New Puppy Advice

[BlazeLove123]

Hey!

First off, I'm new here, but I have been reading posts on this site for a while and I find them incredibly informative and helpful, so thank you very much!

I got a new female border collie puppy, Blaze, and she's four months old now. I got her when she was three months old, and thruth be told, she's a really good girl. However, I need some advice with a few issues I've observed.

First thing is that she eats and licks absolutely everything, which frustrates and worries me, because I don't think putting my hand into my puppy's mouth when she clearly doesn't like it is a bad idea, but I don't want her eating something that can hurt her and I hate having to pull on her leash every time I see her approaching something I know she is going to eat. Do you have any advice on that? I've been trying to use her name as a "Watch me" command, but she blows me off sometimes, and maybe I should teach her another cue that means the same thing, making sure she no longer blows me off?

Another thing is that she LOVES people and especially dogs. I love that, since I don't want her to be shy, but as I mentioned, I hate pulling on her leash, since she's developping and growing and just because I don't like pulling in itself, but whenever she sees people or other dogs on the street, she sits, then lies down (I'm guessing that's a border collie shepherd instinct thing) and then lunges and whines when she can't get to them. In general I have a hard time having her pay attention to me when we are outside, (except when we're playing fetch, is that OK at such a young age?) is that just maybe a puppy thing? I see videos of border collie puppies never taking their eyes off their owners. Have you guys had any similar experience? Some advice would be greatly appreciated.

Another thing I would like to ask is what have you done to become your dog's favourite person? I spend a lot of time with her, feed her, teach her tricks (I'm not sure she enjoys them, she doesn't wag her tail or seem very excited, although she still performs, so I don't know?) and try to teach her manners like sitting in front of a door and waiting for her food. What kind of things did you do to build a strong bond with your dog?

 

I know this is a long post, and I'm sorry for that I just want to build a solid friendship with my puppy.

Thanks again!!

[BlazeLove123]

I meant to say that reaching into my dog's mouth is a bad idea. Sorry, thought I should make that clear

[DutchBorderfan]

Lots of questions in one post

 

I think the first thing you need to realise is: your puppy is 4 months old, she's just a baby, and the world is completely new to her. So being all excited and wanting to go to every person, every dog etc is only logical. Second thing to realise: That's a good sign! your pup is not afraid, yay!

 

So your questions in order:

 

- licking / eating everything: many puppies do this. prevention is everything. Don't leave stuff lying around the house. On leash, i would gently correct, when off leash, work on recall, all the time.. and keep it positive. And dont lose your patience. Puppies explore the world with their mouths, and when she eats some poo, she'll be fine..

 

- Pulling / lunging on leash: My puppy did that, very frustrating. There's a few things you can do. The 'look at that game' (also known as the engage-disengage game) is a perfect way to constructively work on this. Check this illustration out, it perfectly explains it: http://www.clickertraining.com/images/content/the-engage-disengage-game.png

 

When you're just out and about and your puppy starts lunging. walk the other way. No yelling, just simply, walk the other way, no giving in. And I would refrain from letting your puppy meet anyone or any dog on leash for the next few weeks or months. Hard as that may be. It is the key to a well behaved pup on leash.

 

If you are very worried about damage due to pulling, get a harness that hooks the leash in front! that works wonders, because when your pup pulls, she simply unbalances / turns towards you: no stress on the neck. Check it out here:

https://www.amazon.com/Petsafe-Deluxe-Harness-Medium-Large/dp/B015TNVWEK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483616729&sr=8-2&keywords=petsafe+easy+walk

 

However: this is not a permanent solution, training is

 

- Becoming the favourite person in your dogs life: just do everything you're doing right now, and keep it positive. And you'll be fine.

 

Good luck!

[waffles]

My advice is to find a good puppy obedience class. Ask for a reference from your vet, check reviews online, ask friends, co workers. It sounds like you are new to dog training and good in person guidance can be invaluable.

 

Your pup is young and still needs to learn how to walk in a loose leash which will take time and active training. For picking stuff up in her mouth, teach a "drop" command so you can just ask for the object. There is no reason to physically pull things out of her mouth then.

 

I always recommend new owners to watch videos on YouTube by "kikopup". Her videos are easy for new owners to follow.

[DutchBorderfan]

 

I always recommend new owners to watch videos on YouTube by "kikopup". Her videos are easy for new owners to follow.

 

This. Bingewatch the entire channel if you haven't already

[D'Elle]

I second the suggestion to find a good puppy obedience and socialization class. Go and observe a class before signing up if you can, and/or get a recommendation from someone you trust who knows dogs well. Do make sure that it is a trainer who is not accustomed to using shock collars, choke collars, or strong corrections in training, as border collies are very sensitive dogs and such training methods and severe overkill for them.

 

I do not agree with the suggestion given above that you avoid allowing your pup to meet other dogs or people for weeks or months. What needs to happen is the opportunity to meet others in a controlled training environment so that she can learn how to behave properly. She cannot learn that if you simply keep her away from others, and if you turn away from other people and dogs every time you are out walking you are only teaching her that there is something wrong or possibly dangerous about other dogs and/or people, and that is not what you want. You want to encourage her friendliness, but teach her self control at the same time. A good puppy class will be all about that. Kikopup you tube videos are also very good.

 

Stick around here. People on these boards are very knowledgeable and helpful and we all want you and your dog to be happy in your relationship.

[DutchBorderfan]

I do not agree with the suggestion given above that you avoid allowing your pup to meet other dogs or people for weeks or months.

 

Apologies if phrased wrong, that was not what I meant. If puppy is madly lunging at other dogs and people when on leash, I don't think it's wise to give in and reward that behaviour. When off leash, in controlled settings, or when puppy is behaving well, sure! socialise as much as you can

[BlazeLove123]

Thank you so much for all your replies! They have been incredibly helpful, and I will make sure to work with Blaze at a distance we are both comfortable in and build on her attention. As suggested, I binged watched many of kikopup's videos (they are amazing!!) and am trying to train Blaze using her methods (marker word rather than clicker). Unfortunately, after extensive research I have found no obedience dog classes around here (only one, but they recommended choak chains and so I was quick to ignore it), but am spending a few five minute sessions a day training her and alternating her treats to keep her engaged. I just have one concern: I want her to socialise and make friends with other dogs, especially since I live in an apartment and I play with her a lot and give her 20 minute walks every day (I believe that's what's age appropriate), and think that playing with other dogs is beneficial for her, but I'm not comfortable about letting her off leash just yet, and the only fenced in area there is can have a lot of rude, untrained dogs (people where I live just seem to buy dogs to have around, they all lunge and bite and are incredibly rude) and last time I took her there she was attacked by a dalmatian (didn't seem to traumatise her afterwards, but she was thrown to the ground and she looked scared, so I was quick to get her away, although the owner said to me that she had to learn to defend herself, and I had to bite my toungue at that point). Should I let her greet other dogs on leash, provided she's polite about it beforehand? Or should I avoid other dogs?

Thank you in advance

[waffles]

At 4 months, I would be doing more than one 20 min. leashed walk. Others may disagree but I would be doing several short walks per day letting her set the pace. Since you are in an apartment, a long line (15+ ft leash) can help let her out to explore a grassy area.

 

Letting her greet other dogs on leash is okay, provided she is not pulling you towards that person/dog and most important, you have asked the person if it is okay. Most people just let their dogs pull up to another dog then say 'she is friendly' or 'can they meet' when they are already 6" apart. If the other dog is dragging their owner over, don't let her meet them. The surest way to teach her leash manners is to set the situation up with someone you know, who has a dog you know is friendly to puppies, and practice letting her walk up to meet them calmly.

 

Are you sure there is no obedience class or puppy class at any daycare, boarding or vet in your area? Most areas have something to offer, unless you are in a remote location. Letting her greet other dogs in a controlled setting is always less stressful then finding a stranger on the sidewalk and hoping their dog is friendly with yours.

