Tips on looking after a 9 week old sprollile puppy
November 13, 2015 4:35 AM Subscribe
I bought a lovely puppy last week, and she is now 9 weeks old. She is a cavalier spaniel/collie cross. I work from home with fields out back, so the hope is that I can give her the attention and exercise this high energy breed combo will most definitely need.
However I'm struggling a little with puppy training.
I let her sleep with me at night in bed. She is like a different dog at night, very cuddly, not nippy at all, obedient, never has come close to an accident in the bedroom. My bedroom is basement level, and I let her outside via a window in the bedroom which is level with the yard every 3 hours in the night and she is good as gold, weeing within a few seconds and politely sitting at the window until i pick her up and put her back in. Her temperament is very loving and seems to follow commands better.
However during the day it's impossible, hard to get her to wee outside. (she either bolts back in, or just plays with leaves, then tries to wee inside when let back in).If I avert my gaze when she is out of the crate she will generally find a corner and toilet in the house. She can wait for hours! I don't think she is scared to go in front of me, rather she is waiting for an opportunity to go on lovely carpet.
She doesn't go in her crate willingly, except to dash in and out to grab treats I've put in there.
I've tried all sorts of environments, kitchen, penned areas, none seem to get on with her.
Outside the crate, she is in constant need of attention. To the point where I feel like the only two options are active play (generally play fighting with a fluffy dog toy, tug of war, or fetch the stick) or crating her. This is actually fine with me, but it seems like abuse somehow. How much time can a puppy safely spend each day in the crate? Currently it is one long walk in the fields, letting her out every couple of hours for 20 to 30 minutes to wee and play, is this a bit too cruel? I can't take my eyes of her really, as she will display destructive behaviors.
If I put her in a puppy proofed area, in which I am not sitting, she will generally concentrate all her energies on escape, even if I'm very close. trying to jump out, untieing knots and noise based psychological warfare. It's just so much easier to crate her in a dark room, as she settles very quickly there. But it feels cruel. I'm trying to be consistent with positive reinforcement of calmness but having the extra space seems to stress her out more. She seems to calm down in her crate after short periods of crying.
If I let her sit with me, she just tries to bite everything including me, and the only thing that seems really effective is distraction with a better more chewable object. Without a distraction toy, it's quite difficult to sit with her.
So sorry for the vague question, but any tips gratefully received.
However I'm struggling a little with puppy training.
I let her sleep with me at night in bed. She is like a different dog at night, very cuddly, not nippy at all, obedient, never has come close to an accident in the bedroom. My bedroom is basement level, and I let her outside via a window in the bedroom which is level with the yard every 3 hours in the night and she is good as gold, weeing within a few seconds and politely sitting at the window until i pick her up and put her back in. Her temperament is very loving and seems to follow commands better.
However during the day it's impossible, hard to get her to wee outside. (she either bolts back in, or just plays with leaves, then tries to wee inside when let back in).If I avert my gaze when she is out of the crate she will generally find a corner and toilet in the house. She can wait for hours! I don't think she is scared to go in front of me, rather she is waiting for an opportunity to go on lovely carpet.
She doesn't go in her crate willingly, except to dash in and out to grab treats I've put in there.
I've tried all sorts of environments, kitchen, penned areas, none seem to get on with her.
Outside the crate, she is in constant need of attention. To the point where I feel like the only two options are active play (generally play fighting with a fluffy dog toy, tug of war, or fetch the stick) or crating her. This is actually fine with me, but it seems like abuse somehow. How much time can a puppy safely spend each day in the crate? Currently it is one long walk in the fields, letting her out every couple of hours for 20 to 30 minutes to wee and play, is this a bit too cruel? I can't take my eyes of her really, as she will display destructive behaviors.
If I put her in a puppy proofed area, in which I am not sitting, she will generally concentrate all her energies on escape, even if I'm very close. trying to jump out, untieing knots and noise based psychological warfare. It's just so much easier to crate her in a dark room, as she settles very quickly there. But it feels cruel. I'm trying to be consistent with positive reinforcement of calmness but having the extra space seems to stress her out more. She seems to calm down in her crate after short periods of crying.
If I let her sit with me, she just tries to bite everything including me, and the only thing that seems really effective is distraction with a better more chewable object. Without a distraction toy, it's quite difficult to sit with her.
