Learning to raise a puppy

[Gary_and_Karen]

I'm starting this thread as an offshoot of the "Food, treats, toys, ect, thread.

 

Xena is the youngest puppy we ever started with and I have learned a lot, especially with the help of the experienced and helpful people on this forum !

 

Here is the response I would have posted on the other thread -

 

Thanks for all the ideas, I have starting having more success today with being able to keep Xena exercising longer outdoors.

 

I started taking a Kong ball outside for her to chase and her focus stays on that rather than biting me or my pants legs.

 

I get exercise too as we don't yet have a fenced in area and I have to run with her on a leash, but that's ok as the exercise is good for me too :)/>/>

 

I had ger outside chasing the ball about 4 or 5 different times today, (once she gets the ball she'll play keep-away for a while then I'll get the ball back and throw it again).

 

With the additional exercise time she seems to be more overall behaved than before.

 

I am trying to teach her more than just "lay down" and sit, I had been working on "come", "stay", "bring me the ball" (she likes keeping the ball though :)/>/>

 

I like to figure out how to teach her "quiet" when she gets into too much of a barking mode without a good reason.

 

What are some other basic commands to cover, then what other commands might be taught after the basics are learned ?

[gcv-border]

 

I get exercise too as we don't yet have a fenced in area and I have to run with her on a leash, but that's ok as the exercise is good for me too :)/>

 

 

Dogs are great as exercise partners, but if she wears you out (and she will), use a long line. With a long line, the dog can run around, but you run less. Just in case you don't know, a long line is a long, light 'leash'. It is easy to make one yourself - with a snap and a length (20', 30' or longer) of a light line (clothesline or thin mountain climbing rope or similar) usually found at a hardware store, Lowe's or maybe even WalMart.

 

Teach her the names of different objects, to ring a bell to go outside, or any of the useless, but cute, pet tricks that are available for viewing online. The goal is to work her brain.

 

Jovi

[rushdoggie]

Puppies learn the following at my house:

 

-his name with a whiplash turn so when he hears it he focuses on me

 

-a sit that he can hold while I fuss with puppy (attaching a lead, touching puppy, etc)

 

-recalls (I use and recommended Leslie Neilson's Really Reliable Recall)

 

-to "wait" at doors including indoor doors between rooms, doors to outside, coming out of his crate...its not a stay, but more a "pause until I tell you otherwise"

 

-to trade items with me (I always offer a higher value treat for items) so he doesn't get possesive when he steals something he shouldn't have

 

-that I will approach him while he eats and that I will add something better to his bowl so he anticipates happy things when he is approached while eating

 

-that doors don't open until all feet are on the floor, and sometimes until I have a sit (depends on the puppy and if puppy is frantic or not)

 

-that I can (gently) touch every part of your body (including your mouth), restrain you and gently squeeze you and that its a good thing because it comes with treats and loving attention

 

-to tolerate being crated, bathed, brushed, blow dried (I have some furry dogs) and having nails trimmed via slow and positive experiences, gradually upping the exposure (ex: standing on grooming table and getting gentle brushes down the back, moving to brushing underneath and being asked to stand, to a blowdrier nearby making wind but not close or for very long, etc all while offering treats and praise)

 

-to pee on a leash and off a leash, and on grass, dirt and gravel

 

-to walk on a loose leash because a tight leash gets you nowhere (taught with M. Shirley Chong's advice that from day one he must learn that pressure on a leash means something is happening he should pay attention to and avoid ever letting him pull, you can find it on her website under keepers I think)

 

I like to play games to wind puppy up, then sit with puppy and get him to calm down, so he learns he can regulate himself. Puppies get a lot of quiet chew time and stuffed frozen Kongs when crated (bully sticks, Himalayan chews, and split antlers mostly). I like to take puppy places and let him watch the world go by...I generally don't force an interaction, I just want him to see/hear/smell new stuff.

[OurBoys]

There are a lot of tricks and commands you can teach her. For a useless but cute pet trick, teach her to take a bow. It’s real easy. Ever notice how dogs stretch? They stretch the front part of their bodies and then their back part. Every time you see Xena stretch the front part of her body say “Take a bow”. After several days, have some treats in hand, and ask her to “Take a bow”. If she doesn’t understand what you are asking her to do, take the treat and move it to under her chin slightly. If she plops her butt down, start over.

