Puppy training advice

[NightingaleJen]

Ha, I had a lovely Golden who was my model and assistant in my classes for many years. My BIL came to visit and was amazed at his training. He said the dog was so well trained he bet he could get the dog to do anything so I said he could try. To his surprise the dog acted completely deaf and unresponsive. Wouldn't come, sit, nothing. He would not obey anybody but family. I used to demonstrate that in kindergartens and VBS classes to show children the importance of never going with strangers. Would put him on a Sit-stay and leave the room, telling the kids they could call his name, clap their hands, whistle or whatever to get him to come to them. He would just sit there and grin. But when I came back and told him, "Okay, go visit," he would run around the room greeting everybody. Very friendly dog. Uh. Now I am missing him, lol!

This is fantastic. (Especially for a Golden, who will generally adore anyone with food or a ball—I grew up with them and know! Ha!) Do you mind explaining how you did this? Very impressive. (Plus great way to teach little ones about strangers.)

Sorry you miss him so much...I know exactly how you feel. But we don't miss them if we didn't love them, too.

 

[NightingaleJen]

although I think that’s the difference and maybe where the misunderstanding came from? Because for a lot of people it’s a given that the dog will be excercised and trained, even if it’s not running miles, and it’s hard to imagine that anybody would neglect their dog or whatever but too many people do!!

...And far too many behavior problems are a direct result of boredom and/or lack of exercise. Maybe that’s what you and others were more meaning? Cause it’s not necessarily obedience issues but stuff like excessive barking, chewing on things/destroying the house, anxiety, jumping, etc. etc.

That is probably it. Obviously everyone on this thread cares about dogs, which means proper care and treatment *of* dogs. Unfortunately I've seen a lot of less-than-ideal dog "care" in my day, exactly as you describe...and a couple of dogs ended up at the shelter or made an early last trip to the vet because of the behavioural problems directly traceable to boredom and pent-up-energy. It's so sad...then the people come home with a new dog and it begins all over again! :'(

 

[ShrekDawg]

That is probably it. Obviously everyone on this thread cares about dogs, which means proper care and treatment *of* dogs. Unfortunately I've seen a lot of less-than-ideal dog "care" in my day, exactly as you describe...and a couple of dogs ended up at the shelter or made an early last trip to the vet because of the behavioural problems directly traceable to boredom and pent-up-energy. It's so sad...then the people come home with a new dog and it begins all over again! :'(

Yeah exactly! Everyone here cares I think and could never imagine it. And yeah that’s really sad!! most of the shelter dogs are young adolescent dogs too so it’s like they grew up and were no longer a cute little puppy and got dumped. I don’t really get the vets that agree to put those dogs down though. I mean, I get it that sometimes there’s nothing you can do or whatever, but I would just flat out refuse. And I’ve heard of some vets doing the same and then they adopt the dog out.

 

[NatJ]

http://sanityshome.blogspot.com/2010/01/sit-on-dog-aka-long-down.html?m=1

https://caninelifeskills.com/sit-on-the-dog-exercise/

I found those quite interesting, but I do have a question for anyone who's done it:
Why is it important for the leash to have a little bit of tension when the dog is laying down? Both articles mention it, so I assume it must be a detail that matters, but I would have assumed a little slack would be better. Does anyone know the reason?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I found those quite interesting, but I do have a question for anyone who's done it:
Why is it important for the leash to have a little bit of tension when the dog is laying down? Both articles mention it, so I assume it must be a detail that matters, but I would have assumed a little slack would be better. Does anyone know the reason?

That’s a good question!! I’m not sure. I guess maybe to possibly get them used to that sort of thing and/or not resisting or something??? But I really don’t know

 

[EverythingDucks]

The number one cause for chewing on thing is boredom. Some people will just keep their puppy in the kennel all day long while their kids are are school and they're at work. I'm homeshcooled and my mom stays home so I dedicated the whole day to training and playing with her. I wouldn't go to take a break until she had been worn out and was ready for a nap in the playpen.
They have about a billion toys of all different shapes, sizes, and textures. I also rotate them every week so they have new and exciting toys. I got them some puzzle games too. Wearing them out with a toy, or by going on a walk in great but they also need mental exercise. Training and puzzle toys that stimulate their brain are important.
I give them about 5 mins of training a day. Keep it short and fun.

To help puppy biting you need to correct it early on. When Rosie bites, or rather gnaws on our fingers, I simply say 'no', and redirect her to a teething toy. This way she know not to chew and what she should chew.

I've never spanked or hit my dogs for unwanted behavior and they now are both very obedient. They are both quite different too, Rosie is very stubborn, and Teddy gets really playful and a bit crazy when there's a reward. Since Rosie is stubborn, I had to find a high value reward, and for some that might be their favorite toy, a certain treat, or belly rubs. Learning whatever motivates them is key. For Teddy, I made him sit and stay, this way he learns to calm down a listen, then he is rewarded. For Rosie I say the command once so she know she has to listen the first time. You have to be patient. When she listens I give her lots of praise with a high value treat. After doing this with them a couple of times they now do great.

Another thing I did with Rosie, we kept her in one area of the house. We don't have any carpet but we do have rugs in the living room and dining room. Our kitchen is in the center of our house with everything else around it. The living room to the left when you come in, the dining room to the right and farther in the house, and the sun room at the back connecting the three. I wish I had gotten baby gates, but we blocked of the the living and dining room with and ottoman and their stroller box as well as a few other things. Yeah, it didn't look the best, but it got the job done. The reason we did this was 1, we didn't want her on the rugs, 2 we could keep a better eye on her as she got older and we let her out of the playpen when even when napping more, and 3, she couldn't get into anything not fully puppy proofed. If you look at some of Zak Georges videos, you'll see him talk about the importance of this often. Here's where he explains it, there's also a lot of other great info

 

[EverythingDucks]

Thank you all for all your advice! I will look into the videos and take a trip to the library! I’m so excited for this new little fellow! Here’s the only picture I have thus far. Will Post more when he arrives in 10 days (and counting!!!)View attachment 2222906

That the same size my full grown Yorkie Rosie is lol

 

[HappyClucker7]

I recommend watching the youtube channel It's Me Or The Dog. It may seem like it's only for entertainment, but there are a lot of training videos there too. It's Me Or The Dog is actually a TV show, and each of the episodes were broken up into shorter videos for youtube. The show teaches you a lot about positive training. The trainer in the shows, Victoria Stilwell is a big advocate for humane and painless training methods, and she is really knowledgeable.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I recommend watching the youtube channel It's Me Or The Dog. It may seem like it's only for entertainment, but there are a lot of training videos there too. It's Me Or The Dog is actually a TV show, and each of the episodes were broken up into shorter videos for youtube. The show teaches you a lot about positive training. The trainer in the shows, Victoria Stilwell is a big advocate for humane and painless training methods, and she is really knowledgeable.

I've seen that in my recommendations but I haven't watched it yet because I get horrible anxiety when I see people not taking good care of pets and I wasn't sure what kind of training it was. Maybe I'll go watch it now though

 

[HappyClucker7]

'Schmutzick'

I've seen that in my recommendations but I haven't watched it yet because I get horrible anxiety when I see people not taking good care of pets and I wasn't sure what kind of training it was. Maybe I'll go watch it now though

Victoria is really great with the dogs. She is really against any form of pain related training, such as shock collars, pinch collars, or anything like that. I think you might really enjoy it.