HAS ANYONE USED AN ELECTRIC COLLAR

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

Hey everyone.. i have a 7 month old Goldendoodle.. he is about 65 pounds now and is very wild..he jumps on everyone.. counter surfs.. and is VERY mouthy still!! i am contemplating getting an electric collar..set on VERY low just for in the house use.. when he is jumping up on people and nipping and things of that nature.. he goes to puppy classes has a trainer and gets several walks a day. this behavior is just not acceptable, as i cannot even have friends over the house. if i ever have a child he cannot be nipping and jumping like he is now.. he is in a teenage bratty stage i guess and is refusing to listen to me. anyways has anyone tried one of these collars? if so how did it work.. which did u use? and when will this behavior stop?? at what age?? thanks again

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

thank you this is good advice... yes, midas does the same.. if hes biting bad and i hold him down he comes back at me even stronger.. lifts his lips and all.. not growling.. but veryy rough and biting hard.. i do give him time outs..but he will come out calm and start up again...i guess i just have to keep doing it and adoing it and doing it lol... nothing in life is free means toys too? he has a basket of toys that stay out.. should i remove them? also how else can i work on my relationship...what do u suggest?

[GBK]

With the time outs you must be consistant.  If he touches your skin with his mouth, "uh uh" and put him back in the time out.  Believe me, he will get it, he does love you and wants to be involved. 

Here is a link to a good explanation of Ttouch and how to do a few touches.  You could check out Utube because I know there are some videos of this too.  I started this when he was sleepy and tired from a walk or dog park, they do love it and he settles right into position for the massage now :)

http://www.canineuniversity.com/articles/health/health_11.html

I got the book from the library when I was learning, she has even more books out now, here are some:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr...

Nothing in life is free absolutley means toys.  "Sit" he get's the toy, "Down" he get's the toy.  Same with all treats and food.  My two sit at their bowls as I fill them, they wait until I give them the signal that's it's ok to eat.  One day I got distracted and walked away before giving the signal.  When I looked to see what they were doing, they were still sitting there looking at me :)

 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Be sure you have a certified trainer, not a trainer. I think you have gotten the best possible advice, however I question the " trainer" and the methods in which you have already tried to train this puppy.

Then, EXERCISE!!!!!

You mention you have a  yard. Perfect.  I still, go out one every few hours and throw a Frisbee, or a set of ChuckIt Balls. I run my dog until he needs a drink.  Then, do a few commands for training. Just a few but then he I can get his full attention.  This helps not set him up for failure. When he is settled he can listen. 

Your dog will too, with age. He is VERY young. A puppy.

Exercise this dog for 10 minutes every hour on the hour. You will be 100% happier and so will your dog.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

CONFUSED:

You keep mentioning read  my comment above about what I am doing, or read in my other discussion. I have read this numerous times and still can not figure out exactly 'what method of TRAINING?' you are doing and 'what your Trainer Recommends?'.  Am I missing a comment somewhere?  Would love to help, but with what?  I can't find your comments besides bitter apple or cans of coins?

If that is the case I'll repeat my suggestion of Exercise, and SIT, DOWN. STAY.  

My dog is 4 and I still use these EVERYDAY

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Joanne, I think what you missed is the part about hot sauce, prong collar, smashing his lip into his teeth. I would bite too,every chance I got.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

first of all if u are going to make comments like this, dont comment because u are not helping me or my dog and are just mocking me. i love my dog to pieces and would never want to hurt him. let me correct you, we are not "smashing his lips into his teeth" we are putting pressure on his lip from his teeth. i was taugh this by armie maguire  a world renound animal trainer who has trainer every kind of animal u can imagine for over 30 years. and now he has a goldendoodle himself. look him up. he taught us to make him biting us uncomfortable to him as it is to us..i put a drop of hot sauce on my hands..and Midas loved it.. prong collar is being used because there came a point where Midas was pulling so hard on his leash that his tounge was turning purple. he not corrects himself with the prong collar and walks like an angel and it doesnt even poke him anymore because he doesnt pull. in fact we dont even use it anymore because he just walks well on his own now. midas bites for no reason.. u walk into the room and he jumps up on u knocking the wind out of u and then if u walk away he will nip and bite at ur butt. he bites if i pet him.. he bites from the moment he wakes up. he is counter surfing a lot...and for hsi own good he needs to stop because if he ever jumps on my stove while i am cooking he is going to get hurt. also i was without power for 2 weeks...with candles around..and midas was flying on the counter.. very dangerous. Midas is treated like a king and my world revolves around him. i am on here trying to ask for help for a better solution to these behaviors that will either hurt him or other people. i dont need comments like this making like im hurtting my dog. thank you

