We have adopted a 10mth old golden lab. He's a lovely dog, very loving and playful. We just have a few issues that we're not sure how to deal with or why he's doing them. The first one is he barks at everyone and everything that walks past the house. Our house is on a quite busy road with lots people walking past etc. We have almost managed to stop him barking at people 90% of the time but if they are getting too close ie coming in or out of our or next doors garden he goes mad and are unable to calm him down so have to take him out of the room. While this is not a problem in the short term while he is learning its not something we want or can be doing long term as we'll spend more time in & out of our front room than anything else. If he see's anyone with a dog he goes completely bonkers. We live just a couple of streets back from the beach so dog walkers are always going past on their way to the beach. The second problem is when we are walking Marley. When we collected him from his previous owners, as soon as we left their house he was pulling really hard and jumping like a kangaroo! We have managed to calm the kangarooing by stopping and standing still until he calms down or turning and walking the opposite direction, this has also calmed his pulling somewhat although it does make for some very interesting walks Marley still pulls alot and we are still working on this. He wears a harness which makes him abit easier to control. We have been using a clicker & treats for his training but he wont take treats when out walking. The major problem when out walking is he just barks at anything & everything and is quite difficult to calm him, he's quite a big powerful dog with a very loud and sometimes quite scarey bark. He has frightened a few old ladies and dogs. We try as much as possible to avoid other dog walkers and people in general when walking Marley, again makes for interesting walks trying to distract him by changing direction when we see one or standing behind cars etc until they pass so he doesnt see them lol We also tend to go the opposite direction of other dog walkers which is such a shame really as we live almost on the sea front where we often walk with our children. We would love to be able to go for a stroll on the promenade or a run on the beach with Marley but at the moment its just not possible :-[ Our other problem seems to be with my husband. To be honest he's not really a huge doggy fan but is making a real effort to spend time with Marley and get to know him and bond with him and Marley seems to be doing the same but the problem is he keeps biting him and trying to chew on him. Its not an aggressive bite but all the same its something my husband will not tolerate. He can be stroking him really nicely then Marley will just bite for no reason. He does try to nipple and nip at the rest of us but that only really seems to be when he's playing or trying to gets treats out of hands etc. When he does bite, nip or nibble we immediately ignore him until he calms down. He is a clever dog and learns very quickly. The kids have been teaching him sit, laydown, paw, sit stay etc and he's done really well. I also managed to teach him to sit and stay when Im getting his lead and harness out of the cupboard and on him very quickly. He was previously jumping all over braking and generally being crazy lol Apologies for the long post but any help or advice you could give would be reaaly appreciated. He could be such a wonderful dog, already is in many ways, if we could just sort the crazyness out.
Re: biting, pulling and barking I just wanted to say welcome to the forum. The first post is a scary one. I have learnt a lot from this forum, the only problem being the blessed dog doesn't seem to have read the same articles as me Unlike on TV programmes there are no quick fixes in dog training, but stick with it and you'll get there. You don't really notice the improvements as they happen until you look back and realise that they haven't done something (like chewing your laces or nipping you) in weeks. I'm looking forward to hearing of your triumphs. And we have all been through it.
Re: biting, pulling and barking Hello and welcome to the forum from me , almost three year old black Lab Sam and our older rescue terrier Millie How long have you had Marley now ? As an owner of a rescue dog , I know how difficult it can be to undo bad habits , most come with baggage and it can take some time to sort out issues . My rescue Millie was obviously unsure around men , she wouldnt go to my husband for ages but now , after nine months, she is on his knee constantly . Reading through your post , it seems to me that you are doing all the right things , so hang on in there , patience , firmness but fairness and endless repetition does pay off , its just time
Re: biting, pulling and barking from a tiny black 5 1/2 year old Lab known as The DivaDog and her pet human
Re: biting, pulling and barking Hi there, and welcome to the forum. Barking at passers-by This is a very normal and common issue in dogs that can see or hear people passing by. Check out this article: Barking at Passers By Treats out walking It is common for dogs new to positive reinforcement training to refuse to eat treats outdoors. This is simply because he is too highly aroused and excited to eat. You can work past this by taking him to public places and sitting him on the fringes of any activities. The edge of a playing field for example, or at some distance from a children's playground. Sit still with him until he is beginning to get bored, then try feeding him a few high value treats. Once he starts to eat (and he will if you get far enough away from the action) you can start to ask him to focus on simple commands like 'sit'. Build up to loose lead walking very slowly, and add distractions very gradually. Barking outdoors There are some great kikopup videos on this topic. Do check them out, I think you'll find them helpful - but essentially it is the same concept. Introducing the thing which gets him excited very gradually. Biting Nine to ten months is a peak time for this kind of pesky nipping and jumping. It tends to be associated with play and overexcitement. Check out How to cope with biting for links to lots of articles on this topic. The overall key to reducing this kind of 'craziness' generally is to create a calm atmosphere around the dog, avoid all physical play and give him lots to do (training, retrieving etc) He'll be a different dog in three months time, so hang on in there
Re: biting, pulling and barking Welcome - what an excellent name he has! Watch the film again and realise he could be so much worse!
