Good Kenai, Bad Kenai
 This is the first sheepdog I've owned and all my other dogs have been small dogs. I'm at my wits end and feel bad b/c I feel like I'm always yelling at him or wrestling him to the floor to get him to calm down!  Any advice would be welcome! |
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| Welcome to you and Kenai!
If you have not already enrolled in obedience school I would suggest doing so now. My sheepie, Harry, is a jumper too and does not heel well on the leash. I am still working on correcting these things but school has helped. He has been to three sessions of novice in addition to basic obedience. He is my third sheepdog but it just takes work and patience. The payoff in the end is worth it because they are such a fun and loveable breed. Good luck! |
Welcome to the forum! Kenai sounds like a typical, goofy sheepie pup. I don't think he's trying to dominate you...sounds more like he thinks you are a littermate! 
Sheepiemommy has excellent advice. Obedience training will wear Kenai out physically and mentally, and also reinforce the fact that you are higher on the totem pole than he is. I highly recommend positive reinforcement for good behavior....lots and lots of yummy treats. Oscar was a very physical puppy, with poor bite inhibition (we called him Gator Boy!  ), but after lots of treats and training, we have no issues involving teeth at all. He is still fairly physical with us, not surprising for a herding breed, but we stop playing immediately when he gets too rough, and he's learned that it's not acceptable. So there is hope! Oscar is now two years old, and a very good boy.
Good luck to you. Laurie and Oscar |
Welcome to the forum! 
I don't have any advise, I'm afraid, but I wanted to ask you, where did you come up with Kenai's name? It happens to be a popular dog name here in Alaska (we have an area called the Kenai Penninsula) But I see that you are in Pennsivania...Just curious!  |
| Welcome to the forum. Breena was like that and then we put her in classes now for the most part all she wants to do is please us and I have a higher pitched voice. Puppy classes really make a lot of difference. |
| Welcome!!! Glad you're here. |
beansprout75 wrote: My 7 month old puppy, Kenai has gone WILD! He respects my husband (he's more strict and has that deeper voice I think), but when it comes to me...he only minds me when he feels like it. His biggest problems: not healing for me when walking (even w/ a gentle leader), jumping up on me when I come in the house and when ever he gets excited, trying to stand on top of me or crawl all over me (a domination thing??? what do you do I see a few things happening here. First of all his age...Kenai is reaching the teenage years, so will be testing his limits with you, but still be very puppyish with regards to his behavior. This is the time when he need the most patience. He needs to know that you are still the same kind and gentle person that you have always been, but that you will not tolerate his nonsense. If he is listening to your husband more that it probably is because he understands him more, and what your husband is askign of him. Watch how they communicate, and use the same tone, hand signals and words to make it esier for Kenai to understand. He is is carrying on, nipping,climbing on you etc.it is not a dominence thing at all...It is him being a silly puppy, or it could also be him trying to communicate, but doesn't know how to. Anytime you are on the ground you are fair game What you might try is a massage, to get him to calm down, and if he gets a nice, calm masasge every time you get on the ground with him he will then know what that means...a nice, quiet, calm gentle massage.beansprout75 wrote: and the worst....when I take him out to run and play he chases me and jumps up and "nips/bites" at me!
I'm at my wits end and feel bad b/c I feel like I'm always yelling at him or wrestling him to the floor to get him to calm down! Any advice would be welcome!Yea, I get this too, with my Dixie, when I got out in the yard with her. She just gets sooo excited to have me out with her! Sheepdogs love to chase and nip, so that is very hard to undo. You may want to get him to hold something in his mouth if you want to play that game of running and chasing with him. Anytime he jumps on you and nips you I would suggest you bring your arms close to you, stand still like a stature, and don't respond...Don't look at him, no words, nothing. He is trying to get a rise out of you, because it is fun for him...and rewarding. That is why he will keep doing it. Stop making it fun, and he will stop enjoying it. But figure out what you want him to do instead, and reward that behavior...... Yelling will get him even more exciting. He thinks you are joining in on the game with him. Just like when one dog barks another one often starts barking, if you yell it is like a dog barking and he will get into that excited mode. Wrestling him to the ground is not teaching him to be calm. It is teaching him that you are not to be trusted, because you try to subdue him. You want to teach him to be calm, but that is taught when you are calm. Ignore any of his bad behavior, and when he sits for you, or stops being a crazy fool, then he needs to get lots of nice, calm rubs. And for those crazy times when he needs to let loose, he can do it with a toy in his mouth, or by you throwing a ball for him. Make sure he gets lots of excercise, because just like a toddler, a good dog is a tired dog. Obedience training will help you learn how to communicate with him, and how to understand him better.
Good luck! |
| Hi,
Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear you are having troubles and while deeper voices do invoke more authorative sounds that's not always it. Petite me is alpha to my three dogs whom almost weigh as much as I do. Seven months is the emerging of the teens years and challenging behaviors (actually 9 months is considered to be but some have it a few months early.) If Kanai isn't neutered I'd make sure this was done ASAP. Obedience school is excellent advice as even wrestling him to the floor to show him who is boss is kinda old school. Better to make him view you as alpha in subtle ways using language and signals he can better understand from a dog perspective. Eating in front of him, walking inside first, ignoring him , turning and walking away when he wants your attention are some signals he would recieve from an alpha dog and which you can emulate. If he starts jumping with the gentle leader and impossible to walk...stop walking..don't "talk to him in people language" as uprights often make the mistake of doing. People get too wordy and use a host of different words..stop that, bad, noo, nada nada nada...always use one word consistently and with firmness but never yelling. It's not enough to show them what you don't want them to do but also show them what you WANT them to do immediately. Puppy nips...a yelp (pups often know this means they have been too forceful and understand the yelp) a firm NO...and then immediately place an allowable item in his mouth and give him lots of praise...good boy!!!! Eventually he will get it...hands are off limits but toys are good. Same with walking...if he is too rambuctious..stop, step back and even if Kanai walks well for a second..lots of good boys. He will understand what he is doing correctly. Good luck with everything and we're all here to help. Can't wait to hear of his upcoming adventures and we LOVE photos!!! Marianne and the boys |
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