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

I stand corrected..you did say "squeezing" his lip, not "smashing".

I am familiar with Army Maquire, and believe he is a a DK member actually.  I am also familiar with operant conditioning.  It seems you are concnetrating on the punishment aspect of operant conditioning and not on the reinforcement.  You said you have a trainer that comes to your house, is this trainer Army Maquire? 

As others have said this is a training issue.  Your dog needs to be trained, not punished.  And again you are correct, I am NOT helping you.  But many others here have given you some great advice.  I hope you will put the daily time and effort into training your dog using positive reinforcement and stop trying to quick fix by punishing him.

Good luck to you.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

that is the reason i am on here asking questions because i am stuck and dont know what the next step is.. i am not out to hurt or punish my dog.. but i need to find answers to how do fix this and not be told i am hurting my dog and thats why he bites...he has been biting since the day i brought him home..and thats why i am on here because obviously i have been unsuccessuful in finding a solution and i feel i have tried everything that i know or thought to do..and i am looking for other people who have doodles and may have had the same experience to help me solve this issue.. obviously i do not know how to train him to stop this.. and thats great if u think the mehtods i have tried are the wrong ones.. thats the reason im on here is in hopes that people can suggest the RIGHT ones.. its not right for u to be commenting and making like i am causing this biting because i am being abusive..

[F, Calla & Luca]

I know you were trying to be helpful Ronna. But I hate having prong collars demonized. I still use them as insurance. If my dogs were to have a squirrel, or worse a deer, cross their path I  want to know they puul me over suddenly. They love going for walks so they don't seem to mind the collars at all.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

F, I haven't demonized anything.  Joanne asked what she was missing and I told her .  I believe I already said that I stand corrected, she did not say smashing.

I am also pretty sure that I am entitled to my opinion and it is my opinion that if I were constantly receiving negative reinforcement,for actions that I didn't even understand, I would be inclined to bite someone as well.

I also already said that I hope she will take some of the wonderful advice given by others.

[Chels*Claud*Midas]

i was adding commentes yesterday on my phone and some were posting and some not.. so i have been doing positive reinforcments with treats and saying "yes", is that what u are asking?

[BG and Gavin]

So I am going along with what others are suggesting, but am just going to present it in a different way:  you have to think about things differently.  Where you are coming from is deficit planning - that means you identify a bunch of problems and try to solve them all, but there are too many to try and solve with too many different methods.  Instead try and look at giving him competing responses.  That is get him doing something "right" and while he is doing something right he is unable to do the wrong thing.  My example:  I took my three year old GD to a romp on the weekend.  He loses his mind around other dogs because he is so excited to get to play.  He would lunge and try and pull me to them if I let him.  So I put him in a sit until I am confident I can bring him forward without lunging.  His entire body was vibrating and he was almost squealing with excitement, but he could not lunge while sitting. 

The method:  keep him busy, body and mind.  Physical exercise and practice the sit/down/stay routine (aka puppy push-ups).  In the house teather the dog around your waist.  When you move, he moves.  He has to pay attention to you, he has to concentrate, it takes a lot of his energy.  If he starts an undesirable behaviour, move.  Take him up and down the stairs a couple of times.  Go out in the yard, zig zag, run around a tree.  Be unpredicatable.  You will get his attention.  Also, use you body to signal what to do, not verbal.  Try it for a while and see how when you do speak he will attend more.  When you get tired, time him out.  Take turns with your husband.  Go about your business, cooking, laundry or whatever, just keep him tied to you.  This is a very powerful method if you are consistent.  And no treats needed.