Re: biting, pulling and barking Thank you everyone. To be honest we've only had him since saturday afternoon so not expecting miracles. Just want to make sure Im doing all the right things with him from the get go. We are actually quite suprised at how far we've got with Marley allready in such a short space of time and know alot of it is just patience, repitition, persaverance and consistancy. We've decided while he's still settling in here at his new home we will just keep him out of the front room during the daytime. We have a large dining room, hall way and kitchen for him to roam around anyway so doesnt need the front room, and also dont want to expect too much or put much on him so soon. Walk wise, we think short but more frequent walks may also hold his attention longer and gradually increase time out walking as he gets better behaved at it. Thank you so much for your advice and tips. x
Re: biting, pulling and barking Hi and welcome Sounds like you are doing all the right things . As for pulling on lead.....I am having this at the minute, but have gad a lot of support through this forum which has given me lots of advice, and most importantly, support. Keep consistent and you will get there
Re: biting, pulling and barking Hi welcome to the forum. I have two labs who bark at everything because they are nervous so I know what it's like. : It sounds like you have a good plan in place and if you can get him to take treats outdoors following Pippa's advice having very tasty treats will help a lot I can vouch for that. Good luck and keep us posted. Jen
Re: biting, pulling and barking Wow, you have only had him since Saturday and you have already made such great progress. You're doing everything right as everyone has said. Keep doing what you're doing and, as Pippa says, he will be a different dog in a few months Our dog is 'second hand' too and it took him a few weeks to relax. We had many of the same kinds of issues as you. He is a different dog now - a pleasure to have in our family. Marley will get there too
Re: biting, pulling and barking By the way, my dog was the same age as Marley when we got him. Seems to be a ripe age for re-homing. Sounds like Marley is now in good hands
Re: biting, pulling and barking Hello Marleys Mum , Welcome to the forum and thank you for getting a rescue dog . Am sure Marley is thankful to you as well . I am not expert , being a newbie here am still learning , but having 2 labs and one being a rescue i can relate to you . For barking i think it will subside gradually once Marley knows the place better . For his walks and him pulling , Have u tried using Halti or Gentle leader head collars , Simba's foster carer suggested it to us and it works well for him , but make sure u keep an eye on him , he might not like it immediately . Regarding Marley with your husband , make sure your husband is firm with him and correct Marley when he needs to , A firm NO goes a long way . Have fun and keep us posted. Cheers Vish
Re: biting, pulling and barking Welcome to the forum! It's a great place for advice and help. Marley sounds lovely… It can't be easy for him either, suddenly being in a whole new home with completely different rules. (Actually, sounds like where he came from didn't have ANY rules! : ). You are doing a great thing, and after a 'getting to know each other' phase, I am sure you will be best friends.
Re: biting, pulling and barking Thanks again for all your support. Marley is doing great. Still trying to manage the barking when out walking but very difficult when we have the pulling to contend with as well so going to buy him a Halti collar tomorrow and see if this helps. We're also trying to tire Marley out abit before his walks to see if this calms him down abit. He's making great progress in the house and can actually sit looking out of the window without barking now. Although this is mostly just people walking past on the other side of the street and from a distance but hey its a step closer. Luckily my 14 yrs old daughter is on school holidays and I must say she is doing a fantastic job with Marley and is spending almost all her time with him and training so most of the credit has to go to her.
Re: biting, pulling and barking Welcome from us, Hattie 6 years old and our rescue boy Charlie 3 years old. Marley sounds like he is doing brilliantly. Just a tip, when Marley is sitting quietly looking out of the window and passers by give him some lovely treats for being quiet that way you will reinforce his quietness. Just something I learned on this forum this week. Keep up the great work. By the way we got Charlie at 9 months too xx