 

Teach her the difference between her left and her right paws. On the rare occasions Xena is still, rub her right leg while saying “Right. Right. Right”. After a few days, have her sit in front of you and tell her “Give me your right”. If she doesn’t get it, point to her right leg while saying it. If she still doesn’t get it, don’t worry about it. Ask her to do something she does know and reward her for that. (Always stop on a positive note.) Later you can rub her right leg when you get a chance and say “Right. Right. Right.” and try again. Once she gets that down, teach her “Give me your left”.

 

Teach her to say her prayers. I don’t remember how I taught JJ but people enjoy it when they see him do it.

 

On a more serious note…

 

Teach her to “Heel”. When/if she moves away from you, teach her “Move In”. That can come in handy when you take her out in public.

 

Stay is a great command. You can teach her to not run to the door every time someone knocks or rings the doorbell with that. Thank you for thinking of teaching her that.

 

This might sound odd but “Back it up” comes in handy around the house here.

 

"bring me the ball"

My command for this is “Put it in my hand”. And yes, they actually have to put it in my hand. If they miss, I tell them “Get it” and then repeat “Put it in my hand”. But at this stage in the game, “bring me the ball” is a great first baby step.

 

Some commands are not only good for using a dog’s brain but it can also save their life. Or at least save you a vet bill.

 

With you living next to a forest, a solid “Lie Down” or “Stop/Halt” can come in real handy. No matter how diligent you are, one of these days Xena is going to take off towards the forest.

 

I loooove the “Leave It” command. My mom lives with us. She takes a handful of pills in the morning, another handful at night and a couple of pills in between. One morning she dropped her pills. My dogs are smart but they aren’t smart enough to know the difference between treats and my mom’s pills. (I’ve told my mom at least 35 times over the past 7 years to not feed the dogs from the kitchen table but that’s a vent for another thread.) When Josie heard the pills hit the floor she jumped up thinking she was going to get a treat. Thank goodness I happened to be at the kitchen sink. When I saw Josie out of the corner of my eye walking quickly into the kitchen, I said “Leave It” in a calm voice. She stopped in her tracks, hung her head, turned around and walked back into the living room. At the time, 2 of those pills were for high blood pressure. I hate to think what would have happened if Josie had woofed down those 2 before I could stop her.

 

My dogs know “Go in the living room”. That one came in handy the time I dropped a glass in the kitchen and it shattered into a thousand pieces. The “Go in the living room” command also comes in handy when my mom is eating her cereal or snacks at the kitchen table but like I said earlier, that’s vent for another thread. :)/> (My dogs know better than to beg at the table when DH & I are also sitting there.)

 

Put a word to Xena’s barking-Speak. Once she knows speak = barking put the word “No” in front of it. I’m assuming she knows what “No” means so eventually when you tell her “No Speak” she’ll get it. You can then put the word “Quiet” in front of “No Speak”. (Quiet. No Speak.) Eventually you should be able to shorten it to just “Quiet”. In the meantime, FWIW, you’re also teaching her the “Speak” command if you ever want to use it for some reason.

 

For the commands I gave instructions on, remember they are not set in stone. Get to know Xena’s personality. Learn what works for her. My JJ is the type that has to sleep on it. He comes across as having to be coaxed the first day I try to teach him something (I think he does it just to get extra treats) but the next day all I have to do is ask him one time and he does it. If my Jake doesn’t get it by the 3rd time I ask him, I know I’m not doing something right. I’m not getting it across to him in a way he understands what I’m asking of him. And always stop on a positive note. If you seem to be having a problem getting Xena to understand what you are asking her to do, ask her to do something she does know and reward her for that. Then tell her "That'll do" and end the training session. "That'll do" is also a great command to teach her. It'll let her know that whatever you're doing, it's over.

[mum24dog]

With the additional exercise time she seems to be more overall behaved than before.

 

People have been recommending more mental exercise rather than physical, which is good advice, but the fact the she seems better does indicate that she was probably bored and frustrated.

 

Too much physical exercise can damage a pups joints and excessive exercise for an older dog just gets you a fit dog that demands more, if the dog is that way inclined.

 

Moderate exercise without sudden twists and turns (be careful how you throw the ball) where the pup can vary it's own pace and stop when it needs to is what she needs, coupled with mental exercise and most importantly she needs to learn how to do nothing. You won't always be able to be at her beck and call.

[gcv-border]

Reading the excellent posts from rushdoggie and OurBoys reminds me of another common command that can be important in everyday living - teach her to go to a rug/mat. The command could be 'mat' or 'go mat'. This is a great self-control command. Use it when you are feeding her so she is not underfoot or other times when she is in the way. Of course, when you start training a puppy, you can not expect them to stay there for any period of time. Just ask her to go to a mat and reward her for that. Then extend the time she needs to stay on the mat. She should learn to stay on the mat until you release her with a release command.

