Hello All,

I am hoping someone can help me out her. I wrote a few weeks ago about
my puppy Rukka. I will give you an update. Rukka is a 10 week old Akita
(her mom) /Husky (her dad) mix. We are still working on coming to me,
sitting, walking on a lead, waiting to leave the apartment and potty
training. Its been rather frustrating, and I am wondering what I am doing
wrong. Can anyone recommend some good books?
I think part of the problem was that last weekend was spent with my
family, and three other dogs. She got to interact with two Goldens and one
Scottie. The Scottie and the older Golden both snapped at her because she
got up in their food, and she wailed for at least two solid minutes. The
younger of the two goldens was about 10 months old, and did not know how to
play with puppies, and was rather rough. Not to mention, my family watched
her for a little bit while I visited with my old high-school friends.
Needless to say, I was angry with the way they interacted with her.

Anyways, Leah, your advice (ignore treatment) worked for the begging.
Rukka, for the most part, spends dinner time at my feet, laying down. To
re-enforce the behavior, I like to give her a little food when I am finished
to show her how much I appreciate her behaving.

My problem with her is her aggression. Where to begin? First, she is
mean about her food. I have talked to a lot of different people on this
situatiuon. The vet told me puppies are normally aggressive about food, and
that I should just pet her and touch her a lot while she is eating. I do
this, and she growls only occassionally at me. Usually when I put my face
near her bowl. She growls almost all the time my girlfriend touches her.
My uncle's approach (the owner of the two goldens) was to grab her by
the scruff of the neck, and hold her down until she stopped moving. She
wailed for about a minute and than gave up. He said that this was how his
trainer dealt with aggression. Rukka looked very scared afterwards, but
warmed up to her food after a little cajoling. I tried this with her once,
and had no success. The time following this displinary measure, she growled
at me, and than immediately ran away.
I have gone back to just taking away her food for a couple of minutes,
and telling her how much I dislike this behavior.

Her second problem is biting other people. For example, tonight we went
to a political rally. I thought it would be good for her to be around a
huge crowd and loud noise. I plan on taking her to outdoor concerts, and I
do not want her to be scared in these situations. I am sure you can imagine
how many people stopped to pet her, and with all of them she immediately
jumped on them, and then started biting their hands. I let this happen a
couple of times, but than proceeded to first make her sit before anyone
would touch her, and than after a while I would hold her mouth so that she
could not bite people.
Some of my family members got the hint, and just ignored her after she
started biting. They would tell her "NO BITE." and leaver her be. Other
family member grab and held her snout. As I mentioned before, she hates
this.
She just seems to be getting worse, no matter what technique I use.

I hope someone can help out with this. I have everyone telling me that
Akitas are really aggressive, and they always have to be put down. Another
uncle had an Akita/G.Shepard mix that he had to put down. I do not want to
have my dog killed, nor do I want to have give it away, but there is no way
I can afford a lawsuit when she bites some child.

Thanks
Scottie

Snipped

Not to mention, my family watched
her for a little bit while I visited with my old high-school friends.
Needless to say, I was angry with the way they interacted with her.


The vet told me puppies are normally aggressive about food, and
that I should just pet her and touch her a lot while she is eating. I do
this, and she growls only occassionally at me. Usually when I put my face
near her bowl. She growls almost all the time my girlfriend touches her.
My uncle's approach (the owner of the two goldens) was to grab her by
the scruff of the neck, and hold her down until she stopped moving. She
wailed for about a minute and than gave up. He said that this was how his
trainer dealt with aggression. Rukka looked very scared afterwards, but
warmed up to her food after a little cajoling. I tried this with her once,
and had no success. The time following this displinary measure, she growled
at me, and than immediately ran away.
I have gone back to just taking away her food for a couple of minutes,
and telling her how much I dislike this behavior.

I am sure you can imagine
how many people stopped to pet her, and with all of them she immediately
jumped on them, and then started biting their hands. I let this happen a
couple of times, but than proceeded to first make her sit before anyone
would touch her, and than after a while I would hold her mouth so that she
could not bite people.
Some of my family members got the hint, and just ignored her after she
started biting. They would tell her "NO BITE." and leaver her be. Other
family member grab and held her snout. As I mentioned before, she hates
this.
She just seems to be getting worse, no matter what technique I use.



