Help!! We have a 4 month old black lab and he's pretty good for the most part. The only thing that I have recently noticed is that he rough plays with my 10 year old son. As in, the minute he sees my son, he'll start biting on his shoes, socks, shorts and ankles. My husband and I do discipline Maximus by placing him in his kennel when he does that. At first I thought it was him being aggressive, but I've read articles online that it's unusual for a puppy to be aggressive, but the better explanation is that he's playing rough with my son because he doesn't feel that my son is dominant over him like my husband and I are. Have any of you gone through this and if so, what worked for you to put an end to that? I did print out some articles that included tips, but I would like to know what others have done and what worked. Thanks so much for any advice!!
Re: Rough puppy playing Sorry Sandra, haven't any tips. Meg didn't do anything like that as a pup, the only thing she did was to ignore me when training. Had to work through that but got there in the end. Patience and hard work saved the day. She'd do anything for hubs but not me. I'm sure others will be along who will help. Good luck. The only thing I can think of is maybe to get son involved in his training as well, just so she knows that son is in charge as well.
Re: Rough puppy playing Here are a bunch of excellent articles. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-cope-with-an-overexcited-labrador-puppy/
Re: Rough puppy playing Lablover- Thanks for the input!! And Maximus is the same way. He'd do anything for my husband right away. But it takes him a minute or so to listen and do anything for me. Haha. He definitely knows who his alpha is. Boogie, thanks for the article! I'll make sure to read it!! Very much appreciated.
Re: Rough puppy playing It doesn't have anything to do with dominance, it's just that he really enjoys playing like that and hasn't got the message yet that it is not ok. You are doing the right thing by giving him a 'time out' when he does it If the kennel is a place that he is supposed to feel relaxed in try using a different place for the time-outs, like the bathroom or laundry (somewhere that is not the dog's space). What does your son do when your pup is grabbing his shoes etc.? I hope it is not too scary for your son. Does your son participate in any training with your pup?
Re: Rough puppy playing Oberon- You're absolutely right about his kennel. I will try a different area of the house to put him in for time out. My son says "No" to him. He tries to ignore him, but it seems that Maximus does it more to get his attention and then my son will react by brushing him away in a nice way. Which then causes Max to think that he's playing with him. My son hasn't been too terrified. He's starting to not wanting to play with Max, which makes me sad because he loves him. And I do tell my son that Max doesn't do that to be mean, but that it's his way of being playful towards him. My son has participated in some training. My husband will train Max to do some tricks and then my son will proceed from there and give him treats. But he hasn't been doing that for a while. I will have him participate more in training and definitely use tips that are in articles online. Thanks so much for your input!
Re: Rough puppy playing There are times when you need to say a sharp 'No' but I think it is a difficult command for a dog to really get to grips with. When we give any other command they learn/know what they are meant to do next, but when we say no we want them to stop what they are doing and they don't know what they are expected to do next. It is natural to us to say no and I found it very hard to stop myself from saying it all the time when Mira was a wee pup. Maybe you can try diverting him when he gets too boisterous, by giving a positive command to do something interesting away from your son and praising when he does it. If there are particular times of day when he is being a nuisance eg when he is over-tired, try to pre-empt the situation by scheduling sleep time before it becomes a problem, or if he is just full of beans plan a walk or structured playtime outside etc. Whatever you try, it will take time as it is just natural puppy-ness, but stick at it and it will get better. Good luck!
Re: Rough puppy playing This is two dogs, not a dog and child, but this is what I do. When Tatze gets too rough for Fifi I gently get Tatze's collar and say 'enough'. Once she has calmed down I give both a treat. Now, when I say 'enough' both come to me. Another thing I do is to get Tatze's collar and say 'get a toy' so they can tug the toy, not each other. I have only been doing it two days and Tatze is beginning to respond really well, her play is MUCH gentler already. She often simply gets a toy herself now before initiating play. I think the secret is to be calm and consistent yourself - and keep repeating, repeating, repeating 'till the dog has got it
