Bad behavior of Walter

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Pinoy51
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Pinoy51 »

Wow, pinch collar for a Chow. What a genius of trainer has suggested that.
Most Chows are reacting quite badly if you inflicted pain. I can't imagine to use pain to direct my guys.
Someone down in the thread suggested excatly the right thing, stop and communicate with the dog.
My rescue Sally was terrible on leash as no-one ever taught her as a puppy.
So my "walks" with her looked pretty silly in the beginning, One meter, stop, go, stop, go, stop, abandon the walk go home. About a month she did not agree with me about leading the walk, but I could add a few more meters between the stops. Now after about two years she is still the most engergized and difficult to handle in the beginning but after a few minutes we can walk together.
Never pull back if the dog pulls forward, use a harness not to inflict pain in the neck area.
Lift upwards if you're being pulled, stop and position yourself ahead of your Chow. Chows are testing patience of their owners, specially if they identified you as not qualified to lead. In order to be able to move upward you need be on the same height with your dog, which is important too. If you allow your Chow to walk way ahead he leads and therefore ignores you trying to direct him. If the roles are cleared you can relax all this because he will match your speed and listen to your commands.
I think I mentioned earlier that most misbehavior is caused by the Chow taking own decisions and not accepting you as the leader. Some owners getting even bitten quite badly because of that. The reason why I'm still contributing is to prevent this to happen to you and blame it on your dog as most of the non-leading owners do and then the poor guy ends up in a cage or being abandoned.
Look for my story of Sally in the forum if you want to see how an abandoned Chow in the Philippines looks like.
I know you're not thinking about that at all right now and you're doing your best, but somehow you have to find a way step up and be there for you dog as a leader.
Best regards
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Pinoy51 wrote:Wow, pinch collar for a Chow. What a genius of trainer has suggested that.
Most Chows are reacting quite badly if you inflicted pain. I can't imagine to use pain to direct my guys.
Someone down in the thread suggested excatly the right thing, stop and communicate with the dog.
My rescue Sally was terrible on leash as no-one ever taught her as a puppy.
So my "walks" with her looked pretty silly in the beginning, One meter, stop, go, stop, go, stop, abandon the walk go home. About a month she did not agree with me about leading the walk, but I could add a few more meters between the stops. Now after about two years she is still the most engergized and difficult to handle in the beginning but after a few minutes we can walk together.
Never pull back if the dog pulls forward, use a harness not to inflict pain in the neck area.
Lift upwards if you're being pulled, stop and position yourself ahead of your Chow. Chows are testing patience of their owners, specially if they identified you as not qualified to lead. In order to be able to move upward you need be on the same height with your dog, which is important too. If you allow your Chow to walk way ahead he leads and therefore ignores you trying to direct him. If the roles are cleared you can relax all this because he will match your speed and listen to your commands.
I think I mentioned earlier that most misbehavior is caused by the Chow taking own decisions and not accepting you as the leader. Some owners getting even bitten quite badly because of that. The reason why I'm still contributing is to prevent this to happen to you and blame it on your dog as most of the non-leading owners do and then the poor guy ends up in a cage or being abandoned.
Look for my story of Sally in the forum if you want to see how an abandoned Chow in the Philippines looks like.
I know you're not thinking about that at all right now and you're doing your best, but somehow you have to find a way step up and be there for you dog as a leader.
This is exactly what's happening to me, I think he's not accepting me as a leader. If he pulls forward, are you suggesting to change from using a neck collar to a body harness? I've been using a body harness with him in the past but was directed by this forum to use a neck collar instead if Walter's behavior is pulling the leash.

I did not know that it's bad to pull backward when Walter pulls forward. I was under the impression that that's the main purpose of neck collards. I've been reading also on other websites that if he pulls forward on one direction, I should take the lead and go the other way so that he'll know that it's bad to pull. I've been doing this but it seems to have no effect.

