Out Of Control

[trishalouise]

NoodleNut - can I just say that you sound like a FANTASTIC owner. It is so nice to hear of someone who knows what they are doing and is doing all the right things. As a trainer I see the results of people who have no idea and it is really encouraging to hear how you are raising Noodle.

Trish

[NoodleNut]

NoodleNut - can I just say that you sound like a FANTASTIC owner. It is so nice to hear of someone who knows what they are doing and is doing all the right things. As a trainer I see the results of people who have no idea and it is really encouraging to hear how you are raising Noodle.

Trish

Thanks Trish .. that is heartening to hear. I must admit we are putting in the time .. mostly me I must say but after researching breeds for 4 months last year, driving the breeder nuts for months visiting, questioning, LOTS of reading and purchasing STACKS of stuff (over time it didn't hurt the hip pocket as much) .. crate, 2 pens, leads, collars, heaps of good quality toys etc etc.... it is lovely to have spent this evening working with Noodle for half an hour and her now being able to sit, drop, roll over and shake hands. We are getting there and the moments like these are becoming more frequent .. less 'craziness'.

I was feeling pretty down on Sunday as I met an owner of a 5 month old BC and they informed me that their dog had great recall and was able to be let off in offlead parks ... depressing .. is that dog a freak? am I expecting too much? Or have I not put in enough time or effort on this part of the training .. have been limited by immunisations (only been able to really head out on large grassed areas in the past 3 weeks.. before that restricted to pavement, road, beach (over Easter) and the backyard. Recall in the backyard is fine but with distraction still inconsistent. Wouldn't let her off lead in a pink fit.

Definately not a perfect owner but willing to learn and ask questions

Back to this thread ...

don't be disheartened ..

just have a strong resolve that you will get through the puppy stages and it is only really for such a short time before 'sense' starts to prevail in our furry family member and we (dog and owner) can work as a team.

[Eileen]

Bloody puppies Hang in there, your pup will get better. Ours (stafford bitch, now 1) was such a bitey little nightmare. I used to get so embarrassed in meetings, as my hands were just trashed.

There were a few things we tried - shoving toys in her mouth when she'd bite, so she had something else to chew on, then praising her like mental when she was chewing a toy of her own volition

- squealing in a high-pitched tone when she'd bite (not too effective)

- putting her over the baby gate when her playing turned to biting for 1-2 minutes. This was the most effective option for us, she was so pack-oriented that being separated from us was a good tool to get her to stop biting.

- Re toilet training, I watched her like a hawk and ran her outside after a play, straight after a sleep, straight atfter a drink and a few mins after food. We still had to get the carpet steam cleaned after she was about 24 weeks cos there were enough accidents to make the house smelly!

[cwm]

Noodle, we did exactly as you with our puppy - we hadn't had a real puppy in the house for 19 years - our two old dogs lived looooong lives... and boy, we didn't know what we were in for... we were quite sure none of our other puppies had been quite so naughty.

We started out crate training - she slept in the crate and as soon as she awoke, she was taken outside for toilet and then we had playtime. And we too took it in turns to do night shift / morning shift swaps - boy we felt like the living dead.

But, within 4 weeks, she started to realise she had to go out to toilet. The only accidents we had were when it was pouring with rain and we didn't wake in time to take her out.

She still (now 6 months) doesn't have the run of the house, although she did accidentally have the full run of the house on Saturday and luckily it was only a cushion destroyed.

LOL, we opened up the door and saw a sea of foam - with a toy dog (ones our friends gave us to fill our doggy void before we got our puppy) smack in the middle of it all. Now, I think he was framed - or he was a very naughty boy and poor Jemima, our puppy was just worried that we'd think it was her who had destroyed the cushion!

Our puppy is so boisterous and full of life/energy - but you have to love them for that, it doesn't really last that long in the scheme of things and they all are individuals.

We found the only real thing that stops the biting and leaping on people is just a quick spray of water from a spray bottle with a firm voice attached to it (whatever you want to say) - and these instances are getting less. Still there though... but it does get easier!!

[mummytodakota]

I took Kya to puppy pre-school lastnight & spoke to them about her biting/nipping my toddler. They suggested for the times i cannot supervise her with my child to put her on her lead in the living area (eg kitchen floor) and tie it to the table leg etc. This way shes still involved in what were doing but cannot have full run of the place to go jump up & bite bubby. Apparently she will learn that if shes quiet & does not bite then she will get attention, if she howls & carries on then she wont get any. This way i can actually get my toddler to walk away from her without pup following & biting if she has done something wrong. Does this sound ok to you guys? I was surprised when they mentioned trying this.

