Kelpie_Pup

Hi FG ! Nice to see you in here. A couple of things come to mind for me.. its s kelpie thing? LOL Halle does the same thing. Ok seriously now. 2nd fear period is about due now.. could be making tilly quite anxious? The super guilty look she gave you wasn't guilt, it was confusion. Dogs don't feel guilt. She's confused about why you're upset. I guess the only other thing I would do is confront it head on.. Halle sued to be scared OUT OF HER MIND by the lawn mower.. we eventually just kept her outside while we had it on, and continued doing our thing. We moved ur lawn in sections over about 2 weeks lol so that she could get used to it in small doses. It took us two lots of that, so over a month, but now she's fine. Obviously, you can't just go get a motorbike and have someone drive it past your house at convenient times lol .. maybe find a dvd with those noises on it ? A BMX one perhaps? Put it on at home when you're there doing housework or something, softly at first, so she associates it with good, calm behaviour. It sounds like its the noise that is the problem, so that might help.

vMJv.. I think it would be fair to say that the majority of DOLers are very pro crating.. me included. IMO, you will not regret it. Try and find some good literature on it and give it a go. Ans yes, 7 weeks is still too young. You may end up also with nipping problems soon, so just expect that. (Bite inhibition is something they learn from their mother and littermates up until 8 weeks of age). No walks for now until vaccd-IMO. At least not big ones around the streets. Maybe up the driveway? Ball games work wonders for energy expenditure. Ignore the crying. The moment you give into it, he was won. And it will only ever get worse before it gets better-but remember this.. IT WILL GET BETTER Halle as a puppy used to be so exciteable, bouncy, nipping for a short period and sometimes a little too confident for her own good. She is now 13 months old and has grown to be one of the most well behaved, pleasures of a dog to be around. Do some good reading and make the most of it.. it will all make a difference in the long run This is the crate we used for Halle for the first 3 months until she was about 5months old. The sides had little gaps for air ventilation but not too much to feel cold or not cosy. Any littl crate would be good, and you can always drape a blanket or towel over the top and sides. As you can see, we used to leave the door open during the day and she would go into her crate every time for a sleep, of her own accord. At night, always shut.

Relapses can and do happen, it is part of the learning process for them I guess. ETA- you say he was toilet trained no accidents by 9 (i'm assuming 9 if you got him at 8 weeks?) weeks.. I'd say he was having a few good days up until then. Impossible to 100% TT a pup at that age. We couldn't trust Halle alone in a room without peeing until 22 weeks. She was a dog that only ever weed inside once-when we weren't in the room, and it was at 19 weeks. She never weed inside before that. But it didn't mean she wouldn't if she got the chance.. thats was toilet trained means But it does sound like alot.. I too would pay a visit to the vet, or at least a phone call. They also enter the first fear period at around this time so he could be a little more anxious/excitable in general..

My thoughts too

Just what we did Except Halle will hop around with us while we have the leash until we put it on her.. its so cute, she knows she as to sit, so she moves with me a little, then sits, then hovers a bit more with me, then sits! She's trying to master the move-while-sitting trick At 8 months, your dog should know how to sit, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Just takes persistence :rolleyes: Re the pulling and dragging to the door, leash training should help with this. Again, at 8 months that should be on its way too

OMG that is exactly what Halle used to do.. can I recommend some reading for you? Its an e-book that you download online-it costs about $14, and its written by an american lady who is a dog behaviourist, trainer, shower, breeder etc.. I don't have a Lab, but reading it reeeeally helped me with the issues I had with Halle about 3 months ago. http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/ebookedit.../order_TYD.html That is the link-well worth the money. It has totally transformed my relationship with Halle, who was a very cheeky, bossy little dog. Please please please have a look! ETA: oops, its $19 for the 4 e-books-you pay online by CC and they get sent to you instantly.

Sounds good Don't let the few little annoying things override all the great work you're both doing!! He sounds like a very clever little pup

You're crating Boz aren't you? If he is getting tooo wound up, and you're getting frustrated(and likely to get cranky at him ) it is totally ok, IMO, to put pup in the crate to calm down.. and to allow you to chill out. When we tried teaching Halle a formal down-stay, I would get extremely upset, as she was sooooooo persistent, and she just used to nip and nip and nip. I ended up putting on rubber gloves lol You must outwit your puppy!!! Thats all it is a matter of

I have to agree. Do not reward him for following the off command.. he will then learn that to get a treat, all he has to do is jump on the lounge, then get off as you say so, and there'll be a treat! You're teaching him to jump up then off again. WHen he jumps up, a firm, blunt "OFF", and physical removal if necessary, then about 3 secs later, a simple "good boy" should do it. Keep it very matter of fact, no excited "oh goooood booooy!!!!" The off command is a correction, unlike the sit or down commands which are not. Just be careful which ones you reward, as he will learn to repeat them.