Where do I start to let him know I'm the leader of the pack? I'm starting to worry because he's already 8 months old now and starting to leave puppyhood. I want to inflict good behavior as much as possible while he is young.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Pinoy51 »

Hi,
neck collar works for most dogs, even for Chows if they have the basic follower instict. I had Simba on neck collar until he got too heavy and I got worried that if he starts chasing and I have to hold him, I might hurt him.
If they want to follow they will relatively fast learn to avoid the choking and pain by slowing down and stop walking if you stop.
If you have an alpha or a dog that does not accept you as a leader, they thend to ignore the pain and choking and after I while get used to it. This is because he doesn't take direction from you. In his mind he needs to lead you.
Since you tried many times with the neck collar, you're now about to do some harm if you continue to pull back harder or more often.
Change to body harness, keep him as close as possible and pull up if he darts forward. The feeling of loosing the ground he will never get used too. Just pull enough to lift a little, don't make him dangle. Don't jerk upwards just fast but gently pull upwards in a controlled manner. For the slightest improvement or even stopping to pull forward for a moment give praise and in the beginning treats. Although for most Chows treats are not as important as following what interests them.
Don't expect miracles, the moment he touches the ground and you relax the leash he will dart again, so you pull him up again etc. At a certain point you will get tired, that's when you abandon the "walk". Let him do his business if not yet done and go back home. Chows luckily don't require a lot of excerise.
I just learned from a case, where someone forced his Chow to go jogging with him. Upon arrival back home his dog collapsed and died from exhaustion / heat stroke. This happened last week here in Manila.
Becoming a leader: there is lot of information in this forum.
Not everyone agrees with every method so you will find alternatives, I have summarized the most common accepted:
NILIF
Nothing In Life Is Free. Make Walter sit for his food, before you put on the leash, make him give high five for treats or let him do any other easy trick you might want him to learn. He needs to give you attention and need to exert effort before he gets what he wants. Obviously giving water and let him do his business need to be exempted.
Even your affection he needs to earn by being calm submissive, don't attend to him if he is very excited.
If he doesn't listen etc. don't catch him and reward by petting him for example or play with him.
Being a leader means being calm and quiet.
If you come home and make a lot of noise with a high pitch voice, Walter will hear a neurotic barking which disqualifies you from being a leader. No touch, no talk, no eye contact until he gives you calm attention.
I have three grown Chows, one Puppy Chow and 3 mixed breeds. Imagine I would allow them to jump around like puppies and appraoch me at will. They need to sit or attempt to sit while younger than six month, and show me some calmness and attention. If they get over-excited I turn around and leave them. After a couple of minutes we try again, after the third attempt latest it works and we all can have a group hug and petting time.
I don't say much besides "relax, sit, good boy or good girl". All in low tone slow manner.
I don't project any excitement to see them, they can feel how much I care for them wihout a barrage of words even better. The most intense conversations with my dogs have no words.
Food,
don't feed Walter if he is excited. Don't allow him to jump up and demand to be fed. You litteraly own the food and he has to wait calmly for you to "share" with him. Again if you're a established leader you don't need to be too formal.
Imagine again my seven are all fed in one area at the same time, that only works if you have the authority.
Actually I don't feed them anymore my helper does as she needs to be accepted as co-leader when I'm not around.
So she owns the food.
Space
I own the spaces in the house and around the house, at least that what my dogs think. My wife and children won't agree :D
Meaning they have to get my permission to stay at any place, obviously over time there are routine places which I won't take away from them anymore. But for example the space around and under the dinner table is mine.
No dog allowed. All chairs, sofas and beds are mine. no dogs allowed. Make him move whenever he attemps to occupy spaces you don't want him to occupy.
Sleeping
Don't allow Walter to sleep in your bed, at least for now.
The sleeping place of a pack leader is sacred to the leader, even more as food. He will never share his space with another pack member of the same *Censored Word*. Only the opposite *Censored Word* alpha is allowed in his sleeping space.
As you don't want him even to think he is co-leader make him stay on the floor, if you want him in your bed room. It would be even better to have him in another room but is not necessary.
So start "owning" the food, the spaces. Be calm, assertive, practise NILIF and ignore him if he is over excited and not attentive. There is no short cut to become a pack leader.
I haven't talked about dealing with aggression for a reason, this is the most difficult part and there are very opposite methods being practised and propagated. Aggression needs to be assessed, I don't recommend any method over the internet as things can get from bad to worse, if wrong assumptions are being made.
I hope you will never experience aggression from Walter towards you or anybody else. Prevention is really the best method to deal with aggression.
Best regards
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

@Pinoy51

Thanks for that very informative post, I did learn a lot.

I still have Walter's body harness so I'll try and use that instead. Using a body harness would still give me a chance of teaching Walter how to not pull the leash, right? From what I understand, it's just a matter of instilling good leadership over him.

I'll try those different methods in hopes of making Walter know that I'm the leader of the pack.

