New Dog in Northern Virginia

[GoingMyWay]

I have heard that retrievers have "soft" mouths.  I wondered if that was automatic or if they had to be taught that.

I've tried using my finger to both push down under and over his tongue while gripping his lower jaw.  He'll stop biting when I do that, but then he'll go back to biting me.  I haven't tried with the roof of his mouth and top of his muzzle.

I kinda started with the whole muzzle in my mouth technique.  He seems to get scared when I do that or just when I bear my teeth and growl in general.  But neither are a permanent solution.  I think - "Ah I fixed him!" only to have him start biting me shortly there after.  I was actually afraid to bear my teeth and/or growl as I thought that might make him more aggressive or give him some other behavioral issue like him not liking me.

 

[peter halle]

I guess I might not be as weird as I thought.  The roof of the mouth is hard but surprisingly sensitive.  As anyone who has novacaine injected by the dentist there.

He will get it.  Repeat as necessary.  Firm.  He will shown discomfort and squirm.  Wait for yelp.  The idea is not to hurt but to be firm and show control.  He has to learn thru repetition.  He is still a baby after all.

If I could ever shoot a video of my two goldens doing their wrestling and pack training episodes it would illustrate aspects of control that they naturally understand.  The posturing, the widely opened mouths, the shark faces, etc.

Just my 2 cents.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

If I could ever shoot a video of my two goldens doing their wrestling and pack training episodes it would illustrate aspects of control that they naturally understand.  The posturing, the widely opened mouths, the shark faces, etc.

Ain’t that the case [big grin]

I was just watching our two go at it, mouths opened, low level of growling, you’d think they were going to kill each other but it’s just dad teaching his daughter the rules of the road.

I just have to wipe his daughters head off and remove all of the slobber.  [tongue]

 

[Bohdan]

I have also - and I don't recommend this for the squeamish - stuck their entire muzzle in my mouth, clamped down, looked them in their eyes and growled softly but deeply.

Peter

I had a German Shepard pup that bit me with those razor sharp teeth. I grabbed him, held him so that he couldn't escape and while growling, slowly bit him on the nose. After that, any time that his teeth accidentally touched me, his tail would disappear and he would drop to the ground.

You have to teach them who's the boss.

 

[peter halle]

If I could ever shoot a video of my two goldens doing their wrestling and pack training episodes it would illustrate aspects of control that they naturally understand.  The posturing, the widely opened mouths, the shark faces, etc.

Ain’t that the case [big grin]

I was just watching our two go at it, mouths opened, low level of growling, you’d think they were going to kill each other but it’s just dad teaching his daughter the rules of the road.

I just have to wipe his daughters head off and remove all of the slobber.  [tongue]

---And ten minutes later they are sleeping snuggled against each other? 

MY wife just remembered that the term we use is "gentle mouth" not soft mouth.  Both of us would chant that will doing the roof of the mouth thing.

I am not a dog trainer by any means.  Most of our dog training has been thru osmosis via a previously trained dog.  Moose trained Zorro.  Zorro trained Shadow, Blazer, and Goldie.  Goldie trained MacGyver.  MacGyver is training Indiana Jones. 

One thing that our dogs have done is really key into eyes and facial expressions.  Mac for example will lie on the dogs bed in the kitchen and constantly scan both of our faces while we are standing at the kitchen island.  i.e "is there something you want me to do?"  Indie will sit and stair at faces.

Recently I read that dogs respond to eyes - particularly left eyes.  I have tried blinking with the left eye while they were studying my face and it seems to be true.

Also I read that hugging your dog isn't so good.  Dogs lean just like cats brush legs.  Instead of a hug take one arm and press your friend against the side of your leg and hold it there.  It is pretty cool to see them then applying the pressure to your leg.

Just another 1 cent.

Peter 

 

[Tinker]

You need to know something about the breed who you try to hug or not to hug.  Goldens are dogs you can hug but you don't want to hug a german shepard or a border collie. A lab just doesn't care to stand still to be hugged. A Jack Russel you probably cannot get close enough to hug. They will most likly be constantly on the move. Not all dogs in  a particular breed show the same characteristics, but you can figure the odds if you understand the background.

An exception:
I had a situation with a customer's dog one time.  The owner was an ex army colonel.  His dog was named Major.  I guess the owner did not want to be outranked by his dog. The Major was mean. Whenever I drove into the yard, the dog would jump up onto the hood of my Willys Jeep pickup truck.  It had that flat hood so it was easy for him.  Once on the hood, he continued barking and would attck the windshield, banging his teeth loudly against the glass.  I would wait for the Colonel to put the major into the house before i would get out of the truck. Hey, i was only a PFC!

One day,I had to check driveways for ice while my crews loading the truck with sand. (That was in the days of using loaders with hickory booms to load trucks) The house was high on a hill with three other houses at the bottom of the hill. I parked between the three driveways at the bottom of the hill and started walking up the driveway that was protected by the major.  Before heading up the driveway, i checked to be sure major was not patrolling so early in the morning.  Good.  I started walking until I was half way between the house and my truck.  Suddenly, here comes major in full voice.  i looked at major, looked at my truck. There was no way i could get back to my truck before receiving disciplinary measures from the major.  So, I just stood there until major got within maybe 30 feet from me.  At that point, i dropped to my hands and knees, started yipping and sticking out my tougue like I wanted to lick him and play. He came straight at me and just started licking my face.  By the time the Colonel showed up, the major was actually playing with the non-com.  From that point on, the two of us got along fine with no further hostilities. Of course, when i told my crew what had happened, there were a few suggestions that the PFC should be escorted to the mental ward.
Tinker

 

[Cheese]

Great story Tinker... [big grin]

All of the goldens we've had were huggers. Throw your arms around them and they'll take it for literally hours. Jackson needs to touch you when he lies down. If I sit on the couch lengthwise, he jumps up and buries his head between my leg and the back of the couch, thus insuring a tight fit. After 5 minutes he moves forward some more now generating a press fit. [eek] 

You're right Peter, 10 minutes later they're lying next to one another sleeping or trying to share a toy.

 

[Sparktrician]

You need to know something about the breed who you try to hug or not to hug.  Goldens are dogs you can hug but you don't want to hug a german shepard or a border collie. A lab just doesn't care to stand still to be hugged.

HA!  My German Shepherds love to be hugged.  One (no longer with me) used to come to me in the evening, and in his own way asked for snuggle time.  I'd slide down off the couch and he'd curl up along my side and rest his head on my thigh while I stroked him and whispered to him.  He just loved that.  And the Lab that was the love of my life would roll on her back in the middle of the floor.  I'd sit with my legs straddling her head, lean over and give her belly rubs as long as my back would allow, all while gazing into her deep brown eyes.  She would take that as long as I would offer it.  It was a wonderful bonding experience with both of them.  When the Lab was spayed, my ex and I (both Reiki practitioners) went to the vet's place and did a good Reiki session for her while she was still loopy from the sedative.  When I picked her up the next day, she was running around just as if nothing had happened to her.  Any time after that when my ex or I had a Reiki client come over, she would do ANYTHING to lie under the Reiki table while we did our work.  As soon as the session was over, she was up and running like a puppy again.  She loved to get Reiki until she died almost 10 years ago.  Man, do I miss that sweet girl... 

 

[Tinker]

You need to know something about the breed who you try to hug or not to hug.  Goldens are dogs you can hug but you don't want to hug a german shepard or a border collie. A lab just doesn't care to stand still to be hugged. A Jack Russel you probably cannot get close enough to hug. They will most likly be constantly on the move. Not all dogs in  a particular breed show the same characteristics, but you can figure the odds if you understand the background.

You need to know something about the breed who you try to hug or not to hug.  Goldens are dogs you can hug but you don't want to hug a german shepard or a border collie. A lab just doesn't care to stand still to be hugged.

  Not all dogs in  a particular breed show the same characteristics, but you can figure the odds if you understand the background.

HA!  My German Shepherds love to be hugged.  One (no longer with me) used to come to me in the evening, and in his own way asked for snuggle time.  I'd slide down off the couch and he'd curl up along my side and rest his head on my thigh while I stroked him and whispered to him.  He just loved that.  And the Lab that was the love of my life would roll on her back in the middle of the floor.  I'd sit with my legs straddling her head, lean over and give her belly rubs as long as my back would allow, all while gazing into her deep brown eyes.  She would take that as long as I would offer it.  It was a wonderful bonding experience with both of them.  When the Lab was spayed, my ex and I (both Reiki practitioners) went to the vet's place and did a good Reiki session for her while she was still loopy from the sedative.  When I picked her up the next day, she was running around just as if nothing had happened to her.  Any time after that when my ex or I had a Reiki client come over, she would do ANYTHING to lie under the Reiki table while we did our work.  As soon as the session was over, she was up and running like a puppy again.  She loved to get Reiki until she died almost 10 years ago.  Man, do I miss that sweet girl...

 

[Cheese]

If I could ever shoot a video of my two goldens doing their wrestling and pack training episodes it would illustrate aspects of control that they naturally understand.  The posturing, the widely opened mouths, the shark faces, etc.

Here you go [member=1674]Peter Halle[/member] , I took this a few weeks ago. [big grin]

[attachimg=1]

 

[leakyroof]

If I could ever shoot a video of my two goldens doing their wrestling and pack training episodes it would illustrate aspects of control that they naturally understand.  The posturing, the widely opened mouths, the shark faces, etc.

Here you go [member=1674]Peter Halle[/member] , I took this a few weeks ago. [big grin]

[attachimg=1]

  DENTAL CHECK...all good..... [poke]

 

[Cheese]

DENTAL CHECK...all good..... [poke]

That's funny...you forget what they originated from until they open up their mouths, it then becomes obvious. 

And here they are literally 30 seconds later.

 

[RKA]

Wow, great shot Cheese!!! 

My golden tolerates my wife's hugging.  He would much rather be a lap dog if we would let him. 

 

[ilovesunshine]

Hey lovely thread.
Just wanted to post this to the guy with the greyhounds:https://www.truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Dogs-Cats-diseases_.pdf

There’s an amazing product called transfer factor. I’m in no way affiliated with them. Our young cat developed a large mass in her mouth, vet prescribed the usual nonsense: biopsy, chemo, etc

My partner and I are big into natural medicine. So we took her to a holistic vet for a 2nd opinion.
We already had this as we take it ourselves when we need it. It basically naturally hugely boosts the immune system which then means the body - human, cat, dog, whatever, has a much better chance to heal itself. Treats the root cause rather than merely the symptoms.

Her lump is completely gone now. In around 3 months. Plus she was nursing 4 kittens at the time so we didn’t want her milk to be polluted with chemo crap. Didn’t believe the vet for a second when she said that wouldn’t be an issue.

He prescribed other things as well. But it all worked together. Pm me if you’d like more info. The exact product we used is this:https://www.4life.com/corp/product/transfer-factor-plus-tri-factor/89

Another cat had an abcess from a nasty bite. Before we adopted him. 4 rounds of 2 different antibiotics did sweet FA. Vet wanted to put him under general anaesthetic- cut his face open - see what was causing it - try to fix it. That’s how I first found it. A lovely lady on a cat forum was highly recommending it and had loads of helpful advice what had worked for her etc. 3 days later after a month of useless antibiotics his swelling went down and he completely cured himself with the help of transfer factor.

Final recommendations : partner had shingles. Took this. Hardly affected him except the nerve tingly pain every now and again. He could work. Write his reports etc. Really hope this helps your dogs. And please consider feeding raw food - most of the “premium” brands are full of crap.

There’s a great docu series “the truth about pet cancer”https://thetruthaboutpetcancer.com

All pet owners should watch it,

You all have beautiful happy looking dogs. So happy to hear they are so loved

 

[Cheese]

Wow, great shot Cheese!!! 

