new doggie - training advice
I am looking for some advice in a few different areas. We adopted a 9 month old chocolate lab/irish wolfhound cross 3 weeks ago. She doesn't seem to have been trained at all, besides minor crate training and kind of house breaking. ( Cut for length )
Here's my thoughts on your questions ...
#1 -- Gentle Leader also make a front-attaching body harness that helps with pulling. It is maybe not QUITE as effective as the head collar, but it's pretty good -- and dogs don't seem to mind it nearly as much. Might be worth a go. Otherwise, the key to GL acceptance is short sessions and lots of treats -- have her wear it in the house for a few minutes at a time, click for anything other than fussing with the collar. (Don't leave it on her when you're not around, though.) For the leash-biting, an immediate management technique is to put some Vicks Vapo-Rub or Ben-Gay on the part of the leash near the dog. Much more distasteful than bitter apple (which some dogs find to be a yummy condiment). You can also practice leash-walking in a low-distraction environment. You might give up long leash walks for a while ... for an athletic young dog, it's not really enough exercise anyway. You'd get more bang for your time throwing a ball or training (mental exercise etc.).
#2 -- Naughty play nipping has a two-pronged solution. The first is plenty of off-leash playtime with other dogs, every day if possible. The second is a regular schedule of naps (crate or somewhere else confined and restful). Young dogs are just like most 2yo kids -- they need a nap every day, if they don't get one they're awful, and yet very few will take themselves up to bed and lie down in a crib of their own volition.
#3 -- Stepping on the leash is exactly what I'd rec. You can get faster results if you have cooperative people you can work with -- have them approach while she's sitting, but turn and walk away if she stands up. Clicks and treats for calm, quiet behavior -- of course. :)
#4 -- Crate, crate, crate. But not AFTER she's naughty -- before! If you can't watch her, pop her in the crate. Put in a chew, make it fun. You might also add marrow bones and knuckle bones (check with your butcher) to the list of fun chews. If your busy but want to keep her with you and out of trouble -- leash her to your waist while you go around the house.
#5 -- Crate or tether her to something stable. Every time she is successful at counter surfing or food stealing, she is training herself to do it again and again.
#6 -- All of my tips, and more, are the same my boss would give -- she wrote the "Everything Tricks and Training" book (last name = Bielakiewicz). If you're not using a clicker yet, get one.
#7 -- You might also read "Control Unleashed" which has lots of tips for dogs reacting inappropriately to stimuli.
It sounds like you really are doing a bang-up job. If you keep up the good work, the troubling things should get better fast. I would say the key things I would advise you to change is (1) use the crate more frequently and (2) make sure she has off-leash play with other dogs.
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