Goes totally crazy around chicken and bacon...cant be trusted

We do work with a behaviouralist, and I wasnt pushing him, merely putting my hand down at the door when he tried to barge back in. So all my comments about using physical measures with him, amounted to a hand at a door, and also removing a bone from him in a manner which his breeder (who has bred labs for 20 years) told us to do.

I am really concerned that a new dog owner, who has followed all of the advice given on this feed, and is trying extremely hard is often met here with judgement and assumptions, instead of positive reinforcement and new suggestions - almost like a puppy should be.
I have read it in other threads towards others too. its really upsetting, and I dont think you all realise how high and mighty you come off, rather than supportive. They are labradors, we are not performing brain surgery on children here. Lets all keep things in perspective.

 

T

Thank you so much for the enouragement and support. Our boy also came from a gundog breeder and trainer, so thats interesting. We are starting clicker training this week, and our puppy preschool trainer says he is doing an amazing job with everything else, it was just these things I worried about proofing against. I know to watch watch watch around kids and dogs is always best, but I also know the realities of life and suddenly you turn to get a boiling pot off the stove, and that is when the thing happens.... the realities of life. So I just wanted to be fool proof with this one. I will try some of the methods you suggest (paws on the floor etc) as that sounds good.
Thanks for your congratulations, we are really happy and I love the relationship between dogs and children, and we will be very careful to still have Huxley as much our baby as the new baby. Hah.
Thanks for your help

 

T

Thank you - yes this was what I was looking for. So IF I need to pop him outside to wee for five minutes, or because he has the crazy running around loops when I am cooking for ten minutes, I should perhaps train him to follow me outside, then sit on the deck, have a couple of treats, and then I can shut the door with him feeling relaxed and happy.
Thank you thank you, I can work on that one for sure.

 

I'm sorry if you think responses to your thread are condescending as they certainly aren't intended to be, we all simply try to offer advice based upon our own knowledge and experiences; unfortunately you seem to have missed my point. I was saying that in my opinion(not necessarily shared by all) you should be able to have life and children around a dog while it is eating without fear of the dog biting. I was brought up with dogs and my children always had dogs around without any problems. However, our 1st golden rule has always been that children are taught to leave the dog to eat in peace, it is after all only a matter of minutes.. To go with this rule is the 2nd golden rule that you don't take food away from a dog - ever! Taking food, or bones, away encourages him into resource guarding which leads into the growling that you have experienced. The way go avoid this situation is to encourage him that your presence around him when he is eating is a good thing as you add treats to his bowl.

With regard to the being outside, in your post your asked for suggestions on how to train him to stay outside which is somewhat different from going out for a wee, and that you "pushed" him back when he tried to push his way back in which is when he bit you, which again is different from putting a hand to block him.

 

and you are of course perfectly free to accept your breeder's advice on taking a bone away from your puppy

 

It just feels like such a responsibility to train them so they behave well around children, doesn't it? I totally freaked out on week one because I couldn't see how we would ever have other kids to play again with this bitey monster in our house. Needless to say we have, in fact a lot of children, and it has been fine! Her training is progressing and she is calming down. But it is slow progress! I think someone described a lightbulb moment, and I definitely had that! Once I realised I could train other behaviours, but that she was little and it would take time, I managed to chill about it all.

Do you have a crate for him? It is a total life saver with kids. When I can't be watching she is safe in there with a kong, but still in the thick of it all. I also find that when she goes totally loopy running around it is often because she is tired, and if I pop her in there, she 9 times out of 10 flakes out for some much needed rest. It could be an alternative to him being out in the garden?

Anyway, good luck with the clicker training. Let us know how you get on!

 

Yes. It seems you want to be able to have a place where Huxley can go and be out of the way or be safe or to give you a little breathing room or whatever. And with a new puppy that is a totally understandable desire! However, I personally think that a crate is a much better option than the yard at this stage. He can easily get into mischief in the yard if he's there by himself, or worse, eat something or do something else that results in a trip to the vet. So I would work on crate training! It honestly saved my sanity with my previous dog when he was a puppy (present dog was 9 months old when we got him). It really is ideal, and once he is happy to use the crate it becomes a safe place for him that he is happy to go into for those times when you want to go to the bathroom in peace, or have a shower, or cook dinner, or whatever.

 

Thanks for the feedback. He is actually totally crate trained, we did it from the start and he loves his crate. He knows to jump in when I tap on the front (and he gets a treat after of course), the thing with the garden is that he has loads of toys around there, and an outside living area set up with a bed, buckets, chew toys, a kong etc. So he actually prefers it out there for ten-15 minutes (i watch him through the window and he is quite busy chewing on sticks, getting on and off the deck, sniffing around, and carrying toys about in his mouth), he always gets busy playing straight away, and he usually wont come back to the door and ask to be let in until I call him. We had a trainer come to our place when he was little and check out all of the plants, plus we fully fenced the section, so its pretty safe and puppy proof for him out there. So, this is my long winded way of saying that when he needs to burn off steam for ten minutes while I am trying to fold some washing or cut up a chicken he likes it better in the garden than in his crate with a kong. Its just that sometimes he seems to think it is a game to try and run back in the door, so its not the being outside, its just the going out. However since the other day I have started walking out with him, telling him to sit, giving him some chicken strips, telling him to lie down and stay, giving him another chicken strip, and walking back inside. He stays happily on the deck and then potters off for ten minutes. I think for now my problem is solved.......
Oh and we have started the clicker training and he loves it, he responded well immediately, very focussed and very quick to catch on. What a cool thing!

 

It really does feel like a big responsibility!
Especially as one of the beaches we frequent there are a lot of young families, it is just my worst nightmare to imagine him biting a little kids hand to get their chicken wing off them or their cheese sandwich and right now that could happen extremely easily!
Thanks for all of your advice, he is crate trained and really likes his chill out time in his crate, I do actually think I try and use it less than I perhaps could (really only occassionally and at night time) so I will definitely keep this in mind when I need a 5 minute break, he is quite happy and relaxed in there. Usually drops off to sleep as you say.
Thank you again!

 

Great! We are getting a better picture now of the set up and how your pup is managing with all this. Sounds like you are on the right track! There are lots of clicker training articles on the main site, and of course loads of threads about it here. Don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions!

 

clicker training is brilliant. Someone sent me a link to clicker training a high five, which I am so trying this week as my kids would love her to do this! Good luck with the food obsession, for us this is much slower progress! But I am determined we will get there! I think we are certainly a way off her bring able to resist a picnic on the beach either! I'll keep you posted!