Learning to raise a puppy

[Gary_and_Karen]

Well, it is day 12 from her spay date and on this past Friday the vet said she was very pleased with how it looked and said she could be gradually eased back into normal activity starting today. I have her indoor pen opened back up again and I can tell she appreciates that :-)

[Gary_and_Karen]

Xena having fun splashing in the bath tub before getting soaped up with shampoo.

(The video was a day or two before her spay)

 

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http://www.youtube.com/embed/GCGnIPXannc?rel=0

[WaveProfesora]

I have nothing more to contribute, but you said your dog is a master chewer. Nylabones may be a good option. Our dog LOVES them and he can spend a good bit of time on one. They are a little pricey but last. He likes the wishbone and the textured ring bone. I'm told Tuffy toys are good stuffed options, but we didn't feel like we got the bang for our buck (I'm not sure we got a tough enough one though).

 

As for pulling on the leash, the "easy walk" harness. Best. thing. ever.

 

Pivo (our pup) was tethered to us for the first 8 months of his life. We "weaned" him off by letting him go with the leash on but us not holding it. Then he went off. Even now, he is rarely in a different room than we are. Can't recommend tethering enough.

 

Xena is SUPER cute, btw.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Thanks !

 

She is still a chewer even though overall she has calmed down noticeably from how she used to be, one example is that I think she is beginning to realize she can get more time relaxing with us on the bed if she avoids getting too rowdy

 

We do have 2 different types of Nylabones, but as others will tell you dogs can get bored with the same toys after a while and we need to try to get some more variety to keep her interest, we have a regular Kong, a Kong ball, a tennis ball (we had to take the fuzz off the tennis ball as she was tearing it off herself) a "tug of war" rubber toy, a kong like toy that will hold small treats so they stick halfway out.

 

I am considering getting her this - "Booda Floppy Disc Tail-Spin Flyer" - it is supposed to be a highly rated frisbee type toy that is tough but still easy on a dog's teeth.

 

I would like to get her some of the "mental challenge" type toys were they have to figure out where a treat is hidden, but the ones I have seen seem to have small pieces that could be easily chewed off.

 

I do have a harness for her that I put on when she is going outside for more than just a quick potty run. I can't leave it on her unsupervised as she chewed thru the last one in just 5 minutes unsupervised. For a quick potty run I just hook the leash to her collar as she really fusses when I go to put on the harness and it can take 5 minutes or so to keep her still enough to get it on

 

I have tethered her some around the house but need to start doing it more, there are times when I am working on something that it would be hard to have her tethered, but I do plan on having more tethered time and perhaps even occasionally allowing her to roam free for a few minutes to see how she behaves unhooked.

 

When you said you had her tethered for the first 8 months, was that tethering all day every day,or just for a few hours per day ?

 

 

I have nothing more to contribute, but you said your dog is a master chewer. Nylabones may be a good option. Our dog LOVES them and he can spend a good bit of time on one. They are a little pricey but last. He likes the wishbone and the textured ring bone. I'm told Tuffy toys are good stuffed options, but we didn't feel like we got the bang for our buck (I'm not sure we got a tough enough one though).

 

As for pulling on the leash, the "easy walk" harness. Best. thing. ever.

 

Pivo (our pup) was tethered to us for the first 8 months of his life. We "weaned" him off by letting him go with the leash on but us not holding it. Then he went off. Even now, he is rarely in a different room than we are. Can't recommend tethering enough.

 

Xena is SUPER cute, btw.

[WaveProfesora]

All day, every day. No exceptions. When we cooked dinner, he got tied to the door handle of the fridge (our kitchen at the time was so small, it still gave the impression of being tied to us). When we were home working, the lease handle was wrapped around a chair leg. He got so used to working around us and being with us that when the leash went away, he still always wanted to be with us. Basically, it teaches them to always look for you. Plus, it keeps her out of trouble but doesn't rely on crating her and does not get seen as punishment because they want to be with you the whole time. It was kind of a pain at first, but we got used to it (and I was pregnant for most of this process).

 

The easy walk harness is not a normal harness and easier to get on. Also, if she wiggles too much for putting it on, you should train a "stay" command and reinforce with treats when you get the harness on.

 

Good luck!

[gcv-border]

I would like to get her some of the "mental challenge" type toys were they have to figure out where a treat is hidden, but the ones I have seen seem to have small pieces that could be easily chewed off.

 

If you are talking about the type of mental challenge games I think you are, they are definitely NOT for unsupervised play time. I have one of the Nina Ottesen (sp?) games and am always interacting with it and my dog. One time I walked away for about 20-30 seconds to do something and came back to find Torque had taken one of the pieces and started chewing on it.

