rough play

[gabi312]

Hi! My husband and I rescued a one year old pit bull/ boxer mix about three months ago. He had some issues when we first got him, like stealing out of the garbage and he had horrible leash walking skills. We then hired a trainer and worked on said issues and now they are pretty much non existent. However we have not been able to break him of his bad habit of playing really rough, even with the help of the trainer. He usually only does this with me, jumping on me and biting me, often knocking me over and leaving bruises. He only does this in our back yard. Never in the house or on walks, not even at my parents in their yard, and it is very rare that he does it to anyone but me. I feel like I have tried everything, from leaving the yard for a while when he starts (which he makes very hard for me to do without knocking me down) to trying to distract him with toys, to trying to grab him and make him sit and calm down (which generally ends up with me getting bit, and even though he has never drawn blood it is still painful). I am at my wits end with this because I don't know what else to do at this point and it is so frustrating because he has taken so well to all the other training. He is a really great dog, has no issues with anything else, I even have two cats that he snuggles with on a regular basis and he has never once chased them or put his mouth on them. Any advice would be appreciated on this! Also i know it is not an boredom or lack of activity issue, because we walk or run for at least an hour a day, and he has every anti boredom toy on the market, and the trainer said it is definite play and not aggression. Please help!

[perseus]

Check this thread out - lot's of good info there. Sounds like back when they were very young the message was sent that it was ok to do this. I had some of this with my dog and it was because of letting them do it as a puppy. I got really consistent about not tolerating at all with "no mouth", and replacing with appropriate chew stuff, also ignoring them when they get too rough.
Good trainer will show you what to do but it's ultimately on you to spend the time.

therealpitbull.proboards.com/thread/66/mouthy-pit-bulls

[RealPitBull]

Thanks for posting that thread, Perseus, and Gabi if you have any questions after looking over that thread, please let us know!

[gabi312]

Thanks for directing me to that thread. Very useful info. Hopefully it will help!

[gabi312]

Hi again. Just wanted to update on Liam's behavior. Keeping the info given in mind and also contacting the trainer we hired, I have started bringing treats out to the yard with me. If he starts jumping and biting while we are playing, I leave the yard and hide around the corner for a minute, then attempt to return to the yard. If he starts being crazy again, I leave, if he lets me come through the gate, he gets a reward. So far, it has been working, the only thing I am still having trouble with is leaving the yard when he gets worked up. The trainer suggested making him sit before you leave the yard, and reward him when he does, but that doesnt make much sense to me. Its like telling him its ok to be crazy as long as you sit before I leave. Any suggestions, or will it just take time for him to figure out that its not just the initial craziness getting him he time out, its the craziness in general? Thanks!

[RealPitBull]

Glad to hear things are improving!

Just curious: how long is your dog out in the yard before you go out there?

I would work on teaching him to sit as a default behavior to your approaching at any time, even when he is being nice and calm, indoors or out, anytime anyone approaches him, before he gets ANY attention. Your instincts are right in regards to asking him to sit before you leave because he's acting crazy. You have to be careful of inadvertently teaching him that "acting silly/jumping/nipping='sit'/get treat". It's really easy to create an unwanted behavior chain (he thinks the way to get a treat is to act up, sit, then treat appears). That's why it's best to ask him to sit all the time, anyway, no matter what he is doing but especially if he is being calm already so he gets in the habit of just doing it no matter what, without the theatrics beforehand.

The other thing is, leaving but asking him to sit first, is still giving him attention. Leaving ONLY works if the unwanted behavior is attention seeking to begin with, first of all, and second of all, to make it work, you have to make sure you LEAVE/IGNORE completely, cutting off all interaction immediately when the unwanted behavior starts.

Hope that helps some.

[gabi312]

I never leave him in the yard unattended, so he goes potty and then after that he starts acting up, so within a few minutes of going outside and into the backyard. Thank you so much for your the info.

[maryellen]

sounds like he is bored. i would leash him adn take him out in the yard leashed, and immediately work on some advanced obedience skills so you dont give his mind a chance to act a fool.. what type of obedience does he know? whatever he knows up the skills to more service dog stuff- pick up paper, shoes, turn lights on etc.... a tired dog mind is a happy owner.. more mind games to get his mind exercised ... agility, nosework, stuff like that