Q: How can you control a Brittany dog?
I have a friend with Brittany spaniel. I would go over to visit her more often but the dog goes crazy, jumps, barks and the only way she can get it to calm down is put it in a crate or in her bedroom and close the door and he will jump on me, on the furniture, etc. When no one is around, he just sits quietly and stares out the window. She cannot leave him out when she leaves or he will ransack the apartment. He is three years old. It is hard to walk him on a leash as he is so rowdy. Is there no solution? Obedience school is too expensive for her.
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Answers and Views:
Answer by APBT4Good
A hunting dog needs to be hunted.
Answer by Phyllis
I have a Brittany ( half French, half American). He is an awesome, smart dog with minimal issues when it is just my husband and me. But, when anyone else comes around, he gets so excited and out of control. He is getting much better with the teenage grandchildren because they ignore him until he calms down. The younger grandchildren are afraid of him and squeal and run around if he even moves. I have to crate him when they visit. I couldn’t ask for a better dog when it is just me and my husband, but I just wished he could show everybody else what we see in him. They don’t believe us, he is like Dr. Jekell and My Hyde (like day and night). Stoney will be 2 years old in a few weeks.
Answer by tony l
Seems a decent dog training book
was too expensive for your friend till now :)))
Answer by FishieFin
My Brittany is like that too! Whenever someone visits, my dog goes nuts and starts running and barking for attention. Once everyone is gone or we are just sitting in my room, he is as calm as a clam! (lol)
Tell her to keep him on a leash whenever someone is about to come over. When he jumps, she can yank on the leash to get him down and scold him. It may seem harsh, but the dog should learn his lesson.
Remember though, dogs are like humans and can't be perfect!
As for the walking, suggest she try a gentle leader.
Good luck!
Answer by J.P.
I have a 1/2 Brittnay 1/2 border collie, they can be very excitable dogs!!! The most important thing for this type of dog is exercise, exercise, exercise. I'm not talking about throwing the ball for 5-10 minutes. They need to be walked at least twice a day for 20 to 30 mins. This is a very high strung breed and are not good apartment dogs at all, so if your friend is living in an apartment she/he needs to take on the responsibility of exerting the dog's energy. Don't try to train the dog before tiring it out first. Tell your friend to go get a basic training book read through it, take the dog for a long walk then work with it. It's not fair for the dog either. Good Luck!
Answer by ginbark
A dog can be obed trained w/o a school, read books. One of the best ways to get the dog to not jump etc is the ignore method. She will have to do it, her family and all the visitors. When you come over and walk in the door, the dog comes running up and jumps on you. You fold your arms, turn your back on the dog, IGNORE HIM AND SAY NOTHING. No kneeling, no yelling, no toe pinching as that is negative attention and many dogs thrive on it.
When the dog is standing looking at you puzzled as to why you aren't doing anything tell him Sit. When he sits your pet, if his bottom comes off the ground you fold, turn and ignore. The basic principle is there is no dog unless his bottom is on the ground. He ONLY gets attention when seated.
There will be more frantic behavior a few times as he tries to get you to react. Walk him on a pinch collar but walking is no exercise for any breed dog, off-leash running is. Have her take him to a dog park, doggy daycare or have a playdate. Hopefully, the dog is neutered as that helps plus most daycares and parks do not allow unneutered dogs. Use the No Free Lunch/NILIF methods around the house to gain control.
Answer by xoanathema
Sounds like her Brittany spaniel is understimulated, and the fact that he's not getting any walks isn't helping her situation.
First off, the dog needs to get more exercise. If she has trouble walking him, suggest to her a Gentle Leader or no-pull harness. Both will humanely help her control and train her dog to walk nicely. When the dog pulls, she stops. When the dog puts slack on the leash (be it by turning around to look at her, sitting, etc) she immediately walks forward and praises, giving a food treat. The basic idea is: the dog learns that pulling does not get him anywhere, and thus, the behavior ceases. It does take some time, especially for hard-headed dogs to understand, but they all get it eventually.
Another way to get the dog more exercise is by taking him to a dog park or any large field that allows dogs off-leash. The old adage of "a tired dog is a good dog" cannot be closer to the truth.