I don't know how close all these interactions were....but from the sounds of
it....you are throwing a LOT of different signals to the pup, and there's no
wonder why she's confused and acting out - - You haven't taught her how you
expect her to "ACT" yet.

I'm not going to tell you what method to use without more information....the
only thing I can recommend is that You and ALL Family Members are all on the
same page.

Jan

Snipped

Not to mention, my family watched
her for a little bit while I visited with my old high-school friends.
Needless to say, I was angry with the way they interacted with her.


The vet told me puppies are normally aggressive about food, and
that I should just pet her and touch her a lot while she is eating. I do
this, and she growls only occassionally at me. Usually when I put my face
near her bowl. She growls almost all the time my girlfriend touches her.
My uncle's approach (the owner of the two goldens) was to grab her by
the scruff of the neck, and hold her down until she stopped moving. She
wailed for about a minute and than gave up. He said that this was how his
trainer dealt with aggression. Rukka looked very scared afterwards, but
warmed up to her food after a little cajoling. I tried this with her once,
and had no success. The time following this displinary measure, she growled
at me, and than immediately ran away.
I have gone back to just taking away her food for a couple of minutes,
and telling her how much I dislike this behavior.

I am sure you can imagine
how many people stopped to pet her, and with all of them she immediately
jumped on them, and then started biting their hands. I let this happen a
couple of times, but than proceeded to first make her sit before anyone
would touch her, and than after a while I would hold her mouth so that she
could not bite people.
Some of my family members got the hint, and just ignored her after she
started biting. They would tell her "NO BITE." and leaver her be. Other
family member grab and held her snout. As I mentioned before, she hates
this.
She just seems to be getting worse, no matter what technique I use.



I don't know how close all these interactions were....but from the sounds of
it....you are throwing a LOT of different signals to the pup, and there's no
wonder why she's confused and acting out - - You haven't taught her how you
expect her to "ACT" yet.

I'm not going to tell you what method to use without more information....the
only thing I can recommend is that You and ALL Family Members are all on the
same page.

Jan

"Scotty OpAmp" wrote:
Can anyone recommend some good books?

"Good Little Dog Book" - Ian Dunbar

"The Other End of the Leash" - Patricia McConnell

"Bones Would Rain From the Sky" - Suzanne Clothier

"Culture Clash" - Jean Donaldson

To
re-enforce the behavior, I like to give her a little food when I am finished
to show her how much I appreciate her behaving.

In her bowl, away from the table, is best. But yea, that's always worked for
me, too. My dogs will wait patiently without begging because they know they
*might* (not always) get something after I'm finished, but never while I'm
still sitting at the table.

First, she is
mean about her food. I have talked to a lot of different people on this
situatiuon. The vet told me puppies are normally aggressive about food,

Some are, but I wouldn't say "normally."

and
that I should just pet her and touch her a lot while she is eating. I do
this, and she growls only occassionally at me. Usually when I put my face
near her bowl. She growls almost all the time my girlfriend touches her.

Okay. For a while, you and your girlfriend feed her only by hand. And don't
put your face down by her food, at least not at this point.

Here's another book you need: "Mine" by Jean Donaldson.

My uncle's approach (the owner of the two goldens) was to grab her by
the scruff of the neck, and hold her down until she stopped moving. She
wailed for about a minute and than gave up. He said that this was how his
trainer dealt with aggression.

DON'T DO IT. He was fortunate to get away with it with a golden, but you're
probably not going to get away with it with an akita. At some point, it is
VERY likely that she will respond to aggression with aggression.

Food guarding is a trust issue. The last thing you want to do is compromise
her trust even more.

Rukka looked very scared afterwards, but
warmed up to her food after a little cajoling. I tried this with her once,
and had no success. The time following this displinary measure, she growled
at me, and than immediately ran away.
I have gone back to just taking away her food for a couple of minutes,
and telling her how much I dislike this behavior.

Definitely get and read "Mine" as soon as possible.

STOP making meal time a battle of wills.

And keep her away from your uncle.