[DutchBorderfan]

Thank you so much for all your replies! They have been incredibly helpful, and I will make sure to work with Blaze at a distance we are both comfortable in and build on her attention. As suggested, I binged watched many of kikopup's videos (they are amazing!!) and am trying to train Blaze using her methods (marker word rather than clicker). Unfortunately, after extensive research I have found no obedience dog classes around here (only one, but they recommended choak chains and so I was quick to ignore it), but am spending a few five minute sessions a day training her and alternating her treats to keep her engaged. I just have one concern: I want her to socialise and make friends with other dogs, especially since I live in an apartment and I play with her a lot and give her 20 minute walks every day (I believe that's what's age appropriate), and think that playing with other dogs is beneficial for her, but I'm not comfortable about letting her off leash just yet, and the only fenced in area there is can have a lot of rude, untrained dogs (people where I live just seem to buy dogs to have around, they all lunge and bite and are incredibly rude) and last time I took her there she was attacked by a dalmatian (didn't seem to traumatise her afterwards, but she was thrown to the ground and she looked scared, so I was quick to get her away, although the owner said to me that she had to learn to defend herself, and I had to bite my toungue at that point). Should I let her greet other dogs on leash, provided she's polite about it beforehand? Or should I avoid other dogs?

Thank you in advance

 

I wouldn't worry too much about puppy courses. As long as you are putting the time in, and you're educating yourself. Puppy course in my opinion, is more for the owners than for the puppy. Socialisation can be done anywhere. Sit, lie down, stay, any border collie can learn that in no time . No need to pay a lot of money for that. After a couple of months it is wise to start looking for ways to get into sports or herding, are you planning to do that?

 

Your 20 minute walks are perfect. 3 to 4 times a day, no more than 5 minutes per month of age (5-minute rule).

 

I have a very strict no meeting dogs on leash policy, but that's a personal preference. I find it helps with keeping my dog well behaved on leash. Most aggression takes place, because dogs are on leash, etc. etc, and she gets plenty of opportunity to meet dogs when she's off leash in the park.

 

When socialising your puppy, it's a bit of a different story: I'd advise to choose the dogs she meets yourself based on their behaviour, ask the owner if it's ok and if their dog is ok with puppies (!), and then only if she behaves (no insane pulling, no jumping, no yelping) you let her meet dogs on leash.

 

She also needs to learn that not every dog is there to be played with. When a dog comes by it's fine to skip it, and make that a learning moment too. Especially since she seems to be throwing fit every time she sees a dog

[GentleLake]

You can absolutely socialize and train a pup without having to take a class.

 

But having done it a number of times now, there are lots and lots of advantages to enrolling in a well run puppy kindergarten even for someone who's raised a puppy before. A well run class (and I emphasize "well run" again deliberately) has a limited number of puppies of around the same age in a controlled environment with at least one observant person who's not the pup's guardian carefully watching to make sure things don't get out of control. She or he will be able to sort out any bullies and not allow them free rein to either intimidate or roughhouse with less confident pups, and also teach owners how to rein in their puppies' behavior so they can become appropriate adults with other dogs. A good puppy trainer can also help owners identify their shyer or less confident pups and help them learn how to protect them when they encounter overly exuberant dogs with poor doggy communication skills and also help them learn ways to help them build their pups' confidence.

 

Manners training -- things like sit, lie down, come, walk on loose leash, heel, etc. -- can certainly be done without the help of an instructor. I've trained a number of dogs without ever taking them to a class, and some that was before there were such excellent resources to be found online and in training books. But there are still many situations where the assistance of a good trainer is invaluable. A video can show you the techniques and even tell you how important timing is, but the video can't give you any feedback. It can't observe you and see if you're timing's really as good as you think it is (it's,often not). And it can't stand off and see what you can't see in your dog's body language at your perspective above her to see if she's showing subtle signs of stress or confusion that aren't apparent to you. And maybe, just maybe, that trainer's had more (probably much more) experience with lots of different dogs with lots of different personalities and learning styles, so maybe, just maybe when things aren't progressing just as you'd like them to that trainer will have some suggestions for ways you can approach things a little differently. So there are still lots of ways taking a class with a good trainer can be very helpful, especially for a fairly novice dog owner but also for experienced ones as well.

 

I'd definitely advise observing a class without your dog to see if it's well run and if the methods the trainer uses mesh with your own philosophy about raising and handling dogs. I attended a class once with someone who seemed to be a quite competent trainer, but there were too many dogs in the class, and while she had an assistant who might have made handling the larger number of handlers and their dogs feasible, they spent more time chatting with each other than paying attention to what was going on with their students that most of them really weren't learning much at all. I'd already trained several dogs and wasn't there so much to learn the techniques, but for the distraction of other dogs and people and to have someone watching me to catch any mistakes I might be making or things I could do better. I got the distractions but not the instruction I wanted for myself, so I really only got part of what I'd paid for.

