I really need help!!! I purchased this just this morning, and I can't hardly wait to begin training. I am the proud mama of a 10 month old Rottie. I have never owned one before, but have had several large dogs in the past, such as Cane Corso, Dobermman, German Shepherds, etc. I had never experienced what I am now, with any of them before. Bruno has always been a mama's boy, and always listened to me , but not always with my husband. Still though , he was a pretty good puppy until lately. He growls and throws a fit when my husband tries to dry his feet, I would hear him and go out and he would stop. Last week, it escalated , and he bit my husband. I scolded him and he seemed better. This morning it happened again. I know that we should have purchased this sooner, but I never had to do this with the other breeds. We had taken him to get fixed in late December. I noticed also that he started going for the trash and will not listen when told a command. I love him very much, but I have to get this situation fixed. He is very demanding with attention, and will bark non stop when we have company. I know We did so many things wrong in the beginning. Is it too late to fix this?
Congrats on the new dog, and hopefully we can help!
Sounds like you have three basic problems : Bruno disobeying your husband, disliking having his paws touched, and Bruno scavenging food.
The other issue of general not listening and being a bit disobedient is likely an age thing, and a general "new to the household and needs to keep being trained". I'd say work on fixing the top three first, and likely the disobedience will get better
First off - being more naughty with your husband. Have you husband take over some direct influential roles - start feeding Bruno, walking Bruno, etc. If Bruno starts seeing your husband as a provider of the good things, he'll likely start to respect and listen more. Your husband should also start having a few training sessions every day with Bruno, just 10-15 minutes at a time, but repetitious.
Second problem - a lot of dogs have issues with their feet being touched, and truth is, its just a gradual process of getting them used to it bit by bit. When he's calm, start working your hands all over him - face, muzzle, body, belly, legs, and paws. Take it slowly, and tell him how good he's being when he tolerates it. Start doing it at least a couple times a day. If the only time you go for his paws is when you're drying them off, he won't really get used to it - its about repetition and rewarding his good reactions
As far as scavenging food from the trash, I'd start by getting a trash can he can't get into - one with a foot pedal or a latch is ideal. Second, start training Bruno that the area around the trash is off limits - go into the kitchen and tell him "no" when he goes near it. Call him to you, and reward him with pats. Any time you see him near it, do the same. Eventually, he should learn its a no-go zone. I used a similar, simple training method with my dog and the front door, where he always liked to lay down so that he was directly in the way! He caught on really quickly, and all I had to do was keep saying "no" or "out".
You might also consider putting the trash in a pantry or cupboard, and using scented bags if no amount of training seems to work. Some dogs just will always go for the trash, and you end up simple barriering it away.
Please let us know how things go, or if you have more questions. Hopefully you see progress soon! And definitely don't think its too late to train out of these behaviours - 10 months is quite young, and it sounds like you are very forward thinking with dogs, so I have no doubts you'll be fine!
Thank you for the advice. First, I may have been misleading. We have had Bruno since the end of May. These behaviors have just recently began. I must say though, since receiving tips from news letter, Bruno has been better. I see the problem was us and he is acting out as a result. I am so excited to get the dvd's and start over. We have not yelled or physically touched him except to love on him, and we are seeing huge changes. I do need to get a trash can with a lid for sure. As for the other issues with the feet, I will give him (and always have) full body massages which he totally loves, feet and all. I really think its an adolescent issue. Non the less, we need to fix this!! Thank you again for your thoughts and suggestions.