[NoodleNut]

Noodle, we did exactly as you with our puppy - we hadn't had a real puppy in the house for 19 years - our two old dogs lived looooong lives... and boy, we didn't know what we were in for... we were quite sure none of our other puppies had been quite so naughty.

We started out crate training - she slept in the crate and as soon as she awoke, she was taken outside for toilet and then we had playtime. And we too took it in turns to do night shift / morning shift swaps - boy we felt like the living dead.

But, within 4 weeks, she started to realise she had to go out to toilet. The only accidents we had were when it was pouring with rain and we didn't wake in time to take her out.

She still (now 6 months) doesn't have the run of the house, although she did accidentally have the full run of the house on Saturday and luckily it was only a cushion destroyed.

LOL, we opened up the door and saw a sea of foam - with a toy dog (ones our friends gave us to fill our doggy void before we got our puppy) smack in the middle of it all. Now, I think he was framed - :rolleyes: or he was a very naughty boy and poor Jemima, our puppy was just worried that we'd think it was her who had destroyed the cushion!

Did you take a photo of the scene that confronted you when you walked throught he door????

I never think to get out the camera!

Noodle was only 9 weeks old in the pen (with crate in the pen but door open of the crate so she could get used to it at this stage) with an absobent pad incase I missed the wimper/shake/bark to go out in the middle of the night.

Well, one night I fed her late (like 9pm ..... BAD DECISION!! VERY BAD DECISION!!) ... I was, like you, the walking dead after a week and a half of dragging myself out of bed at 11pm, 2am, 4am and 6am and slept through until 4am ..... well, what confronted me was ..

Poo flicked (and I mean flicked!!) around the pen and hanging by the wire of the pen in all sorts of places .. like stalectites and stactmites ... (sp??) you get the picture .... poo on her paws too ... what a MESS!

I got her out of the pen and tethered her to the kitchen drawers on her lead and proceeded to clean up the pen (45 minutes, LOTS of disinfectant, spray, and urine off spray and heaps of paper towel ... I was thinking of buying shares in the paper towel industry!) ... after doing all this I then turned my attention to her ...

Pee all over the floor and more pooey footprints ... arghhh .. wiped her down (I now want to buy shares in dog conditioner .... I put some on a chamois and moisten it with some warm water and wipe her coat/paws down when she has been outside and in this instance her paws) and another 20 minutes to clean up that spot.

After that she didn't want to go back to sleep .. PLAY TIME .... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! OH slept through all of this like a baby!!! Flamin OH!!!

I went off to have a shower and wash my dressing gown ....

No, I did not think of the camera at the time

[Miranda]

I am not a fan of tying dogs up under any circumstances so I disagree with their advice, I much prefer a puppy pen or a crate.

[NoodleNut]

I took Kya to puppy pre-school lastnight & spoke to them about her biting/nipping my toddler. They suggested for the times i cannot supervise her with my child to put her on her lead in the living area (eg kitchen floor) and tie it to the table leg etc. This way shes still involved in what were doing but cannot have full run of the place to go jump up & bite bubby. Apparently she will learn that if shes quiet & does not bite then she will get attention, if she howls & carries on then she wont get any. This way i can actually get my toddler to walk away from her without pup following & biting if she has done something wrong. Does this sound ok to you guys? I was surprised when they mentioned trying this.

Hi mummyofdakota

This was exactly what I do with Noodle and my suggestion in both of the threads. Have another read of my postings.

It works well for us.

Kids are home from school now and the eldest has been playing with her outside for 20 minutes .. Noodle is now inside and as she is still fired up she is on the lead attached to the kitchen drawers. The kids will play with her, pat etc if she has her paws on teh ground and does not mouth. At this stage they have left her on her own as she was trying to mouth. Usually 5 minutes later they come back and try again ... the only behaviour that is rewarded is calm behaviour otherwise she is ignored and she hates that.

[1 in a million]

I think once you can get the pup to understand where she belongs and what is acpected of her you will be right.

she need to no that the toddler is more boss than her.

she will get it soon.

once she has stopped all the things you have said then you and your daughter can share the house with the staffy and hopefully all live happy together.

Just remember pups have alot of energy to burn!!