 

Jovi

[Cynthia P]

We live on a farm and do very little of those mental exercises A couple of long walks through the pasture and the woods, off leash or dragging a long line. As soon as they get in front I turn and walk another way (this only works if they are the only dog) so they learn to follow me. If we have the group walk, I call the other dogs and the pup invariable comes.

 

I find they learn to crash pretty quick in their crate. And then I take them out a couple to 4 hours later. Back out for a wee walk and a piddle

 

I do teach them to sit and to wait when their crate opens. I teach them not to jump on me...not always successful, and not always positively

 

If you want them to play fetch now is a good time to teach it, but don't exhaust them with it, too much strain on their little bones/joints.

 

Lots of good other exercises mentioned, but the best bonding I find is with a nice calm walk in the woods!

[mum24dog]

We live on a farm and do very little of those mental exercises :)/> A couple of long walks through the pasture and the woods, off leash or dragging a long line. As soon as they get in front I turn and walk another way (this only works if they are the only dog) so they learn to follow me. If we have the group walk, I call the other dogs and the pup invariable comes.

 

Ideal if you can provide a free and easy environment like that but not many dogs have the opportunity. Very different for the sole urban pup confined to a house or flat for much of the time without even a safe area outside to play in.

 

Exploring the outside world is mental stimulation in itself.

[Jumpin Boots]

You have gotten great suggestions, I wanted to add to what Jovi said about go to mat, we call that place. For us it means get onto whatever rug, chairs ect and stay there till you are invited off, the dog can choose to be in whatever position they would like to be in, but can't exit the item. Works great for getting the dog onto the scale at the vet, teaching them to not dash out the door when it is opened and to give visitors at the front door space.

 

I also am not a big fan of keep away with young dogs or dogs new to my house. I want games to be about me and the dog playing with the toy not them playing with the toy by themselves. In addition, keep away can be risky as you are encouraging your dog to run away from you prior to them having a solid recall. I will play keep away where I run from a pup and they chase me to get them engaged with me and the toy, but I don't encourage them to reverse that role. Once they have a reliable recall we can play keep away, its my 12 yr old retreivers(go figure) favorite game, but he knows if I say here, now game is over.

[Murray Momma]

We taught Mur "In Your Bed" at about 8 weeks. What a lifesaving command and it doubles as letting him ENJOY his crate! We tossed little training treats into his crate and when he went to retreve them, we said "in your bed." That transitioned to treating after leaving the crate so he knew it was a good thing to both enter/leave his bed, then treating after the command was given and executed successfully. And now, we treat him Similar to "leave it" discussed above where the command saves him in an emercency situation. We've used the "in your bed" command to send Mur in his crate if a glass falls/breaks, the bottle of Advil explodes (I fail at the child-proof lid removal), the cats make a daring entrance into Mur's half of the house without warning, etc. He now regularly heads to his crate to rest/relax and even if he knows that his behavior is going to result in a time out to calm down. Mission accomplished!

[OurBoys]

We taught Mur "In Your Bed" at about 8 weeks. What a lifesaving command and it doubles as letting him ENJOY his crate!

I love the fact our dogs are crate trained. It comes in handy for a number of reasons. The night I broke the glass, my first reaction was getting angry at myself for dropping it. That changed to panic when I saw (Nosey) Josie getting ready to come into the kitchen to see what had happened. After telling her to go into the living room, I looked around the kitchen floor and saw how scattered the glass was. I didn’t want to have to be constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure none of the dogs came close so I crated all 3 until I had the mess cleaned up.

 

Another good command to teach is the “Drop It”. One day DH took a plastic container out of the freezer and dropped it. (Yeah, we can be clumsy at times.) The lid and container broke into a few pieces. We thought we got them all up. Later, Jake was keeping me company in the kitchen when I heard this odd chewing sound. When I asked him to “Drop It”, he spit out a piece of the plastic lid.

[Jexa]

Just to add to the great replies- we use a variant of "go to your mat" to keep the dogs from being underfoot when we're in the kitchen. It started out as "spot" for Rudder, to mean a particular spot, but morphed and now I just say "out" and point and we've established an imaginary line they're not allowed to cross until I say "ok". The line was easily defined as a 2 ft strip between the wall and the counter that separates the dining room from the kitchen. When they were learning the command and crossed the line, I just calmly pushed them back out (using the "back it up" OurBoys talked about- another very useful command!) until they learned where the line was. I did the same at the door to the hay barn where the barn cats live, and from there it was pretty easy to apply it to any room, to mean "I want you to go across this threshold/doorway until I release you". It's been very helpful when we drop glasses/food or want them out of the way without wanting to crate them.

