Shadows Mom Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 1) Is it possible to de-sensatize Shadow to cap guns and screaming (playing) children? Our neighbors kids are terrifying her to the point she decided to poo on the carpet and get in trouble rather than go outside near them. They weren't being any louder than normal playing boys, and she knows them, and likes them when they're quiet. 2) Do all puppies use their tails as tug and chew toys? We're actually half expecting her to break her own tail one of these days. 3) Same quest as the last, only paws as chew toys? Not her claws, her entire paw rammed in her mouth, and her yelping when she chews but not stopping chewing. 4) Should I be letting her pull on her leash when she's in the house playing? She sometimes pulls to get to something, or somewhere, just not sure if it will impact on my heel training. (Shes on the leash at all times when not in her crate or bed, for "potty training" reasons.) Prolly 1/2 those are dumb questions, I just need to know that all puppies are insane, not just mine That and I'm sleep deprived from having her chew on my toes and wake me up 400 times a night hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LJS1993 Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 1) Is it possible to de-sensatize Shadow to cap guns and screaming (playing) children? Our neighbors kids are terrifying her to the point she decided to poo on the carpet and get in trouble rather than go outside near them. They weren't being any louder than normal playing boys, and she knows them, and likes them when they're quiet. 2) Do all puppies use their tails as tug and chew toys? We're actually half expecting her to break her own tail one of these days. 3) Same quest as the last, only paws as chew toys? Not her claws, her entire paw rammed in her mouth, and her yelping when she chews but not stopping chewing. 4) Should I be letting her pull on her leash when she's in the house playing? She sometimes pulls to get to something, or somewhere, just not sure if it will impact on my heel training. (Shes on the leash at all times when not in her crate or bed, for "potty training" reasons.) Prolly 1/2 those are dumb questions, I just need to know that all puppies are insane, not just mine That and I'm sleep deprived from having her chew on my toes and wake me up 400 times a night hehe. I think you should work on her pulling right now at a young age. I would say that anytime on a leash you should be working on her pulling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted August 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 Thats what I was thinking, its getting bad now that she's so big. I've been working on it for a few weeks with barely any progress, shes really stubborn -.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 A few thoughts. She could be going through a fear period if the noise is worrying her in a way which wasn't the case before. If so, you need not to be flooding her (IMHO). Either way, you shold be able to use sort of classical conditioning principles - so that the noise will get what Pat Miller calls the "Where's my chicken" response - that is, the noise will come to signal that she is going to get super-good things. I would keep her highest value treat for the noise - and try delivering the treat just as she notices the noise but before she freaks out. Start inside the house, until she starts to 'get it' - then you can take the road show outside when the kids are noisy. Be very generous with those super treats at first. I hope she's on a longish lead while she's 'playing' inside. The lead there is just to prevent her going all through the house I take it - so it shouldn't be the same as her walking lead. Incidentatlly, can you use baby gates and/or an x-pen instead sometimes. She really does need some play time alone, or independently, I think. Anyway, if you use a longer - like 15 feet or so, lead inside, then the pulling shouldn't be an issue - she should be able to get to things she wants then, without the complication of pulling. When you say 'heeling' - do you mean holding the formal obedience heel position, or do you mean 'loose lead walking'? IMHO, serious heeling is primarily a ring trick, though it's useful to be able to kick it in say on a crowded sidewalk. For just going for a walk purposes, I think it's much more realistic to be working on loose-leash walking - which you can do with a combination of stopping when she's pulling, waiting for her to check back to see why, and treating the moment the lead goes loose, then walking on - rinse and repeat. You can vary this with 'penalty yards' - you back up, with no comment, then mark and reward for her lossening the leash to check with you. On the chew 'toy' questions - I'd probably be discouraging her from too much chewing on her tail and/or paw - it could indicate that she needs a bit more mental stimulation, and it could develop into an obsessive behavior - not great. I'd be giving a quiet interrupt noise, then offering an exciting chew toy and/or having a game of tug with her. Tug is a great thing to do with pups - helps increase their focus on you, and the tug toy becomes a great motivator for later training. Sorry - this got a bit long - hope it makes sense. And yes, you will survive puppyhood - treasure it while it lasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted August 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 Her inside leash is 6 feet long, any longer and she gets into things shes not supposed to (like the ferret's cage or the snake room... boy the snakes do NOT like her!), usually she is pulling to chase after the cats, Penny, or one of my parents. We have a baby gated kitchen, but the minute shes out there shes on the table, or eating the furniture, or messing on the floor, so that's kind of off limits for now, until she realizes potty is only for outside and the table is not a toy. She