Walk For 9 Week Old Puppy

[nicolatu]

Hi guys I was just wondering whether it's good for a puppy to have his walk on just footpath along the street? My Border Collie puppy seems so unhappy at home. I bring him to backyard for just toileting and spent most time indoor playing tugs and balls.

Nic

[poodlefan]

What makes you think he's unhappy?

Be careful about trying to fill his every waking moment with play. Learning to chill out with you is as important as keeping him stimulated.

At 9 weeks he is only partially vaccinated. Unless you are going to a place you know isn't frequented by unknown dogs, I'd be carrying him.

[Cosmolo]

Can he spend more time in the backyard? Is he going to puppy pre school? Are you doing any training to stimulate him?

[nicolatu]

He doesn't seems happy when we call him and looked at us like we are strangers. We have been accompanying all the time for the past 3 days. Is 3 days not enough for him to know us? Or He need a longer settling time?

Unless there is food around, he won't come to us. We have taught him how to sit and we reward him for every sit he gives by food, play and pat. He sometimes just sit there and sulks so we think he is unhappy.

Nic

[Nekhbet]

3 days is nothing! Give him a couple of weeks to soak up all the new information They are intelligent but with no ability to verbalise between you and the dog they just do things at their own rate.

I would be giving him more fresh air and sunshine too, let him out for more then toileting But walks should wait until a week after the second vaccination. If you want to take him out then put him in a bag or trolley and take him for a walk like that to expose him.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Nekhbet

[nicolatu]

Can he spend more time in the backyard? Is he going to puppy pre school? Are you doing any training to stimulate him?

I have spent time with him in the backyard but he prefer being in the house. When I open the door to let him in after walking around the yard and for toilet, he rushes in immediately so we think he loves being inside.

Another question is that when I walk with him on the lead, he sometimes turn around and start chewing on the lead. Is there anything I can do? I have given him Kong to chew on but he loves chewing our hand as well. We gives out "ah!" and then stop playing. He then sits there quietly and we praise him for that. After that playtime again but he still chews our hand and sometimes it's quite hard that my finger bleeds. Are we doing anything wrong?

Nic

[Cosmolo]

Has he spent every moment of the last 3 days with you? He needs to learn its okay to be alone as well.

If he is chewing on you until you are bleeding- you need to stop him much sooner- as soon as he goes to mouth is the time to stop him and then redirect him 20 seconds later to a toy. You need to stop the mouthing first though, before giving a toy- how you do this can vary depending on the puppy hence i would suggest attending a quality puppy pre school to learn.

When he bites the lead, put a finger on either side of his top jaw and give a little squeeze until he lets it go.

3 days is not a long time- he's unlikely to have bonded with you yet.

[poodlefan]

What Cosmolo says. He's just been separated from his littermates and it takes time to bond to his new family.

Cosmolos's point about teaching him its OK to be alone is an important one. Why not give him a bone to chew on and let him spend sometime outside or in his crate (are you using one?) while you go about normal household activites. Work up to going away from the home and leaving him by himself.

At 9 weeks he's old enough for puppy school. Have you booked him n yet?

[nicolatu]

Yes I have booked him into a puppy school already starting next Wednesday. We are crate training him but he came from NSW and he hates the crate after all the trauma he been through. But we are getting there slowly by feeding him and giving him treats in there. He cries when he is in there but we ignore him until he falls asleep. I just ran with him in the backyard and he is so tired now and just lying around while we are in the kitchen. I think maybe more playtime in the yard helps. Thanks heaps for the advice.

Nic

[GoldenGirl85]

Hi guys I was just wondering whether it's good for a puppy to have his walk on just footpath along the street? My Border Collie puppy seems so unhappy at home. I bring him to backyard for just toileting and spent most time indoor playing tugs and balls.

Nic

Play tug and balls outside, he needs to learn to spend time outside

Can he spend more time in the backyard? Is he going to puppy pre school? Are you doing any training to stimulate him?

Puppy preschool is a must, I was considering not doing it with my pup because it seemed quite expensive for 4 weeks of training, but it was definitely worth it, definitely take him to puppy preschool

He doesn't seems happy when we call him and looked at us like we are strangers. We have been accompanying all the time for the past 3 days. Is 3 days not enough for him to know us? Or He need a longer settling time?

Unless there is food around, he won't come to us. We have taught him how to sit and we reward him for every sit he gives by food, play and pat. He sometimes just sit there and sulks so we think he is unhappy.

Nic

You cant expect him to recall after 3 days, my 4 month old GR has a good recall for her age, but she doesnt come everytime

A well fed puppy doesnt know how to be unhappy, they are built to be happy souls

I have spent time with him in the backyard but he prefer being in the house. When I open the door to let him in after walking around the yard and for toilet, he rushes in immediately so we think he loves being inside.

Another question is that when I walk with him on the lead, he sometimes turn around and start chewing on the lead. Is there anything I can do? I have given him Kong to chew on but he loves chewing our hand as well. We gives out "ah!" and then stop playing. He then sits there quietly and we praise him for that. After that playtime again but he still chews our hand and sometimes it's quite hard that my finger bleeds. Are we doing anything wrong?

Nic

Of course he likes being inside, thats where the people are, he still needs to learn to spend time alone

As for hand chewing, put a stop to it now. I had trouble with my GR chewing, so I would say 'ouch' really high pitched to replicate a pup yelping, it soon stopped her chewing me

Another thing you should look into is crate training, do a search for it on here and even google, I crate trained my pup and I am so grateful for it

[poodlefan]

Yes I have booked him into a puppy school already starting next Wednesday. We are crate training him but he came from NSW and he hates the crate after all the trauma he been through. But we are getting there slowly by feeding him and giving him treats in there. He cries when he is in there but we ignore him until he falls asleep. I just ran with him in the backyard and he is so tired now and just lying around while we are in the kitchen. I think maybe more playtime in the yard helps. Thanks heaps for the advice.

Nic

What trauma? A flight? Was he cowering in it when you picked him up?

Are you sure you're not reading more into his behaviour than is there. Do you feed him and give him treats in there? Is the crate where you are?

He's 9 weeks old.. a baby. Be careful not to over exercise him and but do give him toys he can use to amuse himself. Think good and hard about teaching him to chase you too - he's a herding breed. Try not to start on a path that makes him dependent on your for all sources of amusement Nic... the results may not be what you planned.

Have you read the Dogstardaily website's training advice for pups?

Edited April 2, 2010 by poodlefan

[persephone]

nicolatu - he is a BABY. babies love being with their family babies get very tired. Babies cannot concentrate on one thing for more than a couple of minutes.

Please play with him outside - sit outside and have your coffee, let him be with you out there, and let him play.

It may help you to pretend to think like a puppy- smells are very important- so are things he hears taste is very important, and texture- all felt with his mouth, as he has no hands!

[Cosmolo]

Make sure the puppy school is run by an experienced trainer- if you are already booked in i think you should give them a call on Tuesday and perhaps see if they are able to spend a little extra time with you before or after class to answer a few questions.

Does your puppy cry every time you put him in the crate? Is the duration of the crying decreasing?

[nicolatu]

Yes his crying is decreasing. We tried leaving him alone for about an hour few times. He just cried a bit and we ignored him. He went to sleep after awhile. But his biting is stil not good. Once in awhile if I don't give in to him, he wil go crazy and keep biting. We put him into a play tent and let him settle down. After that once he is quiet and good, we let him out.

The puppy school is run by a professional trainer for a lot of years and he will be using positive reinforcement to run the classes.

[Cosmolo]

I think you need to speak to the trainer about the mouthing- its something you want to nip in the bud as soon as possible.