Introductions and Questions

[Ginseng]

Greetings.

 

My name is Nat and here is my new buddy is Ryder the red merle border collie.

 

 

We are trying to figure things out. I have not had a puppy since a kid and now I am 35. Lesson one...5 AM is my friend.

 

I do need some advice during these early days. Ryder is 12 weeks and I got him at 8 weeks...so we are dealing with puppy questions. Specifically I need help with the crate, eating dirt, and discipline.

 

Crate.

He is getting crate trained and he has two 3 hour sessions during the day. But at night I tether him to my bed--he is not allowed into bed. The crate and the bed are in different rooms. My question is, should I use the crate at night in the bedroom, so all sleeping happens in one 'thing'.

 

Eating dirt.

Whoa. He likes to eat a lot of dirt. Is he trying to tell me his diet is not right. Currently the pup is 13lbs and gets 3/4 cup (twice a day for a total of 1.5 cup) of Innova Adult per day.

 

Discipline.

He gets is 'Crazy Eye Puppy' mode and begins to snip and nip a lot. I let him know it hurts with an ouch, and then step up the discipline with a snout grab and shake with a NO. But, he thinks it is a game...playtime. And I am being tough.

 

Thanks for any and all insight to Puppytime.

~nat

~ryder

~ranchero (Cat getting adjusted to puppy also. Currently, not too excited)

[PSmitty]

Crate.

He is getting crate trained and he has two 3 hour sessions during the day. But at night I tether him to my bed--he is not allowed into bed. The crate and the bed are in different rooms. My question is, should I use the crate at night in the bedroom, so all sleeping happens in one 'thing'.

 

Yes, absolutely crate him at night. Whether or not in the bedroom is up to you, but I would move it there.

 

Eating dirt.

Whoa. He likes to eat a lot of dirt. Is he trying to tell me his diet is not right. Currently the pup is 13lbs and gets 3/4 cup (twice a day for a total of 1.5 cup) of Innova Adult per day.

 

Excellent choice of food. I doubt it's a diet issue. Sounds like he's just being a typical puppy, and who knows what yummy smelly things he imagines are in the dirt? My last puppy ate a lot of leaves, sticks and dirt when I first brought him home. He did grow out of it, but until that time, I spent a lot of time redirecting his attention from those things by playing with him or giving him something to occupy him.

 

Discipline.

He gets is 'Crazy Eye Puppy' mode and begins to snip and nip a lot. I let him know it hurts with an ouch, and then step up the discipline with a snout grab and shake with a NO. But, he thinks it is a game...playtime. And I am being tough.

 

You're not being too tough, but that's not really effective, either. See, if he thinks it's a game, raising your voice or grabbing at him with your hands (snout grab) looks and sounds *to him* like you're playing, and will probably make it worse. You're on the right track with the "ouch", but then I would redirect his attention to something appropriate, like a tug or toy. You can also try saying "ouch" and then withdrawing your attention from him, and he will eventually learn that nipping results in the end of playtime. Not a quick fix, but it will work. This is something else he'll outgrow, but I like redirecting until he does so.

 

He's very cute and welcome to the board!

[Vickkers]

Hi and welcome Nat! Ryder is absolutely GORGEOUS...I'm a fan of reds myself and I've never seen a red merle before...whoowee what a cutie!

 

Yes, lesson 1 is most important! 5 am is your friend...however, if you don't want to always get up at 5am with Ryder the rest of his life...get up to let him go potty and then put him back down again. I would strongly suggest moving his crate into your bedroom and having him sleep in his crate at night. It is a 'safe zone' for him where he can fully relax (rather than being tethered to the bed which is completely open).

 

As far as the dirt eating... my 1st two puppies didn't eat dirt...however I just got two more puppies in May at 7 wks old and they LOVED to eat dirt...especially the 'yummy' clay dirt that we have here in NC. I tried everything I could to get them to stop but they eventually grew out of it (fairly recently actually) ... I wouldn't be surprised if you also see cement chewing... all three of my BCs did that and the newest ones did it around their dirt eating stages. I asked the vet about it and she said it was fine and not to worry about it. My little ones also loved to mix it up with some grass chewing too...

 

About the crazy eye puppy mode... how much exercise is he getting during the day? How often is he left alone? Is the crazy eye puppy mode right after you get home and first greet him or is it just randomly all of a sudden he's got an energy spurt and wants to play? There could be a few reasons behind it but I would encourage lots of sporadic play (ball chasing?) and walks to help get his agitation out and maybe some acceptable dog bones to play with or something (I like nubby bones for when my kids have pent up energy). Also, is the 'ouch' that you're giving fairly high pitched? I suggest trying to sound as much like a puppy as possible when he hurts you and rather than grabbing his snout after you say 'ouch' or 'yip' and immediately stop giving him attention and either turn away or walk away but I wouldn't look at him until he 'appologizes'...you'll know when he does. This will help him realize that he's hurting you.

