| Mouthing All puppies “mouth” (light biting or nipping) it is how they learn and is something they do in their pack with their litter mates and parents, it is how they learn to be Alpha Male and how to stand up for themselves, however it is not acceptable in the family and must be discouraged from day one.
Actually it is very easy to teach your pup that this behaviour is not acceptable simply by tapping them gently on the nose when they do it, not hard, not a newspaper but a gentle tap using a single finger and the word “no!”. You will notice very quickly that the mouthing becomes a kiss or a lick as you pup will be looking for affection and acknowledgement as a lower member of the pack instead of being Alpha Male. Pups will "mouth" when they play fight as they are learning about the world, and like a child will test everything by putting it in their mouths, it is just a shame that puppy teeth hurt!, so do not be afraid to say No! and gently tap your pups nose. You can give your pup chew toys for his teeth, and to protect your furniture from being “chewed” out of boredom, as mouthing is not a boredom behaviour it is a natural development tool for your pup. If you have an older dog you will notice your older dog will automatically mouth your pup when they are playing, this is natural and it is your older dogs way of keeping your pup in its place: below them in the pack order.
Do not scream or shout at your pup for mouthing, do not hit them, just a tap with a single finger and the word “no!” it is how they learn. Be warned that if this behaviour is not taken in hand from day one your pup will nip and bite, including your children, your family and may progress to people visiting in which case under the Dangerous Dogs Act your darling pup can be destroyed! Also be aware that some foods can make your Dal aggressive, as with humans, those nice coloured bits in your pups food are for you to think they are getting a varied diet, your Dal has no idea about the different colours and as far as they are concerned food is food. If you suspect your pups food is affecting their behaviour change their food.  | | Fighting While neutering males can help prevent fighting, spaying females seldom has the same effect.
Males tend to fight to prove they are pack leader / top dog. Peace tends to remain as subordinate dogs tend not to like confrontation, though a “upstart” pup can forget his / her place and try to push the boundaries and attempt to replace the “old dog” with “younger blood” – think of the younger dog as a teenager with attitude trying to prove he is bigger than the little old man who has been around for years and “expects” respect.
Your family are the pack, your dog must never be pack leader, you as head of the house are pack leader, your family holding the second post and the dogs subordinates at the bottom of the pack, though naturally any dog you have had longer will be higher than a new pup.
You must continue to use discipline to keep your older and new pup in place as they will play fight to see who is higher, if this is not kept in check it will result in real fighting! If you do not mind play fighting OK, but be ready to step in and separate them when they start fighting for real! Obviously it is easier to ban all fighting however your pup needs to learn he cannot nip your other dog without you constantly shouting at your other dog because “they should know the rules”
As your pup grows you will be able to spot the signs of a fight about to start: A look, a growl, a stance, a pounce, talking to each other. If you see it starting you can stop it, if you miss the start tell both off and do not blame just one – as with children do not assume you know who started it as the quiet ones cannot always be trusted to be good. Do not be afraid to be stern with them, do not say “please do not fight” as they will ignore you, do not be afraid to stout “leave!”, “Stop!” or whatever your chosen word is, you are pack leader and they need to know that you can fight with your voice worse than they can with their biting and growling.
You could keep to fighting dogs apart however this is the real world and we do not have homes big enough for that, so you must teach them that fighting is not acceptable and you will not tolerate it.
Some breeds will never mix but on the whole Dals mix well with each other. There are exceptions in that two non-neutered females will fight at certain times of their season – just like two hormonal women in an all women office – this often passes but extra obedience classes, separating them, crates and being firm with them both should help, though I am not saying will cure problems, to cure a problem you need to know what the trigger is and prevent the trigger occurring. The trigger could be something simple like a certain toy being “nicked” by the other bitch or your bitch not liking her rear being sniffed by a strange dog - now on that one I agree with them - the only way you are going to spot to the trigger is to observe your Dals. Above all else remember what you learnt in obedience class and use the commands you learnt with firmness. Don’t confuse your Dals by using a single word for several different things.
A good way of keeping fighting down is not letting your Dals get bored, lots of exercise is good for them and you, and if you exercise them enough they will sleep more and not aggravate each other - simples............ | | Barking Fact dogs bark! If you do not like dogs barking or dogs talking do not get a dog, simple really. You can have your Dal de-barked, yes de-barked, now would you like to have your voice removed? Probably no so why do it to a dog!
Dog bark as a way of communication:
Ø Stranger approaching / It’s the postman! Ø Hello – Many dogs love to talk and will talk to say hello as well Ø I am lonely / stressed and do not want to be on my own Ø Why are you shouting at me I have done nothing wrong! / go away! / don't punish me! Ø Because I can! Ø Leave my master alone! Ø I am bored! Ø I want a cuddle Ø I can hear you – A response to another dog barking that you cannot hear Ø You made me jump!
To control barking you need to understand first why your dog is barking, normally the reason is very obvious, for example if the postman is at the door, your pup is in his / her crate and do not want to be there. Try to make your Dal feel relaxed and calm, and get them to lie down as it is proven it is very hard for a dog to bark while lying down. This is easy if it is the postman as you may hear him before your Dal and you can pre-empt the situation, however a Dal barking in a crate because you are crate training is a little harder as you cannot keep going to the crate and telling them you are there as they will bark / howl even louder in an attempt to get your attention. Try putting the crate somewhere warm, make it comfortable and inviting and ignore your Dal once in it – never use a crate as a punishment. You can build up the time your Dal is in the crate, say 10 minutes, then 15 minutes and so on to an hour, then two hours etc. Remember dogs do not have the same concept of time as humans and will treat five minutes as an hour so building up time is not as hard as it sounds. When it is time to get you Dal out of the crate ensure they are sitting before you unlock the door, and make a big fuss of them when you let them out telling them how good they have been. To make going in the crate more fun put treats and toys in it, again make going in to the crate welcoming. Be patient as you need to change your Dals behaviour. Shouting at your Dal to “shut up” or “No” will only make things worse as your Dal will get even more stressed. As humans we have a big advantage over our dogs when out with them in that we can see things well before they do so can pre-empt them barking at another dog by being ready with the “leave” and “no” commands, and ensuring they are on their lead before they start. With an older dog you can use an anti-bark collar – not the electric shock type which I personally think should be banned but the type that give off a loud beep when your dog barks: your dog will soon associate the beep with their bark and will stop., this is great if the barking is simply "because I can!" but not great if it is a puppy who does not want to be on his / her own at night. In the case of barking because your Dal does not want to be on their own why not leave the television or radio on? if at night leave a lamp on in a different room so they think you are near by, and remember in the morning make a fuss of them and tell them how good they have been. Do not praise your Dal while they are barking, nor speak to them gently as this will reinforce the barking, remember you are trying to stop this behaviour not encourage it. You could teach your Dal to bark / speak on a command by giving them a treat when the bark only when you want them to – Dals will do anything for a treat so learn to “speak” on command with ease.
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