So sorry for the vague question, but any tips gratefully received.
"every couple of hours" is WAY too long for a 9 week old puppy to have to wait.
So, here's what I did when I got my 8 week old Husky....
I realized I had two choices, I could raise a good dog, or I could raise a problematic dog. I choose the former.
Like you, I was in a situation that I could be with the dog 24/7 (I didn't work from home, but I could take her to work with me), what a wonderful opportunity. I was able, most of the time, to have her with me, and, no excuses here, I went into work 5 days a week to an alternative education program, I was the director... she even attended meetings at schools, played in the gym with the kids, supervised classrooms, held staff meetings...it took a lot of extra energy on my part to manage a dog and a job at the same time, but we pulled it off...
My strategy included the followiing:
1. Constantly watched her for signs she wanted to pee/poop (sniffing, circling, etc)..the INSTANT I saw that, she went outside.
2. Lots of play time, lots of walks (we still walk about 4 miles every single day), until SHE indicated she was done...a tired puppy is a good puppy.
3. Don't just put her outside, TAKE her outside, take her to the same spot she usually does her business and stay until she does...don't play, don't pay attention, just stand and wait.
4. No biting allowed! The instant you feel teeth on you, a high pitched, loud "Ouch" and turn your back on her, every, single time.
5. No jumping on you allowed, turn your back and ignore her every time she does it.
I kept my pup on a leash attached to me whenever I wasn't playing with her, even while I did tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc)... That meant she could never sneak off and get in trouble.
Get enrolled in a puppy training class NOW!
It took about 6 months before things fell into place... However, in doing this, I've had exactly ONE "pee/poop" accident in the house since the day I brought her home (my fault, I didn't take her out the instant she woke up at about 10 weeks old). I have a pup that loves people, is playful and loyal.
posted by HuronBob at 5:05 AM on November 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
So, here's what I did when I got my 8 week old Husky....
I realized I had two choices, I could raise a good dog, or I could raise a problematic dog. I choose the former.
Like you, I was in a situation that I could be with the dog 24/7 (I didn't work from home, but I could take her to work with me), what a wonderful opportunity. I was able, most of the time, to have her with me, and, no excuses here, I went into work 5 days a week to an alternative education program, I was the director... she even attended meetings at schools, played in the gym with the kids, supervised classrooms, held staff meetings...it took a lot of extra energy on my part to manage a dog and a job at the same time, but we pulled it off...
My strategy included the followiing:
1. Constantly watched her for signs she wanted to pee/poop (sniffing, circling, etc)..the INSTANT I saw that, she went outside.
2. Lots of play time, lots of walks (we still walk about 4 miles every single day), until SHE indicated she was done...a tired puppy is a good puppy.
3. Don't just put her outside, TAKE her outside, take her to the same spot she usually does her business and stay until she does...don't play, don't pay attention, just stand and wait.
4. No biting allowed! The instant you feel teeth on you, a high pitched, loud "Ouch" and turn your back on her, every, single time.
5. No jumping on you allowed, turn your back and ignore her every time she does it.
I kept my pup on a leash attached to me whenever I wasn't playing with her, even while I did tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc)... That meant she could never sneak off and get in trouble.
Get enrolled in a puppy training class NOW!
It took about 6 months before things fell into place... However, in doing this, I've had exactly ONE "pee/poop" accident in the house since the day I brought her home (my fault, I didn't take her out the instant she woke up at about 10 weeks old). I have a pup that loves people, is playful and loyal.
posted by HuronBob at 5:05 AM on November 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
Welcome to having a puppy! They are adorable pains in the ass.
But at 9 weeks, she's still a baby, which means her behavior and even personality will change on a pretty much weekly basis for the next couple of months.
Housetraining: I hate to say it, but I think you need to go out with her, ideally with her on a leash, every time she goes out to pee, so that you can heap her with praise or treats when she does go outside. I know, it's a total pain, but it's only for a bit, and she should be sleeping through the night within a week or two. If you do catch her peeing inside (or better yet, squatting down about to pee), just scoop her up with minimal drama and take her right outside. Then give her a treat and praise when she goes there. She'll figure it out.
