5. Loose leash walking - the new sheprador pup (heidi) has been out on a few walks and she seems to do ok for a 8 week old pup. But when I was trying to leash her up in the house or backyard for a training session she kept biting and pulling the leash with her mouth. I immediately stopped and dropped the leash and walked away so she wouldn't think it was a game. Then I took the leash and drenched it in that "no bite" spray stuff. The spray had zero effect. She did the same thing after about 3 more sessions like this. I spread each session out about an hour. Each time she kept biting the leash. Do I keep trying or is the easiest thing to just get a leash that has chain link for about the first foot that attaches to the dog? I figure she would loose interest in biting the chain links very quickly.
Some people who have had this problem give their pups a toy to carry on walks. It's particularly common in retriever breeds, who can be very mouthy and just really like having something in their mouths. There is a Lab mix in my shelter that carries around an old drink can on each of her walks.
6. My maltese has been biting more aggressively with my 3 year old and 21mo old boys. I am talking about real bites not play bites. What I have tried doing so far is sitting on the floor with the boys sitting in my lap or next to me. I have been having the boys hold a treat in one hand and put there other arm around the maltese's body. Then we treat her. It works fine when I am around she doesn't even growl. But if we aren't paying attention sometimes sure enough one of the boys will come in crying saying Madi (the maltese) bit them. I know part of this is training the boys and part is training Madi. Any suggestions?
First of all, I would not leave Madi with the kids unattended, ever. EVER. If they can't be watched with your full attention, Madi should be crated or confined to a separate room. The kids should not be allowed to play with Madi alone, for their safety and also for the sake of training. You want to ensure that Madi's interaction with the kids is 100% positive and it's hard to guarantee that no inadvertent harm is caused while you're not looking.
Second of all, what triggers these bites? Rough handling? Resource guarding? You need to figure that out before you start addressing the behaviour, and you may want to consider enlisting the help of a professional behaviourist (not obedience trainer) to diagnose this.
Lastly, having the boys treat Madi when you can supervise is a good idea, but stop putting your arm around her. It's comforting for humans, but confrontational and threatening to a dog. Instead, have them approach Madi from the side, without reaching hands out over her head, and perhaps toss treats from a short distance.
7. Training Lola the chihuahua - she is my hardest rehabilitation case. The puppy is a puppy and absorbing everything very quickly. The maltese is an alpha female and let's everyone know but she is very responsive to the treats and leash. The Chihuahua has serious emotional problems and she is way overweight. She's terrified of the children. So basically I have started by just trying to train here to come when I call her out from under the bed. She doesn't seem to be very responsive to the treats. Any ideas?
Can you find out what does motivate her? Does she like toys? Praise? Petting? Not all dogs are primarily motivated by food. When training recall, start from very short distances. Set the dog up for success -- never ask for more than you think she can do -- this helps to build confidence and allows the dog to enjoy training.
http://fearfuldogs.com may be a helpful resource.
8. Does anyone see a problem with teaching my dogs "come here" instead of "come". I just feel weird walking around saying "come". To me "come here" is more natural. Although this is my preference is there any reason my dog's wouldn't like this instead.
Absolutely no problem.