 

In my book, these types of games not only challenge your dog, but also promote interaction between dog and owner - if only because the owner has to continually re-fill the game with treats since her dog solves it so fast that he will start to 'eat' the game pieces if no treats are available.

 

Jovi

[Gary_and_Karen]

Ok, I had thought when you said tethered it mean always being tethered to you personally, but I can see that tethering to something in the same area would make things somewhat easier (for both you and the dog) when you were doing stuff that required a lot of moving around in the room you were in.

 

I'll have to check out the easy walk harness, but the harness we use works fine too, it is just that she will occasionally try to chew it off and I have to tell her no, take the part of the harness she has in her mouth out and divert her attention elsewhere. Hopefully she will eventually not mind the harness and leave it alone.

 

I know more training is important, especially in trying to get her to stay still when trying to put the harness on, and simply staying put when I ask her to stay, ect., but being just 6 months old and still very much a puppy I am not sure just how much I can reasonably expect her to stay still when she is still a fairly young and easily excitable and energentic puppy (or should I expect her to stay still for an extended period even at that young age ?)

 

 

 

All day, every day. No exceptions. When we cooked dinner, he got tied to the door handle of the fridge (our kitchen at the time was so small, it still gave the impression of being tied to us). When we were home working, the lease handle was wrapped around a chair leg. He got so used to working around us and being with us that when the leash went away, he still always wanted to be with us. Basically, it teaches them to always look for you. Plus, it keeps her out of trouble but doesn't rely on crating her and does not get seen as punishment because they want to be with you the whole time. It was kind of a pain at first, but we got used to it (and I was pregnant for most of this process).

 

The easy walk harness is not a normal harness and easier to get on. Also, if she wiggles too much for putting it on, you should train a "stay" command and reinforce with treats when you get the harness on.

 

Good luck!

[Gary_and_Karen]

Yep, it don't take long, once I forgot to take her harness off after coming back in from outside and within about just 5 minutes she had chewed thru one of the harness straps !

 

I think I will get some mental challenge games and only let her use them while supervised. I think she would enjoy them as I have tried hiding a treat in either my left or right hand and she had to figure out which one it was in and she seemed to enjoy that

 

I also want to teach her the names of things, she has a "tug of war" toy that she simply knows as the "toy" to where I can say go get your toy and she will grab it and bring it to me, so I need to get her to learn more specific names like "tug of war toy", the "green ball", the "brown nylabone" ect.

 

 

If you are talking about the type of mental challenge games I think you are, they are definitely NOT for unsupervised play time. I have one of the Nina Ottesen (sp?) games and am always interacting with it and my dog. One time I walked away for about 20-30 seconds to do something and came back to find Torque had taken one of the pieces and started chewing on it.

 

In my book, these types of games not only challenge your dog, but also promote interaction between dog and owner - if only because the owner has to continually re-fill the game with treats since her dog solves it so fast that he will start to 'eat' the game pieces if no treats are available.

 

Jovi

[Olivia]

If she is 6 months old she is way old enough to start acting more like a lady and less like a completely silly baby. I took my youngest (she is 5 years old now) into the obedience ring to do Novice obedience at 7 months of age. That requires much more than being able to stand still long enough to put on a harness. Don't excuse her naughty behavior just because she is young, start training!

 

She should be able to sit to have her harness put on and taken off. Tether her to you by a collar (no need for a harness) when she is in the house and get rid of that puppy pen. She needs to learn how to interact in your house and she never will if you keep her in a puppy pen all the time. She needs to make mistakes, be told what to chew on and what not to, etc so she can learn and she will do this if she is with you. When you can't be with her then crate her. She is old enough to learn how to crate appropriately.

 

I tethered my dogs as youngsters and they learned that the way of life is to stay with me. I taught them how to act like civilized dogs and they now love to just hang out in whatever part of the house I am in.

[mickif]

I am about ready to bust a vein... and will probably be slammed for saying so. This thread has gone on forever, many saying the same thing over and over.

