How do you discipline your dog?

My Bichon Frise is 15 months old. I think she is testing her independence and seeing how much she can get away with. She has become worse this past week or so.





She follows me round at home, but when out off the lead she plays up. She runs off going up peoples drive ways, or goes in the woods, she ignores me and will only come back when she is tired and feels like it.





I have decided to leave her on the flexi lead until she learns a bit more respect, earns some trust and is more obedient.





I am wondering what the best way to discipline a mischievous dog is?





I hasten to add that she is my companion and I don't want to dominate her (as such). I don't want to punish her or put her in her place and kill her spirit, character and playfulness. I don't know if she is testing me like a teenager tests a parent?





I know this breed are very mischievous and very playful, they don't reach maturity until 2 years of age. That said I think she is displaying rudeness, disrespect and has bad manners.





I wouldn't let a child be rude to me and just ignore it. I am keen to hear from other Bichon owners in particular as these dogs are such a ';unique'; sort of dog. How do you discipline your dog?
Your problem is that you're concentrating too much on the companion aspect of owning a dog and not the discipline part. Your dog will not dislike you for dominating it- it will expect and respect it! You have to exercise your authority as pack leader and put your dog in her place. It has nothing to do with your dog's 'unique' breed- she's just a dog at the end of the day and you have to treat her like one and remember that she is a dog first and companion second (which doesn't mean you have to love her any less). If you dominate her, you will not kill her spirit. Yes, she is testing you like a child will test a parent, and parents deal with that by being firm and laying down boundaries and rules. If you do this with your dog, you won't kill her spirit, you'll just teach her manners and respect.


Have you tried taking her to obedience classes. Try exercising her in a quiet place and practice your recall. Find out what grabs her attention (e.g. food, a favourite toy etc.) and use it to reward her when she comes back to you so that she associates coming back as positive.How do you discipline your dog?
';I hasten to add that she is my companion and I don't want to dominate her (as such). I don't want to punish her or put her in her place and kill her spirit, character and playfulness. I don't know if she is testing me like a teenager tests a parent?';





There is your problem, i'm my dogs best friend in our family and you have to remember, a dog is one of the most forgiving animals on the face of this planet. The next day or even a few hours later and they will still be your best friend.


Sometimes you just have to give them a little smack on the behind.
No matter how careful you are, your dog (and you) will make mistakes. Try to catch him while he's still merely thinking about doing something wrong. From the start, discourage his potential trespasses as though you were a mother dog. Issue a low growl, or ';No,'; with the warning message, ';Don't you dare. Don't even think about it!'; He'll probably reconsider. Be sure to give him verbal praise when he responds correctly.
She is not acting up, being rude, testing you, nor does she need discipline. She simply doesn't understand.





Your dog doesn't have the proper motivation or training to come on command. She certainly doesn't need to be dominated, as you say.





Watch this video to see how to teach a dog to come.
I agree you do have to become the alpha dog in the household. It will actually make her a happier dog. Lose the flexilead until she knows how to behave. Keep her to heel when you walk and train her to come to call. The flexilead will come in handy when training her to come to call. You place her on sit/wait, take one step away. Turn to face her and call her by name. When she comes, reward her with a big cuddle.





Bichon are like all other dogs in terms of their 'family' needs. They do need to know their place in the pecking order of the family in much the same way as a child does. Children need to know their boundaries, so do dogs. Children who do not know their boundaries are not only brats, but they are also insecure. Same with your dog.





