Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

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N.Princess
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Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by N.Princess »

We have had our puppy for about three weeks now and she is one of those really spunky chows and is really givin me trouble understanding her. She is a out ten weeks old now and Whenver she would bite anyone in our family during play or just normally we would correct her by smacking her noes or butt. She has gotten a bit better now, and has improved on her sit (by improved I mean as long as we have a treat she will automatically sit in front of you lol). But today was my mothers birthday and my two COMPLETLY STUPID cousins came (even though they are just 7 and five there should defiently be a limit to ones stupidity) they would both tease her run circles around her yell at her, and the dumbest of all would be running FROM her. Her obvious reaction would be to chase them and when she did she would nip at there legs and even knocked my younger cousin down. I have been warning my WHOLE family over and over about the difference between a freakin normal dog and a dog like the chow chow, but no one is listening to me, I told my stupid cousins to stop doing that and i keep saying it to my family that was outside to stop treating her like that. ( It makes me so angry that I'm the only one that did research on the chow chow (for months before we got her) and yet my opinion is the least important. All they did was make fun of me saying "are you going to go cry in your room cuz I pushed her to the ground, the wrong way", I can't say anything to defend myself cuz she isn't just my pup she is the puppy of my main family, and I have such small control on what happens, I love niki with all my heart but I seriously wish she was just my puppy so I can have a full control on what happens.


Buy anyway Since me and my sister are with her most of the time and I'm pathetic when it comes to animals I just love them so much it kills me to even smack her noes or butt when she bites. So if anyone can PLEASE give me advice on how to teach chow pups basic commands and how to get her to stop bitting and start listening to me. I'm going to do all I can when I'm alone with her so please give your best advice. Also how can I get her to sit still while being brushed.
BeckiHutton
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by BeckiHutton »

First of all, STOP SMACKING HER!!! that will just cause her to keep doing it, and eventually lead to agression. When she nips, put her in a time out. This should be somewhere dark, that she is unfamiliar with, like a bathroom, or cloakroom if you have one. Leave her there for a few minutes, and, as long as she is calm and quiet, take her out. If she comes out and does it again, put her straight back in... she will soon get the idea. And when your cousins are there, just keep her away from them. If they are going to treat her like that, keep her away from them, because it will cause her to dislike children, and possibly lead to biting. Hope this helps
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N.Princess
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by N.Princess »

OMG no we don't SMACK SMACK her, just when she bites she gets a tap on the nose or butt. We would never smack her for real. And also if it was up to me I would forbid my cousins from coming 4 million feet away from her, its because like I said niki isn't mine alone she belongs to my mum, dad, bro sis and me, and like I stated above I am constently nagging my family and telling them that Behavior is horrible. But at the end of the day I can only do so much, when we are with relatives I'm treated as if I'm not even her owner. -___- and it really pisses me of, not being taken seriously.

Also thanks for the advice I'll give it a go, do you have any tips on teaching the main commands.
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by BeckiHutton »

Don't even tap her like that, it doesn't work, and achieves nothing. What do you want to teach her?
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Sarahloo
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by Sarahloo »

Just tell her "No" in a stern, take-no-prisoners sort of way. She'll get it!
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by cherriemater »

You remember the vid I did with treat training. Well, that's been working very well and, as you might recall, Leo is my high-strung boy who used to use his whole mouth to get a treat. He's doing much better and just using lips but I have to get him calmed down a bit first.

Now, in addition to that he also forgets when Max and he are playing and then he asks me to join the fun. He ends up biting me, too, just like he does Max. Now, the boys have stronger skin and I and it doesn't hurt them quite as much and I know that Leo is not doing it on purpose, he's just excited and wants to play. But, what I've had to do lately is, when he goes for my ankles, pant legs, toes, slippers, etc., is I gently take his mouth away (grab his muzzle lightly underneath, fingers on top) and turn him towards my face and I say, "No No," not loudly because this would just keep him excited, I use the same soft, calm "No No" that I use during treat training with "take it niiiiice." And, I will say No No don't bite the Momma." After about the second or third time of this, he starts getting the hint and merely pushes me with his nose.

