New Puppy!!
I picked up a puppy this past weekend. I am the proud owner of an 11 week old Border Collie. He is a little terror, but I am working with him :cool: As soon as I get some pics, I will post them. Well, also as soon as I figure out how to post those pics <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
Oh..his name is Puck by the way. I am an avid hockey fan
Oh..his name is Puck by the way. I am an avid hockey fan
Comments
Woohoo! Another hockey fan too!
OK, I've seen Slapshot a few too many times...
Then of course there's Ogie Ogilthorpe, but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue smoothly.... heh heh
[ 09-25-2002: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
Once you get them hosted use the [img] tags
[(IMG)]imageurl[(/IMG)]
Remove parentheses when posting the images though.
[ 09-25-2002: Message edited by: groverat ]</p>
first, they are great dogs. very smart, with loads of personality. (they are also a bit quirky)
just make sure that you give them TONS of excercise. they are working dogs, and will not do well if they don't get at least 1-2 hours of exercise PER DAY. that's no joke.
play catch, frisbee, walk them, whatever you can, just make sure that you get them tired at least once a day, or they'll start getting destructive with all that extra energy, and unhappy.
also, be careful when you play with them. they are one of the dogs that will work themselves to death if you let them. as long as you are throwing the ball/frisbee, they will chase it.
congrats on the puppy, they're great dogs!
<strong>Puppies rule.
Once you get them hosted use the [img] tags
[(IMG)]imageurl[(/IMG)]
Remove parentheses when posting the images though.
[ 09-25-2002: Message edited by: groverat ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Is there a size limit for those pics? I am also assuming they must be JPG's?? I just started a 24 roll of film, but I am sure I will burn it up before long. I wish I had my camera the other day, he was crashed in the passenger seat rolled over on his back...was cute!
I also got a new pup.
I am having troubles:
Greetings!
I have a beautiful new German Shepherd puppy.
She is nine weeks old yesterday (Today is Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2002), and her name is Jaetta.
I have had her two weeks tonight.
I am 28 years old, and just got my first house in July--so I could finally get a pup.
I have had dogs before, and have always had very good success with training them, at least to a come/sit/down/stay level, and I have been reading lots and lots, so I thought I was prepared for getting my puppy.
But it has been very very frustrating--much more than I counted upon.
Jaetta is beautiful, and comes from very good lines (Champion and Shutzhund titles all through her pedigree).
She is sometimes very attentive--her eyes will follow me around, and will be very interested in being with me.
Other times it is as if I am not there--except that I'm holding her back with the leash when she'd rather be wandering.
As I said in the topic subject, she really really hates her crate.
I tried introducing it to her slowly, like all the books say--letting her investigate it and not just shoving her in and slamming the door.
But she simply will not have anything to do with it.
Everytime I put her in the crate, she struggles to get out, and I have to do the "push and close" bit.
I know that this isn't helping, but she won't be tricked into following toys in anymore--she just looks at me and then tries to walk off.
I want to iterate that I love this puppy very much, and am very concerned about the relationship we'll have (I even took a 5-day weekend so that I could spend the first several days with her).
I have no kids, and this dog is to be the focus of my life away from church and work.
But I am getting super frustrated.
As I alluded to earlier, she simply ignores me sometimes.
When I take her out to potty, she'll pee right away usually, and then either chew on mulch or rocks or weeds or cigarette butts (not mine) or whatever else she can, or try with all her might to get away.
I work in a small ad agency, and am lucky enough to be able to bring her to work with me--she stays in her crate, but I let her out on a very regular schedule for eating/pooping/playing and so forth (She's almost potty trained, I think--at least, she has almost never gone inside, really--but I get the feeling it's only because I'm so diligent about her schedule and cause she comes to work with me. I think that if I were to ever leave her outside of her crate by herself she'd go inside without even thinking about it)
I take her for a very long walk *almost* daily (I admit I have missed a couple), and for a hard/long run 2 times a week (3 so far).