Regarding aggression, I don't think he is aggressive. I mean when he is excited and plays with me, he does use his teeth to bit usually my legs but I always discourage him to do that. I also noticed that his play biting is more prominent when he wants to pee or poo and is like wanting to tell me that he wants out to the garden to do his thing. Is this normal or should I do something about it?
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

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kevindd992002 wrote:This is exactly what's happening to me, I think he's not accepting me as a leader.... Where do I start to let him know I'm the leader of the pack? I'm starting to worry because he's already 8 months old now and starting to leave puppyhood. I want to inflict good behavior as much as possible while he is young.
Reading and getting advice online on how to train your chow is feudal. I've seen your type of thread multiple times over the many, many years I've been on this forum. Do yourself a favor and consult with a professional trainer! I found one for you online. He subscribes to the principles of Dr. Ian Dunbar who is teaches in Northern California and is a highly respected behaviorist.
http://www.dogcoachfrancis.com/dog-coac ... hilosophy/ If he is too far from where you live, for the love of Walter, ask for a recommendation. If you can't afford the time to do so, you can't afford to raise a dog, moreover an independent and quick-witted breed like a chow. Walter would be better off being rehomed to a chow savvy family. Be honest with yourself on this concern.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Zhuyos mom wrote:
kevindd992002 wrote:This is exactly what's happening to me, I think he's not accepting me as a leader.... Where do I start to let him know I'm the leader of the pack? I'm starting to worry because he's already 8 months old now and starting to leave puppyhood. I want to inflict good behavior as much as possible while he is young.
Reading and getting advice online on how to train your chow is feudal. I've seen your type of thread multiple times over the many, many years I've been on this forum. Do yourself a favor and consult with a professional trainer! I found one for you online. He subscribes to the principles of Dr. Ian Dunbar who is teaches in Northern California and is a highly respected behaviorist.
http://www.dogcoachfrancis.com/dog-coac ... hilosophy/ If he is too far from where you live, for the love of Walter, ask for a recommendation. If you can't afford the time to do so, you can't afford to raise a dog, moreover an independent and quick-witted breed like a chow. Walter would be better off being rehomed to a chow savvy family. Be honest with yourself on this concern.
I'm definitely committed to raising Walter the good way and I'm being honest to myself. This is my first dog so I will have some mistakes, of course. And yes, I'm currently looking for a professional trainer already and checking the link you gave me, thanks for that.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

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kevindd992002 wrote:I'm definitely committed to raising Walter the good way and I'm being honest to myself. This is my first dog so I will have some mistakes, of course. And yes, I'm currently looking for a professional trainer already and checking the link you gave me, thanks for that.
Since it seems you are taking bits and pieces of peoples advice, don't make the mistake of using a pinch collar, a choke collar or any collar that would inflict pain on Walter in order for him to "submit" to you, UNLESS you are trained properly in its use, fully trained one on one. Chows have excellent memories. Don't even think he will forget you've tied him to the metal post in your condo. Hope in the future, he does not act up due to a weird memory he has recalled while being tethered.

I offer you this picture of my friend's chow in training as inspiration for Walter. They adopted Coco in April. She is a 2 year old rescue. She was extremely unsure of herself and needed to be trained. This photo was taken earlier this month during one of her training courses. She's the only chow in the bunch of dogs (left hand side of the photo). Training to sit-stay in public at a tourist spot in Niagara Falls, Canada side. If she can do it, Walter can too in the future, provided Walter's parent is fully committed in making sure it's done right. Notice the other dogs' leash are right next to them, but Coco's is not. it is because both the trainer and her parents know the behavior of a chow and is prepared to grab a hold of it should she choose to be done with the sit-stay lesson.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Zhuyos mom wrote:
kevindd992002 wrote:I'm definitely committed to raising Walter the good way and I'm being honest to myself. This is my first dog so I will have some mistakes, of course. And yes, I'm currently looking for a professional trainer already and checking the link you gave me, thanks for that.
Since it seems you are taking bits and pieces of peoples advice, don't make the mistake of using a pinch collar, a choke collar or any collar that would inflict pain on Walter in order for him to "submit" to you, UNLESS you are trained properly in its use, fully trained one on one. Chows have excellent memories. Don't even think he will forget you've tied him to the metal post in your condo. Hope in the future, he does not act up due to a weird memory he has recalled while being tethered.