[TEC]

What a great list of tricks and useful things to train. I personally see "crate-up" and recall as essentials.

 

My dog tends to bark through our yard fence at wild turkeys, squirrels, deer, and other wildlife and dogs. Annoying to me and perhaps our neighbors. Since there's almost always some animal that needs telling to stay out of the yard , I taught "get back" as my open-the-window-and-remind-her command. That's the cue for when I'd prefer that she physically separate herself from the problem and be quiet, rather than have her come back in the house. Recall to the house, of course, is an alternative solution.

 

"Get back" was not a simple one to train. Required lots of trips out to the fence-line, inclement weather or not, carrying a leash in my hand to be used in the event standing near the fence and sternly telling her to "get back" while pointing away from the fence didn't work. The strategy comes-in very handy. -- Best wishes, TEC

[Dana Nichols]

Have you thought about taking a puppy kindergarten or foundation type class with your pup? The dogs usually love it and having someone who can see firsthand what is going on might be really beneficial for some of the issues you are still having.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Been busy (everyday stuff as well as working with Xena) but just wanted to ask if it is normal for a puppy to revert to having a very misbehaving day after having shown very good progress for a while ?

 

Xena had been having especially well behaved days recently (very very little biting at all) then all of a sudden today she reverted back into a very wild biting mode which I hadn't seen her behave this bad for almost a month.

[Blackdawgs]

Been busy (everyday stuff as well as working with Xena) but just wanted to ask if it is normal for a puppy to revert to having a very misbehaving day after having shown very good progress for a while ?

 

YES, it is normal

 

And there is a second bad biting phase (I call it the beaver stage)when they cut their last molars. This is when they chew wood. Like furnature. And walls.

 

I have a 7 month old here and he is still hell on wheels. I just put him in a crate because he has been running around the house pulling mats from underneath the water bowls and dumping water everywhere, stealing dirty laundry, and trying to tug on the towels that I was using to clean his mess. And that was after about 15-20 minutes of pretty hard exercise.

 

But at least he stopped trying to hump my leg a few weeks ago.

 

I really don't expect it to get much better until he is 2. If i am lucky.

 

Although my pitbull didn't mellow out until she was 5 and she was very much like him as a pup.

 

Get your dog into an obedience class ASAP and find him a job.

 

Look into nosework. Surprisingly, my pup is very calm while hunting for stuff and I am floored that he does not destroy the boxes (which he does when not working)

 

Good luck

[Gary_and_Karen]

Have you thought about taking a puppy kindergarten or foundation type class with your pup? The dogs usually love it and having someone who can see firsthand what is going on might be really beneficial for some of the issues you are still having.

 

we live in a very small semi-rural town so there might not be any close by but I can check to see what I could find.

[Gary_and_Karen]

YES, it is normal

 

And there is a second bad biting phase (I call it the beaver stage)when they cut their last molars. This is when they chew wood. Like furnature. And walls.

 

I have a 7 month old here and he is still hell on wheels. I just put him in a crate because he has been running around the house pulling mats from underneath the water bowls and dumping water everywhere, stealing dirty laundry, and trying to tug on the towels that I was using to clean his mess. And that was after about 15-20 minutes of pretty hard exercise.

 

But at least he stopped trying to hump my leg a few weeks ago.

 

I really don't expect it to get much better until he is 2. If i am lucky.

 

Although my pitbull didn't mellow out until she was 5 and she was very much like him as a pup.

 

Get your dog into an obedience class ASAP and find him a job.

 

Look into nosework. Surprisingly, my pup is very calm while hunting for stuff and I am floored that he does not destroy the boxes (which he does when not working)

 

Good luck

 

Thanks, it is good to hear when things like that are normal and to be expected :lol:/>/>/>

 

We had to switch from using water bowls to using those water bottles made for dogs because she would try to "dig" in her water bowl and have dirty water and a messy floor. I was surprised that she figured out how to drink from it in just a few minutes.

 

She had her first bath in a bath tub recently and had fun trying to dig in the water as well as jump around and splash and I got a bath too :D/>/>/>/>

 

We still can't let her run loose in the house yet, so during the day we have her in an indoor x-pen and take her out on a leash when going outside. (at night she is in her crate)

 

What does your dog try to find ?

 

I can handle the high energy antics, but I'll be glad when she is completely past the biting (on us) phase, which some said can happen after they get past their baby teeth.

