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Extremely stubborn

24K views 30 replies 10 participants last post by  Hegemon 
#1 ·
I feel horrible but I'm at my wits end trying to find a way to get Buddha to behave himself. It's seems like he will do great for a day or two then for the next week or so he's a terror. I can no longer let him out when my daughters home because he starts growling, jumping and biting her. I've tried ignoring him, giving him his toy instead,making loud ow noises, telling him no, and holding his mouth closed for a few seconds but all that does is gets him even madder. I can't even let my other animals around him or he attacks. He will not walk on a leash without pulling the hell out of my arm, I've tried not giving him a lot of slack on the lead and the turning in the other direction but to no avail. He also stated peeing everywhere when he doesn't get his way, even if he just came from his walk.

I know he knows his commands and can be a good dog, he shows me that on his "good" days. I think he's just being super stubborn. His actions make it seem like he's fighting for the alpha role and will not back down. Does anyone have an ideas for me?

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#4 ·
Mine has always been a bit stubborn, when I was reading up on them- I remember reading they're very intelligent but CAN do things on their own time frame lol she's almost a year & the only issue we have now is jumping on us when we get home (even if we were gone literally 10mins) and the biting. She does it with good intentions similar to a form of kissing

I'd def try what EckoMac said- I think my girl would've trained a lot quicker - but like you, I babied her too much. Good luck!

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#5 ·
I always find it interesting that we are so quick to ascribe emotional intentions behind a dogs disobedience (stubborn, willful, does it out of 'spite') yet seldom like to give them credit in the other direction. Your puppy is untrained and acting like a puppy. It can be so very, very frustrating to teach a puppy appropriate human social rules. They need exercise and structure. to help them figure out what is right (in our eyes) and wrong. It helps to make things you like VERY rewarding for the dog, since, just like all living creatures, dogs will do things they find rewarding (and yes, barking and biting and jumping on people are VERY rewarding behaviors for a dog, so the things (mostly boring by dog standards) we want them to do should carry a reward as well. Limiting the dogs 'rewards' by making things you wish to stop unpleasant for the dog is but one step in the process. Make sure you are letting the puppy know what IS behavior that pays off as well.
 
#10 ·
Great post!!! Remember he's just a puppy. You will have good days and bad days and the best thing you can do is remember that its normal :) we all go through this with our dogs, you're not alone!!! :) it's a puppy thing and in time they have more good days then "bad"
But for now remember he's a baby and that's totally normal behavior!!

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#6 ·
:goodpost: I agree with what was said above about him being just a puppy doesn't sound stubborn at all! From what you described you really have taken a passive approach to training and you see how that worked out for you! lol I also don't think a prong collar is the best thing for a 6 week old puppy yet. I bet if you worked on training him instead of letting him do what he wants you will have more success. First off get some good treats not boring treats like biscuits get something good like hotdogs. Cut up the hotdog in small pieces and use that for training. Start with focus exercises, showing him how to sit for a treat, lay down, come, all that with food and make it fun for him. If he jumps I use a GENTLE knee and turn to the side and then try to get them to sit then reward. Every time he jumps no food, pretty soon he learns to sit and not jump will give him what he wants.

Here is a video to teach "watch" I always start my training with a focus exercise


The teach sit hold the treat close to the pup like almost on his nose and rock him back into a sit (not ideal for competition but this is just a pet) as soon as he sits give him the treat.

Next put his little butt on leash in the house! Make sure it's a cheap leash in case he chews on it. When he tries to jump pop UP on the leash not down. Every time he jumps he gets a good pop. Now popping a leash is harder than it sounds. It has to be a quick jerk and release like your snapping a towel on someones butt (admit it we all did that as kids)

Now here is where I would put a little BOOT up his rear!! I would NEVER tolerate biting of me or aggression with other animals. He tries and bites your daughter first he should be already on leash but I would go flying at that dog and say NO with a big angry voice and follow up with a pop on the leash. I save that type of vocal correction or the worst of the worst sins..... that includes biting! He needs to learn that is not ALLOWED ever! you need to be there to put some rules in order not just let him do what he wants.

This should help you get started with a higher drive pittie there needs to be motivation and praise for the training part like sit, down and come. But with the behavior part don't be afraid to crawl up his ass and make your point known! Biting my son or growling at him.... I probably would grab that puppy by the ear and we would have a serious come to Jesus moment!
 
#9 ·
Sorry but this is really bad advice, puppy should not be going on a run, it can damage joints. What you can do is play ball or some other activity but remember not to over do it. No jumping up catching things in the air or repetitive activity like running till he's a year.

