Why does he do this?

[sarros0510]

Hello! I need help understanding this behavior as well as some advice on stopping it. My boy is a 12 week old English mastiff and I've had him for 4 weeks now. He's very smart and can be extremely stubborn like a true mastiff. I've come a long way with him. The only thing I'm having issues with is anytime anyone is down on the floor (including the cat), he tries to climb. It's like he's trying to smash you down into the floor. I already have a hard time pushing him off me and when I do he gets nippy and will bark/slightly growl. It's not an aggressive growl by any means. I'm not even sure that he's trying to play. It's really bad when he tries it on my 3 and 5 year olds. He's great with them and usually gentle for the most part. Firmly telling him "off" or "no" does not work when he does this. Those commands are familiar to him and he responds in other circumstances. Anyone have any experience with this? He's very rarely alone for longer than an hour or two and we are typically only gone during nap times when he's crated. A second issue is that he sometimes gets verbally combative and nippy when he's disciplined (firm verbal command to stop doing whatever he's doing). How do I deal with that? Thanks in advance!!!

 

[season]

Ok, well, if your dog isn't listening to you when you tell him no then you have problems. Your dog is clearly running the show or at least trying to. If your dog doesn't understand "no" (and it's not the word but the energy you are sending. Calm assertive) then he doesn't see you as the leader. You will continue to have problem after problem guaranteed unless you put a stop to this. Read the attached article. It's probably against your nature to be a strong, aloof, calm, assertive leader but that doesn't mean you can't learn.

Leerburg Dog Training | The Ground Work to Becoming Your Puppy's Pack Leader

 

[season]

also, if you can't control your dog please keep your kids away from it. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. You are raising a liability and if you can't figure it out you are better off finding a better home for your dog before your kids get hurt. You use words like "usually gentle for the most part"...give me a break. That type of description is weak and passive aggressive. Yes, I am criticizing you because you need it in order to bring reality to you. Again, read the article I gave you and if you can't get it together with your dog do the right thing and find a better home with better leadership.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

Just a word of advice, season. Try being a little more diplomatic in your responses. People might tend to take what you have to say more seriously. There's no reason to come in here spouting your 'knowledge' like a $%^$%^%.

 

[teodora]

really... he should rehome his 12 weeks because the puppy barks, lol! )))

sarros - don't worry, my Jack does exactly the same, as long as you're consistent and you don't react to him being vocal, he will grow out of it.

 

[Ginurse]

My understanding is that puppies will nip and bite people who are playing on the ground with them, because the puppy sees them as fellow puppies/playmates.

My 11 week old EM nips and bites when my kids have rolled around with him on the ground. I have taught them to sit on the couch, or a low chair when petting him and showing him love. He is too young and impulsive to see a small human as anything other than another puppy? I could be wrong...so far this has been working.

 

[Ginurse]

Just a word of advice, season. Try being a little more diplomatic in your responses. People might tend to take what you have to say more seriously. There's no reason to come in here spouting your 'knowledge' like a jerk.

+100

Yep, I am a newbie and shouldn't go there, but I can't help myself.

This is the best darned mastiff forum around, because it is known that you can get great advice here.

Newbie rant off.

 

[sarros0510]

Ok... Maybe I should clarify. He listens to my commands, as well as the ones given by my kids (sit, drop it)... The only time he doesn't respond is when we're sitting on the floor and he's trying to climb on top of us. I guess it's not a very commanding position?

For the record, I will never leave my children unattended with an animal even if I trust it. Both children and pets can be unpredictable. My kids aren't allowed to pull ears, tails, hair, or feet and climbing on pets is never ok. They won't even sit on a pony bc they think they'll hurt it

I can handle brutal honesty and I welcome it. I hope that I have clarified things a bit better. I don't feel that he's a danger to my kids.