I'm feeding her Eukanuba, just like the breeder said to.
So she *should* be really happy, right?
But instead, she fights me over the crate, spends most of her time outside on potty breaks trying to dig up the grass or eat mulch and rocks, and simply will not come when I call her unless it suits her.
She also is starting to nip quite a bit.
And then other times she's as sweet as can be, like I said: very attentive and playful.
I am just going nuts here.
I know it is such a cliche for a new puppy owner to freak out and think his dog is somehow "messed up," and I feel really stupid for even asking, but it sure *feels* like I'm doing everything right.
And she's still the single most strong-willed dog I have ever come across.
I am not yet confortable with how to correct her.
I like the approach offered by the Monks of New Skeete (http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/). It's very "non-violent." It is based a whole lot on wolf-pack behaviour.
So mostly I try "corrective pops" with her leash, or sitting her and cuffing her under her chin briskly with the flat backside of four extended fingers (for intentional nipping/biting only), and have even tried rolling her onto her back and holding her there while I stare into her eyes for several seconds (she does not like this one bit).
But only that last technique seems to even phase her.
She seems not to even here me if I say "No!"
I have tried all sorts of voice tones, but she just doesn't ever respond to a voice correction--I am constantly going to get her (well, she's usually on leash, so it's not a long trip) and having to physically stop her from doing whatever it is she's doing.
She *never* stops when I say.
Because of her "rock and mulch" eating fetish, I am frequently having to pull things out of her mouth.
This never goes well--she is quite possessive.
I have yet to get her to volunteer anything that she "has"--I always have to kneel behind her on the floor/ground, work her into position between my legs and pry her jaws open.
I'm sure that when she's 75 pounds (like her mom) this will not be possible, so I'd like to get this possesiveness corrected quickly.
Anyone who read through this novel and has any advice, it'd be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
<strong>Hey, congrats!
I also got a new pup.
I am having troubles:
1) As I said in the topic subject, she really really hates her crate.
I tried introducing it to her slowly, like all the books say--letting her investigate it and not just shoving her in and slamming the door.
But she simply will not have anything to do with it. Everytime I put her in the crate, she struggles to get out, and I have to do the "push and close" bit. But instead, she fights me over the crate, spends most of her time outside on potty breaks trying to dig up the grass or eat mulch and rocks, and simply will not come when I call her unless it suits her.
2) But I am getting super frustrated.
I am not yet confortable with how to correct her.
I am just going nuts here.
3) When I take her out to potty, she'll pee right away usually, and then either chew on mulch or rocks or weeds or cigarette butts (not mine) or whatever else she can, or try with all her might to get away.
4) She also is starting to nip quite a bit.
Anyone who read through this novel and has any advice, it'd be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
My biggest suggestion? Go to a <a href="http://www.petsmart.com/petsmart_stores/petsmart_training.shtml"; target="_blank">PetsMart</a> near your home. Enroll in a training class, it will do wonders! I have a friend who did it, and her puppy is doing very well. I am starting next Tuesday with my pup. One hour a week, for eight weeks.
Here are my replies to what you posted. I cut up your post a bit, mostly because it seemed to wander some
1) Of course she hates the crate!! Its closed up, and not anywhere near you. My best advise?? Leave her in there until potty time comes. When it comes, let her out only to potty! If/when she finishes, play with her for awhile. Keep an eye on the time, because she will likely have to potty again within 2-3 hours. No matter how much it breaks your heart when she whines while in the crate, walk away. The whining is mostly a fear that you wont come back. Every time you do come back, your showing her you will always come when she cry's. You have to be the master, not her.
My puppy is 11 weeks old. I have had him for 5 days, and he has had only one accident inside since I crated him. He does not cry anymore overnight. He doesnt like the crate, but he tolerates it.
2) Dogs are huge into body language. She knows your frustrated, and it frustrates her im sure. Your inconsistant actions only confuse her more.
