What the hell am I doing wrong?..small snappy dog😥

[Couldsleeptillnextyear]

8 months old..pug/ chihuahua bit of terrier cross breed dog...super duper out and about,can do recall,amazing with other dogs ,she wows people constantly,she gets so much fuss from strangers,she rolls on her back for tummy rubs from strangers ,is all sweetness and light with everyone.....other than us ,her family🙁We get growled at and she snaps if we try to lift her off the sofa,or table or chair or bed...or today my dh went to pick her up and she snapped at him😢....I get less of it as she's with me the most and I don't pick her up....I'm constantly saying don't pick the dog up...would you pick up a Great Dane...no..then don't pick her up...it's getting better,they are getting better at not picking her up..what else can I can do...she's never bit anyone ,I'm sure if she meant to do us harm she would bite and draw blood ,not just snap...so I'm assuming she's warning us,stop I don't like that...am I right? What else / more / different can I do....I feel like Im Failing her..she goes to puppy class each week.

We bought this book and watched a lot of this guy's youtube videos before we bought our most recent puppy.

www.amazon.co.uk/Zak-Georges-Dog-Training-Revolution/dp/1607748916?tag=mumsnetforum-21

The guy is very good, focused on positive methods, and we've found his techniques quite effective. We've had some trouble with our puppy getting on the couch (in fact she's sat there right now, but by invitation so she's fine lol) and she's much too big to lift off. We worked on 'off' with her for ages. We'd get her to jump on the couch, and if she did it, fuss and treat. Then tell her off, and point to where we want her to go, and if she did it, fuss and treat. Keep doing it over and over, lots of training sessions, to get it to sink in. She's got it now, pretty much, but we keep practicing it with her to be sure, like everything we teach her basically. We have little pots of treats all over the house to do impromptu training sessions whenever the opportunity comes up.

We also had trouble with snapping too, which we generally respond to with a firm no, and either change the situation, or use distraction to change her behaviour. So if she's on my lap and she snaps at me, a firm no, and she goes on the floor, or out of the room, or distract with a toy. If she snaps during play, we take the toy away, have her sit and wait to get the toy back until she's calm. If she takes the toy back gently, lots of fuss and carry on playing with her.

Consistency is key, everyone needs to use the same commands, and enforces the same rules. And the dog needs to understand what the commands mean. With plenty of repetition and practice, she will learn. As with a lot of dog issues, it's about training the owners as much as the dog, so setting in stone that the dog is not picked up at all, have them all practicing the off command with her and treating her when she does it. She will get it, if they all stick with it, and she shoud have no reason to snap at anyone that way.

Thanks Kat Marie I will have a look at that x

If your training group has focused on dominance theory you need to find another group.

It's no longer acceptable to use this method. You are not a dog. Your dog is not a wolf either.

There are so many things to look at with wolves when it comes to dominance and submissive. From the subtle eye flicks, to the ear twitch before the full blown on the back belly up.

You can never mimic this. All your doing is confusing the poor dog who doesn't understand what you want.

So please find a new puppy class, private trainer anything that doesn't advocate dominance theory.

Also avoid anything that mentions shock collars, pinch collars, choke/check chains, spray collars or anything that uses negative reinforcements. You want positive reinforcement at all time.

is the chap who originally coined the term "alpha wolf" explaining why he was wrong.

This article explains the issues with dominance theory in relation to dogs very well and there are also loads of good articles that are well worth reading on this list.

Some of the methods used by trainers in the name of dominance are just silly (like eating crackers out of your dogs bowl whilst they watch) and some (like alpha rolling) are potentially dangerous. Some, though, can actually have a beneficial effect on a dog's behaviour, just not for the reasons a dominance based trainer will tell you.

A good example is getting your dog to wait when you put their food down and expecting them to wait to eat until you tell them they can. A dominance based trainer will tell you this is good because it reinforces your position as leader of the pack because you're providing the food and controlling the dog's access to it. In reality it's a very handy and easy to do impulse control exercise and improving a dog's impulse control often has a positive effect on their behaviour in general. The same goes for making sure you go through doors first or waiting to go up/down stairs until you have done.

Whilst it's possible to cherry pick the useful (if completely misunderstood) bits from dominance based training, you can't rely on the advice from such a trainer as they're demonstrating a complete misunderstanding of dog behaviour plus a lack of desire to keep up with science. Unless you're very experienced and are using a class as socialisation without actually needing any input at all from the trainer then you're risking taking on board advice which could be useless at best or potentially make things much worse.

I would also recommend finding a better class to go to or another trainer to work with on a one to one basis. The Dog Training Advice and Support FB group (which is run by highly respected professionals who advocate the use of modern, science based and force free methods) is well worth joining to ask for a recommendation in your area. You could also get a referral to a behaviourist from your vet or go through one of these organisations to find someone reputable.

Thanks cornflakes,I will read those now

.

You need to find a behaviourist who is ABTC, APBC or APDT accredited ( the best are all three). Your dog sounds like a training method called ‘learn to earn’ would be great for them and is entirely based on positive reinforcement, but you need a good behaviourist to show you how to implement it.