Take her to an obedience school that focusses on training methods that reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour. Like you, I did not want a dog who was obsessively obedient, but I did want him to know the rules. We used this sort of trainng method and he is a joy to be with, and obeys when the need arises ....
Get rid of the flexi, it gives you no control. The fact that you don't want to train your dog, is what's causing the problems. Dogs want to know the rules, they want to know what they are allowed to do and what is wrong.. they respect you more if you are the leader rather than letting them get away with things. Show your dog the rules, and teach the dog not to bark.



psh uniqe my...i worked with hunting spitz's, its all in the motivation





your dog need training, training to stay by you and come when you call take more the a week, its months of training, and through the teen period need to be upheld with consistancy





best way is to keep the dog on lead simple as that, at least untill you trained her on the come comand





you dont just let the dog loose to experiment with this, you either use a very ligth very long line to practise on, or have access to a bigger yard where the dog can run loose without runing off.





once the dog is trained, there is still a mather of slowly expanding the limits of how far away from you you can let her run, the further off the more likely they are to feel they are out of their reatch





when run off you do not praise them for coming back, call once or max twice, if dont come you either have to collect the dog if posible, leash it and take it home, or wait till it come back/home and get it inside, do not talk to the dog, dont look at it, dont acknowledge it





the motivation to stay with you vs the motivation to run off, add in the dogs belif of how much you have the ability to control it, and you got the equation who determind if you succeed or fail.
My ';law'; with dogs is to never give them the opportunity to ';act up';.





If my dog does not come when he is called, he stays on a leash until we have established that it is not acceptable to ignore me. (or he is only allowed off the leash with his e-collar on)





If my dog has a problem chewing on shoes, all shoes will get put away and I will make sure he has plenty of things he is supposed to chew on.





With both of my dogs, no harsh correction is required. I find that they respond just as well to my ';ah'; as they do to me yelling. They have discovered that following my rules will get them much more of what they want in life. (no dog can argue with that)





One thing you need to understand is that dogs prefer to live below the alpha in the pack. If you would take charge, she would be able to relax and let you be in control. This is often a hard thing for people to understand, but it will make your dogs life (and yours) much better. Be the parent, not the friend.
DP is correct my partner has been training dogs for a while my 8yo dobermann was the same, I had her on a harness when we met and the first thing he did was to get rid of it and used a training lead it avalible in most pet shops they are about 5 foot long with a couple of hoops on it so as your dog starts learning the slacker you make it.


your main problem that every one does is staying there calling your dog or going to get it, DONT start to walk away as if your leaving, if the dog knows were its food comes from it will come back.





so get yourself on a training course for beginners this will help you bond with your dog, to be honest you are'nt paying enough attention to your dogs needs. They are just like kids at the end of the day.





please dont use harnesses as they are no good to control dogs there power is in there hind legs and they have less control when being walked





training lead, Halti ( ';take the dog to be mesured for right size as shop ';pets at home';) and training courses within a week with good instructor you will see a major diffrence and remember work your dog dont let it work you.
It's best to disipline a dog when it's still young, so they don't get the hang of any annoying habits. But it can still be done as they get older..





If your dog is pulling on the lead or tryoing to get away from you, a halter is a great idea. It's a a great thing to use when training your dog. It lets you pull the dog's head away from distarction and keeps you in complete control. Here is a picture of what ahalter is (if you didn't know): http://www.dkimages.com/discover/preview…





If you want your dog to heel and stay by your side you need to have some treats in your pocket. It's by far one of the most helpful things when training a dog =] When we went to puppy school they told us to hold the lead across our body with both hands. The dog being on your left side.. I don't know why this helps - but trust me it does. With a halter this should be even more effective. When she is off the lead call her back often - even if she hasn't gone far, treat her every time she does something right. This way she will get used to it.





Treats will be something she will associate doing the right thing with, and it will make it a good feeling for her to do the right thing. When she does come pat. At the start only let her off if there are no distractions, and of you sopt something like another dog or a bike rider ahead call her back as soon as you can.





Make sure she stays close when off the lead by calling her back whenever she goes to far away from you... don't chase after her either, just walk away and pretend you don't care. She will follow you if you go too far away because by the sound of it she doesn't want to be left without you. Don't give her attention for doing the wrong thing.