Her second problem is biting other people. For example, tonight we went
to a political rally. I thought it would be good for her to be around a
huge crowd and loud noise. I plan on taking her to outdoor concerts, and I
do not want her to be scared in these situations. I am sure you can imagine
how many people stopped to pet her, and with all of them she immediately
jumped on them, and then started biting their hands. I let this happen a
couple of times, but than proceeded to first make her sit before anyone
would touch her, and than after a while I would hold her mouth so that she
could not bite people.

Biting as in aggressive, or biting as in playing? Big huge difference. At 10
weeks old, my guess would be that it's play. Most 10 week old puppies nip in
play to some extent.

You need to forget everything you've ever heard about using physical force on
an animal. Erase erase erase.

Whenever she is engaging in an inappropriate behavior, think: "What is her
reward?" When nipping, the reward is play and attention. Even if you're
saying, "No, stop," and pushing her away, she's being rewarded with your
interaction.

First thing to try is yelp OUCH! as loud as you can, and immediately withdraw
your hands. If this is going to work, you'll see it. She'll stop, maybe back
up, possibly kiss you. Some dogs don't buy the act, though, so if it doesn't
work, don't use it.

Even if it does work, it's likely that she'll begin to nip again after a few
seconds. This is because she isn't yet conditioned that "nipping stops all the
fun." That's your goal.

In any case, as soon as teeth touch flesh, all interaction stops. When she
calms down, you can pet her again. Teeth touch flesh, you withdraw attention
and play. It will take a while for her to connect and be able to consciously
inhibit her biting, but stay patient and consistent.

That means that you need to closely supervise her interaction with other
people, to make sure they don't inadvertently reinforce the biting by
continuing to play with her.

Withdraw the reward, and show her that she can get the reward with appropriate
behavior (i.e., no biting).

Some of my family members got the hint, and just ignored her after she
started biting. They would tell her "NO BITE." and leaver her be. Other
family member grab and held her snout. As I mentioned before, she hates
this.
She just seems to be getting worse, no matter what technique I use.

It's not consistent. Be consistent. Don't let family members grab and hold
her snout.

I hope someone can help out with this. I have everyone telling me that
Akitas are really aggressive, and they always have to be put down.

Well, sure, when they're trained to be with physical force.

Actually, akitas do take special handling because they do tend to be less
accepting of strangers and other dogs than your average golden retriever. They
require a LOT of socialization, and it sounds like you're doing a good job of
it. That is, assuming that she is confident and not fearful.

Another
uncle had an Akita/G.Shepard mix that he had to put down. I do not want to
have my dog killed, nor do I want to have give it away, but there is no way
I can afford a lawsuit when she bites some child.

Then be sure to keep her away from your family. Sounds like they're toxic to
dogs.

With the proper socialization and training, especially since you're starting at
such a young age, you should be able to raise a well-adjusted, well-behaved,
friendly dog.

Make sure that she is socialized to infants, children, adults, elderly, people
in wheelchairs, people of different races, etc. Once she gets to know
somebody, they no longer count towards socialization - she needs to meet more
strangers.

By the way, she's not mean. She's confused, frustrated... and a puppy. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

"Scotty OpAmp" wrote:
Can anyone recommend some good books?

"Good Little Dog Book" - Ian Dunbar

"The Other End of the Leash" - Patricia McConnell

"Bones Would Rain From the Sky" - Suzanne Clothier

"Culture Clash" - Jean Donaldson

To
re-enforce the behavior, I like to give her a little food when I am finished
to show her how much I appreciate her behaving.

In her bowl, away from the table, is best. But yea, that's always worked for
me, too. My dogs will wait patiently without begging because they know they
*might* (not always) get something after I'm finished, but never while I'm
still sitting at the table.

First, she is
mean about her food. I have talked to a lot of different people on this
situatiuon. The vet told me puppies are normally aggressive about food,

Some are, but I wouldn't say "normally."

and
that I should just pet her and touch her a lot while she is eating. I do
this, and she growls only occassionally at me. Usually when I put my face
near her bowl. She growls almost all the time my girlfriend touches her.