Thanks for all the advice! There are quite a few things I now know I've been doing wrong. He does know a few basic commands such as sit, paw, come here and no touch. He only does them on command when he wants to. Some things I was doing right the right action but the wrong way such as when he bites I tried giving him a light tap but not hard enough (I felt bad) to even get him to pay mind to it. I was doing the pulling the leash back but I was pulling it straight back not to the side a little. Im going to try popping the leash instead but how do you do a "good pop?" I did start putting him on the leash in the house last week, i do let him off when he decides he wants to calm down and listen and he gets put back on when he doesnt and i do see a small difference so far. Also no more giving him warnings before correcting his bad behavior. I was treating him too much like a human child when his mentality is different.
I am going to take everything and change what needs to be changed,
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Giving a good pop is something you have to practice. I gave some tips in my last post but also remember the leash should always be loose you give a jerk and release to make that quick action. if you jerk it and keep it tight you do not get the same effect. Maybe I'll make a video since I have a dog here for training that I need to work with. If you want to practice snap the leash on the fence and practice giving corrections that way instead of making the dog a guinea pig! lol Remember they are not people or kids they are dogs and we should treat them as such. everything has to be very black and white no warning or counting to three, no time outs.... that does not work with dogs.

Now as far as doing things when he wants well that is where food comes in. At this point and this age you should always have food out and be rewarding for obedience commands. After a while you can start to phase the food out but not for a long time. I don't want to give you too much info because I think he is way too young to start correcting for obedience behaviors such as sit or down. Before you can start correcting a dog for obed they need to understand 100% what you asking at 6 months he's too young. At this point you are shaping behaviours you want and setting a foundation for later.

I hope this helps! Also remember for behavior problems like biting you have the ok to get up his rear end and make your point. DO NOT hit him or pop him the nose the correct way to correct a dog is through the leash, or the scruff of the neck, or I like those lovely floppy ears for an ear pinch. Ear pinches are a more advanced way to correct for you I would stick with the leash or the scruff of the neck.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the advice! There are quite a few things I now know I've been doing wrong. He does know a few basic commands such as sit, paw, come here and no touch. He only does them on command when he wants to. Some things I was doing right the right action but the wrong way such as when he bites I tried giving him a light tap but not hard enough (I felt bad) to even get him to pay mind to it. I was doing the pulling the leash back but I was pulling it straight back not to the side a little. Im going to try popping the leash instead but how do you do a "good pop?" I did start putting him on the leash in the house last week, i do let him off when he decides he wants to calm down and listen and he gets put back on when he doesnt and i do see a small difference so far. Also no more giving him warnings before correcting his bad behavior. I was treating him too much like a human child when his mentality is different.
I am going to take everything and change what needs to be changed,

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#11 ·
Our problem with using food to help with training is that if he sees or smells that you have food then he just focuses on biting, jumping and anything else he can do to try to take the food from you. I found he's a little bit easier to work with when there's no food during, I get the treats after.
I give him 2 cups of food twice a day and he finished the entire bowl in about 30 seconds. He gags and chokes and throws up a lot in the process so I sit in the room so I can stop him for a minute when it happens since it makes me nervous ( I probably shouldn't be doing that) am I not feeding him enough and that's why he acts like that or is there anything I can do to help him mellow out a little while he eats? I'm sorry I have so many questions but everyone here is so helpful and I really want to right for Buddha

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#12 ·
No ask as many questions as you want!! If his body looks good , not too fat or skinny, then the food you're feeding him is fine. Dogs are suppose to be hungry! If he is eating that fast a few things you can try. One is feed him in his crate and don't use a bowl. This is how I feed most of my dogs or they would do the same thing. I just chuck in the the crate all over and they have to pick up piece by piece and eat slower. The other option is get a large bowl and put a really large rock in the middle so he has to eat around the rock and can't eat so fast. They make special bowls for dogs who eat like that but you can make your own at home with one or two large rocks that he can't eat.

Next when you work for food bring it out again and and teach him patients! I will have to get you some video.... FINE! I'll do some videos for you as I was going to do some anyway! There is a game you can play with them called Doggie Zen but it is easier shown than described! Give me till later today and I'll have the neighbor kid come over and help me.
 
#14 ·
Performance has always given me great advice! Videos would be awesome! I tell him don't touch and don't let him get it until he calms down but as soon as you say go ahead its over lol. I did see the special bowls but wasn't sure if they'd work with him or not but I guess anything is worth a try. Here's a pic of my little monster lol. He looks healthy to me but what do you think?


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#16 ·
WOW he has gotten so BIG! he looks just fine! See I like the throw the food in the crate method! lol Whatever works for you try a few things I'm sure you will find something that works. My pups just turned 6 months too and Banshee looks great but Auctus is looking really skinny but he was also pooping a lot. I switched him to grain free and he is doing much better plus bumped his food to 3 cups a day not 2. My next step would be to put him on the high performance food but I think he's too young to have that much protein. so that will be my last resort if I had too.
 