All these things should help, she will probably get better after she gets past two years old. But still don't let her get away with it because she will get used to it and do it more often. Also dog obedince lessons are great - if there are some close to where you live and you have enough time definitely try it out, it will be worth it. I don't own a bischon frise, we have a labradoodle and he has been trained pretty well. I do know other Bishon's though, and although they are a great little dog, (and really cute), I know what you mean, they can be mischevious and playful. But they do get better as they get older. =]





Good luck, and I hope I've helped!!
Well my dog who barks all the time, i have a spray thing like what you have cleaners in but i filled it with water and whenever she barks, she gets squirted with water in the face. It works because she hates it, and doesn't bark aymore :)





:)(;


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You could go to a training class which teaches kind positive methods. The following website may be useful to you.





http://www.apdt.co.uk/index.asp
Training of Dog





Most dogs, no matter their eventual advanced training or intended purpose, live with people who want them to behave in a way that makes them pleasant to be around, keeps them safe, and provides for the safety of other people and pets. Dogs do not figure out basic obedience on their own; they must be trained.





The hardest part of training is communicating with the dog in a humane way that he understands. However, the underlying principle of all communication is simple: reward desired behavior while ignoring or correcting undesired behavior.





Basic pet obedience training usually consists of 5 behaviors:





Sit


Down


Stay


Recall (';come'; or ';here';)


Close (or loose-leash walking)


Heel


';Corrections'; should never include harmful physical force or violence. Using force while training is controversial and should not be taken lightly, because even if it ends the behavior, when applied inappropriately with some dogs it may lead to a loss of drive (enthusiasm for the given task), stress, and in some cases even aggression. A handler may decide to use force, however the standard used by most trainers is the minimum amount necessary to inhibit the unwanted behavior.








Puppies and learning


The prenatal period is a recently recognized developmental period of puppies. It is thought that “long-term effects on behavioral development may also be produced in some mammals by events occurring in utero.” (Serpell, 1995, p. 80) Previous studies tended to overlook the existence of this period, since the puppy’s behavior could not be observed. With the development of the ultrasound machine, a puppy can now be observed within the mother as early as the fourth week of gestation.





It was found that puppy fetuses would react to touch and/or pressure from the outside of the mother’s abdomen. In addition, it is theorized that since puppies have such a well-developed sense of touch at birth, the sense of touch would also be well-developed before birth. Studies have found that “when a pregnant animal is petted her litter is more docile,” (Denenberg and Whimbey 1963, in Fox 1978) According to Fox, this facilitates relaxation, emotional attachment, and socialization. Other studies have indicated that puppies that receive outside contact (petting of the mother) while in utero have a higher tolerance for touching than puppies who receive no contact at all. One could theorize that gentle petting of the mother’s abdomen could help to facilitate positive, beneficial puppy socialization with people.





During the first two weeks of a puppy's life, also known as the neonate period, puppies can learn simple associations. (Serpell, 1995) However, early experience events are unlikely to carry over into later periods. Studies indicate that puppies in the neonate period do not seem to learn by experience. (Scott and Fuller, 1965) It is theorized that this is due to the fact that the puppy’s brain, sense, and motor organs are still undeveloped. Based on its limited capacity to sense and learn it would be difficult to affect the puppy psychologically, either in a positive or negative sense. (Scott and Fuller, 1965)





The next period of development is known as the socialization period. This period begins around 3 weeks old and ends around 12 weeks old. (Beaver, 1999) The main aspect of this period is social play. Social investigation, playful fighting and playful sexual behavior is very important to developing social relationships during its life. (Scott and Fuller, 1965) New behavior patterns are directly influenced by the puppy’s interaction with its mother and other puppies in the litter.





During this period puppies develop social relationships, with other puppies as well as with people. However, there is a point at which the puppies can develop a fear of strangers. At 3-5 weeks of age, puppies will actively approach strangers. Shortly thereafter stranger avoidance begins and slowly escalates until it peaks around 12-14 weeks of age. (Beaver, 1999) While this natural fear of strangers could serve as a way to keep a curious puppy away from predators, it can also hinder normal relationships with people.





