Comments for K9 of Mine

Comment on What is a Muzzle Punch? And Should I Worry If My Dog Does This? by Megan Marrs

Megan Marrs — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 18:43:11 +0000

In reply to Peggy O. Hey Peggy - I think the best approach will be to try to find a pattern surrounding when these muzzle punches happen. Are their triggers around that are elevating his arousal? Is he showing other signs of stress? Try to identify the inciting elements that may be causing him to resort to this behavior.

Comment on Help! My Dog Hates One Family Member! by Megan Marrs

Megan Marrs — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 18:40:41 +0000

In reply to Wendy Kirsner. Wendy, obviously we disagree quite a bit on this! Your approach doesn't seem to take into account the dog's feelings and emotional state. Adding fear and stress to an already disturbed dog will only bring more issues, along with an increased risk of aggression. To use your point about a child hitting a classmate -- if you were to yell at the child and punish them, what are you really accomplishing? Have you figured out why the child felt the need to hit their classmate? Why was violence their first choice? A much smarter approach would be to talk to the child and try to understand their perspective -- what is their home life like? How are they feeling about school in general? Are they having social issues with their classmates? What felt so frustrating and upsetting to them that they felt the need to hit their classmate? Refusing to acknowledge the underlying feelings and emotions of both humans and animals is lazy, selfish, and dangerous. If you want to learn more, we have a full guide to positive reinforcement based training that I'd recommend.

Comment on Help! My Dog Hates One Family Member! by Wendy Kirsner

Wendy Kirsner — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:54:06 +0000

This article tells it all except that positive reinforcement does not correct bad behavior, it rewards it. Redirect your dog with treats and he doesnt learn to stop the behavior. Follow this advice and you will have a lifetime of bad behavior or end up trying to rehome the dog after he bites someone. Let me put it in human terms – your kid walks up to a classmate and slaps him in the face, do you give him a cookie? No? Then what do you do? You can talk to your kid and you can ground your kid – HELLO! Thats called punishment. Seek out a Balanced Dog Trainer and run run run from pure positive trainers.

Comment on Help – My Dog Won’t Listen Outside! What Can I Do? by Lori

Lori — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 23:54:25 +0000

OMGosh, I got a 4 month old golden that was raised in a barn, that is so sweet and good off leash, but put the leash on and try to take her out, and yikes! Your article is her to a T! She was freaking out, all over the place, not food motivated, not looking at me.. it was exhausting. I’ll try more training in the back yard and take it slow. Thanks!

Comment on What is a Muzzle Punch? And Should I Worry If My Dog Does This? by Peggy O

Peggy O — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 03:59:10 +0000

My 72 lb pit bull mix(probably pit heeler) has muzzle punched me 3 or more times. Every time it was unexpected. Once, I was standing outside with him, looking up at the sky. He jumped up suddenly and hit me in the chin. Another time, I was exercising on the floor, and he came running at me and hit me on the cheek. He has hit me or my daughter when we were wiping him off after coming in from outside, but those times it was not as hard. I would like to know how to stop this behavior. He also licks excessively at times (carpet, walls, doors, heat vents). He likes to bark and chase people passing our house. I adopted him from a shelter when he was a year old. I have had him 2 yrs. He plays fetch and does other tricks. I try to provide him toys to chew and activities to distracct him. Most of the behavior is just annoying, but the muzzle punching is kind of frightening.