Ozzy'sMommy 5 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 so...oz has not problem letting me or my sis pick him up...he doesn't really like it from anyone else. to the point of being nippy (he even bit my mom when she rushed him and tried to pick him up when i wasn't home). i want to break him of this habit with family members but i really don't like strangers picking him up...however he shouldn't get nippy with them either. today i was told by a trainer at petsmart (who tried picking up oz) that it's because he sleeps with me. oz has never really liked being picked up but just started the nippy thing recently. i am thinking i do need to do some reinforcement training but i really would rather not have him sleep on the floor or in another room. another problem he seems to have recently developed is that when a overly excited dog or a slightly agreesive dog comes close to him he gets mad. and if i try to calm him down he tried to nip at me. does anyone have any advice on what i could do? thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shih Tzus Mama 2 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I watch so many trainers on TV and they always reinforce dogs with treats to keep their focus away from what is making them misbehave. Tell your Mom to offer him treats before picking him up. He'll learn that strangers come bearing gifts he likes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riquena 2 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I watch so many trainers on TV and they always reinforce dogs with treats to keep their focus away from what is making them misbehave. Tell your Mom to offer him treats before picking him up. He'll learn that strangers come bearing gifts he likes. Yup.. just what she said. I know Victoria Stillwell uses the treat method and is successful.. then again, she makes everything look so easy.. lol.. Good luck to you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ozzy'sMommy 5 Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Yup.. just what she said. I know Victoria Stillwell uses the treat method and is successful.. then again, she makes everything look so easy.. lol.. Good luck to you! that worked really well for oz as a puppy so looks like we will be doing that!! my mom told me to start spanking him and i was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NickyPhyl 1 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 One of my co-workers has a huge Lab mix and he grabs things he shouldn't and she spanks him. I always tell her NOT to do that, but she thinks because he is so big, there is no other way to control him... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ozzy'sMommy 5 Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 NOT spanking is something new to us...we always had big dogs and we never spanked them hard. it was more like a swat on the butt to get their attention. now that i know better i feel bad for doing that too. i have flicked oz though. i do the little two fingers poke in the side of the neck like caesar milan does though. i have long nails so i don't do it hard but it gets oz's attention really fast...like if he is growling or nipping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kcsheperd 13 Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I don't agree with spanking, but I've swatted a newspaper against my own leg to make a loud sound, and that works as an attention getter..I would try having the folks feed him treats, and gradually work up to them picking him up. He doesn't have to love the folks that are picking him up, but its like you said, you want him to have good manners, and nipping and biting will not be accepted. He's probably nervous around strangers, so just tell them that you are training him, and to be easy, and offer him treats..Maybe that will get him more accustomed to people lovin' on him..:mf_rudolph: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boo and Gidgys Mom 2 Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 I don't think it would have anything to do with him sleeping with you. My Gaboo sleeps with us, and he is just the opposite. I need to break him from jumping on everybody. he jumps until they pick him up so he can lick their face. I love this affection when he does it to me. But I guess it would be annoying to others. I just have him so spoiled I guess he thinks everybody should love him as much as we do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AgilityTzuCrew 0 Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 so...oz has not problem letting me or my sis pick him up...he doesn't really like it from anyone else. to the point of being nippy (he even bit my mom when she rushed him and tried to pick him up when i wasn't home). i want to break him of this habit with family members but i really don't like strangers picking him up...however he shouldn't get nippy with them either. today i was told by a trainer at petsmart (who tried picking up oz) that it's because he sleeps with me. oz has never really liked being picked up but just started the nippy thing recently. i am thinking i do need to do some reinforcement training but i really would rather not have him sleep on the floor or in another room. another problem he seems to have recently developed is that when a overly excited dog or a slightly agreesive dog comes close to him he gets mad. and if i try to calm him down he tried to nip at me. does anyone have any advice on what i could do? thanks! What that "trainer" told you is nonsense. My dogs sleep in the bed - they can be picked up. However, make sure when someone picks up your dog, they don't take him by surprise (no picking him up from behind, or when he is sleeping, or rushing up and scooping him up - that's going to startle him). Also, offering a treat is a good idea. Kneeling down to his level, rather than bending at the waist directly over him to pick him up is less intimidating. Be patient; it may take time for him to be comfortable with other people picking him up. Spanking a dog who is apprehensive about being picked up isn't going to help; it will only make matters worse. Personally, I wouldn't let an overly excited dog or ANY agressive dog come close to my dog as I know they wouldn't appreciate it either. Don't put him in a situation like that. If you see a dog like that coming, move out of the way. (Don't be concerned about offending the owner; making sure your dog is comfortable is more important. That other person should be worrying about controlling their dog.) There's no reason for strange dogs to get in the face of your dog. Are you taking classes at Petsmart? Most of the time, the trainers there have minimal experience in training dogs. If you can find a local dog training club, they are typically staffed by volunteers who consider dog training their PASSION. You can look on the AKC website or the Front and Finish website to find dog training clubs who offer classes. www.frontandfinish.com Good luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ozzy'sMommy 5 Posted December 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 yeah i highly doubted the sleeping with me thing was the problem. actually oz took a puppy class there when he was like 5 or 6 months old. we went to petsmart to get a toy and happened to run into another trainer with his dog. oz LOVES people and will try to run up to everyone so they can play with him and pet him but the minute they go to grab him and pick him up its like he goes from dr. jekyl to mr. hyde. he does love me to pick him up and cuddle with him, same for my sis. like right now he is jumping at my leg for me to pick him up. but yes, i do want him to learn he doesn't have to nip people so he doesn't get picked up or nip me if an aggressive dog comes along. but i will definitely start turning and going the other way if i see one coming. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mom2Gizmo 24 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I do not know if him sleeping with you is the problem, but I will share my experience with my shih tzu with you. My tzu, Gizmo, does not have that problem. He wants to be picked up and hugged by everyone! However, he is no longer allowed to sleep in our bed with us. If we start to allow him to sleep in bed with us we see a general attitude change (not listening, getting a little bossy) and he begins to lift his leg in the house on vertical objects. When bed priveleges are taken away, the leg lifting stops within a day or two. So...there is something to the theory. However, I have a mutt who is going on 9 years old. She has slept with us from day one and has never ever had any issues. So often it is the personality of the individual dog and you can not say every dog should not sleep with their people. Cocoa can sleep with us in our bed, Gizmo can not. He does sleep in our room though, in his crate. For what it's worth, that is my experience. I personally, if I were you, would have him sleep in a crate with blankets that is placed next to your bed. And brush up on general commands and manners. Also, before considering this though have you had him checked out to make sure he is not in pain anywhere? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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