 

I wonder if her reverting to a wild/biting day could at all be related to peanut butter withdrawal. Xena loves peanut butter (maybe too much) and I had been giving her about a spoon's worth in a Kong several times per day . My wife was concerned it could affect her health (fat, sugar, calories, weight gain, get diabetic) so I was figuring on making it a once a week special treat. (I hate having to do that with as much as Xena loves peanut butter, but I guess we need to be careful about giving her too much)

 

She did start having some green beans for the first time yesterday, she was curiously checking them out at first then realized she really liked them and kept wanting more. (I'm glad because we pretty nuch ran out of treats but I hope to be able to make some in a few days) She likes carrots too.

[Blackdawgs]

What until your pup gets older and figures out how to slide the x-pen around the house and tip it over.

 

My dog hunts for food located in boxes. Ultimately, he will hunt for odors in straws that are located everywhere.

 

Buy freshly ground peanut butter, no honey/sugar or salt. It is just peanuts. it is better for them than the brand name junk.

 

Time for another frisbee session....

[Gary_and_Karen]

What until your pup gets older and figures out how to slide the x-pen around the house and tip it over.

 

My dog hunts for food located in boxes. Ultimately, he will hunt for odors in straws that are located everywhere.

 

Buy freshly ground peanut butter, no honey/sugar or salt. It is just peanuts. it is better for them than the brand name junk.

 

Time for another frisbee session....

 

When she jumps up and puts her paws on the top of the pen wall it slides, so I had to tie it off at a couple points to keep it from sliding too much, she would like to be able to jump out of it sometimes but she don't seem like she is close to being able to do that yet.

 

My dog would likely chew up the boxes too

 

I'll have to check into the freshly ground peanut butter, I saw stuff like that in jars before and it seems like the oil keeps seperating from it and the taste seemed off.

 

I haven't tried frisbee yet as she is still pretty young, but she does love chasing her Kong ball !

[gcv-border]

Re: Peanut butter - I have noticed that almost all the PB brands are now adding sugar. Why in doG's name is that? (Actually, it is not too hard to figure out that the sugar caters to the American sweet tooth.) As has been said before, just read the label. Don't buy PB with sugar in it. I have purchased PB in the natural foods section of our grocery store (expensive), but I also just found some Smucker's Natural Creamy at Walmart -- no sugar. Therefore, you don't have to buy freshly ground (although that is probably better/tastier).

 

I personally think that any decent natural PB SHOULD separate. It takes a bit of work, but just mix up the oil and solids really well when it is at room temperature. Then store it in the fridge. Cold temps will prevent the separation.

 

Jovi

[Cynthia P]

Another option for some tiring activity is to put her kibble in either a buster cube or one of the treat balls. Do a search on the internet, easy to order, and puts their little mind to work

 

Kraft makes a no sugar added that doesn't seperate

[Gary_and_Karen]

What until your pup gets older and figures out how to slide the x-pen around the house and tip it over.

 

My dog hunts for food located in boxes. Ultimately, he will hunt for odors in straws that are located everywhere.

 

Buy freshly ground peanut butter, no honey/sugar or salt. It is just peanuts. it is better for them than the brand name junk.

 

Time for another frisbee session....

 

I had to tie off the x-pen in a couple spots as she would make it slide around when she would jump up and put her paws on the top of the pen walls.

 

She can't jump out, but there occasionally are times when she acts like she is trying to.

 

She sometimes jumps up and down like a pogo stick on her hind paws while standing at the pen wall when she gets excited when we walk in the room after being away for a short while :)/>

[Gary_and_Karen]

I tried putting a harness on Xena for the first time today.

 

(she pulls way too hard on the leash to keep attaching it to a collar)

 

She gave me such a hard time trying to put it on her and adjusting it that it took about 15 minutes, and when I then took her outside she was initially bucking like a wild bronco who had a saddle put on for the first time.

 

Hopefully she'll get used to it fairly soon so it won't keep taking 15 minutes to put it on her every time I take her outside.

 

Has anyone else had a simular experience and how long did it take for your dog to get used to having a harness put on ?

 

Here is the harness I got, it had good reviews -

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SLB0HK/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

[Star]

My favorite commands in addition to the basics (because they are so useful) are leave it, get out, go to bed, that'll do--I use this to signal that we are done with the game of the moment, look in your basket/put it in the basket, mine, go potty, and go long. Star chewed some but really not bad compared to my goat hound Seven when she was a pup. Star did chew on us, but a simple high pitched "ow!" a few times seemed to fix it pretty quickly. Stay on the forum and keep using the advice you get here. Star is 3 now and she's the best dog, thanks in very large part to the advice I got here.