You are here:

Canine Behavior/Puppy rough play

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/22/2008


Question
We have a 4 month old yellow Lab who plays very rough, she has drawn blood and pulls viciously on our mature dogs face, she has also caused stress related uti in our mature cat, please help us control her play

Answer
Your puppy may never have learned appropriate play behavior among her littermates and supervised by her dam (mother.)  You don't mention her breeding, where and by whom she was bred, etc., so I have to guess that her breeding was not properly supervised and she may have been removed from her littermates at far too young an age.  She needs some serious socialization with other dogs her own age, so I suggest you find a dog training club near your home that has a puppy kindergarten and begin some early obedience work, while observing her interaction with other pups under the watchful gaze of a trainer.  Do NOT USE choke collars or ANY NEGATIVE training techniques with this dog; you'll produce a problem.  If you can't find a training venue where positive reinforcement is used, go to Karen Pryor's web site and learn about clicker training and begin teaching this pup the behaviors that will please YOU and reward HER.  In the meantime, your mature dog (you don't say how old this dog is) should be putting this pup into her place.  If your mature dog is not doing that, then it's up to you to supervise their interaction by putting the pup on a long house leash (lightweight cotton up to 16 feet) and interrupting her rough "play" with an alternative behavior that you can praise her for (such as being reeled in on leash and "sitting" on command.)  Do not tolerate her rough "play" with you!  If she begins to use her teeth, get up and turn your back, then try again.  Absolutely NO rough housing with this dog at any time and NO tug of war games.  Teach her obedience commands using the clicker and reward what you WANT and ignore what you DO NOT want.  If any further problems develop, repost.

By the way, UTI is not caused by stress.  Stress might cause the cat's immune system to depress and an opportunistic infection might jump on board.  Ask your veterinarian about a low ash diet to eliminate any food related connection with the UTI.  There are several prescription diets out there which prevent this from reoccurring.

Canine Behavior

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jill Connor, Ph.D.

Expertise

I have spent my entire professional life rehabilitating the behavior of the domestic dog and I can answer any question regarding any behavior problem in any breed dog. If you are a caring, committed owner and need advice, I'm here for you. THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES for serious behavioral issues; not only is it unprofessional to offer same, it is also unethical. IF I ASK YOU SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS, I NEED YOU TO INTERACT WITH ME. More information equals more credible answers and a more successful outcome. If you want ANSWERS THAT WORK, participate in any way I request. I'm quite committed to working on this site for YOUR benefit and the benefit of YOUR DOG. Help me in any way you can.

Experience

30 years of solving serious behavior problems in domestic dogs; expert in dog to human aggression; Internet columnist for ThePetChannel.com for 5 years; former radio talk show host, WHPC.FM, Garden City, NY "Bite Back" (1995 through 2000). List owner, international animal behavior experts, K9Shrinks@egroups.com. Seminar leader: "Operant Conditioning and Learning"; "Aggression in The Domestic Dog"; "Solving Problem Behaviors" -- conducted for various training facilities on Long Island from 1993 through 2000. Former clinical director of "Behavioral Abnormalities" in conjunction with Mark Beckerman, DVM, Hempstead, New York.

Organizations
Member, APDT (UK); Psychologists in Ethical Treatment with Animals

Publications
Harcourt Brace Learning Direct: "The Business of Dog Training" "The Fail Safe Dog: Brain Training, not Pain Training"

Education/Credentials
Ph.D., UC Berkeley

Past/Present Clients
Board of Directors: Northeast Dog Rescue Connection; The Dog Project; Sav-A-Dog Foundation; etc. Pro Bono counselor: Little Shelter Humane Society My practice is presently limited to forensics. I diagnose cause of dog bite, based upon testimony before the Court, for attorneys and insurance companies litigating dog bites, including fatal injuries. I also do pro bono work for bona fide rescue organizations, humane societies, et al, regarding such analysis in an effort to obtain release for dogs being held for death in municipal shelters in the US.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.