Okay. For a while, you and your girlfriend feed her only by hand. And don't
put your face down by her food, at least not at this point.

Here's another book you need: "Mine" by Jean Donaldson.

My uncle's approach (the owner of the two goldens) was to grab her by
the scruff of the neck, and hold her down until she stopped moving. She
wailed for about a minute and than gave up. He said that this was how his
trainer dealt with aggression.

DON'T DO IT. He was fortunate to get away with it with a golden, but you're
probably not going to get away with it with an akita. At some point, it is
VERY likely that she will respond to aggression with aggression.

Food guarding is a trust issue. The last thing you want to do is compromise
her trust even more.

Rukka looked very scared afterwards, but
warmed up to her food after a little cajoling. I tried this with her once,
and had no success. The time following this displinary measure, she growled
at me, and than immediately ran away.
I have gone back to just taking away her food for a couple of minutes,
and telling her how much I dislike this behavior.

Definitely get and read "Mine" as soon as possible.

STOP making meal time a battle of wills.

And keep her away from your uncle.

Her second problem is biting other people. For example, tonight we went
to a political rally. I thought it would be good for her to be around a
huge crowd and loud noise. I plan on taking her to outdoor concerts, and I
do not want her to be scared in these situations. I am sure you can imagine
how many people stopped to pet her, and with all of them she immediately
jumped on them, and then started biting their hands. I let this happen a
couple of times, but than proceeded to first make her sit before anyone
would touch her, and than after a while I would hold her mouth so that she
could not bite people.

Biting as in aggressive, or biting as in playing? Big huge difference. At 10
weeks old, my guess would be that it's play. Most 10 week old puppies nip in
play to some extent.

You need to forget everything you've ever heard about using physical force on
an animal. Erase erase erase.

Whenever she is engaging in an inappropriate behavior, think: "What is her
reward?" When nipping, the reward is play and attention. Even if you're
saying, "No, stop," and pushing her away, she's being rewarded with your
interaction.

First thing to try is yelp OUCH! as loud as you can, and immediately withdraw
your hands. If this is going to work, you'll see it. She'll stop, maybe back
up, possibly kiss you. Some dogs don't buy the act, though, so if it doesn't
work, don't use it.

Even if it does work, it's likely that she'll begin to nip again after a few
seconds. This is because she isn't yet conditioned that "nipping stops all the
fun." That's your goal.

In any case, as soon as teeth touch flesh, all interaction stops. When she
calms down, you can pet her again. Teeth touch flesh, you withdraw attention
and play. It will take a while for her to connect and be able to consciously
inhibit her biting, but stay patient and consistent.

That means that you need to closely supervise her interaction with other
people, to make sure they don't inadvertently reinforce the biting by
continuing to play with her.

Withdraw the reward, and show her that she can get the reward with appropriate
behavior (i.e., no biting).

Some of my family members got the hint, and just ignored her after she
started biting. They would tell her "NO BITE." and leaver her be. Other
family member grab and held her snout. As I mentioned before, she hates
this.
She just seems to be getting worse, no matter what technique I use.

It's not consistent. Be consistent. Don't let family members grab and hold
her snout.

I hope someone can help out with this. I have everyone telling me that
Akitas are really aggressive, and they always have to be put down.

Well, sure, when they're trained to be with physical force.

Actually, akitas do take special handling because they do tend to be less
accepting of strangers and other dogs than your average golden retriever. They
require a LOT of socialization, and it sounds like you're doing a good job of
it. That is, assuming that she is confident and not fearful.

Another
uncle had an Akita/G.Shepard mix that he had to put down. I do not want to
have my dog killed, nor do I want to have give it away, but there is no way
I can afford a lawsuit when she bites some child.

Then be sure to keep her away from your family. Sounds like they're toxic to
dogs.

With the proper socialization and training, especially since you're starting at
such a young age, you should be able to raise a well-adjusted, well-behaved,
friendly dog.

Make sure that she is socialized to infants, children, adults, elderly, people
in wheelchairs, people of different races, etc. Once she gets to know
somebody, they no longer count towards socialization - she needs to meet more
strangers.

By the way, she's not mean. She's confused, frustrated... and a puppy. :}

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums