My family recently adoped a pound puppy that is a black lab/ St. Bernard. She is about 6 or seven months old and weighs about 40 lbs. She is loaded with energy and bites when she plays not to mention she is HUGE and still growing. The trouble is, my brother is having a baby due July 22nd! We are really exicted but we still want to keep the dog. She could easily kill a baby ,and that scares me, but I really want to find a way to calm her down. If worst comes to worse we could take her to an obedience school but we don't really have the funds with the baby coming and all. I actually dont know how much that costs. I apreciate any answers and thank you. [sorry if i spelled anythig wrong]
2007-06-29 11:50:31 · 9 answers · asked by Lauren 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Right off the top, you need to work on the biting behavior.
First, don't do ANY play activity that involves biting -- i.e. no tug-o-war, jumping to bite stuff you hold up, etc. Fetch is okay, even though it involves "biting" in a manner of speaking, and as long as she's not really possessive of the object being fetched.
Second, if she bites during play, that's a deal-breaker -- she should get a firm "NO!" and abruptly stop playing and/or take her back to someplace where she can be locked up for a few minutes. Repeat a few times until she plays well without biting. Always try to end the training gradually and on a positive note when she's behaving well, maybe even providing a treat so she gets a clear message that she's not being punished by stopping.
2007-06-29 12:22:16 · answer #1 · answered by HyperDog 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My friend has a saint bernard and it requires alot of exercise. She has a treadmill she puts him on in the winter and in the summer takes him out to run as much as she can. As far as the baby goes maybe get a doll about the size of a baby then start introducing it to the dog so it can see it will be ok.. Try looking on the web for more info to. Good Luck
2007-06-29 12:52:25 · answer #2 · answered by Don't make me beg!!! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try to search Google or yahoo for info about training your dog. The last thing you want is to have your dog not trained. Get your dog to know how to sit and to stop doing something. If you do that you are good to go. The baby will be O.K and the dog should not harm your brothers new baby. if anything bad happens then thats not bad info I gave you, its because bad things happen. Good luck and say hello to the new baby for me! =) I hope this helps!
2007-06-29 12:09:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
she should be fine with the baby because animals can sense a small child and will not be as rough, if anything just keep her in a separate room from the baby, or go to petsmart, their obedience is about $100 for 8 weeks. labs are hyper, but she will no to be gentle around the baby
2007-06-29 11:59:31 · answer #4 · answered by kristina n 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Obediance training can easily be done at home. Search the web or read books on training. You may also want to make sure she is getting enough exercise everyday. Take her out for a long walk or a good run everyday. If you can't get what you need by training her on your own, try contact your local Pet Smart or Pet Co. to help you with her training.
Good luck!
2007-06-29 11:57:02 · answer #5 · answered by eskie_mama2 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the way it will act with the new baby depends on the personality of the dog. my dog is a crazy freak with us, but she knows when she needs to calm down. and, if your still worried, make sure if the dog is in the room, someone who is big enough to control the dog should be holding the baby. hope this helps, good luck!
2007-06-29 12:41:35 · answer #6 · answered by laksdgjasdlgk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"worse comes to worse we could take her to an obedience school". This is the first thing you should do. The school is not for her but for you. It will teach you about dog behavior and how to teach your dog. It will give you the tools to correct behavior problems. And they will teach you that your dog needs hours and hours of exercise every single day. You calm your dog down by satisfying its exercise needs.
2007-06-29 11:57:38 · answer #7 · answered by DaveSFV 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i ve a lab (full bred) and i ve had her since my youngest was only 9 mths, we got her as a puppy and although she was boisterous to say the least she never touched my lil one. in fact she still playfully bit adults but never any kids. i m sure ur dog will calm down just don tforget aout it when the lil one comes along good luck!
2007-06-29 11:58:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
remember - repetition is key! when she bites say NO! and hold her mouth shut! practice sit and stay. for stay put your flat palm in front of her face and repeat stay. reward her with a little treat or praise when she does. then make the staying wait longer and longer. it may be frustrating but with whatever you teach her, sit, stay, come, etc..dogs learn through repetition and praise.
2007-06-29 13:05:52 · answer #9 · answered by tapeface88 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