 

You do not need an interactive toy for your dog. You need to interact with her. I have many puppies come stay with me, they all go home understanding what sit, down, wait, stay, leave it, look at me, go to crate, stay in crate until released, etc. etc. etc. means. It does not mean they are 100%, they are puppies and that's ok, the foundation behaviors are in place. Each one has figured these things out by 3-4 months, many times less. Some would say I train them. I say I create fun games that we play together, they are highly rewarded for playing them with me, which ends up creating a pup that wants to be with me, understands what to chew on and what not to, enjoys learning and has a great time in the process. There has got to be 100's of 1000's of youtube videos on puppy games. They learn silly, and not so silly, tricks, front feet on pot, turn around, jump in suitcase, back up, turn left, turn right, pick up a toy n then drop it in a box, put all 4 feet into a box, look for a treat under a box, etc. etc. There are endless possibilities, just pick one or two or three or... Some you may never use again but your relationship will be stronger and she will be very pleased with herself. Funny, along with them learning these "games", they get to use their little brains too, and they are then spent and content... for a while anyway.

[Gary_and_Karen]

I'm not going to slam you

 

(we all are still supposed to have freedom of speech, right ?

 

Anyhow, I do sincerely appreciate your inventive game suggestions - some very neat ideas !

 

I feel there might always be something new to learn, there might be new forum members who join who might have some different ideas to share, but anyhow the neat thing about a forum is no one is forced to read or reply to any particular thread and if some choose to ignore my thread there is no hard feelings, they might feel others have been sharing some good ideas and feel no need to post themselves.

 

.....but again, I'm not slamming you and there is no hard feelings - and - I really do appreciate your ideas and will consider inventing some creative games

 

I am about ready to bust a vein... and will probably be slammed for saying so. This thread has gone on forever, many saying the same thing over and over.

 

You do not need an interactive toy for your dog. You need to interact with her. I have many puppies come stay with me, they all go home understanding what sit, down, wait, stay, leave it, look at me, go to crate, stay in crate until released, etc. etc. etc. means. It does not mean they are 100%, they are puppies and that's ok, the foundation behaviors are in place. Each one has figured these things out by 3-4 months, many times less. Some would say I train them. I say I create fun games that we play together, they are highly rewarded for playing them with me, which ends up creating a pup that wants to be with me, understands what to chew on and what not to, enjoys learning and has a great time in the process. There has got to be 100's of 1000's of youtube videos on puppy games. They learn silly, and not so silly, tricks, front feet on pot, turn around, jump in suitcase, back up, turn left, turn right, pick up a toy n then drop it in a box, put all 4 feet into a box, look for a treat under a box, etc. etc. There are endless possibilities, just pick one or two or three or... Some you may never use again but your relationship will be stronger and she will be very pleased with herself. Funny, along with them learning these "games", they get to use their little brains too, and they are then spent and content... for a while anyway.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Thanks, good points, I do need to try to start teaching her how to behave when allowed to roam freely. I think we felt the need to pen her initially because when we first got her and didn't have a pen and she would not stay put but kept running in another room out of sight and we needed to be sure she wasn't getting into trouble, but she is old enough now that we do need to teach her how to behave outside of the pen.

 

I have confidence she can learn as she has made very noticable improvements since her very young days.

 

I think the times I have been letting her out of the pen on a tether she has been doing pretty good, I kinda think it just might be because she is so glad to be out of the pen she wants to show she can behave good enough to be out of it

 

If she is 6 months old she is way old enough to start acting more like a lady and less like a completely silly baby. I took my youngest (she is 5 years old now) into the obedience ring to do Novice obedience at 7 months of age. That requires much more than being able to stand still long enough to put on a harness. Don't excuse her naughty behavior just because she is young, start training!

 

She should be able to sit to have her harness put on and taken off. Tether her to you by a collar (no need for a harness) when she is in the house and get rid of that puppy pen. She needs to learn how to interact in your house and she never will if you keep her in a puppy pen all the time. She needs to make mistakes, be told what to chew on and what not to, etc so she can learn and she will do this if she is with you. When you can't be with her then crate her. She is old enough to learn how to crate appropriately.

 

I tethered my dogs as youngsters and they learned that the way of life is to stay with me. I taught them how to act like civilized dogs and they now love to just hang out in whatever part of the house I am in.

[bcnewe2]

I am about ready to bust a vein... and will probably be slammed for saying so.

LOL....

No comment!!

 

[Gary_and_Karen]

.......looks like I'll need to mostly try tethering for a while yet because tonight I tried letting her roam freely and at first she did ok and followed me into another room for a while, then she all of a sudden decided to tear out of the room and go running thru the house like crazy and I had to lead her by the collar back to the room I was in even though she was very much resisting going along at first

 

(not saying I won't occasionally try seeing how she will behave untethered and unpenned, but it looks like she still needs to go thru more tethering for a while)

[Olivia]

You tried tethering her for what, a week or two? After leaving her in a pen for months on end? And when you let her off lead you expect her to just follow you meekly like a 12 year old dog? Of course not!! In my house the tethering goes on for a month or two and then the pups drag their leashes while following me around. Plus I start the tethering at a much earlier age and never pen my pups for months on end allowing them to get frustrated at not being able to interact or explore the house. It is their house too so of course they want to see what is around the next corner. Plus pups need to zoom and play, instead of going after her to lead her back by her collar try playing with her so she will want to come back to you.

