Hi All ,

Well Oscar our lab who is 11 weeks old is now fully vaccinated and allowed to go out . We have been doing some lead training at home and things were going well.
However when we got outside it was a different story .
Firstly he barked and growled at every person he saw and he also did this to dogs he could see in the distance . He would back up then bark and growl .
How do i deal with this?
Also he walks fine on the lead unless i have the pushchair in which case he wants to walk with the front of the pushchair and keeps on trying to run in front of it.
Help please

We are taking him to socialisation class on Tuesday . Tuesday he will be 12 weeks old .
Thanks in advance.

HE's doing this because he's finding it all a bit scarey - let him back up - but get behind him first (preferably crouch down so he's between your knees). Then allow him to go forwards in his own time when he's ready - DO NOT 'reassure' him or he'll find being a scaredy cat more rewarding than being brave - when he does go forward tell him what a big brave boy he is. Remember he is only a baby and don't rush into things too quickly.

Hi

At 11 weeks he is still quite young and because many things are bigger than him he might be either afraid or unsure as to what it is!

The only thing i would suggest is to ignore the behaviour, dont let him step back and bark if he is on the lead, i.e continue walking forward, and dont praise him or tell him good boy etc as he might consider his behaviour to be good and will continue to do it!

As far as the buggy goes, quite simply dont let him walk in front of it, keep him to the heel and encourage this behaviour by repeating "heel in" or "heel" and pat your leg etc etc.

Hope this helps,

Mark
( owner of 2 hard work labs!!)

Hello,

Did you carry him out to see things before he was allowed down to walk, if not then this is the first time he has seen the big outside world and he is only small. Carrying them out gives them an idea of what the world is like and they are much more confident when they walk out.

I would suggest let him look at things in his own time, don't force him to walk if he doesn't want to, until he has had a good look at whatever scares him. Don't let him bark or be silly, but don't reassure him either, or he will think you are scared to.

If he is barking at people, give them a treat to give him and make them crouch down to talk. Don't let them look straight at him, this is a challenge and may worry him, get them to turn their heads away and talk to you, hold their hand out with the treat and ignore him until he takes the treat, then they can speak to him.

Be patient and take him to lots of places, but start with quieter ones and work your way up to the busier ones later.

With your pushchair, he doesn't understand how to walk with it yet, have you been practicing in the garden with him and the buggy? Give him time, talk him on a shorter lead and everytime he pulls forward, stop and bring him back into the correct place, praise him and start again.

Hope you have fun at your training.

manda
X

Hi
And thanks for the tips .
i did carry him out quite a few times before his first walk .Yesturday people would stop and bend down and the dog would approach them and he was fine , so the people barking has stopped more or less. No encounters with dogs yet!
As for the pushchair , if i walk with him in front of the pushchair(while someone else is pushing it) he walks brilliantly.
Though if i walk behind it he does not , i think he feels he is higher up in the pack than my youngest daughter , no1 because he always feels he needs to be in front and no2 yesturday he was eating his food and she came crawling other to me and he was growling whilst eating (because he saw her coming).
Obviously i need to make him understand quick time he is lower in the pack than her but how. I read on a website that you should get them by the scruff of the neck and shake . (it said shake until they whine) Is this really correct as a simple NO does not work.

Personally... i would come down hard on him for growling at your daughter right now. As soon as he growls I would take his food away and isolate him. Then, when he comes back, give him his food again.

I have never ever had a puppy growl at me, or the kids over food, because I have always had every member of the family take it away and give it back, have let the kids feed the dogs, and not allowed any dog of mine to think it has "possessions". I know some would disagree, but, in my house, its a DOG and growling at any member of the family would just not be tolerated! By doing this, the dog automatically knows his place, and I don't have to worry about rankings. And my dogs are fed whenever, and allowed on the sofa and the bed. Its just been installed in them from a young age :)

HTH
Chloe

Hi Chloe,

I would definately NOT recomend you remove the food and punish him, this will only make him learn that food is so precious that it definately needs guarding!!

You need to keep adding small bits of food to his bowl as he eats, this will teach him that food only comes from people and if people are near him, food keeps appearing, therefore having people around when you are eating is the best thing in the world.

manda
X
:)

Hi Manda

I disagree - it will teach him that he is a dog and humans can do what they like with his food! Done at an early age...taking away his food and returning it when he has done something he should means he understands that his food comes from US, and is not something to be guarded over. I have never ever had a dog growl at me or my family over bones, they understand that we can do what we choose with their food and are taught it from the second they arrive home :) The point in removing their food when growling is to teach them that growling over food = losing it and isolation.

I'm not saying your way is wrong - just that there is more than one way to skin a cat so to speak!

Chloe

Hi,
sorry, but, what experience do you actually have with dominant dogs? Because i think i can safely say here, that a dominant dog is a very confident happy dog, that knows EXACTLY where it stands, and is not at all nervous or frightened.

Your puppy is basically a tiny baby, i cannot see how anyone can work out that a pup this young is trying to be dominant over people. Over litter mates, i could accept, but not over people.

His growling and barking at people on walks is simply because he is underconfident, and socialisation will sort this out. So will you not over reacting, or either punishing him for it, or reassuring him, ignore it, dont push him too far, too soon.

As to your pups behaviour around your child. Your pup is again, as i have said, very young. I cant see how he can react in any other way to your daughter, except to treat her as a litter mate. He is giving her the same language he would use on a sibling.

The trying to walk infront of the push chair may well be because it is simply easier to see what is going on in front, and if you havent lead trained him to walk beside the push chair, how can you expect him to do it automatically.

I think you need to be working on improving your pups coping abilities in new situations, and building up his confidence. Why not practice walking with the push chair, without your daughter in it!

If your pup associates punishment with your daughters presense, then you are going to be in for trouble, IMO!

Good luck,
emma

Shake untill they whine!!! Never heard of such a stupid suggestion!! Think the website editor wants a re-think!!

Mark

I agree, Brackenrigg. 'Scruffing' a pup can do terrible harm- it is not what any bitch I have ever seen do to her pups to scold them - it is what dogs do to injure or kill other animals. Why should a puppy trust someone who (it appears) is trying to kill it?

Bitches discipline their pups by firmly holding their muzzles/heads (depending on the size of the pup) and quietly but determinedly growling. Result - one instantly abashed and well-behaved pup.

Having had two dogs from puppies at the pushchair stage in my childrens life, I actually found the pushchair a useful training aid.

Hold the lead in both hands across the top of the pushcair handle, or in your hands while holding those walking stick handles.

The wieght of the pushcairr, child and yourself will keep him anchored in the correct place, and if he manages to pull in front of the whells turn the pushchair acrtoss his path, and he will soon learn that he will get his toes driven on and keep back.

The reasons for the barking and growling are fear of the unknown. Ignore him and be very Jolly Hockey sticks, and keep moving so that he has no chance to dwell on the things bothering him.

Make the first couple of trips just for getting him used to things, and not when you are actually trying to get somewhere. A brisk walk to the corner, turn around ad back, and that is it, then leqave him to rest and think about it. do not over fuss or console, or make them too long and an ordeal.

Hi
Thanks ,
Any more tips on food possesion and the baby would be grateful

When mine are puppies I always hold the food bowl at pup's chest height while they eat - this way they know I'm the one giving the food. One pup is happy with you doing this, you can sit your child on your knees and hold child's hands onthe bowl, so that it seems child is giving the food too. But be certain that pup is happy with you doing this first - don't rush it until you're certain pup won't object. Luckily you have plenty of meals a day to practice it!
:)

Hi personally speaking now,I would not be teaching apup to walk
along side a pushchair until he has learn't to walk at heel or as good as at my side
Having had 3 children and dogs taught along side prams.My new puppy 12wks
i'm still lead training 10 mins max in the village.I have a 5month old baby and he won't
be walking with the pushchair until he's much older and his hips have properly
developed.Around 9 months -12 months he is capable then of going for longer walks
and should be able to walk nicely at side of pram.This is what I have found from
experience with prams,toddlers and pups/dogs.