3) You need to reward her every time she potties. This starts when you are outside, you have to smile at her, and say she is a good girl! You need to choose a keyword for your puppy, mine is "go potty" When he is done, I say "good potty!"
4) For nipping, I have started holding his mouth shut and saying "That is wrong!", wrong being the key word. Everything he does bad, is "wrong" Gotta be consistant.
Hope this helps some, my pup has amazed me how far he has come, in only 5 days!
Be patient, you'll get there
My sister has a pit bull, was a stern disciplinarian (no physical punishment, and she took Satchmo to training classes at PetSmart. She's always consistent about what words she uses for commands or things. He knows the names of all of his toys, knows when its dinnertime, can tell the difference between "steady" and "stay" (she uses "steady" as the command), and knows all of our names. She makes everyone use those words. Your dog will test its boundaries every now and then. Use your dog's name a lot when you address them too. My sister gets Satchmo's undivided attention whenever she calls his name, no matter where either of them are at the time.
As far a discipline, my sister did use a choke chain to teach him not to do some things too. (Note: they shouldn't actually choke the dog.) The choke chain reinforces the strong "no!" and can eventually be left with just the voice command. But physical reinforcement of both good and bad behavior (pet your pup a lot!) is most effective. The "wolf-pack" behavior you're talking about works well too. Just turn your back and day "no!" if your dog is acting up, and they usually settle down very quickly. But dogs can be compulsive about things like people, so it doesn't work for everything.
Save the occasional grass-eating episode and subsequent puking (the eating part is instinctive to some degree depending on the breed), he's a perfect gentle -uh- dog. As you might imagine, it is absolutely impossible to pry open his jaws once he locks them. When he was younger, I could reach into the back of his throat to pull out cigarette butts without worrying that he would bite me.
Making a dog come to you is one of the hardest things to teach them. It's an advanced lesson after heel, sit, lie down, stand up, etc. Again, some breeds just don't do so well with this one.
The nipping thing is likely teething, though if you let her continue, she'll be a biter. Stachmo was always biting when he was young, but a loud sharp "OW!" would startle him enough to stop. Again, saying "no!" when in the act teaches the dog too (dogs don't put cause and effect together very well, so don't wait until after he or she has done something to scold them). Good chew toys are important, and they love ice cubes and frozen towels. But for the most part, teething just has to run its course. My sister eventually taught Satchmo to "kiss" someone when he started to get nippy, meaning he would stop and lick them. Now he does it upon greeting. But he still can't shake hands. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
at this age, it's more important for them to learn how to interact well with other dogs than to learn to sit, heel etc.
that will usually cure them of the biting tendancy as well, although most people have a hard time not freaking out when they hear their puppy yelp when an older dog scares them.
i would say most importantly remember that your dog is only a few months old. a lot of behaviors that you're looking for will come in time, but don't expect the world just yet. love your dog no matter what, and the rest will usually follow. (and loving your dog means you're willing to punish them when necessary, not spoil them 24/7)
From 1995:
[ 09-26-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
<strong>
As I said in the topic subject, she really really hates her crate.
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I just remembered what the trainer said about why puppies hate crates, and whine when you try to leave them in them. Its called Seperation Anxiety. Because you and your puppy is just beginning your relationship, she doesn't "trust" that when you walk away, you are coming back. This changes with time, as you leave and come back over time. The best way to do this, is to crate her during the day, and walk away for a short period of time. As the days/weeks go on, increase this time. Eventually, the puppy will trust that you will be back.
My puppy, who I said earlier is 11 weeks old, no longer cries when I put him in his crate for the evening. In fact, he made it all night last night, without having to go outside. I put him in at 9pm CST, and he woke me up at 530am CST. This is amazing, considering he started being crated 6 days ago!
I still need to get him to stop crying when I go to work, but I have made tremendous progress so far. I wish I could take all the credit, but this dog is incredibily intelligent!