I guess there would be many ways to teach it... for us, if she jumped up on us, we just brushed her off firmly with our hand/arm. If she jumped on the couch, we removed her physically, or pushed her back off if it was just her front feet, and also a firm "OFF". If she was on a leash at the time, we would pull her of with the leash and use the command. Be very firm in your command.. don't ask, demand ;) Re jumping on people, it can also be useful to teach them to lay down and stay until they are told they may get up and greet the new person .. obviously a little/long way off since he is only so little, but useful! Oh I miss having a little puppy.. gosh I forget sometimes how much training you really have to do!

MM, I saw your post as a little condescending to original poster. You take your kids to the shops.. whats that got to do with it? Would you take them to a well known maleria-ridden country in the middle of summer without ensuring they were covered for this first? Chicken pox can only be contracted from immediate contact with the infected person.. surely you would know that parvo is a liiiiiittle different... They were going to a cottage that is specifially for DOG OWNERS. Chances are, every time the cottage is booked out, there are going to be different dogs there. It would be naieve for anyone to assume that all dog owners vaccinate their dogs properly.. The OP obviously had warranted concerns to come on here and post.

Hi Peter I am pleased to hear you won't be taking your pup there. It would certainly be a great place to take your new puppy once she has had the vaccinations to protect her againast the diseases that were HIGHLY likely to be present !! Unlike ants, I believe parvo has the potential to be a little more life threatening...

Oh my gosh I know how you feel. Halle was like this for a few weeks. I used to tell me partner all the time that she just didn't like me! How long have you been trying each method? If you're not being consistent in trying each one, I mean for at least a few days, puppy might see this as a game.. "Lets see what I can get out of them next time! This is fun!!" We had the same issues with Halle very early on. We tried this, in this order: -puppy-like whining and leaving play with her for about 30 secs, then returning .. this didn't work-she had no sympathy for our whinings! -a firm grunty NO and holding her muzzle until she stopped wiggling and trying to get away.... this seemed to ramp it up even more and get her even more excited! -then we finally cottoned on to the real problem and worked out how to fix it. When we were playing with her, we were generally just using our hands. Since there was nothing else to play with, she thought these were her toys to do with as she liked. How was she meant to know any better?! She wasn't, we had to teach her. We went and bought a few fun toys-she loves the squeaky ones- and made sure we always had one when we were playing with her, and generally another one close by. As soon as she would put our hands, or any skin for that matter, in her mouth with her teeth, it was a big "UGGGH NO" and immediately put another toy in her mouth and praised her straight away... We figured this was teaching her that she is NOT allowed to play with our skin in her mouth,and when she does we get cranky!!! But she IS allowed to have toys, and this will get her good praise. It worked immediately. Didn't stop it immediately LOL but its definitely what we did until she ceased nipping, which was probably a matter of about 2 weeks. She continued to mouth our hands until she was probably 4-5 months old, which was ok with us as she never used any pressure, but after that she just stopped of her own accord. In our case, we were doing a good job of telling Halle what she could NOT chew, but were neglecting to let her know what she COULD chew. She was never a pants biter, or feet either really, so not sure about that.. I guess we would have applied the same method. BTW, don't be concerned about putting puppy in the crate. It is not about punshing them for their bad behaviour-it is a good way to calm them down and contain them. He will love his crate no matter why he is put in there. About 2 months ago, Halle had a go at me for the first time ever while she was eating her food, frightened the **** out of me! My partner was there and grabbed her collar (after giving her a fair smack) and promptly put her in her crate... hasn't affected her feelings towards it And she hasn't done it again. I can now take bones from her mouth without so much as a peep !

Whether the pen is 1mx1m or 1mx2m, I think our point here, well mine anyway is that he shouldn't be in a pen at all. I think that is the problem, not the solution.

Halle is a 16 kg Kelpie and she eats 1.5 cups of food, twice a day.. she is much bigger and I would think more active.. She still eats puppy food too Feeding her too much food may be a cause for you.. If Halle gets a chicken wing or a bone, she gets very little dinner, not just a bit less. If you are going to try taking her food away, I would do it as soon as she walks away from it. I mean, if you are 3m away on the couch and she starts walking towards you,or running or playing etc, simply walk over to the bowl and remove it. Put the food away for next meal time. I wouldn't give it back until the next meal time. For her to be noticeably losing and gaining weight so quickly, perhaps she is eating a bit too much. Not sure about chicken wings-Halle never had a problem eating them lol

Take her food away. Halle is only ever given 10 mins to eat her food-normally she takes about 3mins-she learnt to eat it-not stuff herself- without playing around. Meal time is just that-not play time in our house. You could try it. The first time she walks away from her food to play, take her food away. Don't offer it to her again. if you reeeeeally feel she is hungry, I'd wait a good few hours. They are much smarter than they let on sometimes. She won't starve. If she is going well with all of her other training, she is obviously a pretty switched on little pup.. it won't take her long to realise that if she doesn't eat her food and goes to play when its meal time, her food will be taken away. That is what we would do anyway

I agree. Puppy needs to learn about "normal" behaviour inside the house, and outside? Does he spend any time in a yard just doing his own thing ? Do you have a cue/command for him to toilet when outside? How have you tought him that outside is the place to toileting?