 

I've never been really sure what you expect of this pup. She has lived the first 6 months of her life in a puppy pen, missing a huge time where she could be learning all kinds of manners, tricks, etc that would make her a much more handle-able pup now. Then when you take her out you complain that she play bites and squirms too much to cuddle with. She is a puppy plus she has never been taught! Teach her things and when she is naughty tell her to knock it off, quit beating around the bush. You are going to end up with an adolescent soon that is not enjoyable to have around.

 

I may get slammed for this post but I have gotten frustrated reading what sounds like nothing but excuses for months now. Train your pup and if you need help, which it sounds like you do, find a good class near you and join in.

[bcnewe2]

Last try for me...

 

Puppies run around, that's what they do. If they are inside when the zoomies hit they do it inside, if outside they do it outside. My year old+ still runs around sometimes.

 

If you don't like it in the hosue take her outside for a bit. Let the leash drag while she wears herself out.

 

What do you really want this puppy to do? You are supposed to be keeping her tied to you for potty training and to safeguard her from getting in trouble. Not so she learns to stay by your side. If you don't want her in other rooms, close the doors.

 

This is like keeping a toddler in a playpen 24/7 then expecting her to understand life out of the pen. Not going to happen unless you let it happen.

 

Use your common sense man, use you common sense!

[Laurae]

If you want her to stay in the same room as you, get a babygate. Close doors to other rooms in the house. Modify your environment to set yourselves up for success. I fear if you continue to shut her away in a pen while she is a pup--instead of training her to have manners with you in the house--you will just shut her away in the backyard once she is older, bigger, and even less manageable. Now is the time when she is a sponge, soaking up information on how to live with you. You won't get this time back--take advantage of it!

[mum24dog]

I've never been really sure what you expect of this pup.

 

They lost their much loved 15 year old dog last autumn and wanted another like her, concentrating on appearance rather than temperament. That's not my interpretation, it's what they said in their thread searching for a new dog.

 

They haven't got what they wanted, but they have got what people warned them they might end up with if they over focussed on trivia like appearance at the expense of temperament.

 

They seem to have good intentions but are trying too hard and hopping from one thing to another in the vain hope of "curing" the pup of being a normal pup.

 

Instead of ever searching for a magic remedy they would be better sitting down and clearing their minds of the clutter of stuff they have read in numerous places to work out the bare essentials of what they want the pup to learn.

 

But it's all been said so many times .......

[Gary_and_Karen]

I'm not going to slam anyone, and I do appreciate the help, but please realize that all this stuff is probally second nature to those of you who have raised many pups, but this is the first one I have raised from a very very young age and if I didn't care I wouldn't ask questions.

 

I had searched the web for help since I got her and got various ideas, and even on this forum not everyone agrees on everything so I try different approaches to see what might work.

 

Those of you who are frustrated with trying to help me I will have no hard feelings if you choose to ignore any of my posts from now on and I sincerely appreciate the ideas you have shared up to now.

 

Sometimes I think there could be misunderstandings if I don't give more details, like even though I had been using a pen, I still had been giving her a LOT a time and attention during each day so she had not been simply penned and ignored, she gets a lot of my time and attention.

 

Again, no hard feelings towards anyone, and those of you with the patience to keep helping me fine tune my techniques I will appreciate any additional help, to those who feel they have said all they know to say - I genuinely appreciate what you have shared and please realize I do try to use many of your ideas.

 

 

Last try for me...

 

Puppies run around, that's what they do. If they are inside when the zoomies hit they do it inside, if outside they do it outside. My year old+ still runs around sometimes.

 

If you don't like it in the hosue take her outside for a bit. Let the leash drag while she wears herself out.

 

What do you really want this puppy to do? You are supposed to be keeping her tied to you for potty training and to safeguard her from getting in trouble. Not so she learns to stay by your side. If you don't want her in other rooms, close the doors.

 

This is like keeping a toddler in a playpen 24/7 then expecting her to understand life out of the pen. Not going to happen unless you let it happen.

 

Use your common sense man, use you common sense!