 

As far as the cat situation goes...i'd just give it time and if the puppy shows too much interest in the cat (chasing etc) give a firm "eh eh" negative sound and redirect his attention.

 

Good luck!! and repeat after me..."it will get better" I promise!

 

 

ETA: just remembered Ryder is only 10 weeks and may not be fully vaccinated and given the green light for walks... in this case i would do my best to 'exercise' him in the house and yard. It's a great time to practice walking on a leash before you head out into the great outdoors! If you're planning on having him go places with you in the future (via the car). Now is also an excellent time to take him on short trips (even if you don't get out of the car) to get him used to riding in the car. Just be sure not to leave him in the car without the AC on since it's so hot...

[urge to herd]

I've never raised a puppy, but the food issue jumped out at me. Consider feeding him 3 times/day, I think he's a bit young, from what I"ve read, to only eat 2x/day. And maybe someone else will comment about the amount, I think it's low for a growing puppy.

 

Anyway, he's gorgeous, good luck - you're in for a wild and wonderful ride.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[sweet_ceana]

It sounds silly , but everynight when we went to bed we played the same song for Ceana over and over again. When she got really crazy ( especially when she fought being tired) we would play that song and she would settle down. To this day i can even sing it to her and she lays down and gets quiet.

[hsnrs]

We have Aussies and crate Alfie next to the bed. I've done that since day one and she is 3 yrs old now. On the food issue, you should feed 3 times a day til the pup looks chubby. At least that is what we tried. Definitely get all the puppy shots and the rabies. We found out our older dogs also have tape worms so you might need to find that out too. On the dirt issue, the pup will probably grow out of it. Might be worth a trip to the vet though. Good luck. This is the best time; they grow up too fast. Narita

[juliepoudrier]

On the food issue, you should feed 3 times a day til the pup looks chubby. Narita

Narita,

You will find that most people on these boards, especially those of us with working dogs/pups are absolutely against chubby puppies. If you want your pup to be healthy and grow up with the least amount of stress on immature and growing joints then you want to keep the pup on the thin side. I'd rather see a ribby pup than a roly poly pup any day because at least I know the ribby pup isn't carrying extra weight that stresses growing joints. This is also the reason many of us put pups straight onto adult food rather than using puppy food.

 

Nat,

Feed the pup three times a day if you can, at least for the first 6 months or so. Those tiny little puppy stomachs can't hold a whole lot, and so they will have trouble ingesting enough calories on fewer meals, hence the reason for feeding smaller amounts more often. There is no set amount anyone can tell you to feed. (For example, of the eight dogs I have who all get the same food, the amounts they get range from 1 c. to 3 c. a day, depending on the needs of the individual dog.) You need to watch your dog and see how he's doing on the amount you're feeding and then adjust accordingly. I would start with something like 1/2 cup three times a day. If he's getting too thin on that, increase the amount. If he's getting chubby, decrease it.

 

As for the nipping, all pups go through that stage, and it can last a while. I agree with those who said the best course of action is to offer a substitute to chew on whenever your pups starts at you. Instead of doing the "ouch" thing, though, I would give a verbal correction, something like Aaaaht! said gruffly/sharply, immediately followed by handing the pup something appropriate to chew. The idea for using the correction is that it teaches the pup from an early age to *take* a correction. Having a dog who will take a correction without thinking the world is going to end is critical to future training, IMO, especially if you plan on using the dog on livestock. Timing is critical as well. It is meaningless to the pup if it receives a correction other than right at the moment of the infraction. If you're late with a correction, the pup will not understand what it's being corrected for (they don't draw correlations like people do). Another thing I found handy with my nipping youngsters, especially when they were at the stage of hanging on to pants legs when I was trying to walk was to make a drag toy for them to chase and chew (a substitute for your pants leg or shoe). I usually just find some ratty old stuffed toy and then loop a leash--because they are conveniently long enough to drag with my arm just hanging down) around its neck or wherever works and then drag that along with me (or at least carry it with me so I can drag it if needed) as the appropriate alternative. One reason for doing this is that while I am willing to correct the pup for going after my feet/legs, I also don't want constantly correct or nag a pup (they're pups, and although they should understand corrections they also ought to be able to play and have fun), so I make sure to have something that the pup can chew on while we walk so I don't have to nag.

 

I have always crated pups in the bedroom or just outside the bedroom where they could still see/smell me and I could hear them if they got antsy in the night.

 

Good luck, and enjoy him!

 

J.