New dog behavior problems...

Doglover1988 · 04-26-2008, 10:39 PM

My new dog a Lab mix seems to have several problems...
She is way over a year old but is very very mouthy. She is mouthier than a puppy. lol She is gentle though and hasn't hurt me. She is mostly only mouthy when she is exited. She will put my whole arm in her mouth.

Another thing is that she freaks out when I hold onto her collar. Is this fixable or do some dogs not like this? To me this is a very important thing to be able to do. I'm thinking she is going to run outside and I'm not going to be able to lead her back to the house by her collar like I can with the other dogs.

This is about it! She is a great dog otherwise.

***Rivsky*** · 04-27-2008, 06:16 AM

With the mouthyness you're going to have to decide whether to allow it or not. If you want to stop her I'd probably be inclined to withdraw attention from her (turn your back and fold your hands up under your armpits) to help prevent her accessing them. Given that she's over a year old it's probably become such an ingrained habit that it may take a while to get her out of it. Maybe redirecting her to a toy could also be of some benefit as well.

With the collar issue, pick a treat that she absolutely adores and keep that for specifically working on the collar problem. Start by just touching the collar with your hand for a second (or maybe even just reaching for the collar if she hates it that much) and then giving her the treat. When she's no longer concerned about this and depending on how she's tolerating it maybe keep your hand on there a little longer but still not grabbing it and begin treating her for this until you eventually work up to being able to hold it, then lead her gently with it. I'd probably be inclined to not always grab her collar even when you've worked up to it but to sometimes go back to just touching it every now and then so she doesn't always think a hand going towards her collar means she's going to be grabbed.

Ritz459 · 04-28-2008, 10:42 AM

Rivsky had some good advice.

Labs are typically mouthy anyways and if she was never taught to not mouth, then it probably has become a habit of sorts. If she becomes very mouthy when excited, it could be of benefit to teach her to grab a toy when she is aroused. We taught Sadie to go grab a toy when she was very excited and that curtailed most of Sadie's mouthiness.

A lot of dogs don't like getting their collars grabbed, so she's not abnormal in that sense. I'd do what Rivsky suggested.

04-26-2008, 10:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
Doglover1988 3 mutts 1 boston terrier Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dallas, Georgia Posts: 2,480 Rep Power: 118	New dog behavior problems... My new dog a Lab mix seems to have several problems... She is way over a year old but is very very mouthy. She is mouthier than a puppy. lol She is gentle though and hasn't hurt me. She is mostly only mouthy when she is exited. She will put my whole arm in her mouth. Another thing is that she freaks out when I hold onto her collar. Is this fixable or do some dogs not like this? To me this is a very important thing to be able to do. I'm thinking she is going to run outside and I'm not going to be able to lead her back to the house by her collar like I can with the other dogs. This is about it! She is a great dog otherwise.
	__________________ And-2 cats -1 cockatiel-1 budgie -2 Zebra finches -1 campbells dwarf hamster-2 roborovski dwarf hamsters -3 mice -2 rabbits-some fish "If you want the best seat in the house ... move the dog"-- Unknown Lindsey

04-27-2008, 06:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
*Rivsky* Super Moderator Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Australia Posts: 3,869 Blog Entries: 6 Rep Power: 145	With the mouthyness you're going to have to decide whether to allow it or not. If you want to stop her I'd probably be inclined to withdraw attention from her (turn your back and fold your hands up under your armpits) to help prevent her accessing them. Given that she's over a year old it's probably become such an ingrained habit that it may take a while to get her out of it. Maybe redirecting her to a toy could also be of some benefit as well. With the collar issue, pick a treat that she absolutely adores and keep that for specifically working on the collar problem. Start by just touching the collar with your hand for a second (or maybe even just reaching for the collar if she hates it that much) and then giving her the treat. When she's no longer concerned about this and depending on how she's tolerating it maybe keep your hand on there a little longer but still not grabbing it and begin treating her for this until you eventually work up to being able to hold it, then lead her gently with it. I'd probably be inclined to not always grab her collar even when you've worked up to it but to sometimes go back to just touching it every now and then so she doesn't always think a hand going towards her collar means she's going to be grabbed.
	__________________ As a member of Global paw staff my opinions are not necessarily those of the website or the owner.

04-28-2008, 10:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ritz459 "Nothing is ever easy" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Indiana Posts: 5,899 Blog Entries: 3 Rep Power: 240	Rivsky had some good advice. Labs are typically mouthy anyways and if she was never taught to not mouth, then it probably has become a habit of sorts. If she becomes very mouthy when excited, it could be of benefit to teach her to grab a toy when she is aroused. We taught Sadie to go grab a toy when she was very excited and that curtailed most of Sadie's mouthiness. A lot of dogs don't like getting their collars grabbed, so she's not abnormal in that sense. I'd do what Rivsky suggested.
	__________________ ~Blackie, Rose, Chloe (dogs), Pheobe (cat), Casey, Dameon (ferrets), Joey ('Tiel), Dot, Louie (cavies), Pickachu (hamster),

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)