 

 

If you want her to stay in the same room as you, get a babygate. Close doors to other rooms in the house. Modify your environment to set yourselves up for success. I fear if you continue to shut her away in a pen while she is a pup--instead of training her to have manners with you in the house--you will just shut her away in the backyard once she is older, bigger, and even less manageable. Now is the time when she is a sponge, soaking up information on how to live with you. You won't get this time back--take advantage of it!

 

 

They lost their much loved 15 year old dog last autumn and wanted another like her, concentrating on appearance rather than temperament. That's not my interpretation, it's what they said in their thread searching for a new dog.

 

They haven't got what they wanted, but they have got what people warned them they might end up with if they over focussed on trivia like appearance at the expense of temperament.

 

They seem to have good intentions but are trying too hard and hopping from one thing to another in the vain hope of "curing" the pup of being a normal pup.

 

Instead of ever searching for a magic remedy they would be better sitting down and clearing their minds of the clutter of stuff they have read in numerous places to work out the bare essentials of what they want the pup to learn.

 

But it's all been said so many times .......

 

 

.......looks like I'll need to mostly try tethering for a while yet because tonight I tried letting her roam freely and at first she did ok and followed me into another room for a while, then she all of a sudden decided to tear out of the room and go running thru the house like crazy and I had to lead her by the collar back to the room I was in even though she was very much resisting going along at first

 

(not saying I won't occasionally try seeing how she will behave untethered and unpenned, but it looks like she still needs to go thru more tethering for a while)

 

 

You tried tethering her for what, a week or two? After leaving her in a pen for months on end? And when you let her off lead you expect her to just follow you meekly like a 12 year old dog? Of course not!! In my house the tethering goes on for a month or two and then the pups drag their leashes while following me around. Plus I start the tethering at a much earlier age and never pen my pups for months on end allowing them to get frustrated at not being able to interact or explore the house. It is their house too so of course they want to see what is around the next corner. Plus pups need to zoom and play, instead of going after her to lead her back by her collar try playing with her so she will want to come back to you.

 

I've never been really sure what you expect of this pup. She has lived the first 6 months of her life in a puppy pen, missing a huge time where she could be learning all kinds of manners, tricks, etc that would make her a much more handle-able pup now. Then when you take her out you complain that she play bites and squirms too much to cuddle with. She is a puppy plus she has never been taught! Teach her things and when she is naughty tell her to knock it off, quit beating around the bush. You are going to end up with an adolescent soon that is not enjoyable to have around.

 

I may get slammed for this post but I have gotten frustrated reading what sounds like nothing but excuses for months now. Train your pup and if you need help, which it sounds like you do, find a good class near you and join in.

[bcnewe2]

I had a thought....puppies learn by doing and experiencing life. They get scolded and told what they can't do, They get encouraged when they are being good, they get taught pottying in the house is not ok and learn where to potty but they have to go through all things to learn what it right and wrong. If you want to be all positive, good on you but they still have to do things to understand life. They are not going to just sit and watch life go by like an old dog.

 

Would you expect a 5 or 10 year old child to just sit on the couch and watch tv or would you expect them to get up and play, do all sorts of things, expanding their life experiences?

Same with you puppy. You are going to have to let her be a puppy and while she's being a puppy you will teach her what is expected and what is not ok. But it won't be sitting next to you watching life. That's what old dogs do after they have lived full lives. Just like old people. They sit and draw on what and how they lived their lives. Let her out of the darn pen and keep her safe but let her be a puppy, it's almost to late, half her puppy life is over!

 

edited to take out the nastyness sorry

 

Sorry but again, use your common sense!

[G. Festerling]

I wrote all this to maybe try to take some of the pressure of off you. Raising a pup is a continuous every minute of the day type of thing. I think they call this a fluid situation in the news...? My new pup has been one hell of a fun ride so far (oh did I mention that we already saw the vet for a nice laceration on her side? and are about to schedule another appointment as I think she pulled something playing too hard?) but I would not miss it for the world. And i am questioning if you are not missing some of the fun of it by over thinking every tiny bit!

I can not tell you that I will be more than happy when all this current madness if over (I love older more settled characters)! But I also know that it will be way too soon! I look at my 14 year old dreading the day she will have to leave me. In the meantime I am also enjoying every crazy minute of it. Training will include mistakes. But that is ok....they can be retrained. Trying so hard t avoid any mistake will make you miss the joy....

 

SOOOO without further ado....here is what part of my day with one of my pups looks like!

