Any Dog Whisperers Out There?

tneah

tneah

Cathlete
Hey guys,

This is such an irritating problem, I have even written to Cesar Milan about it! No response yet.....

Out newfie Georgie is a 4 year old fixed male. He has developed a very annoying habit of selectively "humping" houseguests!x( As you can imagine, this is not a pretty sight, and is potentially dangerous having a 150 pounder coming at you. I have tried yelling at him, clapping my hands loudly to distract him when he starts to look like he might get "frisky", to no avail. And its not everyone, just some people, male and female. Oh, and he does it to other dogs too, which is a alpha thing, right?
He demands alot of attention, loves to be pet all the time (what dog doesn't?)Maybe if I have the guests ignore George as they enter the house, would this work? It is really a problem. Thanks to all you doggie people out there!
 
My hubby is a dog whisperer...he is a utility locator and has the uncanny ability to make friends with all the dogs that are roaming in the area where he works!

As far as your issue, what about filling a water gun with water and a bit of lemon juice and squirt him whenever he does that? The lemon juice will make it acidic and he might not like it. Just a suggestion.
 
I'm a cat whisperer myself, but there is a show on Animal Planet (I think?) called "It's me or the dog," where a canine behaviorist visits families with dog behavior problems. One of the episodes dealt with a 'humping' dog (yes, it is a dominance thing). I don't recall all of it, but some of what they did was put the leashed dog in a situation where he would usually hump, then when he started to, say "uh-uh" in a sharp, low voice, and pull him away. Training him took a lot of repetition and reinforcement. Maybe you can catch the episode in a rerun?
 
Hi Tneah,

Kathryn's suggestion is a good one. DH and I have watched that show too.

I'd always heard that humping was an act of trying to exert dominance. Another thing I would also suggest is reinforcing Georgie's position in the pack, i.e. that he is below you and your guests in the pack order. One way to do this is to get back to practicing basic obedience (have you and he ever been to an obedience class?). Also, some folks involved in the rescue that I adopted Rascal from recommend a method called NILF (Nothing In Life is Free) for some behavioral issues. It's based on positive reinforcement and requiring the dog to work for his/her perks. We have used it with Rascal on some things and it's worked well for us. Here's a link to a description:
http://www.dogo.org/Education/NILF.htm

Also, we met some very cool Newfie's on our vacation to Maine last week. They were the mascots for the schooner Margaret Todd. The youngest ones, Maggie and Schooner, sailed on the cruise we were on. Rascal went too! :)
 
I love Cesar Milan! Watching his shows and reading his book helped me with my dog.

Do you stop him before he approaches a potential "mate"? Is your dog fixed? I doubt ignoring him will make it go away.

I'll just share my experience. We got our 6 yr old dog, Baby, from the pound last November.

She used to demand attention as soon as I walked into the door. She didn't miss us as I thought. It was more like, "Where have you been?!? PET ME! Pet me NOW!!!" Quite demanding don't you think? ;-) As Cesar says, when you give affection, you are intensifying the current behavior. I didn't want to increase her demanding, dominate, hyper state of mind. I wait until she is calm and submissive before I give her attention. So, I wouldn't pet her until she sat down and waited. Of course her tail would be moving a mile a minute, but she was waiting on my terms (being submissive). It angers me when she barks at people demanding to be petted and people pet her before I can tell them not to do it. Because I notice she'll start doing the next thing....

Herding people when they try to leave. She'll do it to the point where she nips at their feet. I tried water bottles. But, they didn't help. It only helped her to fear and eventually want to attack the bottle because she felt threatened. I don't want a fearful dog, just a calm one. I don't yell at her or try to fighten her. I talk to her with a calm and confident tone of voice.

The root of the problem is that she views herself as the top dog. Until she was Consistently taught rules, boundaries and limitations, we had problems like this all the time.

Here is where Cesar's recommendation to first work your dog helps make everything fall into place. When my dog has sufficient work, focused walking, it brings her into a calm, peaceful state of mind. The walk helps to establish rules, boundaries and limitations. Having her wait at the door until I walk out first and then invite her to follow establishes that I'm the dominate one. Same goes for having her follow me instead of pulling on the leash. I know this sounds cruel and controling. But, it's not.

So, when I eventually go to discipline her (correct her behavior), she listens to me because I'm the pack leader. She should view everyone in the house as pack leader, not just one person in the house.

How I taught her to not herd people was to shhh her and tell her to sit down. Of course, if they don't completely view you as pack leader while they are in a focused on bad behavior state of mind, they won't listen. So, I would go over and shh her again and place my hand on her neck and have her sit down. If that didn't calm her, I would make her lie down by placing my hand on her behind and pushing down while telling her to lay down. Now, I only have to calmly say, "Don't even think about it," while pointing towards the other room. She's not happy about it, but off she trots into the other room. If she tries coming towards the door, I let her know I know what she's up to. After doing this awhile, she's gotten to where she can be near the back down and watch us leave without trying to herd us back inside. As soon as we get into the car, she jumps to the door's window to watch. But, I don't mind that.

I hope my experience helps you figure out what you should do with your dog.

Blessings,
Wendy
 
Easiest, quickest way? Put a martingale (go to a good pet store and have someone show you how to put it on and use it correctly - and do not leave it on when there are no guests) and leash on him when new people come to call. When you see him starting to get "frisky", correct him and say "No!" in a firm voice.

I'm not a fan of any kind of choke collars, but to train a Newfie not to hump or jump on guests by positive reinforcement would take a long time. If you ever see him get that "frisky look" and then decide on his own NOT to hump - then you throw him a BIG party (treats, praise...).
 
Dog training is like dieting. Not all dogs respond to the same training the same way. I've heard extremely bad things about some of Cesar's teaching. Alpha rolls can make beta or omega dogs into basket cases. And my dogs are extremely well behaved. My 7 month old Aussie pup has his Canine Good Citizen certificate, and my previous Aussie was a Search Dog and they constantly walk(ed) through doors before I did. But they knew who is boss - I just never let them think otherwise.

Just be careful what you take as gospel, because what works in one situation, may not work in another. Wendy has some great ideas - just be careful and watch your dog when you try them. I think training and advanced training go a long way towards correcting bad behaviors. If you are unsure of how to correct the behavior, consider talking to a good trainer (ask around). He or she should evalute your dog and find the best way to correct the behavior.

And yes - I am talking out of both sides of my mouth. I suggested a martingale previously, and I still think it's the fastest and most affective way to train this behavior out of your dog. If you prefer a rewards based program as opposed to a punishment one, then consider the trainer.
 
I have no advice to add just an anecdote about my Lhasa Apso Leo who is now deceased--at the age of 17. Leo never humped anyone or anything until a friend came over one day wearing rubber boots. Leo latched onto her leg and would not let go. He even snarled at me when I tried to drag him away. He hung on for dear life and we laughted until we cried. I don't know what was on those rubber boots but she finally had to make an escape. Leo's one and only humping incident.
 
I'm in agreement with all of the info you've gotten so far. I believe the best way to tackle the problem is make sure you have a leash on him when guests arrive so that you are in control. We had a female Great Pyranees who was a bit of a handful. She weighed as much as I do - love big dogs but they can be a challenge when you don't want them to do something! Good luck.

Mo
 
You are so right! I hurried up and posted since my gf called long distance before I had a chance to to clarify that every dog responds differently. I would never try to place my dog in a submissive position if it freaked her out to the point of growling or attacking me like some of the dogs do with Cesar on his show. I'd find professional help in that case.

It's takes work to develop that bond of mutual respect and trust. I once backed away from giving Cesar a listening ear because I read that he didn't recommend dogs on the bed. Then I found out that he does if it's on your terms. Just like your dogs know that you are allowing them to go first and they still respect you. I think he recommends the first one out of the door as an easy way out of the many ways one could use to establish being a pack leader.

Thanks for keeping everyone safe including the dog!:)

Blessings,
Wendy
 
Thanks for all the great advice everyone! I liked the leash idea, will try it. Also, another show, me or the dog, I believe, the trainer is an English gal...she was dealing with the same problem and suggested clanging pots together when the dog looked like he was "assuming the position." The noise distracted the dog so much, not scared him, distracted him away from the humping thing. Sooo, we will see what happens here.
My vet actually laughed and thought it was funny, and yes, I have since changed vets, I should have asked him, if he would like a demonstration, I am sure George would be happy to obligize:)
He is very smart and a sweet dog, so it will not take long to discourage this. Thanks again guys.
 
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