Need advice on disciplining

[Goofygirly]

I am a new Corgi mom. My dogs name is Dooley. He is 10 weeks old. I have had him for 2 weeks and have already potty triained him. I am so pleased that he has picked it up so quickly.

The problems I am having are biting our hands and talking back. I tell him no bite and ignore him and it works for a few minutes and then he is right back at it again. I put him in our bathroom for a few minutes like a time out and this doesn't seem to phase him either. I need some advice on how others have discaplined their corgis for these and other bad behaviors.

Thanks
Goofygirly

[corgimom]

Goofygirly,

Cody is in puppy training right now - but he is almost 7 months old. One thing
the trainer told us is if they bite at your hands, you yell a loud "ouch" or
something else that lets him know you don't like what he did and to put your
hands at your shoulders and ignore him for a minute or 2 and then try again;
to resume petting him or playing and do the same thing if he bites again -
be consistent; and never play games with him with your hands and if you are
doing any tug of war games with his toys, stop that also.

The barking at you, per my puppy instructor is "talking back", but she said common in Corgis because they would bark at sheep or cattle when they would herd them. She gave us some ideas on that, and you can read this in the Puppy Classes thread, but she did mention to never reward your dog when he barks at you ( you should tell him "quiet" sternly-(and then reward him with a treat when he does so) I don't think putting him in a so called "time out" at his age will really help right now, but try and ignore him as I stated up above for a minute or two and see what happens. - you may have to do this several times over the course of the day if he continues to bite at your hands, but always yell something like "ouch" - he will eventually learn and it won't happen overnight. She did mention to never hit a dog with your hands.

Linda

[Jeni D]

Hi Goofeygirley! My dog, Dudley (close name to yours, go figure), is going through pretty much exactly the same thing. You should check out my thread "talking back and other negative behaviors" for some great advice from other corgigoers.
Welcome!
Jeni

[liz2001]

Wow! I'm impressed with the potty training! Our corgi Biscuit is 13 weeks and has not mastered that yet.
We've had problems with nipping and biting our pant legs. We have started taking him for a walk when he is getting to nippy. After the walk he is usually tired out and doesn't do it anymore.

[Fargo06]

I read on here about the "ouch" when he bites and tried it when I went home for lunch today. Usually I say "no" which really doesn't phase him but for some reason the "ouch" really caught his attention and worked great. Thanks!

[Michael Romanos]

Goofygirly - I wouldn't worry about Dooley's "biting" your hands and talking a little. It is natural for a Corgi pup of such a tender age to want to grab your hand and draw it to him for playing and scratching and stroking and as a pick-me-up gesture. Pups will bite a little too hard at times with their sharp little teeth but if they hurt you too much just say OUCH and they will soon know not to bite so hard. But I am not a discourager in any shape or form of a puppy grabbing hands unless the thing gets out of hand! Gradually, Dooley will cease to do this very often but instead will muscle up to people for attention.

If you think he is grabbing your hand for other purposes on occasions ie teething. Present him with the things he can really get stuck into - chew hide bars, hard squeaky toys etc

Talking is good for puppies to do and good as an interaction with their families and other people. Just as long as it is not persistent ie for several minutes at a time. It is another thing I wouldn't discourage. If his talking becomes too long winded, tell him to shish - that's right SHISSSH and put a finger to your mouth.

[glencorgi]

A few things in this thread - first don't take for granted that Dooley is 100% reliable in his housetraining. He's too young and you're only setting him up to fail and disappoint you. Just keep on with the structured routine you've begun and as he grows and gets older, matures and can hold it longer then you can spread out the length of time between potty trips. Sometimes they catch on quickly at first and then have relaspes.

Biting hands - puppies explore and learn the world a lot like human babies do - with their mouths. So you have exploration and teething likely going on at the same time. This is a normal behavior, not really a wanted one, but not what I would call bad either - just natural and normal. Time outs - he's not getting what they are for, the suggestions to squeal ouch in a loud pitched voice are good ones. That imitates littermates which would react similarly if a sibling bit too hard in play - something he can understand, although if he bit too hard, sibling would bite him back.

The talking, I agree with Michael - another natural thing, especially at his age. Barking/talking is a way of engaging interaction and play with other dogs. There is nothing cuter than baby puppies with their eyes just open, their feet barely under them wobbling around like little drunks just finding their voice and trying to engage their littermates in play.

My favorite corrective "word" is "annnnnnt" - one can get A LOT of mileage out of it. Short and quick when a puppy or adult even has done something that needs immediate correction. In Dooley's case for example - when he puts his mouth on your hand, an "annt" and stern "no bite" will help get the message across. Longer and drawn out if they are thinking about doing something they shouldn't.

Hope this helps!

Debbie

[Chip's Mom]

The stern "no bite" has worked the best with Chip. If I just say ouch, he keeps right on a doing it as though he is happy with himself. He is into kisses and less biting now.

[Fluffypants]

The squealing OUCH loudly worked for Jackie.

[Goofygirly]

Thanks to all who replied with advice on how to get Dooley going in the right direction. He has improved greatly with his biting at our hands.
Goofygirly

[darci]

Congrats...

So glad he's doing much better.