[mummytodakota]

I took Kya to puppy pre-school lastnight & spoke to them about her biting/nipping my toddler. They suggested for the times i cannot supervise her with my child to put her on her lead in the living area (eg kitchen floor) and tie it to the table leg etc. This way shes still involved in what were doing but cannot have full run of the place to go jump up & bite bubby. Apparently she will learn that if shes quiet & does not bite then she will get attention, if she howls & carries on then she wont get any. This way i can actually get my toddler to walk away from her without pup following & biting if she has done something wrong. Does this sound ok to you guys? I was surprised when they mentioned trying this.

Hi mummyofdakota

This was exactly what I do with Noodle and my suggestion in both of the threads. Have another read of my postings.

It works well for us.

Kids are home from school now and the eldest has been playing with her outside for 20 minutes .. Noodle is now inside and as she is still fired up she is on the lead attached to the kitchen drawers. The kids will play with her, pat etc if she has her paws on teh ground and does not mouth. At this stage they have left her on her own as she was trying to mouth. Usually 5 minutes later they come back and try again ... the only behaviour that is rewarded is calm behaviour otherwise she is ignored and she hates that.

Indeed it was sorry, i thought i had heard of the idea before they mentioned it to me lastnight lol. I'm going to give this a go, how often do you have Noodle on the lead?

[Cosmolo]

I would prefer to use a crate when you can't supervise as you won't know if the pup gets tangled etc. Then use the lead when you are there, hold onto it while they are interacting so that when the puppy starts to mouth the child, you can provide an immediate correction.

[NoodleNut]

Our pup is a working breed so she is pretty active ... outside lots with us and inside when it rains or we are at home and she has been outside for while. If Noodle has been for a walk to the park, done some training at the park, been for a trip in the car to drop kids at their various sporting commitments and done a lap of the local strip shops while I am waiting she is usually much better behaved and control is much easier. Noodle is then off the lead in the house but she is now 22 weeks.

When I can't 'supervise her' 100% she is on the lead ... just to clarify for Coslomo and other DOL's what I mean by this is that I am sitting at the computer and can see her all the time (she is sitting under my feet at the moment with her head lying on my foot )but I am typing (like I am now) and the kids are either doing homework etc or I am making dinner or cutting bits and pieces out for the 6 year old's show and tell book. If I can't be in the kitchen with Noodle she goes outside (I agree I don't want her getting tangled). If she is ever inside when we go out (like the horrendous rain we had the other week) I crate her for a few hours NOT on the lead.

It really does depend on your house set up .. ours is very open plan and so Noodle is in literally the middle of the house where all the action is. It also allows me to monitor her need to toilet and respond accordingly (just took her outside now as she barked and shook herself .. this means 'wanna go to the toilet'.)

We are currently extending our home and part of it is a large home office so Noodle will have access to this area as well as the kitchen, hallway, large open room for entertaining (tiled floor) ... plenty of space for her to go (approx 18 squares ... enough for a dog I would think). We happen to have 10 square of parquetry and Noodle has learnt she is not to go on it already (the kitchen has two entries onto the parquetry, another two to an entertaining area and hallway (both tiled) and she knows she can go there.

I understand that tethering is not ideal however we felt this was the most responsible thing to do having children, least restrictive for Noodle (we did use the pen when she was really little from 8 weeks to 14 weeks and now only the crate at night) and combined with lots of activity and physical and mental stimulation I would say she is only on the lead perhaps 3 hours per day now (1 hour in the morning and 1-2 hours at night .. the rest of the time she is offlead when she is in but with our 100% attention at that time. I find putting her in the pen would be too restrictive and too 'out of the way' in the kitchen .. .up against one wall .. .on the lead she is smack in the middle of the kitchen .. just need to watch ourselves that WE don't come a cropper on her lead )

[NoodleNut]

I would prefer to use a crate when you can't supervise as you won't know if the pup gets tangled etc. Then use the lead when you are there, hold onto it while they are interacting so that when the puppy starts to mouth the child, you can provide an immediate correction.

Good point Cosmolo!I would agree with the holding the lead when your child interacts with your pup - she is too young to be able to move away quick enough and you don't want her to have a negative experience due to her being overwhemed by your pup. Our children are 6 and 10 so are more assertive and we did LOTS of rote practice with responses MONTHS before we got Noodle. Not only are we training the pup but also our children and often our family members friends .. I have a family member that wants to rough Noodle up everytime they see her ... GRRRRR makes my blood boil and I have had to have 'words'.

[cwm]

LOL, you've hit on a good point, it's more training of the 'humans' that is required than the puppy.

We too have friends that just want to rough play with her... sooo frustrating.

And no, sadly I only thought about getting the camera out AFTER I'd put away all the foam in the bin