My golden tolerates my wife's hugging.  He would much rather be a lap dog if we would let him.

Thanks Raj...talking about lap dogs, here’s poor Jackson that’s been up for a solid 8 hours. A full 8 hours is way too tiring for a retriever so at 4:00 pm he decided to go to bed with his pink tennis ball.

 

[RKA]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]
Lol!  Too funny!  Mine has a hangover when he’s been up that long.  Lasts 24 hours. Definitely not cut out to be a working dog!

 

[Cheese]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]
Lol!  Too funny!  Mine has a hangover when he’s been up that long.  Lasts 24 hours. Definitely not cut out to be a working dog!

Ya Raj, dogs are funny. They definitely each have their own personality. We've also had a Puli and a miniature Aussie. Talk about junk yard dogs...both of them would work for 48/7 without union benefits or overtime...and they'd double down if a problem arises and refuse to take a vacation. That's understandable being herding dogs. However, as an owner, you were always in the prevention mode...antennae at max extension.

The retrievers we've had on the other hand, have always been so mellow, and living in the city, when you meet up with skateboarders, bicyclists, joggers, busses, other dogs and frenetic people, they just weather the storm. This makes life easier as you get older. They're still great guard dogs because they'll let you know when someone encroaches into their territory, at which time they will lick the intruder to death.  [big grin][attachimg=1]

 

[Tinker]

Hey lovely thread.
Just wanted to post this to the guy with the greyhounds:https://www.truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Dogs-Cats-diseases_.pdf

@ ilovesunshine: I read the link and was reminded of the experience I had with my dog during highschool years. We had her for about a year and she came down with distemper. She first had diarrhea, then she nearly died. The vet told us she would not survive. Being that I was then a sophomore in high school, I knew it all. I refused to have her euthanized. I stayed home from school for over a week. I slept on the floor beside my  pal. I got up several times in the nite to let her do her business.  She was not able to stand, so i would carry her out side.  During the day, i handled my homework which my brother brought home from school to me. My Mom talked to my teachers who allowed me to stay home with my dog until she would get well.

Before she got sick, we used to play with myflashlite.  i would run the spot all around the floor, walls and ceiling.  She would go wild chasing the spot. One day, she was not interested. The next day she  was not interested in anything else either. Thru her sickness, she was not even opening her eyes. One day (evening), as I shined the lite around the room, she followed  it with her eyes.  She still wasn't moving, but her eyes told me she would get well. The next morning, I woke our vet up early, just to let him know to put away his needle. He was gruff old bird, but he laughed with me. Within a week, she was chasing that lite.  Not for long, but she was interested.

About three years later, i came home from work and Mom and my brother were tring to tie a cravat around my dogs muzzle. She had been run over by a truck and she tried to bite both of my family when they tried to move her to the car. I took the cloth off of her, picked her up very carefully so as not to break anything more. As I moved her, she licked my hand. My mom and brother could not believe that as she had been so very defensive when they tried to move her.
Tinker

 

[Tinker]

@ Cheese: That series of Goldeen pics are GOLDEN. I especially like the one where they are opening up the mouths so wide for dental inspection. At least some responder suggested such. And then they are resting with the toy in the two mouths. those picsshow true love

We have had three goldens; not all at the same time, but we loved them all. I have had two customers thru the years who had mean Goldens. One had to get rid of their dog.  Another, whose Golden was mean, worked with the dog.  He had been a rescue pup. The dog eventually straightened out and was actually friendly. Our third Golden was a rescue puppy and was very frightened when we brought her home the first day.  I worked with her all evening and by 9 or 10 o'clock, she was no longer cowering away from any in the family. She was, by then, MY dog. 

I have many stories about my dogs. I am trying to set up (edit) many of my stories to put into a book.
Tinker

 

[Cheese]

Thanks [member=550]Tinker[/member]

I like the book idea...[thumbs up]  And a great dog story for [member=68412]ilovesunshine[/member] . [smile]