I offer you this picture of my friend's chow in training as inspiration for Walter. They adopted Coco in April. She is a 2 year old rescue. She was extremely unsure of herself and needed to be trained. This photo was taken earlier this month during one of her training courses. She's the only chow in the bunch of dogs (left hand side of the photo). Training to sit-stay in public at a tourist spot in Niagara Falls, Canada side. If she can do it, Walter can too in the future, provided Walter's parent is fully committed in making sure it's done right. Notice the other dogs' leash are right next to them, but Coco's is not. it is because both the trainer and her parents know the behavior of a chow and is prepared to grab a hold of it should she choose to be done with the sit-stay lesson.
coco.jpg
Thanks! I really appreciate your comments and am kind of excited of having Walter trained :)

So far, I'm regretting two major mistakes that I've let Walter experience. First is that metal post tethering that I've mentioned, I really didn't have a clue that this is not good.

Second is having Walter's hair cut until he is nearly bald (it was around 0.5-1" thick after the cut). It was just nearly bald, not medically bald but I'm reading to never let a Chow's dog hair cut that short as the inner coat will never grow back as it normally would. Though his hair looks very good now (he's always being praised by other dog owners during our walks), I would believe that it could've been better had I not subjected Walter to this type of grooming!

I'll upload a pic of him in a while :)
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by JasonandNat »

OK, first off it's not Walter.

As for eating, try some Peptobismal, ShenLung had tummy issues for years and this helped him stay regular. At eight he rarely asks for pink lips anymore. ;)

Leash. Any kind. Collar, whatever. Now add a 1-2 inch thick length of rope that will drag behind you several feet. When he gets excited, pulls, drop the leash and step on it. Length is to make it easy. Say nothing. When he calms continue walking, if he doesn't follow along and tries going elsewhere drop and step. They learn fast at any age. I have an entire neighbourhood using this approach these days from puppies to rescues. No stress for either party. Pretty soon Walter will go with you anywhere, leash or not.

Love Walter. The peeling is to punish you. Sorry, he's feeling lonely.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

JasonandNat wrote:OK, first off it's not Walter.

As for eating, try some Peptobismal, ShenLung had tummy issues for years and this helped him stay regular. At eight he rarely asks for pink lips anymore. ;)

Leash. Any kind. Collar, whatever. Now add a 1-2 inch thick length of rope that will drag behind you several feet. When he gets excited, pulls, drop the leash and step on it. Length is to make it easy. Say nothing. When he calms continue walking, if he doesn't follow along and tries going elsewhere drop and step. They learn fast at any age. I have an entire neighbourhood using this approach these days from puppies to rescues. No stress for either party. Pretty soon Walter will go with you anywhere, leash or not.

Love Walter. The peeling is to punish you. Sorry, he's feeling lonely.
What do you mean it's not Walter?

Well, he doesn't have "upset" stomach. He just doesn't eat as lively as he eats a few months ago. I'll be changing his food to Taste of the Wild in two days time and see how he reacts. Sorry, what's "pink lips"?

Can you show me a picture of what you mean with the leash added with 1-2" length of rope? I can't visualize it. And what is the purpose of that additional rope compared to just the leash itself? I'm thinking that if he pulls (he pulls very hard), then the rope will just slip through my foot while I'm stepping on it. If he can go with me without a leash, I would be very happy! He lives in a condo environment and it's very hard for him to be loose without a leash with all the cars and exit points here.

What do you mean by "peeling"?
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by JasonandNat »

You want the longer rope so that your not in a rush to step on it and miss. If Walter got to flat out speed a 12 yr old could step on it without effort. Walter would just stop. No harm to anyone. If he remains excited, walk up the tope to the leash until he calms down. Once he is calm he will sit or lie down. Now he is paying attention to you. Off you go. Repeat until Walter asks you to do anything, and you confirm. Doesn't take long. No verbal commands other than encouraging him to come or 'let's go'. This encourages Walter to pay attention to you. This is also the best way for you to meet other dogs and just talk with neighbours. Best.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

@JasonandNat

Thanks for the drawing!

Is that a big knot in the end of the rope to server as a "stopper" for your foot? And how long of a 1-2" thick rope should I need? So if I get it correctly, while walking I handle him by the leash and the additional rope just dangles around?
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by JasonandNat »

Some like the knot. ;) Thicker seems to be another preference people like and a rough fibre for better friction. Just let it drag behind you. You'll both get the hang of things very quickly.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Ok. But how long should the rope be?
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by JasonandNat »

5 feet or longer. You want to be able to step on it without getting excited. We used 5 feet but some have had 10 feet just for the variations in control.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Rory's Dad »

I hadn't seen this post or responded in a while. Interesting progress with Walter.