Biting: It's actually great that she's bitey, because it gives you the opportunity to do bite training. The idea is to discourage not the soft puppy biting (which will go away with time) but the harder biting that can be a problem when she's older. So let her nom on your fingers but when she bites harder, yelp and turn away for a second.
Playtime: Puppies do love to play! Like phunniemee said, they are always pretty much playing, eating, or sleeping. I brought my dog to work with me when he was a puppy and I remember the frustration of needing him to chill for a bit so I could get something done. The great thing is that he did eventually learn how to settle himself and now he is great to have around when I'm working or doing something else for a long period of time.
A few good ways to tire her out:
- Training. When my guy was a puppy, I could pretty much count on 5-10 minutes of sit or lie down training resulting in at least an hour or two of sleep. To this day, I still do some training when it's too nasty out to take him to the park but he has energy to burn.
- Other people/dogs: At this age, she's too young for a dog park (because she hasn't had all her shots), but if you have friends with dogs that you know are up to date on vaccinations, have them come over for a play date. Guaranteed exhaustion afterwards. Or just have friends come over and play with her. Another thing I used to do was go to a high-foot-traffic park with a bag full of my puppy's kibble and ask people if they wanted to feed him. Made everyone's day (who doesn't love a puppy?), would tire him out, and was good for his socialization.
posted by lunasol at 5:10 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
But at 9 weeks, she's still a baby, which means her behavior and even personality will change on a pretty much weekly basis for the next couple of months.
Housetraining: I hate to say it, but I think you need to go out with her, ideally with her on a leash, every time she goes out to pee, so that you can heap her with praise or treats when she does go outside. I know, it's a total pain, but it's only for a bit, and she should be sleeping through the night within a week or two. If you do catch her peeing inside (or better yet, squatting down about to pee), just scoop her up with minimal drama and take her right outside. Then give her a treat and praise when she goes there. She'll figure it out.
Biting: It's actually great that she's bitey, because it gives you the opportunity to do bite training. The idea is to discourage not the soft puppy biting (which will go away with time) but the harder biting that can be a problem when she's older. So let her nom on your fingers but when she bites harder, yelp and turn away for a second.
Playtime: Puppies do love to play! Like phunniemee said, they are always pretty much playing, eating, or sleeping. I brought my dog to work with me when he was a puppy and I remember the frustration of needing him to chill for a bit so I could get something done. The great thing is that he did eventually learn how to settle himself and now he is great to have around when I'm working or doing something else for a long period of time.
A few good ways to tire her out:
- Training. When my guy was a puppy, I could pretty much count on 5-10 minutes of sit or lie down training resulting in at least an hour or two of sleep. To this day, I still do some training when it's too nasty out to take him to the park but he has energy to burn.
- Other people/dogs: At this age, she's too young for a dog park (because she hasn't had all her shots), but if you have friends with dogs that you know are up to date on vaccinations, have them come over for a play date. Guaranteed exhaustion afterwards. Or just have friends come over and play with her. Another thing I used to do was go to a high-foot-traffic park with a bag full of my puppy's kibble and ask people if they wanted to feed him. Made everyone's day (who doesn't love a puppy?), would tire him out, and was good for his socialization.
posted by lunasol at 5:10 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
On non-preview: yes to the puppy class! It's more about teaching you how to train your dog than anything else, and you also get to watch puppies play together during the breaks, which is good for the heart. The place I took my dog also had puppy play times, which was great for socialization and wearing him out until he was old enough for dog parks.
posted by lunasol at 5:15 AM on November 13, 2015
posted by lunasol at 5:15 AM on November 13, 2015
I'm by no means an expert, but I do have a super-high-energy, 3-year old rat terrier mix that we got as a puppy. If your dog is like mine, here's what will fix most of your problems: more exercise.