A day with my new girl starts with taking her out to pee and do her business. Now number 1 is easy as she squats right out side the door....number two can only be taken care off after checking in with all other dogs, cats, horses and sheep...(which is not always done in the manner I want and may or may not involve me running in my nighty across the field after a dog that was not to be stopped by a simple "no" with or without a "weapon" (stockstick) ). This is not a problem and to be expected as she learns the rules. But without my sprints and a set idea of what I will and will not accept...we would not learn...and it is coming along nicely. But it takes work!

 

We then go in for a drink (which also includes checking the bottom of the waterdish for anything or anybody that maybe in there and with most of the water outside of the bowl) and...well....a quality check of the furniture? I know it all is still in working order as a puppy flying off, over, around and through does not seem to hurt any of it. This regularly has me stop doing whatever I happened to be busy with, just to enjoy the abundance and happiness that is just simply catching. Make me wish I was still that energetic and agile.

 

Then off to a round or two (depends how many of my other dogs are willing to take place in this) of "lets make the neighbors think there is a dog fight going on"....yup....usually this done right under my chair or my feet. This is loud and rough as the other culprit is a German Shepherd. There are legs, feet, tails and ears everywhere and I am certain my TV does not have audio good enough to drown out the noise!

 

The most favorite toy is a lead rope that has a big metal snap on the end that will now be used to wipe off the floor with. And yes you guessed it...the snap is kind of dangerous as it is drug around, spun around and flung around the room at high speed. Add that my floor is tile and again...I have taken to reading the news in the morning rather than watching them on TV.

 

"Downtime" is finding Blue, Yellow or Bells (all her toys), stealing a toy of the shepherds or maybe stealing a plastic bottle from the recycling bin and accosting me with it. Whatever it is, it will be pitched at me, handed to me, pushed into my face for some "one on one" time. She loves her canine friends but I am her playmate that she seeks out because I share my toys where the other dogs don't. Meaning I interact with her as much as she does with me.

This all takes place in about 30 minutes...

 

Then I get a break...I go to work!

 

Wait....time out....why is there a nasty, slimy piece of hose beating me? Okay, okay....there...go get it!

 

While at work, and I do work from home, she is crated. No arguments. She has her food and water and has no issues at all.

 

At lunch we go through the same routine more or less with a break for the afternoon and then it just depends on what my time looks like at night.

 

In the meantime, there is my job, my other animals and a few other things that need attending to. She meets my clients if I feel they are the right kind. She is starting to travel with me more. She rides along to agility class although I run another dog.

 

Oh heck...that hose is even slimier this time...should have taken the rope when I had a chance...

 

Table manners, people manners, dog manners and all kind of other manners expected of a pup are a work in progress. And yes, I freely admit that I am not always totally thrilled when a puppy is flying above my head or I can't find my shoes (or worse, I find them with all the shoelaces missing!).

 

From the beginning I tried free shaping her for coming out of her crate. For putting on the lead. Taking off collars and putting them back on (a recent obsession with custom collars has helped with this....). At nine weeks we worked on sit, down and stand in her crate. With a clicker and treats. First time for me to try that and it worked beautifully! Right from the beginning I introduced focus games.

 

Things I struggle with are leash walking which is as much me as her and the fact that in the beginning I may have missed my chance a bit by letting her off lead too much since I live on a ranch and she was so good about staying with me. Of course again, I just know that I need to work a tiny bit more to re shape this. And yes....this is also the reason why I went through a time where I found myself sprinting after her once she got old enough to find exploring and checking on stock much more important. But there again, without her challenging me...I would not get a chance to educate her!!!!

 

This puppy used to be a shark. Teeth everywhere. Still is. But I love it. We fight all the time. I have a bright yellow with orange flowers button down in front moo moo that I throw on in the morning. Very fetching piece of clothing I might add! or rather it was....! There is pieces missing from the back where she used to come flying in and just rip and tear....those where to good old days...now she walks behind me grabbing an corner and just stops quietly...I am thinking she wants me to stop? Simple distractions, channeling that drive into play and the odd scruff here or there laid out the limits of what is ok and what is not. So did a high pitched "auiiiiii!!!"

 

I struggle with her wanting to be a bit of a vacuum when going new places. She does get a bit stressed and that is her default stress behavior. But again, I am working on it and when there is sheep...we don't face this issue. There will be other challenges as we go along and for the most part I welcome them (minus her self inflicted injuries and I am almost afraid there are more to come based on past instances!).

 

So yeah.....my house is a bit more crazy since she came home...but she makes me laugh and wonder so many times a day that all the annoyances are not anywhere close to making me regret my decision!

 

I hope this gives you some hope and at least a chuckle. Even us who have raised a few struggle at times. But with your dedication to her I see no way, that she will not be a nice productive member of society in good time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gary_and_Karen]

No hard feelings, and thanks for what you have shared !

