hello there

[goodj003]

hi there my name is jenna and i just joined.
im 25 and i live in LES manhattan.
i just adopted a pit mix about 3 months ago. her name was princess but i changed it to princess leia. shes about 2 years old give or take. i was uncertain about her at first because her bark is incredibly intimidating but once i got to know her we fell in love. she is very well behaved and we are attached at the hip!
lately a problem has developed though and i am seeking a solution which is why i joined the forum. whenever i take her out for walks she barks at every person, and if there is another dog involved forget it! it has only been in the last 2 weeks and im not sure why it has happened but i am looking to remedy it. about two days ago i started bringing treats on the walk to distract her when she starts to bark and she gets the treat once she sits or lays down and is calm. but i need to work more on socializing her with other people and animals. they said she was fine with other dogs at the shelter, and only a few weeks ago she met another dog and got along fine. so i dont know what has sparked the problem.
the history of us is that i was fostering her for about 3 weeks before xmas. i asked if they needed/wanted her back before the new year and they said no. so i brought her home to my parents house in the suburbs of philly. there she met a lot of new people and i worked on training her in bigger yards to come sit stay etc. all went well. she was very personable and flexible in the new situation.
then i brought her back here the 2nd week of january after i had already called the woman from the shelter and told her i wanted to adopt. i am certainly not re-thinking this decision at all. however, i feel at a loss because the first week home everything was fine. we went on lots of walks and met new people all the time. and she was barking less than she had been in the suburbs. she even got invited into a non pet friendly bar that my friend was working at. anyhow, the past 2-3 weeks something changed. i am not sure if it is because she sees less people less often now that it is just me and her and i am back at school.
every time we go out she wants to bark at every single person. to the point where i cant take her out if its too crowded outside. i dont know why she feels so threatened all the sudden. some are saying maybe now she is feeling more attached to me and wants to protect me. my thoughts are just that shes excited for the new person, but shows it too aggressively. and no one wants to talk to her since shes barking so shes wondering why. anyways, i have started bringing treats out like i said, and making her calm down to get them. i started this 2 days ago, so im not sure how well it is working yet. if anyone has tips on this positive reinforcement training please let me know.
i must say that i never yell at her loudly. i know to remain calm and make her feel safe. but a firm tug on the leash has had to happen which might be making her feel confined and threatened. i have never hit her and there is no fear between us from either party. she knows i love and care for her, and vice versa. but i dont know how to make this negative behavior stop. so if anyone has any advice let me know! or if you are in the area and wouldnt mind a dog meetup (maybe after a few weeks....) that would be great too!
i look forward to talking with all of you and sharing tips about our lovely little pups!

[maryellen]

Two Weeks! Give em a break! :0 )

* The two week shut down is geared to teen to adult dogs . Puppies do need a bonding time with their new humans, a whelping period so to speak, but they have a different requirements than a more aged dog . It is important to fully vaccinate and de-worm your puppy before venturing out into the world. I suggest strongly getting your new puppy to a veterinarian for proper de-worming and vaccinations. But note the shut down period is not recommended for young puppies as they have crucial needs that are special than older dogs in proper development and socialization.

“The First Two Weeks – Give’em a Break!”
why?

If I could stress one of the biggest errors people make with new dogs and foster dogs it is rushing the dog into the new world so fast . This shut down gives the dog a chance to say “ahhh” take a breath and restart into its new world.

From people I have helped I hear;
"I introduced her to 15 people the first day I had her!" ;" he was a bit leery but seems to like my other 3 dogs" ; "she went everywhere with me "
All in the first few days of the new home..... (!!!)

two weeks later we hear;
" I think we will have to rehome the new dog" "the new dog barked and nipped at my kid"
"we had a dog fight" ; “the new dog barked at me for moving him off the couch”

Ok, folks, here it comes, some feel this is extreme, why? I really do not know.
But when bringing in a new dog, post finding, adoption, buying, etc, Give it time to adjust to you and your family and the dogs in the new environment.
Just as if it were a new baby or puppy, we wouldn’t think of rushing out with a baby or puppy, yet with older pups and dogs we just expect them to take our lives in all at once!

