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Yesterday suddenly my dog (9 months old neutered male GSD mix) appeared to be trying to kick me off the couch...At first I thought he was just trying to play rough but then i realized he was only doing it when I sat on the couch..he would nip at me and whine/bark. Very annoying. I kept grabbing him and putting him on the ground and saying no, and he just kept coming back for more. He actually bit my arm hard enough to bruise my bicep but not hard enough to break skin...does this mean he thinks he is alpha now??
Yesterday suddenly my dog (9 months old neutered male GSD mix) appeared to be trying to kick me off the couch...At first I thought he was just trying to play rough but then i realized he was only doing it when I sat on the couch..he would nip at me and whine/bark. Very annoying. I kept grabbing him and putting him on the ground and saying no, and he just kept coming back for more. He actually bit my arm hard enough to bruise my bicep but not hard enough to break skin...does this mean he thinks he is alpha now??
[quote=Meowen;26127183]Yesterday suddenly my dog (9 months old neutered male GSD mix) appeared to be trying to kick me off the couch...At first I thought he was just trying to play rough but then i realized he was only doing it when I sat on the couch..he would nip at me and whine/bark. Very annoying. I kept grabbing him and putting him on the ground and saying no, and he just kept coming back for more. He actually bit my arm hard enough to bruise my bicep but not hard enough to break skin...does this mean he thinks he is alpha now??[/quote]
Probably not but he just really wants to take ownership of that couch. I'd recommend making sure he values his designated home spot/bed, or moving or improving it. And don't let the youngster get pushy about what doesn't belong to him. Should workout...
It would appear he is challenging you for alpha status. I suggest making him sit and wait for given periods of time on walks, and make him sit in front of the couch without being allowed on. Any attempts by the dog to resist should be met with a firm 'no!'. Desired behaviour, on the other hand, should be rewarded with a treat. Once you see success at these exercises, make the dog lay in front of the couch while you sit on it. Again, resistant behaviour should be countered with a stern 'no!'. Be persistant. If you allow the dog to "win" he will beging to challenge you for control in other areas of behaviour. Once he realizes you have "won", you will notice these kinds of challenges become less common. It likely won't be corrected in a week, but it will get a lot better in short order.
no it doesnt mean he "thinks hes alpha" because dogs know your not a dog and dont EVER see you as "alpha" the whole concept of being the "leader" has been so scewed that people are clueless.
what it means is you have a 9 month old dominant PUPPY whos probably going through a "teen stage" hes pushing boundries to see how far youll let him go.
it also means you have a 9 month old puppy who NEEDS MORE EXCERSIZE. grabbing biting and nipping are al PLAY behaviours...dogs dont "bite" like that to "take control" they bite like that to see if they can get away with it, to test how far youll let them go and to try to get you to respond in kind.
1: time to get him enroled in an obedience class, mental stimulaiton is THE best form of excersize esepcally for a breed bred to THINK while working. training classes are ess about learning tricks and more about establishing a bond and building respect and socilizing. youll then take your lessons in class and use them at home to reestablish and reaffirm that you are indeed human and not a chewtoy/puppy.
2: re-establish boundries. YOU are the resource guardian and he needs to respect you if he wants those resources...
this has NOTHING to do with being the alpha, yournot a dog so dont use that term, the whole idea is archaic based on you using "wolf like pack behaviour" to "establish dominance" when what you should be doing is establishing yourself as the one wiht opposable thumbs. i suggest a NILF (nothing in life is free) training method...wants his food he does somethig for it (even if its just a sit stay) wants his toy he does something for it (ie gives a paw) for every "reward" theres a task prior.
also reestablish those play boundries. no pushing him onto the floor, thats just part of the game, he probbably thinks your wrestling with him, instead cross your arms a firm NO and IGNORE him. if he continues stand up cross your arms and TURN YOUR BACK. if he tries to get infront of you keep turning your bac on him, completly ignore him. onces he stops and offers a good behaviour (ie sit) then offer him a toy he CAN play with (a tuggy rope for example) if it STILL doesnt stop REMOVE him form the situation completly, time outs work, put him in a seperate room (never use his crate for this as you dont want the crate associated with punishment, but a bathroom or baby gated kitchen works well)
time outs should be short, dogs dont associate behaviour to punishment unles punishment is imediate and short...so no more than a few minutes to calm down.