Thankyou BB .. thats basically what I was trying to get at .. the long way!

The first thing I did when I looked at that photo was GIGGLE!! LOL can't imagine your puppy doing much harm to your big rotty! Seriously though, when Halle spent alot of time with another older dog, i mean 6 weeks full time, we were concerned about her because, frankly, she was a pain in the a$$. She would provoke the older dog all the time, but when Remi( 4yo Kelpie) sometimes had had enough, she would let her know. We picked halle up after the 6 weeks and she had a small cut on her lip-we assumed a small war wound.. I'll tell you this though, she hasn't since been ANYWHERE near as annoying to Remi as she used to be... We weren't bothered-it was a very minor injury, and it was the only way she was going to learn. Your rotty sounds pretty patient, and if push came to shove, pardon the pun, it doesn't sound like she would really do your pup any harm, just give him a good fright and a warning, which might do pup the world of good. So does he get snappy whenever there is food around? Or is it only if she has it? Or if he has it? I'm just trying to figure out why he might be doing this... is it only when they both have food? What would happen if you only gave your rotty the food and your pup none.. he wouldn't have anything to be protective over then. For now, as long as he's not behaving like that with you, be thankful

OMG he such a beautiful choc Lab!!! However you decide to tackle the issue, start now and make it permanent Just be consistent so puppy doesn't get confused by too many different rules or he won't know when to do what.

Couldn't agree more with the advice already given. Absolutely ignore the behaviour at the door. Wait until he has been quiet for a good 10 secs, then go and give him praise for being quiet.. eventually make it longer. As a PP already said, he has now learnt that barking at the door will result in someone coming outside and giving him attention. And will get a little worse before it gets better, but persost. Crate training is wonderful! Yep make it the most wonderful exciting place to be!! Chew toys, treats, nice comfy bed. Always toilet before putting in there and then ignore any wimpering-well don't get him out anyway! Maybe talk to him in a very nonchalant casual voice so he knows you're there but not so he thinks there is something he should be worried about. Tough love works the best with puppies

Good work!! It's so rewarding to see them learning and fiduring out hwo to please you isn't it Don't worry about the recall yet.. Halle didn't recall every time until she was 11 months old.. she has always been a very head strong puppy though-tricky for us since we're first timers!! A handy hint though.. don't ask them to come if you think there is a chance they might not . If you say "come", or whatever your command may be, and they don't come just ONCE, they might/can think it is an optional command. We learnt that the hard way and it took a while to correct. We then only used it when we had a treat to reward her with, or if she was on a lead so therefore didn't have a choice but to come When you say trying to get him to look at you at all times, is this only during training sessions to assist with other training ?? or are you trying to train him to keep eye contact with you specifically? I used a really good method to train Halle to maintain eye contact with me.. let me know if thats what you mean. Yes getting down a little bit is ok, but not right down on his level-you must always be above him in the rank-literally and metaphorically

Well done Sounds like you have it all worked out!

Hi Judith The short answer- not until you are absolutely sure he will recall EVERY time. We couldn't let Halle of the lead at the beach until about a month ago... Not only is it a concern that your dog runs away from you, but there are people at beaches who do not like dogs, and for some of them there is nothing more frightening than having a dog run full pelt towards them, with no lead on, and no owner in sight. I myself have been harassed by a dog off lead, which was very difficult considering he wound up Halle pretty badly and she ended up bolting away from me, with her lead in tow. Basically, unless you are 100% sure he will recall in any situation with any amount or type of distractions, keep him on the lead.. its basically being a responsible dog owner. We made up a lead for Halle out of rope that was 10m long, and put a shackle on it to attach to her lead...It meant she could run around a bit more but still be under our control. Perhaps that might be good for a while?

We use "Off" to get Halle to get off whatever she is on that she shouldn't be.. a person, a chair, the couch etc. We don't have a hand signal for this. Sit is a pointed finger towards her. Down, as in lay down on the ground, is a kind of sweeping motion with our pointed finger.. pretend you're drawing, in the air, the letter "C" backwards. Stay is a flat hand, palm facing down. We use "Drop" to drop whatever is in her mouth..actually, "drop it" We used hand singals right from the very beginning. We now very rarely need to use verbal signals with her.. she is now 12 months old, but this has been the case for at least 4 months. I wouldn't advise using off for both "get off " and also "stop biting". You might say off when he is jumping and he might think "But i'm not nipping this time!" We used a strong firm "UGH NO". We tried the little wimpering ouch, imitating a littermate, but it wasn't enough for Halle.. she had no pity on us. She was pretty headstrong so needed somethign a bit firmer. With resisting a temptation, "leave it" is what I would recommend. Hope that helps