TWO WEEKS - "shut down"
For the first two weeks, (sometimes even longer) a dog takes in the new environment, who is the top person, or animal, who ARE these people!? By pushing a dog too fast, and throwing too much at the dog we look like we are not the leaders,and the dog can feel it MUST defend itself , as the leader is surely no one he has met so far!
We coo , coodle, drag the dog to home to home to person to person, and the dog has NO idea who we are. We correct for things it doesn’t understand, we talk in a new human language using words he does not know.
A key thing to remember is "this is the dating period NOT the honeymoon"
When you first met your "spouse or significant other”, you were on your best behavior, you were not relaxed enough to be all of yourself, were you?
Just think of the things you do physically once you get to KNOW a person,
you wouldn’t run up to a stranger and hug them and squeeze them!
Imagine, if on the first date, this new person, was all over you touching you and having their friends hug you and pat you on the head, and jostle your shoulders, looked in your mouth then he whisked you off to another strangers home and they did the same thing.
Would you think this person normal and SAFE? Wouldn’t you feel invaded and
begin to get a bit snarky or defensive yourself? Wouldn’t you think to push these people away for obviously your date is out of their mind, as they aren’t going to save you from these weirdoes!!
Yet we do this very thing to our dogs, and then get upset or worried that they aren’t relaxed and accepting of EVERYTHING instantly!

By shutting down the dog, it gives the dog TIME to see you , meet YOU, hear and take in the new sounds and smells of your home and all the people in it. In the 1st two weeks;

By shutting down the dog, it gives the dog TIME to see you , meet YOU, hear and take in the new sounds and smells of your home and all the people in it. In the 1st two weeks;
.
Crate the dog in a room by itself if possible.(Believe me, dogs are sensory animals, they know more than you think without seeing it).
Leash the dog (so I don’t have to correct it ..you don’t have that right yet!), give it exercise time in the yard on lunge line or in fenced yard..but other than that.. LEASH , (yes..leash in the house too.)
Do no training at all, just fun exercise and maybe throw some toys for fun, leash the dog if you don’t have a fence outside. But DO NOT leave the yard, AT ALL.
No car rides, no other dogs, (unless crated beside them), no pet stores, no WALKS even, nothing but you and household family, your home, your yard. (Unless of course the dog needs to go to the vetinarian)
Believe me dogs can live two weeks without walks. Walks are stressful for there is so much coming at you and your dog! And the dog has no clue who you are yet. The dog may react to something and we start correcting it with the leash and we just installed a VERY STRESSFUL moment to the dog in what should be a fun and learning walk.
TEACH the dog by doing the shut down, that YOU are the one to look to, that you are now here for the dog! He can trust in you and look to you for guidance.
Then you can venture out into new situations one at a time, the dog knows he can trust in his new humans and can relax under the fair guidance of his new leaders!

In the house take the dog out only for about 20-30 minute intervals , post excercise/yard times.,and ALWAYS on a leash when in the house or in an unfenced yard.
Exercise is important! Running and free time are stress relievers, but don’t set your dog up for failure, make exercise and yard time fun and relaxing and tiring!

Then PUT THE DOG AWAY. let it absorb and think and relax. Ignore crying or barking, just like a new born baby, he must find security when you are not right there, and if you run to him each time he will think barking and crying will get your attention.
I do not introduce resident dogs for these two weeks, they can be side by side in the crates, (not nose to nose for they can feel defensive) . Some dogs will bond instantly with the other dogs if we don’t bond FIRST with the dog, and this can lead to some other issues, as the dog will look to the other dog(s) for guidance and not YOU!

Literally in two weeks you will see a change in the dog and begin to see its honest and true personality.
Just like a house guest.. they are well behaved and literally shut down and “polite” themselves these first few weeks, then post this time, they relax and the true personality begins to shine thru.

so, please,, if nothing else for your new dog, give it the time to LEARN YOU as you are learning who they are!
This method works on shy dogs, confident dogs, abuse cases, chained dogs that come in, rowdy dogs, all temperaments!


So please for the sake of your new dog, slow down.. waaaay dowwwn.... Give them a chance to show you
who they can really be!

[suziriot]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on rescuing Princess Leia! Most dogs go through an adjustment period as they get used to a new home and new environments, and it can be hard for even the most seasoned of us to handle. I recommend that you start out by reading through the Training & Behavior section of the forum. I think you'll find many relevant discussions with helpful advice and tips for your situation. You're definitely on the right track with bringing treats along on your walks to distract her and keep her focused on you. Are you familiar with clicker training? It's a great way to build a strong bond between you and your dog, while also engaging her mind and positively reinforcing desired behaviors in a fun way. Many of us here are also big fans of Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt. Here's a link to her site: controlunleashed.net/. It can be particularly helpful for reactive dogs.

