backtalking and other negative behaviors

[Jeni D]

I was just wondering if the following behavior should be cause for concern.
Whenever we tell Dudley "no!" he will stop whatever he is doing, lay down about a foot in front of us and bark loudly. I thought it was funny at first, but now I'm wondering if we should be concerned that this behavior could lead to other less desirable ones.
Also, last night, Dudley was sitting on the bed playing with me and my husband. I got up to go to the computer room and Dudley stayed and played with my husband. Apparently, a few seconds later, Dudley decided he was going to come find me and started to jump off the bed. My husband grabbed him to place him on the floor, and Dudley growled, turned around, and bit my husband on the nose. He then jumped off the bed and ran into the room with me where he continued to bark loudly at my husband. I'm kind of at a loss of what to do here. I know he is only 13 weeks old and only a puppy, but I do not want this to become a habit.
We both work very hard at being consistent with him and have already decided that he would no longer be allowed on any furniture. I enrolled him in puppy classes today that start on June 6th.
Any other words of advice would be appreciated. I'm just sick at the thought of my little guy being aggressive in any way.
Jeni

[corgimom]

Jeni D

One thing my instructor in Cody's puppy class told us was to not use the word "no" to stop a behavior unless it was of an utmost emergency. She gave us a list of other words to use for certain behaviors we would want our puppy to do and not to do. She said the word "no" is way overused and that people tend to say the word for "everything" wrong that a puppy may be doing, therefore the puppy really does not learn what is expected of him.

In the beginning Cody would sometimes bark at us also when we would correct him if he did something naughty - I think it is a form of "talking back", but I am not sure. You could tell your Dudley "quiet" for his barking behavior; maybe there is another word someone else with more experience can come up with. And also, when he gets somewhat out of hand, could tell him "enough" or "settle down" It's good you are taking him to puppy classes. I also taught my Cody to Speak(bark) on command which has helped. I still have to tell him "quiet" when he barks now and then, and when I feel that it is enough. He does know what "quiet" means now.

Linda

[Fluffypants]

I think you are definitely doing the right thing by restricting his furniture access, and enrolling him in classes. The training has really helped us with Jackie. She rarely "barks back" at us anymore, and I usually give her a short "time out" in the kitchen when she does. (This technique will probably not be as useful on a young puppy like Dudley yet.) Our trainers have said the same thing about "no" being overused. I would definitely follow Linda's advice.

All puppies are going to test their position in your "pack", just keep being firm and consistent. Remember, these dogs were designed to boss cows around, so they are going to have an opinion about almost everything! Once he realizes that YOU are the boss (not him), things will get a lot easier. It takes awhile, so hang in there!

- Jessica

[Jeni D]

Thanks guys! It's good to know that I'm not the only one experiencing these issues. I will definitely work on not saying "no" so often, but it's going to be a hard habit to break. I do think he is trying to assert some dominance because today I noticed him "humping" his stuffed cow after I threw it for him to fetch. I immediately corrected him. I guess my little sweetie is growing up

[corgimom]

Jeni D

As my puppy training instructor said, these dogs, along with Border Collies and Cattle dogs(which are in my class), were bred to round up cattle and "look" them in the eye and let them know who is the boss - funny!

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

Good advice from Linda about overusing the word NO. I must take that onboard myself with the puppy I am currently retraining.
If your Corgi is showing some really serious aggressive behaviour - and it certainly seems like Dudley is - cut out any aggressive type play with him eg tugs of war, wrestling, allowing him to grab your hand really hard as though he is almost iinto biting, tearing objects to pieces. Reinforce the things you have already trained him to do eg sit, stay, come, roll over, shake hands etc. Give him lots of grooming, massaging and pick-him-up cuddles to reinforce the bond and to stimulate his sense of well being.

[corgimom]

Yes, the "No" word can become overused. It seems that we can tell our dogs
no for just about everything they do wrong and then expect them to know what we are talking about in all situations; so it is good to come up with a "different" word(command) for all the behaviors that we want to correct or enforce and then, stick to that word consistently for those behaviors. It does take practice because the "no" word slides off the tongue so easily.

Linda

[Jeni D]

Thanks for the advice. I groom him almost everyday and play with his feet, ears, and tail everyday. I also make sure to place my hands in his bowl when he eats and pet him while he's eating to prevent food aggression (which he shows none of). He loves being cuddled and belly rubs. We don't let him bite our hands at all, saying "No Bite" when he does. Is this an okay response to say?
I think he gets confused when we go home to our parents' houses though because our parents play hand-to-mouth games, so when he comes back home he thinks he can do that with us. We really need to make sure our parents know they can't play these games. This may have been part of the problem yesterday as well because we had just gotten back from our parents house that afternoon after a busy and loud weekend.
I cut out the tug-of-war with him today and really started enforcing the "drop it" command when we were playing, which actually lead to some really long/fun games of fetch that he seemed to enjoy. I did have to remind him to let go of his toy when he brought it back, but eventually got to where he would just drop it on his own, so I think that is a plus.
I'm just going to be sure to monitor everything.

[corgimom]

Definitely your parents playing hand to mouth games are not a good thing,
this definitely promotes behavior you don't want. I am sure your parents
will understand that when you tell them.

linda

[gailkate]

I don't know if you've all seen "the Dog Whisperer" on Nat'l Geographic TV. This guy is getting a lot of popularity, just wrote a book, and really emphasizes the importance of being pack leader.
Just today I noticed our Tosca giving back-talk when she wants to get her way. I've towered over her and glared at her, direct and unwavering, just as a dominant adult wolf would. She doesn't respond instantly, but in a very brief time she's trying to get back in my good graces.

As for biting, I think you're doing the right thing but you need to do more. I put my finger in the dog's mouth and pinch down, saying "No Bite." We've also been told to squeal and jump back, withdrawing attention and playtime. For nipping your husband's nose, I'd do a stern shake by the scruff. You can also grab the loose skin on each side of the dog's face and shake back and forth. Not rough, not causing real pain, but saying that he's definitely in trouble.

I'm not sure how long to wait before "making up." Just as parents have to discipline and then show kids they're loved, we need to do that with dogs. It's important, though, because you are the only people who can keep your dog from becoming a bully. If you're lucky, he'll live 15 years, and you want a loving dog who is welcome wherever he goes. I keep reminding myself of that when I feel as if I'm scolding our pups all the time. We want them to be gentle and trustworthy, so we have to be firm before they get out of hand. That doesn't mean they can't play like holy terrors and go crazy, but they must also know when to settle down and behave.

[Michael Romanos]

With dogs, there is no such thing as waiting time for making up. A negative should be followed quickly by a positive. That's what reward and treat is all about.

[corgimom]

Michael,

When a dog bites at you,(such as your hands) you should yell a loud "ouch" or some other word that gets the message across. My puppy instructor also said to put your hands up at your shoulders and wait a couple of minutes and ignore the pup completely when he does that - to stop the play ;to let him know that behavior is unacceptable - so there is a short wait time before play time begins again to see if the pup can play correctly. And then, if he plays nicely without biting, of course, you would reward him with praise or a treat.

Linda

[Jeni D]

I tried saying "ouch" today when Dudley was biting and I think it actually worked. He looked at me like I was crazy then came and laid down by my lap and starting licking my arm so I told him "Good Boy" and started petting him nicely. I'll keep this up and hopefully we will see some improvements.

[darci]

"ouch" worked with Darci.
Egan doesnt bite us so much as he harrasses Darci.

[corgimom]

Good job Jeni D - and Dudley also.

linda