WinGus

Thanks MCM. I will keep trying with the door thing. I think I have to keep her on a leash as she will not come back to me when called. I just hope that this doesn't make her hate the leash even more. I need loads of patience!!!! Do you think that keeping all toys away from her and only bringing them out on my terms will also help?

Great article K9! I think my puppy is now in the Selective Deafness stage. When you say you introduce consequences for disobedience, what does that entail? Also how do you get the dog to obey you on the first command? I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record! Is there a difference between the dog going through these stages and lack of respect for me because of lack of leadership, or not very strong leadership?

Hi PoodleWrangler I'm finding it difficult to see just when it is she is manipulating me and when she is just being disrespectful!! She is desexed and the lack of respect has been present for the past two months or so. I've read through the TOT thread, but even before that, Pepper has been good at sitting and waiting for me to tell her it's okay to eat her dinner. Although lately she has been naughty and not eating unless I sit with her or hand feed her. I have only done this once or twice and will stop it completely from tomorrow. If she doesn't eat by herself then she doesn't get any dinner at all. I'm sure she will get the message sooner or later! I'm not particularly keen on tying her up in the back and I'm not sure when I would need to tie her up in any situation. I also feed her inside, so does that make any difference? I am aware though that these things are part of the whole training programme, so will think about how I can do this. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi Monah, Yes, she is the one in my avatar. I always have food with me when doing the training, although I don't always give her some after a command. I think I might have to go back to the beginning and use food for everything and re-build up the commands from there. When I walk through a door, I try and keep her held back, but she still ends up going through at pretty much the same time as I do. Is this acceptable or do I have to be completely through the doorway before she can come through? There are only a few times when this has happened and she has come through when we say so. So what happens when I give a command and she doesn't listen? I know it's not good to keep repeating commands, but do I just let her go and do whatever? I'm not one for forcing the dog into a position, ie. if I tell her to sit, I don't want to force her to sit. Should I use treats then? I didn't do the training today as I am just too tired to do it and I do know I'll get more frustrated when I'm tired. Thanks for your help.

Hi, my baby is now nearly 7mo. How do I know she's going through adolescent troubles vs. just her lack of respect for me?!? Is there a difference? :) She nips my hands as a game, doesn't listen to me when I command her to do something, doesn't like the leash, is so distracted and can't focus when I'm trying to practice obedience training at home etc. etc. I feel so frustrated and not sure what to do. :D I have been trying to implement some leadership by eating before her, trying to walk through doors before her, etc. but I think the biggest failing I have is trying to remain calm and aloof. I just can't do it and get quite upset and frustrated at her when she just doesn't listen to me. In these situations I do try and walk away from her and try to calm down. Does anyone have any comments, or your own experiences?!?

Hi BBNZ I have the same problem, although my dog is only 3.5kg, so thankfully I still have arms by the end of the walk!!! I recently implemented a system whereby when I feel even the slightest tension on the leash, I just stop, don't say a thing and let her figure out what it is that I want her to do. She will get distracted and sniff everything around, and even winge a bit, but eventually she will stop and look at me. When that happens, and the leash is slack, then I praise her or reward her with a treat and off we go again. What you are teaching the dog is that you are in control and the "pack", ie. you and the dog, only move on when you say so. It also teaches them that the looser the leash, the more they get to walk. I do have to say though that you don't get very far on your walks, or if you do, it takes FOREVER!!! This method also takes a lot of time to perfect, but I think my baby is finally getting the hint! When I stop now, she walks around me, back to my left side and looks up at me, waiting for me to tell her it's okay to continue. Couldn't get any better than that!! But this definitely doesn't happen all the time!!! She's only a perfect angel in my dreams!!! Good luck! Oh, I should also add that it helps if you are doing this in a quiet street without a lot of cars or people to distract your dog.

Oh Stormie, sorry to hear about your poor dog. I always supervise Pepper when she's eating her frames, and I know that sometimes she gets excited and tries to swallow a large lump. Thankfully she has never choked, but there will always be that risk. Maybe if you cut them up into smaller pieces or feed together with something else? Sometimes for her evening meal, I cut up chicken necks into small peices and mix them in with her meats. She has never choked on these and knows to crunch up the bones.

Molasseslass, no, she's not teething at the moment. She's got all her adult teeth now at nearly 7mo. Sandgrubber, I do chop up the chicken frames into smaller pieces as there is no way that she could eat a whole one!! I cut them up into about eight pieces and she gets one piece. I do also try and trim most of the fat off as I know she doesn't like the fat!

