I need help with a very headstrong mal!

hi everyone

i am in desperate need of help with a very headstrong mal. let me tell you a bit about her.

she is 5mths old and i have aquired her for a few months to look after *long story* but she has no manners and i've never trained a mal or had one, but have had other dogs, but shes definatley not like other dogs hence my coming here for some guidance!

shes very "teenager-ish" she nips when she says hello and is generally rough-if you tell her off ( we've tried raising our voice and the "ouch" high pitch and neither have yielded success, they both just make her go for you more)

we've tried holding her down as we've been suggested but she wont submit at all, she so very headstrong. she just gets more and more angrier and wound up.

basically, i need her to know i'm the leader but at the minute she is and shes taking the pee!

please any advice...thank you!

your pinning a five month old puppy on whos advise
..thats not what makes a 'leader' (for the want of a better word)
i dont have a mal...but i have sibes..
how long have you had this pup?
what is your daily routine/training and set up?

Instead of criticising the OP, why not point out the benefits P.R. ?

Since I have GSD's and you have Sibe's then maybe you're in a better position than me to offer some constructive advice. Over to you...

...... i asked for more info in the chance i may be of help ...no need for you to criticise my response thanks

- She is a baby....and a baby in a new situation.

She needs to learn to trust you and a bit of self control. Be patient with her, she will not be thinking in terms of Boss....
she will be thinking in terms of the world is new and exciting.

Puppys play with their mouths - so teach her to nibble on toys instead.....and find a nice Puppy class....APDT or similar.

Hi Courtnez, welcome to the forum.

I'd suggest that you avoid holding your dog down for the following reasons:

Although you may able "win" at the moment (note use of inverted commas), there'll come a time (maybe 5 or 6 months from now) where physically, you won't be able to manage this any more.

I was told to do this at class (not by the instructor, but one of the helpers). I tried it a few times, and quite frankly - I felt crap about myself. I ended up feeling frustrated and angry -at mysel, at the dog - any hope of achieving anything went out of the window.

Is she getting enough excercise (mental and physical) ? You'll get wildly varying suggestions as to what constitutes "enough excercise", e.g. going by the 5min/day/month of age guide, my youngest would run wild in the house at 3 months of age. To overcome this I'd take him out for longer periods of time, but have a gentle bimble allowing him to ponder about having a good sniff and meeting as many people/dogs as possible. Generally socialising.

Is she on a decent food?

As Tassle suggested, find a class that you can both enjoy, and build your relationship with her.

All the best.

Michael

First things first, please dont pin her to the ground You want to teach the pup to trust and respect you.

Find a good puppy class. As others have said, look on the APDT website.

Start putting some rules and boundaries into place. I would also recommend teaching her simple things like getting her to sit and wait for her food, sit for her lead to be put on etc.

Have a look at what diet she is on. If shes on one thats full of sugar, thats the first thing that needs to change.

As others have said with the mouthing, puppies explore the world with their teeth. Make sure she has plenty of toys and bones. I would perhaps put a house line on her around the house so that as soon as she bites, you can put her in a time out in another room. Repeated repetitions of this and she will quickly learn that biting = no attention whatsoever. So make sure you aren't pushing her away, shouting at her, giving her eye contact etc. Just pick up the lead and guide her out of the room the instant she bites.

Make sure she is getting plenty of physical and mental stimulation. A tired dog is a happy dog as they say

Malamute or malinois?

rune

That's what I was going to ask, if it's the latter you'll never win a fight with her.
They are like tightly coiled springs, just waiting to release.

I was going to ask the same question as Rune.

First of all, forget all the dominance stuff. You are headed down the confrontation route and with a strong dog especially, it's doubtful you'll win.

Training is key. Teach a solid sit and use it for greetings. Keep those greetings calm and at the first sign of mouthing, walk away calmly, returning to greet again when she is calm again.

You are aiming for cooperation rather than confrontation, but it sounds as though you are a little out of your depth at the moment so a good class or one-to-one instruction with a trainer who doesn't use confrontation (APDT trainer should be good) and I think you will be amazed at the difference.