Looking for someone with a big dog

[Joe13]

Heya,

My pup that was found in the boonies appears to have been about 4 weeks old when we
'adopted' her.

She is extremely people and dog friendly but because she was removed from her litter way too early, I am having an issue with "mouthing/nipping". My vet has recommended socializing her with a larger dog that will 'put her I her place' without hurting her.

My issue is that I do not know anyone with a larger dog like that and do not feel comfortable taking her to a dog park to just run amok.

She is 3.5 months old. 26lbs and growing.

She is very meek/submissive with other dogs and never actually bites.

I live in NW Vancouver just north of the city limits. If you happen to be near Hazel Dell or Salmon Creek and willing to maybe take a short period of time here or there I would be very grateful.

Thanks!

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[Sharkey]

Can't help you but what about a dog park? We have a 42lb pit mix and we take her to a dog park and lots of bigger dogs put her in her place.
Maybe check YT for videos to control nipping. My wife didn't particularly like my training methods but my dog knows who is alpha now at 2yrs old. She walks unleashed with minimal issues. She likes greeting people with too much energy still and is a chew monster.

 

[solv3nt]

Puppies are like that, you need to be the alpha dog and not allow it.

 

[Koda]

My dog had a mouthing, nipping issue and I have kids so I had to stop it. I trained her to stop by removing the fun out of it. Id have play sessions with her and the first mouth I said "no bite" and turned my back to her then completely stopped playing for a long while. Did the same when I saw it happen if the kids were playing with her. It takes time but if you remove the fun reward of a behavior, they will eventually stop doing that. Lots of praise when they get it right helps speed things along.

 

[Alexx1401]

I have always "cured" this the same way an older dog does. Show the puppy what is allowed, and what is not. Commands and when needed "nips" back to show them what the difference is between play and bite. Used the same method on our Macaw who is now 24 years old. Him we still have to put in place now and then but he normally knows just by voice command what is allowed and what is not.
As another mentioned there is by now I am sure lots of video of people doing this. Ditto on the dog park too if there is one. They are great for getting dogs socialized with other dogs. Normally have to start out with your dog leashed till they get the idea.

 

[Koda]

Just me and I'll put this out there but I dont recommend dog parks, they just introduce more behavior issues in my experience with all the variously trained and mostly untrained dogs running at once.
Better off finding some dog friends that are well trained, I realize that takes time and may never fully happen. But dog playdates with a trained dog one on one are far better off in my experience.

 

[Nosferatu]

Start out with a puppy class. Get her socialized with a few dogs and get some of the energy out, while making her do some thinking, while teaching her how to behave around strange dogs. After that, some basic obedience classes will help and continue to reinforce the behaviors.

If you want, I'll check with my wife (A vet and avid dog trainer) if she had any recommendations in your area.

Keep in mind, this isn't a short period of time fix. This can take several months, maybe longer, especially since it doesn't sound like you have another dog in the household.

Whatever you do. STAY. THE. bubblegum. AWAY. FROM. DOG. PARKS!! (but it seems you know this already!)

 

[Joe13]

I trained our Rottweiler when my kid was 3 and a handful of other dogs in my life (Chow Chow/Samoa mix, Lhasa Apso, bubblegumzu and Doberman) some more stubborn then others and this pup is well aware of who the alpha is and listens to me almost religiously already.

I bought a puppy class online from a trainer I highly respect and have tried everything mentioned so far except for the dog park.

As for the dog park, I have multiple reasons not to take her there ever which I don't think are worth discussing because I am most likely not going to change my mind on that one.

As discussed with my Vet who owns a pit, being removed from her litter so early hindered a lot of her development as well as we were told this 4 week old puppy was 10-11 weeks old best guess from the people who rescued hers Vet, so I was pulling out my hair thinking I forgot how to train a dog. Finding out recently based on baby teeth starting to fall out we have a much closer idea how old she is and I spent a great deal of time teaching her bite inhibition like I did with my Rot (at the time I had to have a dog that would be good with a 3 year old so I ran her thru the gauntlet).

The Vets best recommendation was to find a large dog that would tolerate her puppy-ness and help her learn.

The dogs I have access to are either smaller than her already or my kids dog who is highly aggressive and big enough to hurt her. We are working to try and just make it so they can be in the same room without leashes but so far my daughter nor I trust her dog not to fear bite my pup.

 

[Nosferatu]

Our 4 y/o female Doberman has been quite elemental in the upbringing of my now 6-month old Toller puppy. She's very appropriate with her corrections.

Too bad you can't just go rent yourself a mature Dobie for a few months!

 

[Joe13]

I'll toss out, this is meant as a supplement to my training. I've done this before and have no issue with it. I purchased the online classes mostly to make sure I don't forget any steps but I have the tools to have her as an ideal dog when mature.

Currently in between jobs I spend every day all day working with her. She sits when other people and dogs go by our house as well as going thru any door to let me go first.

When a noise she isn't sure about happens she looks directly to me. I 99% of the time tell her it's ok and once that has happened she ignores it and goes back to sleep or back to playing.

She doesn't hardly bark and if she does it is a quite woof to let me know she sees something she is unsure of and stops when I tell her.

So far, other then mouthing me and rarely my wife, she is ahead of schedule on training.