During this period, startle reactions to sudden movement and sounds develop. This serves to help the puppy learn to differentiate between dangerous and safe or insignificant events.(Scott and Fuller, 1965) During the socialization period, the development of attachment to certain locations occurs. This is displayed by an extreme disturbance in the puppy whenever a change in location occurs. This is known as localization. (Serpell, 1995) Localization often peaks in puppies between 6-7 weeks old (Scott and Fuller, 1965), and then tapers off after that time until a change in location is no longer distressing to the puppy.





Dogs that are handled and petted by humans regularly during the first eight weeks of life are generally much more amenable to being trained and living in human households. Ideally, puppies should be placed in their permanent homes between about 8 and 10 weeks of age. In some places it is against the law to take puppies away from their mothers before the age of 8 weeks. Puppies are innately more fearful of new things during the period from 10 to 12 weeks, which makes it harder for them to adapt to a new home.[citation needed]





Puppies can begin learning tricks and commands as early as 8 weeks of age; the only limitations are stamina, concentration, and physical coordination.(Beaver, 1999; Lindsay, 2000; Scott and Fuller 1965; Serpell 1995)








Basic training classes


Professional ';dog trainers'; train the dog's guardian on how to train his dog. Although it is also possible to send a dog to a training school, the owner must learn what the dog has learned and how to use and reinforce the techniques. Owners and dogs who attend class together have an opportunity to learn more about each other and how to work together under a trainer's guidance. Training is most effective if everyone who handles the dog takes part in the training to ensure consistent commands, methods, and enforcement. Classes also help socialize a dog to other people and dogs. Training classes are offered by many kennels, pet stores, and independent trainers.





Formal training in classes is not always available until the puppy has completed all its vaccinations around 4 months of age; however, some trainers offer puppy socialization classes in which puppies can enroll immediately after being placed in their permanent homes as long as disease risk is minimal and puppies have received initial vaccinations. In most cases, basic training classes accept only puppies who are at least 3 to 6 months old. It is however recommended to start training as soon as the puppy comes into your home. A better way than groupclasses is ';In Home Dog Training';, with companies who will have trainers coming to your home, you can start training as early as 8 weeks and set a great start to proper housebreaking procedures and building a good consistent start.





A puppy requires discipline, consistency, and the patience of its owner. Owners should take time to train their puppies and take steps to make their home safe. The puppy training phase is integral in raising a healthy and happy dog and keeping a safe and fun home environment.





Puppies need consistency more than anything else. A stable diet and clear expectations will help the puppy learn what it is expected. Dogs are expressive and may communicate needs by biting, whining, and getting fidgety. The owner's response may contribute to a healthy, obedient puppy. An important principle is that the best way to change a puppy's behavior is to modify one's own conduct. Giving a puppy toys that are similar to household items he likes to chew may facilitate easier puppy training.





An integral puppy training issue is house training. Various methods of housetraining will work although the key is to be consistent. With regularly enforced rules, litter box, crate, or paper training can be successful.








Communication


Fundamentally, dog training is about communication. From the human perspective, the handler is communicating to the dog what behaviors are correct, desired, or preferred in what circumstances and what behaviours are undesirable. From the canine perspective the handler must learn what motivates the dog if optimal results are desired.





A handler must understand communication from the dog. The dog can signal that he is unsure, confused, nervous, happy, excited, and so on. The emotional state of the dog is an important consideration in directing the training, as a dog that is stressed or distracted will not learn efficiently.





According to Learning Theory there are four important messages that the handler can send the dog:





Reward or release marker


Correct behavior. You have earned a reward.


Keep going signal


Correct behavior. Continue and you will earn a reward.


No reward marker


Incorrect behavior. Try something else.


Punishment marker


Incorrect behavior. You have earned punishment.


Using consistent signals or words for these messages enables the dog to understand them more quickly.





It is important to note that the dog's reward is not the same as the reward marker. The reward marker is a signal that tells the dog that he has earned the reward. Rewards can be praise, treats, play, or anything that the dog finds rewarding. Failure to reward after the reward marker diminishes the value of the reward marker and makes training more difficult.