3: excersize...if hes getting rowdy its because hes bored and hyped up...make walks part of your daily roitein along with plenty of mental and "free form" (lpaying ball) excersize too) but if he seme sparticularly hyper, put on that leah and get your butt out, go for a walk go for a jog, go for a hike, whatever but get his mind off the wrestling match and onto somehting more mentally stimulating.
id also suggest a backpack for him...hes a working breed and NEEDS a job, a backpack workn during alks (even if its empty) helps focus them and put theminto the "i have a job" frame of mind, turning a regular walk into both physical and mental excersize.
at 9 months old he needs CONSTANT training, reassurance and firm but kind disaplin and ALOT more excersize!
no it doesnt mean he "thinks hes alpha" because dogs know your not a dog and dont EVER see you as "alpha" the whole concept of being the "leader" has been so scewed that people are clueless.
what it means is you have a 9 month old dominant PUPPY whos probably going through a "teen stage" hes pushing boundries to see how far youll let him go.
it also means you have a 9 month old puppy who NEEDS MORE EXCERSIZE. grabbing biting and nipping are al PLAY behaviours...dogs dont "bite" like that to "take control" they bite like that to see if they can get away with it, to test how far youll let them go and to try to get you to respond in kind.
1: time to get him enroled in an obedience class, mental stimulaiton is THE best form of excersize esepcally for a breed bred to THINK while working. training classes are ess about learning tricks and more about establishing a bond and building respect and socilizing. youll then take your lessons in class and use them at home to reestablish and reaffirm that you are indeed human and not a chewtoy/puppy.
2: re-establish boundries. YOU are the resource guardian and he needs to respect you if he wants those resources...
this has NOTHING to do with being the alpha, yournot a dog so dont use that term, the whole idea is archaic based on you using "wolf like pack behaviour" to "establish dominance" when what you should be doing is establishing yourself as the one wiht opposable thumbs. i suggest a NILF (nothing in life is free) training method...wants his food he does somethig for it (even if its just a sit stay) wants his toy he does something for it (ie gives a paw) for every "reward" theres a task prior.
also reestablish those play boundries. no pushing him onto the floor, thats just part of the game, he probbably thinks your wrestling with him, instead cross your arms a firm NO and IGNORE him. if he continues stand up cross your arms and TURN YOUR BACK. if he tries to get infront of you keep turning your bac on him, completly ignore him. onces he stops and offers a good behaviour (ie sit) then offer him a toy he CAN play with (a tuggy rope for example) if it STILL doesnt stop REMOVE him form the situation completly, time outs work, put him in a seperate room (never use his crate for this as you dont want the crate associated with punishment, but a bathroom or baby gated kitchen works well)
time outs should be short, dogs dont associate behaviour to punishment unles punishment is imediate and short...so no more than a few minutes to calm down.
3: excersize...if hes getting rowdy its because hes bored and hyped up...make walks part of your daily roitein along with plenty of mental and "free form" (lpaying ball) excersize too) but if he seme sparticularly hyper, put on that leah and get your butt out, go for a walk go for a jog, go for a hike, whatever but get his mind off the wrestling match and onto somehting more mentally stimulating.
id also suggest a backpack for him...hes a working breed and NEEDS a job, a backpack workn during alks (even if its empty) helps focus them and put theminto the "i have a job" frame of mind, turning a regular walk into both physical and mental excersize.
at 9 months old he needs CONSTANT training, reassurance and firm but kind disaplin and ALOT more excersize!
Thanks for the reply:
1. He is enrolled in private obedience class with a place that specializes in shutzhund/agility, that sort of thing, I really can't wait to start. He already had an evaluation a couple weeks back and officially starts training tomorrow!
2. It's kind of my fault that he is not being exercised enough, he goes totally crazy-nuts whenever he sees a dog while out on a walk so i've been avoiding walking him, and he doesnt seem to want to do much when he's in the back yard other then sniff around or bark at the neighbors. I'm hoping to learn a lot in training..and work some of that energy out of him.
the training will definatly help sounds like your on the right track...
my guys are completly seate in the yard unless i get out there with them, my big guy will chase a ball liek theres no tomorrow...he wont bring them back...(so gets me some ecersie too) but hell chase em.
my little guys like the laser pointer
Yesterday suddenly my dog (9 months old neutered male GSD mix) appeared to be trying to kick me off the couch...At first I thought he was just trying to play rough but then i realized he was only doing it when I sat on the couch..he would nip at me and whine/bark. Very annoying. I kept grabbing him and putting him on the ground and saying no, and he just kept coming back for more. He actually bit my arm hard enough to bruise my bicep but not hard enough to break skin...does this mean he thinks he is alpha now??
People feel different ways about the term alpha so I will try to keep this as generic as possible:
What your dog did is not acceptable.
Do you have a crate? Best thing to do is the FIRST time he went against your wishes was the time to march him on over to his crate and let him think about things for awhile. You ignoring him.
If you don't have a crate, is there a room you could put him in and let him think about things while you ignore him for awhile?
It's not acceptable behavior. Also, just to be on the safe side, when you can, take him to the vet to see if there are any health issues going on. If not, gonna have to be firm with him and remove him from the situation and ignore him for a bit. And for now, until he GETS it, he shouldn't be allowed on the couch anymore. At all.
It means you need to step up the obedience training schedule -- off the couch.
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sounds like your on the right track...