Now, this is what I did with Leo. Some chows respond better to Sarah's approach, which I use with Max more often, but it doesn't work on Leo. I have to get him calm first.

As far as brushing goes, Leo and Max (of course) are TOTALLY different about this. Max will sit there and take it, BOTH do well with Joe but for me, I have to make sure that Leo is goooood and tired before I do any brushing. I make sure that we've just come in from our daily romp at the park (about an hour of chasing each other around). He's already laying down, so that's a big help. The other big help is a DISTRACTION. I bought a hairbrush from the dollar store and Joe started letting them chew on it. While it's not ideal it does the trick. I think they like how the bristles feel on their tender gums and since they have pins on the end they don't poke. Now, there is a plethora of thing you can buy to use to brush, but for the boys I have been using a strong metal comb on top and a sturdy plastic brush for the undercoat. Eventually I'll have to get that undercoat rake but for now, these two items work fabulous. Finally, it's all your tone of voice, body posture, and attitude. The latter of the two will affect the first one and your chow chow can sense ALL of them. If you are impatient with Niki because she is impatient, she'll read that and misbehave. BUT ... if you use gentle hands, soft words of comfort and the All-Important distraction (i.e. Kong with peanut butter) AFTER you've tired her out a bit, I think you'll find you have more success. This may change as she gets older (she won't need the distraction once she learns what this whole process is all about) but right now it's all about training her. AND ... don't forget to read her, too. I think you've had her long enough to understand her wimpers for impatient and pain. Anytime I get a pain wimper (from Leo, of course), I stop and rub the area I was just brushing. Looooooong, sooooooothing strokes, someone once told me and they WORK! I think your Niki and my Leo are the same. They need a bit more calming down for brushing or treating.

Hang in there ... keep working on it. And I will tell you something that I was told about my niece and nephew when my brother got divorced and his kids were with me every-other weekend. Be consistent. They will feel much more safe and secure no matter what craziness is going on around them if they know that things don't change with you. Same thing goes for Niki and you. She may get this or that from others but she will come to rely on YOU more because you are consistent. Chows need that, want that, and will seek it out. Again, hang in there. Your care and concern for Niki will reap rewards like no other!
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Ursa's daddy
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by Ursa's daddy »

Puppies don't know how hard they bite, or that those needle sharp teeth hurt. They learn from their litter mates and their mother. If they hurt one of their litter mates, the injured party will emit a high pitched yip. This is the universal puppy signal that this hurts. If your puppy bites, give a high pitched OUCH and pull away like your are very hurt. Do this EVERY time your puppy bites. Your puppy will soon learn that if he bites people, people become very upset and withdraw. You want to discipline your puppy, use a loud noise.
Sarahloo wrote:Just tell her "No" in a stern, take-no-prisoners sort of way. She'll get it!
I like to cup my hands and clap, which makes a suitable sound. Also, hitting a rolled up newspaper on the palm of your hand makes a good warning sound. Always follow it up with the "NO", so the dog learns to associate "no" with unwanted behavior.
Be consistent
is a definite requirement.
For training, you want to reward proper behavior and provide a negative reward for improper behavior. A reward is something the dog likes. This can be verbal like saying "good dog", visual such as looking at the dog and smiling, physical like hugs and kisses, allow the dog to play with a favorite toy, or a food treat. Negative rewards would be things like saying "no", standing up, crossing your arms tightly over your chest and looking away, time outs. Dogs are not stupid. They are social animals that want to be a part of the pack.
There is plenty of advice in the forum on training. My experience with chows is that they respond best to your positive actions and easily recognize when you are unhappy.
N.Princess
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Re: Please someone help me? (puppy training)!!!!

Post by N.Princess »

God I'd be lost without you, I'll defiently give that muzzle grabbing a go. And I know that even light taps on the noes are mean, but with 5 people in family and everyone doing whatever they feel like, it's seriously getting difficult following through with the same thing. But I'll defiently get everyone to agree on this it sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the help. Also I showed my family the video of Leo and max having there zoomies moment and they were like oh my god Leo is exactly the same as Nikki hahahaha a (she was doing zoomies outside while we watched the video lol.
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