 

From various posts I am realizing that as much as we all would like our dogs to behave all the time we simply can not expect it to happen when they are puppies, but with training they will get more behaved (like staying still to put a harness on, not getting in a rowdy mode and nipping, ect) as they get older, and that we need to allow them to make mistakes and just be puppies and enjoy being active and having fun - even it it includes some unwanted behavior

 

Note: Xena only spent about 10% of her time today in the pen, the rest of the time she was either tethered in the room with me I was in, or outside with me playing and/or taking a walk, and I was outside with her today several times for a total of about 2 hours outside with me today and along with in attention I gave to her inside so she did not lack for attention

 

(today was an off day for me and the couple days a week I work are usually second shift hours so I still have over a half day with her even on my work days)

 

I had a thought....puppies learn by doing and experiencing life. They get scolded and told what they can't do, They get encouraged when they are being good, they get taught pottying in the house is not ok and learn where to potty but they have to go through all things to learn what it right and wrong. If you want to be all positive, good on you but they still have to do things to understand life. They are not going to just sit and watch life go by like an old dog.

 

Would you expect a 5 or 10 year old child to just sit on the couch and watch tv or would you expect them to get up and play, do all sorts of things, expanding their life experiences?

Same with you puppy. You are going to have to let her be a puppy and while she's being a puppy you will teach her what is expected and what is not ok. But it won't be sitting next to you watching life. That's what old dogs do after they have lived full lives. Just like old people. They sit and draw on what and how they lived their lives. Let her out of the darn pen and keep her safe but let her be a puppy, it's almost to late, half her puppy life is over!

 

edited to take out the nastyness sorry

 

Sorry but again, use your common sense!

[Gary_and_Karen]

Thanks so very much for all you posted, it does help to know that raising a puppy is not an exact science and we can't expect everything to run like a flawless computer program. (and I did enjoy the humor in your post

 

I guess sometimes I have been trying too hard and over-thinking everything, but there were ideas that I did need to learn from others, like the tethering idea for one example.

 

I do need to simply let her enjoy her puppyhood (and me enjoy it also in spite of the times of undesired behavior

 

I have to remember that while I do want to train her to behave better and even learn a lot of tricks, that I am not raising her for competition or to be a show dog, but simply to be a loving member of our family, so I need to allow it all to be a time of fun for both me and Xena realizing that as a puppy she will naturally have some rowdy puppy behavior and to not let it diminish the overall joy of raising a beloved puppy.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write and share all that, it was a very much appreciated "de-pressurizing" help indeed

 

 

 

I wrote all this to maybe try to take some of the pressure of off you. Raising a pup is a continuous every minute of the day type of thing. I think they call this a fluid situation in the news...? My new pup has been one hell of a fun ride so far (oh did I mention that we already saw the vet for a nice laceration on her side? and are about to schedule another appointment as I think she pulled something playing too hard?) but I would not miss it for the world. And i am questioning if you are not missing some of the fun of it by over thinking every tiny bit!

I can not tell you that I will be more than happy when all this current madness if over (I love older more settled characters)! But I also know that it will be way too soon! I look at my 14 year old dreading the day she will have to leave me. In the meantime I am also enjoying every crazy minute of it. Training will include mistakes. But that is ok....they can be retrained. Trying so hard t avoid any mistake will make you miss the joy....

 

SOOOO without further ado....here is what part of my day with one of my pups looks like!

A day with my new girl starts with taking her out to pee and do her business. Now number 1 is easy as she squats right out side the door....number two can only be taken care off after checking in with all other dogs, cats, horses and sheep...(which is not always done in the manner I want and may or may not involve me running in my nighty across the field after a dog that was not to be stopped by a simple "no" with or without a "weapon" (stockstick) ). This is not a problem and to be expected as she learns the rules. But without my sprints and a set idea of what I will and will not accept...we would not learn...and it is coming along nicely. But it takes work!

 

We then go in for a drink (which also includes checking the bottom of the waterdish for anything or anybody that maybe in there and with most of the water outside of the bowl) and...well....a quality check of the furniture? I know it all is still in working order as a puppy flying off, over, around and through does not seem to hurt any of it. This regularly has me stop doing whatever I happened to be busy with, just to enjoy the abundance and happiness that is just simply catching. Make me wish I was still that energetic and agile.

