Dear Matthew: I have recently been given a 4 1/2-year-old German shepherd named Deja. Her previous owner could not keep her and was going to take her to the SPCA. His concern was that she would be put to sleep.
After a visit from Deja and her owner, I was confident that she did not have any extremely large socialization or temperamental problems. Deja was and is getting along well with Bandit, our 3-year-old German shepherd. She seemed to be unfazed by the children and responded to me.It has been five days now, and one problem has popped up. Deja was not well-trained and can't sit, stay, heel or do much of anything, but in these five days she is making admirable progress on most fronts. But she nips at the children, normally without warning although rarely without some stimulus (i.e. Jordan running through the house, or Jenna tugging her ears). Deja and Bandit have had harmless scraps, but just to establish territory and ranking, and have gotten gradually nicer to each other.
However, my wife doesn't trust this new dog, which has nipped each child twice in five days, and so she wants to get rid of Deja. I know with work and time she could be trained out of this habit, but my wife would like fast results. Please help. -- Art in East Norriton, Pa.
Dear Art: There's a big difference between nipping and biting. If your dog is displaying any aggressive behavior toward your children, such as growling, snapping or snarling, then you should get it out of the house sooner rather than later. You're taking a chance every day you keep the dog there.
On the other hand, if your dog truly is nipping -- which could amount to a playful mouthing or a tendency to put anything in her mouth, including hands -- then the problem isn't as serious and can be overcome with training.
Certainly I can understand your wife's reluctance to allow a dog in the house that has already hurt your children. Without a look at the dog myself, I'd have to agree with her. What I suggest is you take your pet to a quality dog-trainer and have him or her take a look at the animal and determine the extent of the problem. It's the safe thing to do.
Dear Matthew: My girlfriend owns a little Welsh corgi, and I've made a New Year's resolution to try to train him for him. When he's in the house, he listens to me and has learned some basic obedience commands, but I'm stuck trying to get him used to a leash outside.
As soon as we get out the door, he tugs and pulls on the leash. He heads every which way but loose. Are there any tricks that would make this process easier? My girlfriend likes to carry the animal a lot. Could this be part of the problem? -- Robert in San Antonio
Dear Robert: It's a fact. Dogs that are carried at a young age are much harder to leash train. Some other possible explanations for poor leash habits are if a leash is only used sporadically, if the dog has developed a fear of the leash due to excessive force used in training or the leash is not attached to the collar properly.
The key to proper leash training is to go slowly. Don't just throw a rope around the animal's neck and expect him to immediately react in a positive way. How can you expect a dog to behave properly if you don't show him what "proper" is.
So first, attach a lightweight leash to your dog's collar and let him take you for a walk. Without putting tension on the line, follow him around the house, letting him get used to the feel.
The next step is to allow your dog to wander around the house without holding on to the leash. Just let him drag it behind him.
Now, take the dog outside. By this time, he shouldn't be pulling on the leash as much as he used to. If he does resist, give the leash a firm but gentle tug in the direction you want him to go.
Matthew Margolis is the host of "Woof! It's a Dog's Life," a dog-instruction series airing Saturdays on your local PBS station. Read all of Matthew Margolis' columns at the Creators Syndicate Web site www.creators.com, and visit him at www.unclematty.com. Write him at 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
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