I bought a bag of chicken frames from Leonards and my little mini-foxie loved them. I then bought some more chicken frames from another chicken shop and she doesn't like them?!?! Does she know something I don't?!?!?! I thought the frames looked fine and fresh to me, they were just a lot bigger than the frames I bought from Leonards. I thought it might just be those frames, so I went and got some more frames from Leonards, and lo and behold, she still won't eat them?!?!?!? I'm not sure why this is the case. Thought she might be off chicken for a while, but then she will still eat wings and necks?!?!? I now have a freezer full of chicken frames - that's way too much stock for me!!! Any suggestions?!?!

My little one likes the rawhide chew sticks, although they probably have as much, or even less, nutritional content than pig's ears!! And she's now actually going through them pretty fast. She doesn't seem keen on the moulded bones. Everytime I've given Pepper a pig's ear, she carries it around the house and tries to hide it. Then she will go back to it, pick it up and look for another hidey spot. This goes on all day with various distractions in between. The serious, almost desperate look on her face when she's searching for that ultimate hiding place is priceless!

I was told that a puppy's weight will go up and down as they grow. Also some advice I was given was that if you feel the back of your hand when in a relaxed position, that should be what the puppy's ribs should feel like. Personally I thought that was a little on the skinny side, but then my breeder told me it is better for the pup in the long run to keep them a little underweight. My pup is on a BARF diet and I just adjust the amounts accordingly. Like Kobayashi said, sometimes it is just the way they are sitting. When Pepper is sitting or lying on the ground I think, wow she is fat !! But then when she is walking around or playing outside, I think, she's so skinny !!!

Oops..Puppy has won that round When I do it with our pups...I use a bone or fave toy..and KEEP HOLD OF IT! offer it..let them take it, then lots of praise and take it back , IMMEDIATELY followed by a treat..then they get the treasure again..for a few times..then as soon as they stop resisting, and trust me to give it back.. they can have it to keep. That is NOT a recommended training method..but it has worked for our guys Bullying? I never force them... they swap ! AS for something the pack leader doesn't do.... well, maybe not, but with our 'pack' the pups come last if there is something yummy to be had..they quickly learn to accept food being grabbed from their mouths by the others Yeah, unfortunately I've got a lot more to learn about being a pack leader, bullying or not! I don't have any issues with my pup and food guarding, it's just the bones, and toys!! I can take her bowl away, and like Spikespuppy, I only did it because she would gulp the food down so fast she would get hiccups all the time and I feared it would lead to bloat. I still do it only because she's used to it now and expects more than one bowlful!!! I will try your training method on the toys, and have noted the disclaimer!

Yep, that's what I do- except with food. But once they move 'up' to bones, they get so keen for their treat that my Borders actually bring their bones to me and drop them at my feet! I haven't been able to do this yet with my puppy. I tried with treats, but she sees whatever is in her mouth as more interesting than the treats I have, even her favourite treats!!! She has growled when I tried to take her bones, so I just leave her alone. Unfortunately for me, this means I have to do the chasing thing when she steals something she's not supposed to have!!! I've read that taking food from a dog is actually bullying and not what a pack leader would do?!?!

Thanks skip. The pouch is a little bit smaller than I imagined it, but I think Pepper will still fit in it, for a couple of months anyway! I let her play with the pouch last night, put a few treats in it and she stuck her head in it a couple of times. Tonight I'll try and see if I can get her to stay in it for at least a second or two!! I want to train her to ride in a bike basket too. I used to go riding a lot, but haven't done so in a while and having withdrawal symptoms!!! I think she'll always be riding in a basket as she is way too small for me to let her run along the bike. I'd fear riding over or into her! Skip, did you introduce your dog to the bike first, and then into the basket whilst it was stationary?

Hi Freckles Sorry, I should have posted this pic earlier. This is what it's supposed to look like: The dog fits wholly in the pack. Thanks!

Hi Just received my puppy carry pack, one that you can pop the dog in and strap to your back/front to carry the dog. Now the hard bit. How do I get her to accept it and be comfortable sitting in it?!? I was thinking of putting treats inside it and letting her play in and out of it until she gets used to it and then slowly putting her in there before ultimately putting the pack on and carrying her. Would this be the best way to go about it? Do you have any other suggestions? Do you know how long it will take to train her this way (obviously this depends on the dog and my training skills - or lack of!)? And no, I'm not wanting to pamper my pooch by carrying her everywhere, in fact I'm a little embarrassed at having to carry Pepper this way , but my hubby and I like to go on long walks, particularly bush walks and we've only recently learnt that we could be damaging her legs by walking her too much, hence the carry pack! Needless to say, once her bones have developed properly, she'll be using all four of her little God-given legs!!

I use Urine Off too, and it works great! I did hear once that you could use any laundry detergent that has enzymes added to it. I'm not sure if this works, but Urine Off uses enzymes too, so I can't see why not!