These four messages may be communicated verbally or with nonverbal signals. Mechanical clickers are frequently used as a reward marker. Hand signals and body language also play an important part in learning for dogs. The meanings of the four signals are taught to the dog through repetition, so that he may form an association by classical conditioning so that the dog associates the punishment marker with the punishment itself.





Dogs do not generalize commands easily. A command which may work indoors might be confusing out-of-doors or in a different situation. The command will need to be re-taught in each new situation. This is sometimes called ';cross-contextualization,'; meaning the dog has to apply what's been learned to many different contexts.








Reward and punishment


Most training revolves around establishing consequences for the dog’s behaviour. Operant conditioning defines these following four types of consequences.





Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.


Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.


Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.


Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.


Most trainers claim that they use ';positive training methods ';. Generally, this means using reward-based training to increase good behavior rather than physical punishment to decrease bad behavior.








Rewards


Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owner's attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer. Just being happy about a dog's accomplishment is a reward to them.





Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called ';building prey drive';, and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time, in the hopes of earning access to its special toy reward.





Positive punishment may be the consequence that is least used by modern dog trainers. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner. Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him is not only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog fearful or unwilling to cooperate.





Punishments should only be administered as appropriate for the dog's personality, age, experience and physical and emotional condition. A sharp ';No'; works for many dogs, but some dogs may show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. Other dogs with may ignore a verbal reprimands. Trainers generally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions; if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled.





Punishment should only be used if unwanted behavior can be corrected immediately.








Training tricks


Many dog owners teach their dogs tricks. This serves several purposes: it develops a stronger relationship between the dog and human, it provides entertainment, and it engages the dog's mind, which can help to alleviate problems caused by boredom. For more information, see clicker training or bridge and target training.








Collars and harnesses


Choke Collar: The choke collar is a length of metal-link chain with a large circular ring on either end. The chain is slid through one of these rings and it is slid over the dog's head. When the dog displays an undesirable behavior the collar is tightened. This is primarily used in traditional dog training.





Prong (or Pinch) Collar: The prong collar is made of metal links that fit together by connecting through long teeth that point inward toward the dog’s neck. A section of this collar is made of a loop of chain links that tighten the collar when pulled, pinching the dog's neck. The use of these collars is controversial and is opposed by animal rights groups such as PETA. This collar is mainly used in traditional dog training.





Electric Collars: These collars are operated via remote control and include the electric shock, citronella, and audio collars. The shock collar sends an adjustable electric shock to the dog’s neck at the will of the trainer. The citronella and audio collars are similar except the citronella collar sprays an odor that most dogs find offensive and the audio collar emits a sound that most dogs do not like. Remote collar training is popular for working dogs involved in retrieving, search and rescue, and other activities where the dog is off-leash and far from the handler. . Some trainers use very low settings as a way of getting the attention of deaf dogs, when the dog is at a distance or not facing the handler. In this case, the stimulation is not used as a punishment to modify behavior, but as a substitute for verbally calling the dog's name. Many newer collars include a vibrate feature (like a cell phone vibrator) or an audio pager which can be used for this purpose. These collars, too, are considered inhumane by many animal welfare and animal rights groups. These collars are most often employed in traditional dog training.





Martingale Collar: The martingale collar is a collar that has only a section on it that will tighten when pulled. This is different from the choke collar that will tighten indefinitely.





Head Collar: The head collar is very similar to a halter on a horse. The theory it is that if you have control of the head, you have control of the body. The head collar generally consists of two loops. One loop goes behind the ears and the other goes over the dog's nose and they meet somewhere below the dog's jaw. This tool makes it more difficult for the dog to pull on his leash. This tool is usually employed during positive reinforcement training.





No Pull Harness: The no-pull harness is worn on the body of the animal. The no-pull harness differs significantly from the standard harness since it makes it harder for the dog to pull because it distributes energy over the dog’s back and shoulders. The no-pull harness restricts the movement of the dog’s body when the dog pulls. Like the head collar, the no pull harness does not teach the dog not to pull; it only makes it harder for the dog to pull. This harness is generally used during positive reinforcement training.