Can't help over the growling,food and baby as I've always fed the pups/dogs
in the Kitchen and I use a safety gate so the babies did disturb the dogs whilst feeding
All the children are able to pick up the food without a growl from any of the dogs.
I often pick up the food halfway through pups eating and put it down again to get
them use to having taken off them.Never heard agrowl they just look at you to say
come on give it back then :-)

Regards Briony :-)

Hi it should read babies did not disturb pup/dogs whilst feeding.

Briony :-)

I''m a bit concerned that you are reading so much "dominance" and pack problems into what this pup is doing. You seem to be reading lots of old fashioned advice - if the pup is in front, it is dominant, etc :( MOst of the time a pup will be in front because it can be, and there is no other reason!

Take a peek at www.dog-dominance.co.uk

Hth a bit :)

Lindsay

Not at all,I just know from personal experience it much easier to walk a dog with
a pram when it can already walk nicely at your side,also the pup is not very old and should
not be walking too far because of hips.
Pups I had before started to walk and pull in front but with a little time
settle and walk to heel by 6-9 months.

Did,nt really give the dominance thing any thought :-)

Regards Briony

Hi Yes i could well be giving more thought to D than nessercary , am new to this and just would like to be sure so it helps with all your comments , will look at the page you left . As for walking to heel withought the pushchair he does walk brilliantly but 99% of the time i have the pushchair and Oscar still needs walks . I
Suppose to much reading can give you the wrong picture so thanks for the clarification on this .

If a puppy will always be walked with a pushchair (for the forseable future anyway) why teach it two things (walking to heel, then walking with the pushchair) when one will do? Walking on a loose lead is probably one of the most difficult things to teach a puppy anyway, but def one of the most rewarding when they get it right:)

Hi my dogs will walk to heel at my side, and my pram obviously in front of me.
The dogs also learn to wait at my side when I tip my pram up the kerb.
I find they don't pull and never get in the way of the wheels and you have bettrr
control of pram and dog.But as I said a 12 wks my pup at the moment only having 10 mins
of pavement work.I wait for my partner so he can have the children or another member of
family so I can take pup out,when he's older he can go futher and will come
out with the pram.He gets enough exercise in the garden and 10 mins at present
He is a Golden,I had a working sheepdog I trained the same way and my older
golden walks beautifully at my side whilst pushing my pram.As they are also show dogs
I teach the pups to stand and wait then cross the road rather than sit.
Its all down to personal choice and I guess whatever works for you. :-)

Briony :-)

Hi sorry my mistake in my post I did say 'side of pram' but no my dogs walk to heel
My new post explains.So there not taught two different things.

Briony :-)

When I referred to teaching two things I was replying to the poster who suggested teaching the pup to walk beside you without the pram - then teaching it to walk beside the pram.......

Backing up and growling I'd say is just a confidence thing. As he matures his confidence will grow. 11 weeks is very very young. Taiko is 10months old and he still leaps out of his skin if he sees a man up a ladder, or a wheelie bin amongst other things. They grow out of it as they get used to different scenerios. Puppy classes will help get him socialised. I wouldn't expect an 11 week old pup to walk at a perfect heel. Let him enjoy his puppy time, training should be fun and done in short sessions. He'll get the idea as he matures.
I'm sure I've said this on a different thread relating to Oscar but remember punish=praise. "no" is the only word you need him to understand, he doesn't speak human. Everytime you tell him "no" follow up with a "good boy"...he will get the idea. I didn't start stepping up Taiko's training until he reached 6-7 months. He attended ringcraft from 12 weeks. Taiko is a mal so he still isn't walked too far, we build distance up slowly as he approaches 12 months old. I'm not sure of the recommended level of exercise for labs, but I'd be inclined to think he's still quite young to go for proper walks as opposed to being socialised. Taiko learnt 'heel' at 7 months.
You need to be consistent in your rules, because he does need to understand his place, his confidence will grow undoubtably with age but he'll also be alot happier/stress free if his role is clear.
Be aware of dominance, be aware of various training methods but also be aware of and enjoy Oscars puppy stages. You'd be horrified if I expected your child to act like an adult the minute she started walking and talking :D :D
Relax and enjoy :)