Chows can be pullers, no doubt about it. They are very strong and can be single minded in what they want. In many cases what they want is forward. This results in pull, almost a sled dog mentality. It is not easy to break this, since they also tend to ignore a lot of what you are telling them with their selective hearing.

JasonandNat has the right idea. What you want to do is teach the dog that pulling you actually slows his progress. If he wants to go to the end of the block, then slow and steady is the way to get there. When he pulls, stop him and not let him advance. Stepping on a lead is the easiest way for you. If you try to do it with arm strength you will end up with a torn ligament in your elbow. If baiting him to heal isn't effective, then you need to physically control his pace.

I have 3 chows; 2 males, 1 female. The girl is the best walker I have. She will match my pace and just go for a leisurely walk. The boys want to race ahead and find something to mark. When I have help walking them together, I can slow her up and the boys will stroll behind her. I keep enough distance that they aren't sniffing at her, but they are happy to just trail along. Obviously that can't happen for everyone, but the concept is similar. Keep a food or scent object with you for the walks. Get Walters attention and keep it at your knee. That is where you want him. Keep his nose at that spot. When he does well, reward the placement.

Not an easy training lesson, but it is important. Get through this one, and you might have a shot at recall.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

No problem.

They're definitely pullers and I'm about to have a torn ligament with him, lol. It does seem to be very hard to break but this coming weekend would be our topic regarding loose leash training in puppy class. Our coach did let us bring 10-15 feet of leash and we'll be training with him in a park. I'm thinking he's using the same technique as JasonandNat's. What I bought were three 6' regular leashes that I bind together to make a longer leash. That works the same as a thicker rope, doesn't it?

Ok, I'll try that. I'm trying to use a clicker and rewards system (as instructed in puppy class following "force-free" training) in training Walter. It's just hard to really have too many things at your hand at once, you know. What do you guys use to handle many things at once when you train and walk dogs simultaneously?
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by JasonandNat »

All sounds good, you can use what we are suggesting all the time, even in the house to control things. ;)

Just so we can possibly help ward off another issue - no treats/rewards. Chow's are super intelligent and this gives the wrong idea. We have never used this approach as we see too often over the decades how any animal ends up - food junkie and not in a polite way. Keep your voice calm, and if Walter is being stubborn don't repeat a command, calmly walk over to Walter and guide him through what you want. Consider it learnt. Now can you give commands calmly going forward, quiet voice will provide the best results. Don't expect Golden Retriever instant response, not going to happen. Chow's are not push overs, but respect authority if your calmer than they are (so do many animals actually.)

We are helping a neighbour with a new puppy (4 maths old shelter mix) to have control and stop reward issues already obvious especially for something as simple as a walk. After just 15 minutes today, all treats were forgotten, walking on leash was perfect, and learning left and right. Tethered the whole time, to us, FuShiLu or ShenLung to respect where everyone is going and what they are doing. Tomorrow will have some off leash to stretch those silly puppy legs and it will be under her mom's guidance. Within a month little Igloo will be a wonderful member of the community.

Your next Walter.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

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So let me ask the question so that I understand it correctly...you are recommending that a treat reward system not be used to try and correct the behavioral issues Walter may have? Because he might end up a food junkie? Because a pea sized treat might prove to be a great motivator for the dog? And what is the wrong idea that the super intelligent chow might learn? With a difficult dog, the best way to establish leadership is to control his resources. He gets rewarded for acceptable behavior. Same system is used for feeding. You don't just put the food out, they do something positive before eating...sit, stay, whatever. Its never just because its time.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

That's exactly what I thought. I don't think that removing the reward system is recommended. I'm using it, as positively recommended in our puppy classes, to control Walter by helping him learn commands. It's proving to be effective since I started using it three weeks ago. I was really surprised to read that last comment from JasonandNat and didn't know what to say.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Rory's Dad »

Kevin, reward training has 100% been proven effective. No doubt Chows can be difficult to train behaviorally, and lead training is particularly hard. Learning what will motivate them is an exercise in itself. If you are onto something, then you should definitely follow through with that. Chows are selective listeners, so you need to utilize whatever you can to keep their attention.