I thought our daily 3-4 mile leash walk was providing all the exercise he needed, until I took him to a huge dog park where he could run off leash. Talk about "the zooms." He runs and leaps and cavorts almost non-stop for an hour or more. Hunting squirrels, meeting and playing with other dogs, exploring. All his senses seem to be engaged in a way that doesn't happen on leash, and there has been a huge payoff:
The destructive behaviors, the "playful mouthing that comes too close to biting," the neediness, the potty accidents... all stopped.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:45 AM on November 13, 2015
I thought our daily 3-4 mile leash walk was providing all the exercise he needed, until I took him to a huge dog park where he could run off leash. Talk about "the zooms." He runs and leaps and cavorts almost non-stop for an hour or more. Hunting squirrels, meeting and playing with other dogs, exploring. All his senses seem to be engaged in a way that doesn't happen on leash, and there has been a huge payoff:
The destructive behaviors, the "playful mouthing that comes too close to biting," the neediness, the potty accidents... all stopped.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:45 AM on November 13, 2015
Crating is absolutely NOT cruel in any way, shape, or form. She calms down so fast in there because it is a snug, comfy, cosy place where she feels safe and relaxed. She doesn't want to go in there for the same reason that toddlers put up a fuss when it's nap time. But, once you get her in, she is totally fine and content.
Any time she puts her mouth on you, give out a high pitched yelp. Puppies do this when playing to let the other dog know that they are playing too rough. You should see her almost reflexively take a step back and wait a moment before resuming play.
With puppies the rule should always be, if they aren't in the crate or directly under your supervision, they are getting in trouble.
As others have said, exercise is the key. Walks are great, any kind of play, and training. It's never too early to start training. Enroll in a puppy class if you haven't already. Keep in mind that those classes are not to train your dog but to train you to train your dog. It's also a great place to work on socializing.
Mental stimulation is just as important as the physical. Walks scratch that itch because the dog gets to go explore, see new sights, check on old sights, smell new smells, and check on old smells. When you start adding in some training elements (being able to walk with a loose leash, ignoring other dogs, etc.), they get tired out fast.
Even just daily 10-minute training sessions will help both with training and with spending some of the energy. You can also combine training and play with "nose games" and with something called a "flirt pole".
You can also work on crate training by teaching her a command to go into her crate (we use "kennel!") and giving her a super special treat for going in, but don't shut the door, just let her come right back out. Do that for a while, then close the door behind her and then open right back up. Gradually increase the time that she stays in there ensuring that she stays calm the whole time.
There will be times when you're still working on increasing the time she can be in her crate alone but you need to leave her there for longer than she is comfortable with yet, it's important that you don't let her whining persuade you to let her out. She can only come out if she is quiet and calm, but then she comes out and gets all the scritches and treats.
It's never too early to start training. The struggle is that, while all of these things will get marginally better, they won't really pay off for about a year. A year from now though, you'll suddenly realize that you have a very well behaved, well trained, and happy dog.
Lastly, and this is the most important thing, we cannot continue to give you helpful, accurate advice, without pictures of the pup in question.
posted by VTX at 7:11 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Any time she puts her mouth on you, give out a high pitched yelp. Puppies do this when playing to let the other dog know that they are playing too rough. You should see her almost reflexively take a step back and wait a moment before resuming play.
With puppies the rule should always be, if they aren't in the crate or directly under your supervision, they are getting in trouble.
As others have said, exercise is the key. Walks are great, any kind of play, and training. It's never too early to start training. Enroll in a puppy class if you haven't already. Keep in mind that those classes are not to train your dog but to train you to train your dog. It's also a great place to work on socializing.
Mental stimulation is just as important as the physical. Walks scratch that itch because the dog gets to go explore, see new sights, check on old sights, smell new smells, and check on old smells. When you start adding in some training elements (being able to walk with a loose leash, ignoring other dogs, etc.), they get tired out fast.
Even just daily 10-minute training sessions will help both with training and with spending some of the energy. You can also combine training and play with "nose games" and with something called a "flirt pole".
You can also work on crate training by teaching her a command to go into her crate (we use "kennel!") and giving her a super special treat for going in, but don't shut the door, just let her come right back out. Do that for a while, then close the door behind her and then open right back up. Gradually increase the time that she stays in there ensuring that she stays calm the whole time.
There will be times when you're still working on increasing the time she can be in her crate alone but you need to leave her there for longer than she is comfortable with yet, it's important that you don't let her whining persuade you to let her out. She can only come out if she is quiet and calm, but then she comes out and gets all the scritches and treats.
It's never too early to start training. The struggle is that, while all of these things will get marginally better, they won't really pay off for about a year. A year from now though, you'll suddenly realize that you have a very well behaved, well trained, and happy dog.