 

I wish you the best on your journey with Blaze. You sound like a committed owner so you should do well with her. Most dogs are incredibly forgiving of our mistakes if they're not too egregious, and often even when they are.

 

I hope to see you here on the Boards for a long time to come. There are some amazing people here and lots of collective experience.

 

One last thing . . . if you can, I think we'd all love to see a picture (or several) of the lovely Ms. Blaze.

[BlazeLove123]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I will be sure to search more thoroughly for an obedience class. I believe we are making a little progress, when she sees a running child or dog, she will sit and look at me, but she is still quite tense (in an excited way) and still lunges in one second (I don't let her approach them at this point). Until then, I have asked a few friends who own puppy-friendly dogs if they can help me out, since they will have the patience to walk up slowly and walk away whenever she gets excited. People on the street just want to stroke the cute puppy and let their dogs sniff, and I'm definitely not OK with that . However, I was wondering, does this eagerness to greet every single person and dog fade over time? Or is it exclusively up to the training (I am not considering stopping the training and waiting it out, I am definitely going to keep working on it, but I'm just wondering). One last question, is playing fetch good for her? I don't walk her for too long and I just roll the ball, but sometimes she has some pretty hard stops and turns.

I will be uploading pictures of Blaze very soon . Just need to pass them onto my computer from my phone

[urge to herd]

Buzzie didn't like other dogs much, but ever human he even glimpsed was his New Best Friend. This drive to greet people was so strong that I could use it as a reward - so he learned he had to sit still for a count of 3, or target my hand, or walk nicely a few steps in the opposite direction - before he got to say hi to New Best Friend. He was that way till he died.

 

I've never raised a puppy, and I understand that sometimes they change a bit. That 100% all-out adoration of anything on two legs was one of his best attributes. I had no fears ever about him biting or even snapping at someone.

 

Ruth and Gibbs

[DutchBorderfan]

People on the street just want to stroke the cute puppy and let their dogs sniff, and I'm definitely not OK with that . However, I was wondering, does this eagerness to greet every single person and dog fade over time? Or is it exclusively up to the training

 

I'd cherish the fact that you have a dog that loves humans.

 

And well, my puppy, who is now over a year, never changed anything in that regard: overly enthused by anyone looking in her general direction. So yes, training

 

She's only 4 months, and a tiny baby, so let her be excited and let her meet people, also make sure to work on impulse control, and it seems like you're setting her up to succeed for that (!!)

 

puppies look so cute to everyone, but that doesnt mean everyone can simply come up and pet your puppy. I live in a fairly busy area. If I'd let anyone have a cuddle session with my puppy, that wanted to, we'd never reach the end of the street

 

It seems like you're well on your way. Have fun with her! Very curious to see what she looks like, upload a picture if you can find the time!

[BlazeLove123]

Thanks again for all your advice. I'd like to clarify that I am happy to have a dog who is comfortable with strangers, I just hate having to pull her back because I really do not want to reinforce lunging. But we're working on it, already making a little bit of progress (she lunges, then she sits and looks at me. At this point I say OK and give a step. If she lunges again I stop and repeat the process. She still hasn't understood the fact that she has to be calm, but the looking up is definitely getting more consistent. However, I wonder, is that creating a negative association to me?)

And here she is! The cheeky monkey surrounded by all her toys and her sprawled on the floor after a good game of fetch combined with trick proofing

 

 

[BlazeLove123]

Notice the sock wrapped around my radiator to protect it from her puppy teeth

[DutchBorderfan]

she is ADORABLE. very cute face.

 

If she lunges and corrects herself, perfect! praise with voice. try again.

If she acts out again, I personally wouldn't reward by letting her see the person / dog.

At that point I would walk the other way.

 

She either behaves, or she doesn't get what she wants, very simple. If you give her the reward of meeting people when she shows bad behaviour multiple times, you inadvertently teach your dog to pull/lunge multiple times, because that seems to lead to a great result.. she gets attention from people!

 

Correcting, and then immediately returning to a fun walk together, will not create a negative association with you. Dogs, even border collies, are fairly simple beings. They simply act to make thing better for themselves, in the moment. Don't worry too much, you're doing great.