Second, when a company is over, have everyone ignore the dog if it jumps up, barks, etc. Do not pet, touch, or look at the dog unless it is quiet and calm. The guests initiate contact with the dog, not the other way around. If the dog jumps up on you, stare straight ahead and completely ignore him until he gets down. When he has all four feet on the floor, then you give him attention. Same with barking. When he barks, he gets no attention. When he's quiet, he gets rewards. If he's constantly being reinforced for bad behaviors, then he's only going to repeat them.
She also needs to be giving her dog more mental stimulation, such as giving it a Kong. Stuff a bunch of goodies in a Kong, freeze it for half an hour, and give it to the dog. It will keep him busy for at least twenty minutes and will make him a happy dog at the same time.
Even basic training is mental stimulation. She doesn't necessarily have to be teaching him new things, just a review of tricks he already knows. For about fifteen minutes, run the dog through a routine — have him sit, then reward with a small treat. Lay down, treat. Gimme paw, treat. Once he gets the whole "I do this, I get a treat" concept, she can start doling out treats only once in a while — sit, lay down, treat. Sit, treat. Sit, down, stand, gimme paw, treat. He'll love it because he's getting yummy snacks, and at the same time, it will keep his mind busy.
He needs a combination of mental and physical stimulation to keep him from being destructive. Dogs are like children — you don't expect a toddler to sit at home and do nothing all day, therefore you can't expect a dog to, either.
If he's destructive while she's gone, crating is the best option. However, if he's destructive due to separation anxiety, she needs to get that issue resolved promptly.
Answer by tom l
Sorry but well-manured dogs are not born, they are trained.
So if you want a well-manured dog, do something about it.
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Martha Benoit says
I have owned 4 Brittanys. They are high energy dogs, no doubt about it. With our first three Brittany we had the benefit of living in a community where we had a large yard and we bought into an invisible fence. Brittanys are smart dogs. We purchased an invisible fence from a reputable dealer because we wanted someone who would train the dogs on the fence. A regular chainlink fence would not have worked for our first Brittany as she was a climber and she would have been over that fence in a flash. Also for our first girl we bought a Gentle Leader for walks. I helped tremendously. We also used a Flexi leash and practiced the command, “Come,” throughout our walks. We also invested in an indoor invisible fence disk to help when visitors came. The dogs were able to see the visitors but did not approach. Visitors were in one room and the dogs were in another room. Once the dogs were calm and used to the visitors being there we moved the disk and the dogs could then move into the room in a calm manner. With Brittanys I found that if I trained them they respond very well. They are treat driven and praise driven. They love to be loved. They also love to be active whether it is running and pointing or obeying commands in the house, such as having to sit before eating or having to shake before a treat or having to sit before entering or leaving a room. It may seem like a lot of work but it is so worth it.
Phyllis says
The comment has been moved into the body of the post.
jordie0587 says
If there is a dog park in her area or an enclosed field she should take him and let him RUN for at least 30 mins she can buy a Chuckit at petco or petsmart to throw tennis balls for him. Or since he's a brittany she could hid things in the field and have him point for her. Brittanys need LOTS of exercise my grandfather bred and raised hunting dogs for over 30 yrs and all of them need some basic obedience and LOTS of exercise and walking them really just wont cut it, they need to run!
decbaby8303 says
there has to be an obedience school she can go to that isn't too expensive..or try Ceasar Millan's book..i'm sure there are techniques in there for helping with that..but basically, if you don't discipline then nothing gets done..for right now when people come in the house the dog needs to be on a leash at her side sitting down..any sign of excitment or movement or anything, needs to be nipped in the butt..never look the dog in the eye when entering, ignore the dog, she should be in control and never allow the dog to jump..if she does, i would leave and try again..do it over and over again until the dog figures it out..if she tries to get on the furniture your friend needs to immediately put her off the couch and make her stay off..if she tries again just keep doing it..be consistent…with walks, make sure the dog stays at her side, the dog is not allowed to pull, so keep her on a short leash..if she tries to pull you tug a little bit and pull her back, but she should never get ahead of you always beside you or behind you. just remember you have to exercise, discipline and then play..always use treats too. when the dog does something good give her a treat, its the best reward…good luck