has had 2 infected splinters in her mouth from eating the table and window sill so far, so I have to keep her out of that too. She usually goes after her tail when Penny has decided enough is enough and moved out of Shadow's leash range, we stop her and give her her cuz but that doesn't always work, boy would it surprise her if I hot sauced her tail like I have all the other things shes not allowed to chew on The foot shewing thing she does when she's just starting to fall asleep, almost like a child sucking their thumb, only with big sharp adult doggy teeth! When I see her doing this I move the paw and shove her bun bun's ear in her mouth instead.. but its usually in the middle of the night that I wake up to her munching her foot and crying while doing it. Have thought about putting mittens on her front paws to give them some protection until she stops eating her feet. I've been trying to teach her formal heeling as the path I walk her on is through the woods, and I don't want her anywhere but right beside me. A lot of teenagers use that park for lord knows what and I don't want her finding ANYTHING they've left behind, so she's right beside me the whole time. Makes me mad that the police don't stop the kids from misusing the park, it used to be a beautiful place to take your family etc, but right now its kind of sketchy.. we're seeing to that tho! The hospital is supposed to be having a huge trail day to get it cleaned up and celebrate exercise and family time (they used to have it every year, but stopped for some reason). Hope I'm not making her out to sound like the worlds worst puppy! 99% of the time she's perfect! She's learning to go potty outside, she learned not to bite us anymore, she's even a good girl at the vets office! And how many (almost) 4 month old pupps go 16 hours without pottying? Thats her idea! Not mine! She doesn't like to get up until noon or one, and goes to bed decently early (8:30 or 9) shes so lazy! I usually wake her up and practically drag her out for a pee at 10 or so, but shes never happy about it. She'll hate it next week when classes start again and she going to be up at 6 for potty I'll have to try and get a morning "I hate you" pic hehe, ohh is she cranky looking when she mom wakes her up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippin's person Posted August 31, 2007 Report Share Posted August 31, 2007 Hi there, I agree with Barb's suggestions, particularly concerning the counter-conditioning and the tail/paw biting. Our rescue learned to spin and bite her tail whenever she is over-stimulated or frustrated (which sounds a little bit like what your pup is doing--she gets frustrated when the other dog moves out of her reach)--it's what she did for four years while left in a backyard pen and when we got her she didn't have fur on her feet and had chewed the end of her tail off. It is definitely something to intervene in now while Shadow's still little and before it becomes the way she deals with life's frustrations. She may also need more mental games-- our other dogs will chase and bite their tails if they haven't had enough to do during the day. Pippin would go a long time without peeing too--until she was about two, she would only pee in spots where she'd pee'ed before, which made trips out of town quite a challenge. She once went over 24 hours without peeing (I think it was close to 36 hours before she finally went--we kept getting her drink water so that she'd really have to go) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted September 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2007 I decided to trust Shadow and let her run in the kitchen today.. yeah.... 3 poos and 2 pees in around 15 minutes time. I think she did it on purpose LOL Should nickname her Stinker. House training a puppy after she's been paper trained is hell, wonder how long it will take for her to be trustworthy. I've started taking her tail away from her and saying no, and giving her a toy or a bone to play with seems to be doing the trick. Not sure how to stop the paw chewing, since she does that while I'm asleep mostly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 3, 2007 Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 OK - I'm sure you know Shadow didn't do the poops in the kitchen on purpose - well - not to get at you, anyway. Dogs really don't think that way - even bitches - though sometimes it may seem like it. While the housetraining is going on, is there any chance you can buy/borrow an X-pen for the times you can't be watching her? I had a 4' x 4' one, with a 'roof', so Kirra had her bed and papers for toileting in there when I had to leave her all day. Xpen and Scroll down to portable run show you what I'm talking about. Good work on the tail chewing. Hmmm - hard to work on something she does when you're asleep. Maybe plan to get her up once in the night, take her out to toilet (on lead) then put her back in bed with a safe thing to chew on while she goes back to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted September 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2007 I think she's stopped chewing her paws on her own! She hasn't woken me up in a couple nights, and her paws aren't icky with slobber in the mornings now! Seems she was just doing it while her molars were coming in. As for the X-pen, I'd have to buy a new one, and WOW are the expensive! I looked at one the other day and almost had a heart attack! I've been looking for a second hand one, and so far the only one I've found wants $400 for it -.- She ONLY has accidents in rooms where she had papers at one point.. she has free run in my room (20 X 30 feet of room =D Minus the space the furniture takes up) and she's never had an accident in here. The other rooms don't smell like potty, she just knows thats where she WAS supposed to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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