jenz0r Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Hi all, My little male amstaff has just turned 12 weeks, and to put it nicely, has turned completely hyperactive, nippy and dominating. Can some of this be attributed to his teething? It seems that when he gets wound up in play-mode he just wants to nip everything that comes within eyesight. I am sure this is never intended as a malicious bite, because when he isnt in hyper-mode he is extremely cuddly and affectionate. He has also taken to chewing EVERYTHING in sight, his bed, shoes, the lounge... typical puppy behaviour but the nipping has got to stop! He has also started to play very rough, especially with dogs his size he seems to want to play-fight ...which usually turns into real agressive fights in a short span of time. We have a friend with a male doberman puppy and have had to ban them from playing together as our pup just gets so rough... Will he grow out of this stage and settle down? I have tried removing him and ignoring him when he gets nippy but its so hard when he gets a hold of my sleeve or pants and goes to town on it! and then he comes back for more and thinks its all a game when i push him away! its seem to have gotten worse in the last couple of weeks so any help or ideas would really be appreciated! many thanks Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 If you're experiencing difficulties managing this pup so young Jenz, I think you need a home visit from a really good professional trainer. If you tell us where we are located, we may be able to suggest someone. I'd also recommend you join a decent dog training club and do ongoing obedience training with this boy. He sounds like a tough cookie and you're going to need to establish a good bond of trust and leadership to help him develop into a well mannered adult dog. Were you planning on having him desexed? If not, have a good hard think about it when he's old enough. Have you discussed your concerns with his breeder? Someone knowledgeable about this breed will be a big help to you. How much do you know about the history of your breed? Are you aware that they are dogs of fighting ancestry? There is an Amstaff thread in the breeds sub-forum. I'd strongly recommend you introduce yourself the members there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bustam Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 how old was he when you got him? i may be wrong but it sounds like maybe he needs to be scolded a few times until he works out that you are the leader, not him. (by scolded i mean making a distinctive 'uh' noise each time he does something wrong, like a mother would growl) see what evryone else thinks though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenz0r Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 thanks poodlefan :p yepp i am aware of the amstaff's history, i did a lot of research before we decided on the breed. ive owned and trained dogs all my life but this is the first big, non-spaniel dog we've had, and he is our only dog at the moment (previously we had sweet little Cavaliers!). When we picked him up the breeder did mention that it looked like he was turning out to be the dominant one in the litter bad luck huh! we are currently going through puppy classes at the moment. he is quite smart and trainable WHEN I HAVE HIS ATTENTION! (like 10 mins out of the hour - the rest he just wants to play with the other pups!) and i do plan to enroll him in obedience when he is 4 months. we are going to show him so no desexing as yet - if he turns out to be a dud show dog then we would definitely desex him! i am located in newcastle NSW and if anyone knows of a great trainer i wil look into it for sure! it looks like he is going to be a handful for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenz0r Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 bustam - he was 8 weeks so we've had him a month now i do try the big OUCH thing when he nips but he seems to be immune to that now - the only thing that gets him to stop is a little smack on the nose with an unopened letter from the letter box lol - strange but it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 thanks poodlefan yepp i am aware of the amstaff's history, i did a lot of research before we decided on the breed. ive owned and trained dogs all my life but this is the first big, non-spaniel dog we've had, and he is our only dog at the moment (previously we had sweet little Cavaliers!). When we picked him up the breeder did mention that it looked like he was turning out to be the dominant one in the litter :p bad luck huh! we are currently going through puppy classes at the moment. he is quite smart and trainable WHEN I HAVE HIS ATTENTION! (like 10 mins out of the hour - the rest he just wants to play with the other pups!) and i do plan to enroll him in obedience when he is 4 months. we are going to show him so no desexing as yet - if he turns out to be a dud show dog then we would definitely desex him! i am located in newcastle NSW and if anyone knows of a great trainer i wil look into it for sure! it looks like he is going to be a handful for us! I can't recommend anyone but hopefully a local will. When they put the word "tenacious" in a dog's breed characteristics, it certainly can make it challenging for the owner. To paraphrase another trainer, you are going to have to teach your boy that with regards to behaviour, what you say absolutely positively goes.. compliance every time - firm boundaries and no room for negotiation. What training resources to you have access to? Have you done much reading? The triangle of temptation (TOT) and NILIF (nothing in life is free) practices would assist you to establish the right sort of relationship with him I reckon. IF you head to the training thread, you'll see a pinned topic on the TOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenz0r Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 hehe yes i knew he was going to be challenging but it seems he has gone absolutely mental overnight nearly! and what really annoys me is that he is an absolute SNUGGLEBUG at night when he's all tired out from being an irritating little menace! damn him! lol at this stage i havent read too much about training in depth, as he wasnt behaving too badly but i can see the need for it now! and off i go to read about the triangle of temptation you mentioned...! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxons mum Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 When my dog was a pup he went through a bitting stage, the only thing that stopped him was grabbing his snout untill he submitted and then letting go. Worked for me within a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 When we picked him up the breeder did mention that it looked like he was turning out to be the dominant one in the litter bad luck huh! Dominant strong willed dogs can be very hard to handle, if I ever have a really dominant puppy in a litter I'm always very careful that the purchasers are experienced dog owners and have a thorough knowledge of dog behaviour and training because a dominant puppy in the wrong home can be a nightmare for the owners. He certainly won't grow out of these behaviours, in fact they're likely to escalate as he gets older and approaches sexual maturity, I would be especially concerned about his aggressiveness towards other dogs. TOT and NILIF are a good place to start, but I think you'd benefit from some one on one training with a qualified behaviourist who can evaluate the dog and give you some strategies to work with, I'd also get help sooner rather than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenz0r Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 thanks Miranda - i think we will definitely look at getting some professional help from a behaviourist! i grew up in a family that always had dogs, dad is an obedience trainer at the local training club and mum was a vet so most facets of dog ownership im up to speed on - its just this dominance issue that is new to my partner and i. hopefully with some strong training it will abide.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*Shell*~ Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 If you can get to sydney i recommend Steve at k9 force - he's great and he's a DOLer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobayashi Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 we are currently going through puppy classes at the moment. he is quite smart and trainable WHEN I HAVE HIS ATTENTION! (like 10 mins out of the hour - the rest he just wants to play with the other pups!) Bloody willow is still like that NOW Home, shes fine, does just about everything i ask her to do. At training, pffft, forget it, she hits play mode and getting her attention is impossible. I guess its the problem about have a dog thats *too* social Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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