Lastly, and this is the most important thing, we cannot continue to give you helpful, accurate advice, without pictures of the pup in question.
posted by VTX at 7:11 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
One thing on biting: my vet and the puppy class instructor both told me that it's important, when doing the bite inhibition training, to NOT yelp and turn away with gentle mouthing, but only when they bite harder.
The reasoning is that if you yelp every time they put their mouth on you, they will learn not to put their mouths on you but NOT that it's not ok to bite hard. This is a problem because the gentle mouthing goes away with age, but if they never learn not to bite hard, then you can get a nasty surprise when they bite a child or other dog for the first time at age 4 when they are a lot stronger and can do actual damage.
posted by lunasol at 7:21 AM on November 13, 2015
The reasoning is that if you yelp every time they put their mouth on you, they will learn not to put their mouths on you but NOT that it's not ok to bite hard. This is a problem because the gentle mouthing goes away with age, but if they never learn not to bite hard, then you can get a nasty surprise when they bite a child or other dog for the first time at age 4 when they are a lot stronger and can do actual damage.
posted by lunasol at 7:21 AM on November 13, 2015
My sweet Bella is two years old now. Advice:
1. When you let her out at night, say "Go find a spot." And give her a treat when she potties and comes back in.
2. During the day, set a timer for every 20 minutes, take her out and repeat the phrase. Give her a treat when she goes. Bring her back in without one if she doesn't. Gradually increase the time on the timer, adding maybe five minutes every week.
3. When she nips, let out a loud yelp, like puppies do, and stop playing immediately. I turned my back on Bella for a few seconds to reinforce it.
4. Use the timer again to set up ten-minute play times outside. Throw a ball, run around, wear her little butt out for ten minutes every couple of hours. During the times in between, use Kongs or puzzles to keep her occupied. Remember, a tired puppy is a happy puppy.
posted by raisingsand at 7:21 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
1. When you let her out at night, say "Go find a spot." And give her a treat when she potties and comes back in.
2. During the day, set a timer for every 20 minutes, take her out and repeat the phrase. Give her a treat when she goes. Bring her back in without one if she doesn't. Gradually increase the time on the timer, adding maybe five minutes every week.
3. When she nips, let out a loud yelp, like puppies do, and stop playing immediately. I turned my back on Bella for a few seconds to reinforce it.
4. Use the timer again to set up ten-minute play times outside. Throw a ball, run around, wear her little butt out for ten minutes every couple of hours. During the times in between, use Kongs or puzzles to keep her occupied. Remember, a tired puppy is a happy puppy.
posted by raisingsand at 7:21 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, all good advice. I started taking her out right away.
I want to encourage more good advice so here is a picture treat:
http://postimg.org/image/iotdng1g1/
Name suggestions welcome!
So I think the heart of my question (though it was hidden away) was about whether it's cruel for a puppy to spend 75% of the daytime in a crate, in the specific case that she is let out at the very least every hour to two to play and pee for at least 25% of the day.
I have the time to do more, but if she likes her crate.... i've read differing opinions on this.
posted by choppyes at 9:51 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I want to encourage more good advice so here is a picture treat:
http://postimg.org/image/iotdng1g1/
Name suggestions welcome!
So I think the heart of my question (though it was hidden away) was about whether it's cruel for a puppy to spend 75% of the daytime in a crate, in the specific case that she is let out at the very least every hour to two to play and pee for at least 25% of the day.
I have the time to do more, but if she likes her crate.... i've read differing opinions on this.
posted by choppyes at 9:51 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's not so much that she likes or dislikes the crate so much as she hasn't yet identified it as her "den" (or at least, one of them). Or, she sees the crate as her den but she also knows that crate=person goes away which is probably a more general crate=bad things happen. So the calming effect of her seeing it as a den conflicts with the "bad things" feelings. So she avoids going in there but once she is in there and is resigned to staying in there, she chills out.
Once you can get her to realize that going in the crate=good things happen, it goes straight to just being a safe, calming place. Our dog never really went into her crate by choice but she stopped hesitating to go in there when we asked her too and she was totally chill once she was in there. We would tell her "kennel!" and wait for her to go in before we'd start getting her food ready and then we'd feed her in the crate.
