The Life Of Hugo

[Dju]

I didn't say I was going to keep restraining him, I just said I was going to continue with the school because of the other things we're learning that is useful. Why would you assume that's how I would deal with the behavior too?

[huski]

Honestly Dju I have no idea what you want. First you whinge about how awful the puppy school was, then when people give you advice, you say it's not that bad and you are going to stick with it I give up.

[corvus]

Erik was hard sometimes, too. He still has his moments, although thankfully much fewer of them. Erik flourishes under training. He loves it so much he comes asking for it. He learns everything so easily he is addictive to train.

The point of socialisation is to show them what their world is made up of. It has trees, rocks, footpaths, other houses, strange dogs, strange people, kids, cars, scooters, trucks, running people, cats, birds, kids on skateboards, dogs on leash, people in boats, dogs playing with one another, children screaming, adults singing, people in wheelchairs, umbrellas, big coats, strange hats, vets, training grounds, big dogs, small dogs, other puppies, dogs that don't like puppies, dogs that do like puppies, shiny boots, high heels that click, bags that jingle, automatic doors on storefronts, fans, heaters, nail clippers, brushes, baths, blow dryers, dogs yelping and barking, edible bones, non-edible bones, toys that squeak, toys that roll... Get the picture? What is Hugo going to encounter in his life? Whatever he is going to encounter later on, he should be exposed to now and learn whether he should like it, dislike it, or ignore it. What he learns to feel towards it is up to you. If you want him to like it, reward him when he's around it. If you want him to ignore it, expose him to it until he is desensitised and no longer pays attention to it. Best not to encourage him to dislike things. Baby steps for everything. Watch him for signs of how he is taking it. Are his ears forward? That means he's interested. Are his ears turned out to the side or laying down on his head? That means he's worried.

[Dju]

I am not going to burn $150 all because my ego was deflated and they taught one lesson that I didn't like. I'm not a Rockerfeller to be so picky with things like that, especially when I'm focused on the bigger picture (i.e. the other things the course has promised to teach us that I am very much so interested in) and not the smaller one (being my feelings). One lesson down, four to go.

Ohh okay that makes more sense Corvus. I never quite realized socialization included things other than people + animals. We will go do some hardcore rock and tree socializing tomorrow (joking)

Phew, there's lots to keep in mind when owning a dog.

Edited November 28, 2010 by Dju

[huski]

Dju I get what you are saying and if you are getting a lot of value out of the puppy school otherwise then stick with it

It is a dog trainer's job to be honest with their clients and not sugar coat things. But - they should never make you feel like a bad dog owner, talk down to you, criticise you constantly, make you feel like a failure etc. My trainer is always honest with me but has NEVER made me feel discouraged or bad about my training. Making your clients feel like failures is what causes people give up training their dog. A good trainer WANTS their clients to succeed.

Edited November 28, 2010 by huski

[Dju]

I might be a bad dog owner for all I know, because with Hugo it's totally new turf, it's like an experienced dog handler trying to train a pigeon to send mail across the country! Just have to learn as I go, no other way about it.

We will be learning "leave it" next week, among other things that I forget.. "Leave it" will hopefully be a good lesson as Hugo is constantly putting things in his mouth that he shouldn't be. I can relate to Corvus about Erik being like a gifted toddler--for Hugo though, it sometimes feels like more of a "special" toddler lol!

[huski]

Dju - you care, and you are committed to trying, a bad dog owner wouldn't do either of those things

Edited November 28, 2010 by huski

[Dju]

Good point. I'm well-intentioned, hopefully that'll get me somewhere.

[tlc]

Corvus love your post about things to expose puppy too, there is so many things we don't even think of as new puppy owners. I remember when CJ was a pup one night we were just hanging out at home and for (what we thought was) no reason he just started freaking out, running from room to room whining and crying and for the life of me I couldn't figure it out and at the time after not having a puppy for 16 years I was at a loss for what to do with him. I knew if I freaked out too I would just re enforce his fears so I took him outside and he calmed down, it wasnt till a couple of nights later that he did exactly the same thing and the penny dropped as my OH had just turned the dishwasher on! Problem solved we knew then that it was that that had freaked him out so we worked thought it and he was fine. Similar thing happened with the ceiling fan. CJ was a winter puppy so when he was about 6 months old and we turned the ceiling fan on for the first time since we had him same thing again. It's little things like that you just don't think of so the more you can get Hugo associated with the better.

Has anyone told you about the rule of sevens, I know Hugo is older now but this is just a rough guide but you get the idea. My apologies if you have already seen this.

