowl before i give the OK or sitting and waiting by the open doorway while I go out first and then give them the OK. It gets into your routine and the dogs get conditioned to expect it.

Good luck!

 

All three of our dogs are adopted or rescued. The guy in my avatar is half pointer, half border collie. He was nice and quiet the first couple of days. When he figured out we were keeping him he went nutty. Chewed lots of stuff. Wrecked a new sectional sofa too. He suffered from separation anxiety and he would be destructive when we went out. Took almost four years and a leather couch to get him straightened out. Dogs that need lots of walking and running time can get a lot of stress out of their system by chewing. We used bully sticks, bones, toys and what have you to get his jaw time in. He's the most loyal and great dog now. Rescues seem to know they are, and they connect with you in a deep bond.

We have another, a maltipoo who's former owner was a pilot who got divorced and got the dog for weekends with his daughter. The mother moved across the country and the dog was crated all day long. When we got him he was a biter of hands. His way of playing. Took a year of pinning him down by the ears, holding his lower jaw with my thumb till he'd stop. Now, he's great.

Our third is a mini pinscher adopted from a woman that had a career and college decision that she needed to adopt away the dog. I didn't want another dog having lost two in the past year. She turned out to be the best of the lot. She easy six years old and fit in like she grew up here. Never an issue with her. She's daddy's little girl now.

Time and patience. It'll all work out.

 

Obedience training with someone that knows what he/she is doing is worth every penny.

 

And to elaborate a bit, most behavioral issues we've had seem to stem from a flip flop of dominance. Once the dog learns who is really in charge and submits, a lot of those issues simply go away, and if not it is way easier to work out the ones that don't.

Our mastiffs have been great, but that's not surprising after a couple years of classes. Not because they needed that long, but we all seemed to enjoy it. And they came from a rescue that offers obedience training, so they kinda have a lifetime membership. The Jack Russell mix, on the other hand, needs a reminder now and then. What seems to work for him is simply a sit-stay before he can come in. He has to wait until I'm through the door and tell him to come in. If I relax on that too often he turns into a troublemaker.

Praise and positivity work, punishment and pain don't.

 

Update - I know it was recommended to purchase a prong collar. Instead I purchased the Petco Easy Walk Harness. Took her out for a walk with it today, and what a difference. Between the video's earlier and the new collar, I had new techniques to try with her. They worked great. I hardly had to hold on to the leash. She remained by my side, and it was a wonderful walk, and I worked on her sitting whenever we stopped. Tons of praise. Need to get her some special treats. That is just one attempt. Consistency will make it stick.


Thank you everyone that helped. Please feel free to continue to add great comments.


Jason from RI

 

Just a followup from yesterday's experience with the new harness. My daughter took Piper out of her cage before I went downstairs. Normally when I come down she gets hyper, jumps on me and nips at me. Today she was happy to see me, but calm, no jumping. She's still jumping on my wife and the girls, but this seems to be a step in the right direction. My middle daughter also took her for a walk with the harness. She commented to me via text that Piper was wonderful on the walk. Normally she does not like to walk her. Seems she had the same experience I had yesterday.

Yeah I am excited in the change, but still plenty of work to be done with her.

 

good for you for taking on a rescue... I will agree that hunting dogs are hard to train.. my rescue shepherd lady is also not food driven.. she has learned treats because my wife and little girl are french.. food means love.. dog turned into a dairy (cheese especially cottage) lover. dog needs more exercise.. she is bred to run.. chase .. fetch might work for her.. if you got room use a tennis racket they have to run more.. your arm will tire before her... she wants to make you happy ... just doesn't know how yet!

glad she's improving!

 

Sounds like the Petco harness is working for now, but I'd still get a pinch/prong collar. They'll make a head strong dog listen immediately as when you tug on it it'll give several tiny pinches to the dog. Not enough to be painful, but certainly enough to get their attention.

Everything bocefus said is spot on what I'd do. For reference, I did dog obedience for 6 years in 4-H. I won the county obedience show every single year and won the Ohio State Fair obedience show once. Nothing beat's having an experienced dog trainer show you what to do, but his advise is a great starting point.

 

Thats the only harness I've ever tried. They almost work the same way as the collar, but not as harsh/cruel.
The prong pinch collars are a crutch. It does take more work on a stubborn dog.
I know lots of people (IPO)that initially use them, then never use them again as the dog progresses.

Its great the kids are getting involved its great for everyone that way!

 

I toke her on a 4.2 mile walk today. She did a pretty good job. However; she did challenge me much more frequently. Part of me thinks that the collar will soon loose it's advantage. She's a smart dog. Always striving to be out in front. I used a commanding voice for correction, and praised her when she was doing a good job. We are out of treats. Picking some more up tomorrow. Tomorrow in the am, we are going to go on a 2.6 mile walk before I have to head out to softball.

 

I wanted to give this harness a try before I purchased the pronged collar. The beauty is that I can change up to the pronged collar quickly.

As for a trainer, I am in full agreement. So far I've not really received any resounding recommendations for local trainers. There is always Petco, but I'd feel better with someone that is not from a box store.

 

Here is what really helped with my Aussie and ironically he is Piper as well.
The Perfect Dog™ - Official Site of Don Sullivan's Dog Training System
I bought it off amazon

 

Lesson learned. I knew she was head strong. However; I hoped that this would help make the difference. It worked for a week. Over that 1 week she became bolder and bolder. To the point that this harness is useless. Live and learn. On to the pinch/prong collar.


My youngest daughter left the harness on Piper when she came home, and she chewed right through it. Petco will replace it thankfully. I am hoping it's store credit.

 

The prong collar will adjust by removing links. Make sure it's not too tight but still gives a good correction when pulled on.

In case you are wondering, there's a built in stop so you won't just choke the heck out of the little pooch.

The standard non prong choker on the other hand does not have a built in stop and pulling too hard will result in a choking dog.

Keep at it. It's tough but you will thank yourself later. The dog will too. A trained dog will make life easier guaranteed. I watched a person yesterday chase their dog for an hour because they thought their bloodhound puppy would just stay without any training. They quit the puppy class I recommended. I turned my dog loose as bait for the pup and he brought the pup right home