 

Then off to a round or two (depends how many of my other dogs are willing to take place in this) of "lets make the neighbors think there is a dog fight going on"....yup....usually this done right under my chair or my feet. This is loud and rough as the other culprit is a German Shepherd. There are legs, feet, tails and ears everywhere and I am certain my TV does not have audio good enough to drown out the noise!

 

The most favorite toy is a lead rope that has a big metal snap on the end that will now be used to wipe off the floor with. And yes you guessed it...the snap is kind of dangerous as it is drug around, spun around and flung around the room at high speed. Add that my floor is tile and again...I have taken to reading the news in the morning rather than watching them on TV.

 

"Downtime" is finding Blue, Yellow or Bells (all her toys), stealing a toy of the shepherds or maybe stealing a plastic bottle from the recycling bin and accosting me with it. Whatever it is, it will be pitched at me, handed to me, pushed into my face for some "one on one" time. She loves her canine friends but I am her playmate that she seeks out because I share my toys where the other dogs don't. Meaning I interact with her as much as she does with me.

This all takes place in about 30 minutes...

 

Then I get a break...I go to work!

 

Wait....time out....why is there a nasty, slimy piece of hose beating me? Okay, okay....there...go get it!

 

While at work, and I do work from home, she is crated. No arguments. She has her food and water and has no issues at all.

 

At lunch we go through the same routine more or less with a break for the afternoon and then it just depends on what my time looks like at night.

 

In the meantime, there is my job, my other animals and a few other things that need attending to. She meets my clients if I feel they are the right kind. She is starting to travel with me more. She rides along to agility class although I run another dog.

 

Oh heck...that hose is even slimier this time...should have taken the rope when I had a chance...

 

Table manners, people manners, dog manners and all kind of other manners expected of a pup are a work in progress. And yes, I freely admit that I am not always totally thrilled when a puppy is flying above my head or I can't find my shoes (or worse, I find them with all the shoelaces missing!).

 

From the beginning I tried free shaping her for coming out of her crate. For putting on the lead. Taking off collars and putting them back on (a recent obsession with custom collars has helped with this....). At nine weeks we worked on sit, down and stand in her crate. With a clicker and treats. First time for me to try that and it worked beautifully! Right from the beginning I introduced focus games.

 

Things I struggle with are leash walking which is as much me as her and the fact that in the beginning I may have missed my chance a bit by letting her off lead too much since I live on a ranch and she was so good about staying with me. Of course again, I just know that I need to work a tiny bit more to re shape this. And yes....this is also the reason why I went through a time where I found myself sprinting after her once she got old enough to find exploring and checking on stock much more important. But there again, without her challenging me...I would not get a chance to educate her!!!!

 

This puppy used to be a shark. Teeth everywhere. Still is. But I love it. We fight all the time. I have a bright yellow with orange flowers button down in front moo moo that I throw on in the morning. Very fetching piece of clothing I might add! or rather it was....! There is pieces missing from the back where she used to come flying in and just rip and tear....those where to good old days...now she walks behind me grabbing an corner and just stops quietly...I am thinking she wants me to stop? Simple distractions, channeling that drive into play and the odd scruff here or there laid out the limits of what is ok and what is not. So did a high pitched "auiiiiii!!!"

 

I struggle with her wanting to be a bit of a vacuum when going new places. She does get a bit stressed and that is her default stress behavior. But again, I am working on it and when there is sheep...we don't face this issue. There will be other challenges as we go along and for the most part I welcome them (minus her self inflicted injuries and I am almost afraid there are more to come based on past instances!).

 

So yeah.....my house is a bit more crazy since she came home...but she makes me laugh and wonder so many times a day that all the annoyances are not anywhere close to making me regret my decision!

 

I hope this gives you some hope and at least a chuckle. Even us who have raised a few struggle at times. But with your dedication to her I see no way, that she will not be a nice productive member of society in good time.

[Gary_and_Karen]

This questions is for those who live in areas where "fire ants" can be a problem.

 

Do any of you know of a treatment to get rid of fire ants that is proven safe for use in areas where dogs may walk ?

 

I have 1 1/2 acres of yard, and fortunately the area I put her 75 foot trolley line is an area where the ground is fairly hard and usually has very few fire ant mounds pop up close by, but when I take her for walks around the yard or take her to her potty area I have to be constantly vigilent to watch for any fire ant mounds that may have popped up.

 

So far I just treat individual mounds with very hot water as I know water is obviously not a chemical hazard, but I was hoping there might be some kind of treatment that would last a whole season AND be safe to use in areas where you walk a dog.

 

I have searched the web for some possible ideas, but I would prefer hearing from an actual dog owner who has successfully tackled this problem to learn how they did it.