Done properly, I can guarantee that their is no risk to using a treat reward system. As long as you reward when they react to commands, the worst you will get is a well behaved dog. For some reason, I keep coming back to that term 'food junkie'. I guess that you don't want to overfeed Walter, so if you are training and rewarding, you might want to offset that when you actually feed him, but even that seems pretty far fetched with the normal reward/training programs.

Negative reinforcement will not work with a chow, so you cant resort to shaming or physical correction. That leaves very few choices on properly training Walter. Reward programs are the best choice, and I think you will find it to be quite productive.

Congratulations on working with a trainer that understands your breed. It's not always the case. If you need any other input, feel free to contact me.
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Rory's Dad wrote:Kevin, reward training has 100% been proven effective. No doubt Chows can be difficult to train behaviorally, and lead training is particularly hard. Learning what will motivate them is an exercise in itself. If you are onto something, then you should definitely follow through with that. Chows are selective listeners, so you need to utilize whatever you can to keep their attention.

Done properly, I can guarantee that their is no risk to using a treat reward system. As long as you reward when they react to commands, the worst you will get is a well behaved dog. For some reason, I keep coming back to that term 'food junkie'. I guess that you don't want to overfeed Walter, so if you are training and rewarding, you might want to offset that when you actually feed him, but even that seems pretty far fetched with the normal reward/training programs.

Negative reinforcement will not work with a chow, so you cant resort to shaming or physical correction. That leaves very few choices on properly training Walter. Reward programs are the best choice, and I think you will find it to be quite productive.

Congratulations on working with a trainer that understands your breed. It's not always the case. If you need any other input, feel free to contact me.
I 100% agree on what you're saying as I experience them myself. They really are difficult to train and my trainer specifically said, from day 1, that Chows are really selective listeners and just doesn't care about anything as they are focused mostly on what they want to do. So far, I'm observing that liver is what motivates Walter as he really likes it as a treat. But that can, by itself, do so much only. When he's outside while on a walk, he only tens to the liver rewards system for a few repetitions and then he won't care about it. This is where I really need to exert effort but I feel that there are more stimuli that can motivate him, I just don't know what yet.

I try not to overfeed him with treats as I understand the whole mirage of disadvantages that one can get when you overfeed your dog. I train him with rewards normally, sometimes only one session (15 minutes) a day depending on my schedule. I don't need to offset this when it's time to feed him with TOTW as he doesn't too much anyway, just enough for him to feel satisfied.

What other choices do you know that can be effective? Our trainer showed us the use of head collars earlier to do a self-corrective action on Walter when he pulls on the leash but without using aggressive and hurtful force on the Chow and I did notice a very positive result with using it.

Yes, I believe so. I can feel that our trainer knows a lot about different breeds. Sure and thanks for all the help.
Rory's Dad
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Rory's Dad »

One thing to try with Walter, since you seem to have his interest with the liver...always keep it in the same spot. I would suggest your right hand pant pocket for example. Make sure he learns that's where its at. We do similar with our dogs for the shows. The 1st few times out, make sure he sees that's where the treat comes from. And let him have it. Keep his attention on you so he knows. Get his attention, and let him know your hand is where the treat is...keep hand in pocket until he is focused. And then...pet him and tell him how good he is. Alternate 'atta boy' with the treats so he isn't sure which he will get. This should keep his focus a bit longer and not have him deserting the liver treat so quickly.
kevindd992002
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by kevindd992002 »

Since we've gone to puppy training session, his attitude really improved. Although his leash pulling behavior is still there, I'm waiting for the head collar to arrive and see if that makes a difference.

My concern now is his nipping behavior. It did improve also but when he wants to potty outside he tends to get very excited and he bites our feet! It seems that he does this when he wants to get our attention. Any way to get around this?

By the way, here's Walter:

Image

Any comments on him are welcome :)
Rory's Dad
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Re: Bad behavior of Walter

Post by Rory's Dad »

I actually have a similar issue with my 11 month old smooth Chow. He will nuzzle up to the back of your knee and nibble just a bit. I wouldn't even call it biting, but its not a behavior I will tolerate. It's similar, he is definitely looking for attention. He also has decided to take an aggressive stance with our other male. He will actually bull rush him if allowed.

To solve both problems I have gone to leaving the leash on him in the house. If he is not behaving properly, I step on the leash so he can't move his body or head whip. Once I have his attention and a proper sit he is released.

At this age, they are entering 'teen years'. Testing boundaries is normal, you just have to set the rules.
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