 

[sarros0510]

also, if you can't control your dog please keep your kids away from it. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. You are raising a liability and if you can't figure it out you are better off finding a better home for your dog before your kids get hurt. You use words like "usually gentle for the most part"...give me a break. That type of description is weak and passive aggressive. Yes, I am criticizing you because you need it in order to bring reality to you. Again, read the article I gave you and if you can't get it together with your dog do the right thing and find a better home with better leadership.

Thanks for the article. I appreciate the response and am not offended by any means. I made a post and you gathered what you could from what I wrote and gave your two cents. I don't think I got my ideas across effectively since your post doesn't relate to the actual situation at hand. I'm far from passive aggressive and I'm also a brutally honest person. I can guarantee you that I would never in a million years sacrifice my children's safety for anything. I have high expectations for my family. I'm glad you spoke up. It's obvious that you're concerned for my kids. It's important for people to speak up the way you do. Anyone that takes offense needs to understand that this is the internet. Again, thanks for the article and I plan on reading it when I get a chance

 

[sarros0510]

also, if you can't control your dog please keep your kids away from it. I'm not going to sugar coat anything. You are raising a liability and if you can't figure it out you are better off finding a better home for your dog before your kids get hurt. You use words like "usually gentle for the most part"...give me a break. That type of description is weak and passive aggressive. Yes, I am criticizing you because you need it in order to bring reality to you. Again, read the article I gave you and if you can't get it together with your dog do the right thing and find a better home with better leadership.

I read the article and it has some tips that I'm going to try along with other articles that may be helpful. Thanks again for the resource!

 

[irina]

Sounds like what Ajax used to do when he was younger. We don't have kids, but he would try to climb on top of me or my husband whenever we were on the floor for any reason and actually hump us. Firm show of dissatisfaction and consistency fixed it for the most part. Now at 1.5 years old he still tries to do it occasionally when he gets carried away in an excited play, but it is rare and a firm AH! (We use it instead of NO) knocks the sense back into him. So don't worry, just be consistent and firm. And kids should not be at the same level as the dog (on the floor), so that he does not see them as equals.

 

[remi]

Many dogs see anyone child or adult on the floor as their equals but when you stand you "take your power back" becoming above the dog in the pack order. I still have to do that with Remi at times even with her intense training to get her to become a service dog (already well on her way at 8 months).

 

[Max's mom]

I'm by no means an expert. What I have found is that with suggestions and kindness of most people on the forum, I've been able to find things that really help with whatever situation I have at hand. Puppy's play, climb, bite, squash (Max is 160# and still likes to lay directly on top of us!), run, romp, bark, growl and pull. Generally, the more you want them to stop...the less they will do what you want. The more I insisted No or Stop, Max just turned on! I learned to follow the stop or all done command with another. Max rough houses with my 19 year old. They are both idiots! When it's getting rough and just to practice, we call out "all done". Max will stop and look at who gave the command and then is told down or sit. Patted for being a good boy and he usually rolls over for some belly rubs. I think they need a next step after the no or stop.

4 weeks is not enough time to even learn your puppy's body language or signs. Considering rehoming now seems a bit premature to me...but then you must remember that much of what you run across on the forum is opinion. Take what you like or find helpful and leave the rest here.

Puppy classes and consistent training with calm yet confident behavior from you will help you establish a leader role and good classes teach you how to teach and work with your puppy for optimum results. They will even work with you and your children, teaching them acceptable behavior and how to work with the puppy. If he is overly excited when you are all on the floor and won't stop his play/listen to your command, do the "all done" verbal cue, stand up, cross your arms in front of you and turn away (you didn't listen and I'm not going to look at you or play with you until you calm down).

Good luck with your puppy. I can't imagine my life without my Max now.

 

[Effie]

I've read that when they get "nippy" and bite, if they don't respond to "no" or "ah!" then you should turn your back on them and refuse to play until they calm down. (Oh, I see Max's mom explained it better!) The best thing I've found is having an adult dog or dogs who are willing to play with the puppy, they quickly teach the puppy proper manners, they speak the language the puppy understands. My older female BM taught my younger female to stop nipping within a couple of weeks by using sounds that we could barely hear but the puppy heard and understood. Now our younger girl is teaching our new male puppy!

