After having to look at my bruised mug on the last entry, I thought I'd post some new pictures of Daisy Mae. Mrs MercMan and I have been trying to break her from the "biting/nipping" stage she's been going through, and we've actually had some success. The dog training manuals recommend everything from growling to exaggerated yelps of pain to holding the dog down to prove dominance, but they were only partially successful. Plus, it looks pretty weird for a 54-year-old man to yelp like Little Richard every time a 10-pound puppy attaches itself to your ankle.
What really seems to be working is just walking away from her and ignoring her any time play gets too rough. Typical attention hound Goldens are, Daisy just can't stand being ignored. She is quickly learning that "bite" behavior gets her left to her own devices, and has responded with much better behavior. It's hard to believe she's only been with us for a little over a week, especially while standing outside in the rain with her at 2 a.m.!
2 comments:
Our vet recommended holding Loki's snout (hold her mouth closed) and look straight at her and say "no bite!" Do not let go until she looks you in the eyes. It was successful until a little girl played w/ her mouth- batting her snout back and forth and encouraging Loki to snap...since then we are having a difficult time retraining her. She is into "mouthing" at the moment, she will take your forarm into her mouth and hold it, she does hurt you, she just wants your arm in her mouth. This is a lab stage...I remember it w/ Shadow. Daisy looks beautiful and very happy! When are you going to post a new family potrait? (w/ Daisy?)
omg it's only been a little over a week since I've seen her and look how big she's gotten already!
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