I don't think that keeping her in the crate is ideal, but it's FAR from cruel. As she gets older, she'll calm down and you might feel comfortable giving her a little more freedom when you're out of the house to the point where she might eventually have the full run of the house. Even then she might still hang out in her crate just because she likes it. Some people even take the door off the thing and the dog will keep using it as a place to chill out.
posted by VTX at 11:23 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Once you can get her to realize that going in the crate=good things happen, it goes straight to just being a safe, calming place. Our dog never really went into her crate by choice but she stopped hesitating to go in there when we asked her too and she was totally chill once she was in there. We would tell her "kennel!" and wait for her to go in before we'd start getting her food ready and then we'd feed her in the crate.
I don't think that keeping her in the crate is ideal, but it's FAR from cruel. As she gets older, she'll calm down and you might feel comfortable giving her a little more freedom when you're out of the house to the point where she might eventually have the full run of the house. Even then she might still hang out in her crate just because she likes it. Some people even take the door off the thing and the dog will keep using it as a place to chill out.
posted by VTX at 11:23 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Name suggestions welcome!
Mrs. VTX says her name should be "Pumpkin"
posted by VTX at 3:47 PM on November 13, 2015
Mrs. VTX says her name should be "Pumpkin"
posted by VTX at 3:47 PM on November 13, 2015
Yes, I think 75% is way too much time in the crate. You are missing out on lots of bonding and training opportunities!
Training a puppy boils down to a lot of redirecting and correcting and positivity. You want to teach her how to behave, and you can't do that if she is in her crate all the time. Every time she does something wrong, you have a chance to teach her what she should be doing. If she is chewing something she shouldn't, take it from her and say "no, bad chew" and give her a toy. When she starts chewing on it "good girl, good chew". Constantly, over and over until she gets it. Also, she really needs a name (looks like an Abigail to me). I found saying the dog's name valuable as part of the training. "Good dog, NAME! NAME, you are such a good dog!"
Same with housebreaking. Take her outside after playing, as soon as she wakes up, after eating. When she pees say "good girl, good go pee". And say it like she is the best dog in the world. The trick is to getting her outside routine established before she gets in the habit of going indoors.
If you can find a puppy class in your area, it will definitely be worth your while.
Puppies are a ton of work, but if you put your time in and stay consistent, it shouldn't take more than a couple months and the reward will be to have a well behaved dog who is trust worthy and pleasant to be around. I've raised four wonderful dogs over twenty years, all without using a crate.
posted by chaoticgood at 5:18 PM on November 13, 2015
Training a puppy boils down to a lot of redirecting and correcting and positivity. You want to teach her how to behave, and you can't do that if she is in her crate all the time. Every time she does something wrong, you have a chance to teach her what she should be doing. If she is chewing something she shouldn't, take it from her and say "no, bad chew" and give her a toy. When she starts chewing on it "good girl, good chew". Constantly, over and over until she gets it. Also, she really needs a name (looks like an Abigail to me). I found saying the dog's name valuable as part of the training. "Good dog, NAME! NAME, you are such a good dog!"
Same with housebreaking. Take her outside after playing, as soon as she wakes up, after eating. When she pees say "good girl, good go pee". And say it like she is the best dog in the world. The trick is to getting her outside routine established before she gets in the habit of going indoors.
If you can find a puppy class in your area, it will definitely be worth your while.
Puppies are a ton of work, but if you put your time in and stay consistent, it shouldn't take more than a couple months and the reward will be to have a well behaved dog who is trust worthy and pleasant to be around. I've raised four wonderful dogs over twenty years, all without using a crate.
posted by chaoticgood at 5:18 PM on November 13, 2015
Oh, wow, what a cutie!!
I agree that 75% of the time is too much in the crate. There's nothing wrong with crating a puppy, but that's a lot of time. I used to crate my puppy for sleep and when I was out of the house. Otherwise, I just kept him in the same room with me.
When my puppy was really young, I figured out very quickly that I was going to be spending virtually all of my free time playing with him/training him/etc. It turned out that phase only lasted a couple of months but it was worthwhile. Chaoticgood has some good suggestions for training. One thing to remember with puppies: punishment, even a "no!", does no good. They just don't understand it. It's all about redirection and reinforcing good behaviors.