Oh, and please post pictures of your girl!

[suziriot]

Oh, and I'm a HUGE proponent of the Two Week Shutdown protocol that Maryellen posted. I have all of my foster/adopter homes use it in my rescue work and I have used it with my own fosters and personal dogs.

[loverocksalot]

Like control Unleashed Bat training may help with the situation. functionalrewards.com/ There is a little video on it on the website. I have the book out from my Library and it has good stuff.

More stuff and videos on BAT (behavior adjustment training) ahimsadogtraining.com/blog/bat/

[goodj003]

thanks everyone so much!
i hope my post wasnt misleading. re-homing isnt an option and i am not "fed up". she is a great dog and i know this problem is only temporary. i hadnt looked into clicker training, nor did i think about the 2 week lock in idea. the only problem is i dont have a yard so walks are necessary. i guess i was just taken aback since i have has her for 3 months and this problem only recently started. but yeah i will look into all of these things. even in the past two days since i have started bringing treats on walks she has been learning. she had an incident tonight with two dogs at once. one being a pit. the pit owner responded perfectly, although the other dog owner did not give us the space and delicacy we required. but she handled it well enough for my liking. i looked at the training section and found some good tips. i guess i just needed positive reinforcement as well, that i wasnt helping her to think this behavior is ok with me. and i need to know from other people dealing with the same breed that i am not making grave errors. but everything i'm learning is helping me to understand her more, and helping us to grow even closer. so thank you!
i will post pics once i figure out how!
also i saw a post somewhere about collars and such. i have been using the prong collar. does anyone think this is an absolutely terrible idea?

[suziriot]

It's obvious from your posts that you are very committed to helping your girl be the best pup she can be. I think you would find clicker training to be a lot of fun, while at the same time helping Princess Leia overcome behavior issues. And then when you have the basics mastered, you can use the clicker to teach her neat tricks and games.

Feb 4, 2012 23:02:22 GMT -5 goodj003 said:

also i saw a post somewhere about collars and such. i have been using the prong collar. does anyone think this is an absolutely terrible idea?

Here is a link to a discussion on collars, including why most of us here on the forum disapprove of the use of aversive collars (prong, choke, shock, etc). therealpitbull.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=moldmanagethepitbullmind&action=display&thread=741

[loverocksalot]

Freedom Harness usadogshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28 if you decide to buy it look for the donation and referral program on the left and bottom of list. put in shopping cart and ask for donation to go to The Real Pit Bull. you dont have to use the leash that they recommend but some people like it. In fact this harness and leash are the Author of the BAT book favorite choice of harness. I like this harness because of its ability to adjust size to fit from a 40lb dog to 80lb dog so you should be ok to buy it once and adjust as dog grows.
The other I recommend is I use this one often www.softouchconcepts.com/ I did have to add mole skin to the belly strap so it does not rub his naked belly. but they have added 2 inches to the chest strap for just 5.00 as he grew.
If you are desperate to try one today then go to pet store and buy the easy walk www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751027 The easy walk only worked well for Rocky and I when he was a pup and he had not developed a chest yet. But if you buy from petsmart you can give a try and return within 30 days.
I own them all even the sporne harness which I would not recommend. When out in situations I think I need extra safety I clip the leash to both the front clip on harness and on the collar. With the freedom harness I do not use the clip on the back. I find clipping on the back encourages pulling. I only use clip on the front (chest)

[michele5611]

Welcome aboard!

[goodj003]

two things....
1. how do you post pictures on here??
2. if shes barking and i say "cage" and she goes to the cage, and i dont shut it or yell anymore. and then give her a treat after shes calm for a few minutes, is that "negative" or "punishment" training? should i alter the method?!
havent gotten the clicker yet. gonna do that this week!

[maryellen]

oh and cheese in a can works wonders to squirt in her mouth for training too!! one girl uses it on the hikes we go on with her reactive dog and it works great.
if she goes to the crate when you say cage and goes in it, treat and praise for that!! that is positive training.. negative training is yanking her to the crate and tossing her in....

[goodj003]

haha ok! i thought so. thanks everyone