~~ The Rule of Sevens ~~

By the time a puppy is 7 weeks old it should have......

Been on 7 different surfaces, such as:

carpet

concrete

wood

vinyl

grass

dirt

gravel

wood chips

newspaper

etc.

Played with 7 different types of objects, such as:

big balls

small balls

soft fabric toys

fuzzy balls

squeaky toys

metal items

wooden items

paper/cardboard items

milk/soda jugs

etc.

Been in 7 different locations, including:

front yard

backyard

basement

kitchen

car

garage

laundry room

bathroom

crate

kennel

etc.

Been exposed to 7 challenges, such as:

climbed a box

climbed off a box

gone through a tunnel

climbed up steps

climbed down steps

climbed over obstacles

played hide and seek

gone in and out of a doorway with a step

etc.

Eaten from 7 different containers:

metal

plastic

cardboard

paper

china

pie plate

frying pan

etc.

Eaten in 7 different locations:

crate

yard

kitchen

basement

laundry room

bedroom

x-pen

etc.

Met and played with 7 new people, including:

children

the elderly

[Dju]

Oohh, we mustn't be doing too bad then because he's actually done a good 80% of that list! We need to get him to eat from different surfaces too, but he did okay with the china bowl, the metal bowl, and ... a frisbee. Now that you mention it though, he is scared of the bathroom. Might be the cold tiles, not sure.

[FranVT]

Hey Demi, another thing I just wanted to add which may be helpful or probably not but I can't not say it. I think your mum is being detrimental to raising Hugo I think you really need to rein her in - in the most mum-respectful way Dogs pick up on human anxiety so easily and I think your trainer (other potential faults notwithstanding) was right about her staying home next time. Hugo is YOUR dog! You make the rules

[Dju]

Hey Demi, another thing I just wanted to add which may be helpful or probably not but I can't not say it. I think your mum is being detrimental to raising Hugo I think you really need to rein her in - in the most mum-respectful way Dogs pick up on human anxiety so easily and I think your trainer (other potential faults notwithstanding) was right about her staying home next time. Hugo is YOUR dog! You make the rules

Yeaah I do get the feeling the trainer was right about this . And you are both right, my mother just wants to smother him and when I'm using the Ferber method to stop him from barking, she's paying attention to him and trying to make him stop that way, so neither of our ways work and Hugo just ends up hanging around my mother more because she's the "nicer" one! It's so hard to keep her away from inadvertently training Hugo though. She's got some misplaced nesting issues going on, and ever since he moved into the house, it's like Hugo is her firstborn (and sometimes only child lol), not me . That woman has more love than she knows what to do with! But yes, next time, she won't be attending, I made sure of that and she agreed--she said it stressed her out too much because all the other puppies were bullying Hugo!

[TerraNik]

Hugo is a dog, not a human or a stuffed animal. He needs to be treated as such. You need to get that through your mother's head, or you will forever have issues with Hugo's behaviour.

[W Sibs]

Hugo is a dog, not a human or a stuffed animal. He needs to be treated as such. You need to get that through your mother's head, or you will forever have issues with Hugo's behaviour.

+ 1

[Dju]

Hugo was totally stressed out when we woke up this morning. As my mother says, "Wild, he's absolutely wild!". We think it may be the stress from the class yesterday. He was getting toilet training, finally getting the hang of it, but suddenly he starts peeing in his pen every fifteen minutes. We had also trained him to ring a bell when he wants to go potty but by the time we get there when he rings it, he's already peed! So maybe he's so stressed that he thinks that ringing the bell is something he should do AFTER he pees? I don't know . He's napping at the moment, hopefully the problem doesn't continue all day as my mother is in school and I need to go to work.

Will definitely be socializing him a lot more before his next class to see whether it makes a difference or not. I called Cassie and chatted to her last night and she said that Vallhunds are just loud greeters and he just needed to meet all the puppies first and she's sure he'd be fine. So much conflicting advice! When he barks, take him away, or when he barks, bring him closer. Which one is it??

[minxy]

Dju:

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=207081

Regular Brisbane DOL meets that we've just started. First Sunday of every month. There is one Sunday 5th coming up. I can't make it as it's my sisters baby shower, but it's always another option for you if you want some dogs for Hugo to meet.

[Dju]

Hey, that's a good idea Thanks Minxy, I'll check it out!

[huski]

Dju, his behaviour is not remotely normal or desirable. I think the best thing you could do is have a good one on one session with a reputable trainer who can help you with the behavioral side of things. His behaviour is very serious, it's something you need a professional to help you with.