 

[Lilliput]

Yeah, rehoming is completely ridiculous. You explained it fine in the first place, Sarros. Season just thinks everything is a dominance battle.

Xena is younger than your boy but what works with her is a firm "ahht", if that doesn't work I deep end my voice and snap my fingers along with " ahht", and my final warning is a single hand clap with a very sharp "AHHT". I've only had to clap twice, both times were when my toddler was wearing a particularly irresistible dress that was just begging to be pulled...

You also might try keeping a leash on him if he's chasing/jumping so that you have some control. The vocalizations as you're describing them sound playful and normal. I personally allow two barks max but I don't correct for growls. And we might be in the minority but we love her laying on us and are looking forward to her smothering us on the couch when she's bigger.

Oh, Xena sometimes gets nippy with corrections but only when she is restless or overtired. Just like a kid, if I give a correction and she grunts/jumps around/nips at her tail, I know she is needing either exercise or sleep. If you see him acting agitated like that I would redirect with a training session.

 

[season]

You are welcome. I Hope it helps. I also want to salute u for not taking my words and getting all emotional and defensive. That says a lot about you as a person. Too many ppl get all bent out of shape when it comes to constructive criticism. Most ppl don't want to hear it unless it's soft and cuddly. That's not me. I received a "warning" from whoever it is that decides ppl are mean. So I guess I'm mean for giving my honest opinion. Anyway, again, I salute u for handling it like an adult. Keep me posted (unless the "mean police" decide to ban me).

Thanks for the article. I appreciate the response and am not offended by any means. I made a post and you gathered what you could from what I wrote and gave your two cents. I don't think I got my ideas across effectively since your post doesn't relate to the actual situation at hand. I'm far from passive aggressive and I'm also a brutally honest person. I can guarantee you that I would never in a million years sacrifice my children's safety for anything. I have high expectations for my family. I'm glad you spoke up. It's obvious that you're concerned for my kids. It's important for people to speak up the way you do. Anyone that takes offense needs to understand that this is the internet. Again, thanks for the article and I plan on reading it when I get a chance

 

[season]

Lastly, clarifying your original post painted a much clearer picture for me and the situation. Keep keeping on. You'll get it.

 

[season]

In the end your dog needs to learn NO means NO. Period. It's not cute for any puppy nip, bite, get on top of you etc. especially smaller children. There are too many people that get dogs for great reasons but don't understand pack structure. Rules, boundaries and limitations. That's why we have pounds and rescues filled with innocent dogs. Like I said, I'm glad you took my words constructively. As I have told others, I can't control how ppl feel. I'm not in charge of others emotions. That's on them. I just give the advice./opinions. Take it or leave it. Practice the things talked about in the article (and others) and u will see change. Best wishes sarros0510.


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[sarros0510]

Thanks for all the replies from everyone! Dogs are a lot like children... Each one is different and responds to different things.

season- I was never coddled as a child so I guess I have thicker skin. I was raised to be realistic and respectful. When someone asks for an opinion, it should be expected that they're not necessarily going to like/agree with what they get... But we all have the option to ignore whatever rubs us the wrong way. I'm sorry that you got flagged for your response. Some people really need the reality check in order to learn. To each their own, I suppose. Beating around the bush is counter productive and doesn't solve anything. Sometimes being "harsh" is the only way to get the point across

 

[Smokeycat]

Kryten was the same way when he was younger. Get on the floor and he would climb over you. We solved it by teaching him that if he wanted to be near us when sitting on the floor he had to stay beside or just his head could be in a lap. First he would be commanded to lay down if he ignored the command we got up and once he laid down we would sit down again. He now knows that sitting on the floor means he has to be calm and gentle, hands and knees however and the game is on.