Hey Gang! So I'm happy to report we rescued a beautiful, lovable black lab named Zoey. However, I let her rule the roost I've never had a dog before, so I just kind of let her do what she wants! Question: she's 4 months old now. Is it too late to start being stern and taking more control? She's great about doing certain things, she leaves things when you tell her, she gets in her kennel when asked, and she hardly ever barks. I feel like I'm bless and she's a great dog. There's just minor stuff I'm worried about.
Hello and welcome to the forum. You don't need to be stern or "a pack leader", or any of that other stuff you might have heard about. That's all outdated hoohah. This doesn't mean you have to be permissive, though, or let her do stuff you don't want to. The best thing to do with behaviours you don't like is to train conflicting behaviours. For example, if your dog begs at the table, train her to lay on her bed at meal times. If you give more details as to what you're worried about, it will help people give more targeted advice.
She lurks while we eat, and she climbs all over us at inopportune times. It's like she's asserting her dominance.
She's not. Dogs aren't seeking to be dominant over us, it just doesn't work that way. These ideas have been debunked - even by David Mech himself, who is the guy whose study of wolves led to the ideas of dogs wanting to be "alpha" in the home. If she's begging while you're eating, that's because there's food there and she's hopeful of getting some, which is perfectly natural. Teach her to go and lie elsewhere, or use a crate or pen to make sure she can't hover over you. You could use a stuffed Kong or long-lasting chew to settle her down until you've managed to train this behaviour completely. Climbing over you: she doesn't know the time is inopportune - how would she? She's just trying to engage with you and encourage you to play. Maybe she's reached the end of her capacity for being settled. This isn't unusual in puppies that they need more regular attention than older dogs, and you need to gradually extend the time between interactions. You can also teach her a good "off" cue.
Hi and welcome , as already said , your puppy is not ruling the roost , she doesn't know how ! What she is doing is to display behaviour typical when there are no boundaries and boundaries are so important to ensure a well balanced dog, just as young children need them . Have a good read at some of the training articles posted on here , its never too late to start !