There's been so much good advice in this thread about how to give her the stimulation she needs/wear her out. One more:
- Feed her using a treat ball or just by scattering her kibble on the floor. This will wear her out and keep her from eating her food too quickly.
posted by lunasol at 8:43 PM on November 14, 2015
I agree that 75% of the time is too much in the crate. There's nothing wrong with crating a puppy, but that's a lot of time. I used to crate my puppy for sleep and when I was out of the house. Otherwise, I just kept him in the same room with me.
When my puppy was really young, I figured out very quickly that I was going to be spending virtually all of my free time playing with him/training him/etc. It turned out that phase only lasted a couple of months but it was worthwhile. Chaoticgood has some good suggestions for training. One thing to remember with puppies: punishment, even a "no!", does no good. They just don't understand it. It's all about redirection and reinforcing good behaviors.
There's been so much good advice in this thread about how to give her the stimulation she needs/wear her out. One more:
- Feed her using a treat ball or just by scattering her kibble on the floor. This will wear her out and keep her from eating her food too quickly.
posted by lunasol at 8:43 PM on November 14, 2015
Response by poster: Just a quick update on this. Prior to this thread I was playing bad cop, using the crate as a jail, telling her off for being aggressive and it was escalating very stressfully. So now I bribe her to do Everything, only pick her up as a last resort. In just days she has turned into a sweetheart.
Feeding is all training. I dont think much of it is sinking in - i'm teaching sit, turn, touch hand and drop, but she sits some of the time but that's probably random. Either way she sleeps like a log after.
Thanks!
posted by choppyes at 7:25 AM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Feeding is all training. I dont think much of it is sinking in - i'm teaching sit, turn, touch hand and drop, but she sits some of the time but that's probably random. Either way she sleeps like a log after.
Thanks!
posted by choppyes at 7:25 AM on November 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I dont think much of it is sinking in - i'm teaching sit, turn, touch hand and drop, but she sits some of the time but that's probably random.
This is totally normal. Keep at it, a lot more is sinking in than either of you realize. Believe me, it's the training that you're doing right now that will pay off in 6-12 months. Especially since you're having so much success with positive reinforcement.
If nothing else, dogs love to have a job she really enjoys having to "work" for her food and all that mental stimulation will burn up a lot of energy. You might also look for different methods of teaching those commands as well as integrating hand signals. Most dogs (mine included) understand and responds better to hand signals than voice commands and it's sometimes handy to be able to give a command silently. Just make sure you work on doing the command when prompted by voice, hand signal, and both together.
You can sort of still use the crate as a "jail" but it's not about punishment and more about just chilling out. Give it a week or two or until she isn't so apprehensive about going into the crate. Oh, another trick around that is to put a treat in there randomly when you're certain that she won't be able notice you putting it in. That way the crate is also a magic place where treats sometimes appear for no reason.
posted by VTX at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2015
This is totally normal. Keep at it, a lot more is sinking in than either of you realize. Believe me, it's the training that you're doing right now that will pay off in 6-12 months. Especially since you're having so much success with positive reinforcement.
If nothing else, dogs love to have a job she really enjoys having to "work" for her food and all that mental stimulation will burn up a lot of energy. You might also look for different methods of teaching those commands as well as integrating hand signals. Most dogs (mine included) understand and responds better to hand signals than voice commands and it's sometimes handy to be able to give a command silently. Just make sure you work on doing the command when prompted by voice, hand signal, and both together.
You can sort of still use the crate as a "jail" but it's not about punishment and more about just chilling out. Give it a week or two or until she isn't so apprehensive about going into the crate. Oh, another trick around that is to put a treat in there randomly when you're certain that she won't be able notice you putting it in. That way the crate is also a magic place where treats sometimes appear for no reason.
posted by VTX at 2:00 PM on November 16, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
If she's nippy and bitey, find ways to play that aren't fighting. You don't want to encourage the aggression. Teach her tricks to wear her out mentally, toss things for her to catch and chase, hide tiny treat bits inside of toys and under blankets so she has to work to ferret them out...there are lots of ways to play that don't reinforce the biting.
Always take her out to pee immediately after playing. After the pee break, into the crate. As soon as you let her out of the crate, immediately take her out to pee again.
She'll get the hang of it eventually. Puppies are exhausting and a lot of work. Just keep with it.
posted by phunniemee at 4:49 AM on November 13, 2015 [4 favorites]