Excellent, will get one and try it out! My mind is filling with the image of you holding the furminator and stalking the cat!!! :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Poodle wrangler, my in-laws had dogs before, so they are dog people so to speak. Of course I don't want to offend them by suggesting they are incapable of looking after my little one!! On the other hand, depending on how they follow instructions (as per Rhi's experience), the relationship could be strained!! Ah, in-laws!!! Rhi, I started to read some previous posts about kennel experiences, but got lazy as there were so many! Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm sorry your friendship has been strained that way. Gretel, thanks for the suggestion. I did think of the breeder, and I'm sure she would love to have Pepper back for a little while, but I don't know how to ask tactfully that she look after my baby! She's also been unwell lately, so I don't want to burden her unnecessarily. Showdog, I guess I do share your concern in that I'm putting Pepper at risk if I didn't find a facility that did good inhouse training. Anyone have any suggestions of good inhouse trainers in Sydney?

I've trained my little one to use a wee pad from the first day she came home. It took about two months to train her completely successfully to use the pad, but now she uses it without fail. Although she may miss the pad sometimes when it's really full and she doesn't like to step on the wet pad!!! The brand of wee pad I get is Dogzone and it's pretty good, pretty cheap too, about $36 for 40 pads. Measures something like 60cm x 50cm and absorbs heaps. It has a plastic backing and has never leaked. I got a Ruddocks pad holder for about $20 and although it's smaller than the pad, I just fold up the edges of the pad and it's fine. I find it more hygenic than letting the dog toilet in the backyard. I have a smallish backyard and not really keen on using it if I know it's also her toilet!!! Just one negative, when Pepper is bored, she'll rip up the pad, but thankfully that doesn't happen too often. ETA: I get the pads (and the pad holder) from PetBarn, but not sure if there is a store near you in QLD.

Does this work on short, smooth coated dogs like a mini foxie?! I've been using a rubber brush like the zoom groom, but still find I have to brush her every day to cut down the amount of hair all over the place. My baby is shedding heaps at the moment!!

Hi I have to go overseas at the end of Nov for 2 weeks and am wondering if it is a good idea to board my puppy in a kennel or to get someone else to look after her. She is a week short of 6 months and just desexed. I probably wouldn't have too much of an issue with boarding a dog, except that a) she's still young and b) she is very fearful/submissive/nervous and as such I'm a bit hesitant that leaving her in a boarding kennel would be a good idea. However, she's also nervous of my in-laws whom we may be leaving her with if we decide against the boarding kennel! :rolleyes: So apart from being a psychotically anxious mum for 2 weeks without her baby , I'm not sure where to leave her!!! Will the boarding kennels that including lots of training and socialisation be good for her? If so, can you recommend any good ones? Just for clarification, we are currently taking her to obedience classes, but thought full on obedience might help her develop her confidence and to be less fearful!?! ;) What are your opinions on boarding kennels vs relatives looking after dogs?!? Thanks

Thanks for your reply kirbydog. I thought I had been setting up boundaries and limitations and enforcing them, but maybe not enough. I also do not give any attention unless she is calm. I know this helps her submissiveness/fearfulness too. Of course with both of these things, I have absolutely no idea if I'm doing something unconsciously, which no doubt is happening. She just got desexed last week, so monitoring her to see how the behaviour goes! So far so good, but that could just be because she's been recovering over the weekend! We'll see what happens this week. I know I've got a lot of training to do still, but torn because perhaps I'm trying to push her too fast too soon? ;) Thanks again! :rolleyes:

Thanks for your advices Poodle Wrangler and SAS. She does like rawhide sticks, and goes for those quite readily. We do try and give her something else to chew rather than our fingers, but she still does like to nip. For some reason now, she turns to nip me whenever I touch her. This has only happened recently, although I can still touch her when she's calm. Normally I would just ignore her, but when I'm trying to teach her a "stand" and have to hold her and she nips me, it does get quite painful and frustrating. It's hard to just stop training midway through. We normally do no more than five minutes on the leash. She's fine at obedience school (for the first half hour), but this week has been quite bad on the leash training. Wonder if she's getting bored of this too? We do try and vary the training. We still have a bit of work to do to secure the yard so that she doesn't escape, so at the moment we can't let her roam around outside, but I think it might be time to get a move on and fix up the fences! Might try walking her for a short period both in the morning and at night to tire her out. SAS, you're completely right. She definitely has us wrapped around her paws, all four of them!!!

Here's my little one! Name: Pepper Sex: Female Date of birth: 5 April 2007 Age: nearly 6 months! Colour: Black & White Breed: Mini Foxie Hobbies: Following me around everywhere, zoomies, misbehaving Loves: Chasies, chicken in all forms, killing mousey soft toy and snuggle puppy, running on the beach Hates: Being groomed, small stocky dogs (don't ask!), being ignored At 10 weeks At 5 months