Even if it was "friendly" barking a lot of dogs won't see it that way and it could lead to issues. I don't let my dogs greet others if they are too aroused.

Remember when you first started seeing issues with his behaviour towards other dogs when you bought him home? And a number of us told you it was a serious and would get worse if you didnt handle it right way then and there? Well It's gotten worse, trust us when we say it's not normal and stress how serious it is.

[W Sibs]

Barking as a greeting isn't allowed at my house.. I will tolerate whinging and squeaking but no barking, snapping or growling.

For a puppy... I will take a few steps back in a situation where he is scared or unsure about an object. I keep calm and assertive. I like the pup settle down and build up the courage to go to the object the pup is unsure about. If the pup is still unsure, I will take the pup away and maybe try again in a few days. If the pup is curious and takes a step forward, I will encourage that behaviour. I will not flood the pup (who is still learning about the world) with the object the pup is scared of straight away.

Dogs do 2 things when they are scared. The run or they fight. If you force him a position where he can't get away, then he is going to fight. Letting him run is not a good idea either, because they can run onto traffic or can really injure themselves. You don't want the pup to run and you definitely don't want the pup to fight.

You need professional help that will help you in person.

Great you ask people on the forum to help and people are giving you awesome advice, but sometimes you need that person to come out to help you with your pup. We don't know your dog personally to see his body language and how he reacts to things, only how you describe his behaviour(and no offence, but sometimes I don't know if your over dramatising the situation or not). It's very confusing.

Edited November 29, 2010 by CW EW

[Toujour]

wow lots happening in here!

Socialisation - is a big MUST in any breed! ettiqutte is something not all dogs have (both human and/or dog) Puppy preschool is normally conducted in a vet clinic on constantly cleaned floors. to my knowledge, parvo is more commonly found/affected on grass areas and urinated areas eg tree bases, poles, etc you can go for a walk to the corner shop and bring parvo in on your shoes into your 'safe' home. All my gals were taken to family member houses before their vacc was up and running. So puppy preschool for an 8wk old would have been fine. IMO Corvus's posts about socialisation was i very good post

I agree with alot of the comments in here about owner behaviour/mood will have an affect on the puppy/dog (dogs read humans like a book) if your nervous most dogs will thing they have to guard their owners. Calm behaviour is what you need from both human and dog.

You and your mother would benefit from reading Ceaser Millians book (they are real easy to read) - he discusses calm assertive behaviour extremely well, and gives alot of different case senario's. For those who 'hate' CM i must say that his books brought me over to a new level and taught me sooo much about pack leadership (dynamics) and pointed so many behaviour keys that i didnt notice before. But i am a fan of Dr Bruce Fogle.

You need to understand more of Hugo's dog needs before you ask him to accept your human needs.

Being a dog owner means that you need to adjust your life style to model the new pack member.

Look around for some dog training clubs and go along and participate in something basic like obedience. I previously had no 'doggy' friends untill i started attending obedience on a weekly baises. i now have a very close friend (who is older than my mother) but we now do play dates for our dogs outside of the obedience. If you want 'doggy' friends you need to get out there and start to mingle with people

I respect what SDDU was trying to get you to understand about asking other breeders for their own personal information sheets and food recommandations. Breeders (such as - say for instance SDDU) have spent alot of time to put together info sheets that they hand down to their puppies owners - as part of their responsisbility and helpful manner - to take care of their prefix puppies. Different breeders have different perspectitives on food requirements (brands) and additives - Hugo's 'prefix mum' might not like the fact that you go against her recommandation and might take offence to the other breeder for 'filling' her position. Hence why they always recommand that you go to your own breeder.

Lucky for me all 4 of my breeders feed the same food brand

i understand that you may feel confussed and 'stretched' at times with conflicting recommandations (i know i was there once too) - but this happens in the human world aswell: one parent sends their kid to a public school, another one to a private school and one gets home schooled - all of them sit own to the same exam at the end of the year.

You will always have 'options' but the thing you really need to grasp is 'commitment' - pick a path and stick to it, instead of hmming and ahhhing what to do. you could pick 10 people off one forum and compare their 'doggy' lifestyle and find extremes in each of them - doesnt make only one of them right - but the common conception you will see is a commitment to a particular course

i think would recommand that you set yourself some goals, get some informational books and enlist yourself into a dog club - that you can enjoy.

Start structuring Hugo's training a little bit more (i would start with only offering him food for 10min and then removing it). Dont know about your lifestle but i know my parents never let us pick at the food in the cupboards all day because they knew we wouldnt eat our dinner