Teaching puppy enough is enough.

[HayleyMarie]

Teagan is usually awesome with puppies, but Mitzu is slightly driving her insane. And I think its beacuse mainly this puppy does not get a hint when to back off and that Teagan has had enough.

And when Teagan does give her a licking Mitzu has a fit and goes in defense mode. But gets over it right away as soon as I seperate them. Teagan on the other hand hold a slight grudge after.

Im trying to come up with some ways to try and get into Mitzu's head that when Teagan says she has had enough, than she has had enough.

Any ideas?

If I can't solve this issue on my own than I am going to get a trainer to help me out, because I dont want this issue to get worse.

[stardogs]

I taught Kes a "cease and desist" cue for the same reason.

How I teach it:
- select a verbal cue you can say neutrally to mean "stop harassing your sister" - I use "gentle"
- observe the dog getting harrassed, does she show any avoidance or uncomfortable body language before issuing a correction? If so, this behavior will be *your* cue to say your verbal cue.
- when you see the signal from the other dog, say your cue, count to 2, and if the puppy hasn't modified their behavior (most don't until the 3-5th repetition), the puppy goes into time out for 30 seconds.
- if puppy is quiet at 30 seconds, let them out of time out, if they aren't, wait until they are quiet
- every time you see your older dog signal discomfort or annoyance, issue your cue and implement consequences if needed
- most dogs pick up on this very quickly and learn to back off on the verbal only, some even start to pick up on the other dog's body language as a cue as well!

[JessLough]

swift punch to the face?

Or try Erin's method. It's probably better

[~Tucker&Me~]

Originally Posted by JessLough

swift punch to the face?

Or try Erin's method. It's probably better

[HayleyMarie]

Originally Posted by JessLough

swift punch to the face?

Or try Erin's method. It's probably better

Bah ha ha I wish,
I don't think a swift punch would bother pit bull puppy. She probably would take it as a challenge and punch me right back.

And thanks Erin. Im gonna give that a shot

[MericoX]

Originally Posted by JessLough

swift punch to the face?

Or try Erin's method. It's probably better

Geeze Jess, where do you get your information. It's stavings or nothing.

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by MericoX

Geeze Jess, where do you get your information. It's stavings or nothing.

Yay! It's been TOO LONG since we've had to recommend STAVINGS!

[lizzybeth727]

I just do time outs when it gets too rough. Have a very clear picture in your mind of how far is too far, and be consistent about correcting it when it gets to that point. Take the puppy and separate her, even just keeping her with you for a few minutes, it doesn't have to be long. Then when you release her back, try to get her interested in something else besides the Teagan, so that she doesn't automatically bulldoze Teagan when you let her go.

Remember you also need to show Teagan that when it gets too much, that YOU will step in and help her. Teagan can let the puppy know enough is enough, but YOU have to remove the puppy if she doesn't listen. Otherwise Teagan will escalate her reactions to the puppy and the situation will get much more stressful for all involved.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Lordy, pit bulls take shaming pretty seriously. Use it to your advantage. as for this though I use Erin's method.