Why is it that Tiger seems to respect certain members of this house more so than others? I seem to be the one he disrespects the most. I don't get it. I am the only one who uses positive reinforcement and for the most he has done well. Today I took him on two walks and he does very well. He isn't as hyper as he used to be and I even got a compliment on him being so trained. Today I took him to the backyard and he found a balloon (which he now has swallowed) and he attacked me whilst trying to taking it out from him. It's not very bloody , a few dots on my knuckle and some bite marks on my other hand. I noticed he also tried to use his front paws almost in a display of dominance. He even tried to 'warn' me so to speak not to take it out of his mouth. I am very hurt right now. This is a shock but I do notice he tends to growl when you take his toys that he has in his mouth. I have tried the positive reinforcement approach to teach him to 'Drop it' and then give him a treat but it seems hes gotten a lot wiser. He listens when he WANTS to listen, in other words, he listens when he knows you have the treat on hand but if its something he really wants, he will not drop whatever it is in his mouth. I am noticing with my brother, who has always been pretty hard on him, he seems to listen right away and even takes a submissive stance. I just do not get it, do I have to be cruel to be kind?
Re: A little hurt about tiger attack? TigersMom, I can tell that it is really frustrating for you that Tiger seems to be a lot more boisterous and free-spirited around you. I can absolutely promise you without any doubt that it is nothing to do with disrespect, dominance, aggression or anything else negative. Puppies do growl and bite and wrestle - that is just 100% normal puppy play (although it is not so much fun for us due to the sharp teeth!). Believe it or not, he wants to play and have fun with you. Because you have used kind, positive methods he trusts you not to frighten him and he feels more comfortable and confident around you, not fearful. That is why he is more playful with you than with other people. It is not because he thinks he can walk all over you It is more that he is happy and feels able to 'be himself' around you. Does that make sense? So, it is kind of a compliment! You mentioned that he is starting to settle down on walks, which is great. What you are doing is working and he will continue to improve. With the treats - obviously he can tell when you have a treat and when you don't. Sometimes that can happen when you move too quickly from 'luring' with a treat (i.e. showing the puppy the treat or putting it right in front of their face before you ask them to do something) to not having a treat at all. Try going back to basics with a few things, using the following steps and really tasty treats: 1. Lure him into a sit with a treat obviously in your fingers. To lure him into a sit start with the treat at his nose and move it up and slightly back over his head. He will tip his head back to look and it and plonk his bottom down so he can keep sight of the treat. Say 'Yes!' and give him the treat as soon as his bottom hits the ground. Do this 4 times. The 'yes' is a 'marker' word and you can read about them here. 2. Lure him into a sit with a treat in the same hand as before but concealed inside your hand. Say 'Yes!' and give him the treat as soon as his bottom hits the ground. Do this 4 times 3. Put the treat into your other hand. Using your first hand, make the 'luring into a sit' movement. Say 'Yes!' and give him the treat from the other hand as soon as his bottom hits the ground. Do this 4 times 4. Put the treat into your pocket. Using your first hand, make the 'luring into a sit' movement. Say 'Yes!' and give him the treat from the other hand as soon as his bottom hits the ground. Do this 4 times 5. With the treat in your pocket say 'sit' and make the 'luring into a sit' movement. Say 'Yes!' and give him the treat from the other hand as soon as his bottom hits the ground. Do this 4 times. You have now added a word cue ('sit') and a visual cue (your hand moving upwards). The idea here is to gradually 'fade' the lure so that he knows you might have it but he can't tell if you do or not. The next step is to only give him food for the good sits where he responds right away. You might give him treats for 3 or 4 out of 5 sits only. If you ask him to sit and he doesn't, walk away - withdraw the chance for a treat. A minute later, get his attention back and ask again (without showing him the treat). Keep up the training - that is the way to get him listening to you and the way to develop a good relationship (which you have already made great progress on). Another tip is to swap the toy he has in his mouth for another toy that you then have a game with. You can use toys and games as a reward too, if he enjoys those things. Anyway, I hope that that makes sense. If it doesn't just ask. Do be assured though that your puppy is normal and that YOU are doing exactly the right thing by persisting with positive methods. Try not to let your brother use methods that are 'hard on him' as they will only make him fearful. It might seem like those harsher methods are getting a result but it is more likely to be from fear than from a willingness to please.
Re: A little hurt about tiger attack? You really need the pup to put the article in your hand rather than 'drop it', so offer him something delicious with your left hand and as he goes to take it, just take the article (or balloon in this case) in your right hand. Don't use any words at the moment, keep it light and smile. Puppies are possessive and with their siblings would have growled 'go away, its mine' they just have to learn that we are humans and not puppies. I remember when I gave my pup his first bone, I went to take it and he was like a snarling, vicious animal and like you I was shocked, I phoned my friend who is a behaviourist and she said 'just swop it for another one' which I did and never had another problem. So get something your pup likes and swop it for the thing he has which you would rather he didn't. Don't get into a battle
Re: A little hurt about tiger attack? Thank you all so much for your replies! Tiger pooped out the balloon, so it took him an entire day. Negative reinforcement doesn't help at all I am realizing, especially since I never started training him that way. A trainer at the park tried it and Tiger got VERY feisty/bitey and managed to get out of his harness. I quickly picked him up.
Re: A little hurt about tiger attack? I know! It helps to count my doggie blessings at the end of the day!