#17 ·
They get big fast! He used to be smaller than my 6 lb chihuahua and now I can't even let them play together very often anymore since Buddha doesn't know his strength and doesn't pay attention to the other animals cries when he is hurting them. I feel bad but I can't let him learn at the expense of a 6 lb chi and a 7 lb cat. He's messed them up too bad too many times but ill have to find a way to work on that with him. Maybe taking him to play with my brother in laws American bulldog would teach him?
The past few months have been frustrating for me and Buddha but it'll be worth it in the end :) my husband says I should have thought about that before I took him but with his situation then all I cared about was making sure he was safe

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#20 ·
I took advice from my pup's obedience trainer. I put peanut butter on a wooden spoon and made her walk licking it with my left hand holding the spoon to my side. She walks and heels really well now.

I'm OK with some puppy behaviors. Like tearing up paper. I teach, so she's my paper shredder.
 
#21 ·
It's actually good he is that food motivated! You can use something he finds THAT rewarding to your advantage. Yes, he will act all stupid to try to access that reward, it is THAT good. I will take a pup/dog who is motivated and trying over a slug who could care less any day! The trick is, YOU need to control the motivator. I play a lot of impulse control games to teach the dog that all good things come THROUGH ME. Have you taught him a Watch me? or Look command? You can lure the first couple of those with a treat if you want to set the concept with a dog or pup, but I usually drop that and show the pup a treat. Let him go through all his gyrations (I use a leash on pups to keep them in the game and control the 'bad' decisions like jumping, though I am not correcting them for those decisions, merely guiding them) He will do all kinds of stupid stuff as he tries to access the food in your hand. Eventually, he will flick a glance at you to try and read what you want, I mark and reward that heavily, even an eye flick at first. (you really need a marker word for when the dog is right for this to work quickly, I use Yes, but you can use anything) I do this with food, I do this with toys. You work up to prolonged eye contact. I use attention for almost everything, from getting out of the crate, getting out of the door, a game of fetch (the ONLY way I throw that toy again is if you look at ME)
 
#23 ·
No making them jump like for toys, you can damage the growth plates and cause serious problems. It's one thing to take them out and play with them but you should do it in a way that is not going to hurt them. Even paying fetch with a dog who has total disregard for his body can cause big problems. I know more people who have blown dogs knees out from fetch than I care to think about. Flirt poles are great but most people use them wrong. No sharp turns, switch directions often, and no jumping. This goes for any of age of dog. Most injuries occur when the dog is playing which is why you have to watch how your dog plays. Be the brains behind the action.....
 
#25 · (Edited)
Yes I agree with the above.

I was thinking back to when my dog was a pup...it we didn't go out with her in the yard at least once a day and let her run, do her zoomies; she would get very pent up and have a much harder time behaving and focusing. It wasn't enough to go for a walk or play in the house and train...maybe because I don't allow zoomies in the house...but she had to have her zoomies to chill out!
 
#24 ·
We go on 4 15-20 min walks per day as of right now plus quite a few extra 5 minute mini walks since my chi has to pee very often. I was thinking about using the 15 ft lead that I used for the American bulldog I had took in for a little while that way I can let him play while I'm doing my housework. I set it up where I can see him from in the house but haven't used it yet, I need to get him a different collar, the one he has now has plastic clasp I want one with a buckle, I can't do a harness since he just chews them off lol

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#27 ·
I'm not a fan of spring poles.... but that's because They caused a major problem with one of my working dogs with the people that had him before I got him back. He learned to not let go and satisfy his drive on the pole...... long story but I never use them. However that is a personal preference I know lots of people who use spring poles. For a 6 month old pup your doing a good job with your walks.
 
#30 ·
YAY good job and sorry I haven't had the chance to do a dogie zen video, I found a few on youtube but not the ones I wanted to show for a dog just learning. I had food poisoning and was out for a few days. Keep up with the good work and I am working on videos for a few things so I'll make sure to include a Zen one for you ;)
 
#31 ·
I'm fairly new to the whole dog/pitbull owning thing (my pup is 5.5 months and I got her when she was 2 months), but one thing I've had a lot of success with in making her obedient is not just having her sit for things (water, food, leash, outside, inside, treats, whatever) but I make her "wait" before a lot of things until I am satisfied. A great example is when I wake up in the morning to let her out of her crate and start our day, I'll make her "sit" in her crate, then I start saying wait and open the door. If she moves at all, door closes again. As she's waiting, I'll walk away a little and then repeat the command, then rinse and repeat until I'm almost completely out of the room and she's still sitting there waiting and you can tell she wants to get out SO BAD. Then I finally say "OK" and she comes running out to give me a kiss. I do this every time I give her water and every time I feed her to lether know that not only does she need to perform an action (sitting), but that I am unquestionably in control of everything that she wants. Once I started doing that consistently at about 4 months until now, her level of obedience has completely skyrocketed to the point where I'm able to modify her behavior on a wide range of things fairly easily (leash pulling, jumping, coming when called).

Just thought I'd throw that out there as it seems like a simple thing to add to the routine you've already got and has made a huge difference for me.
 
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