Interesting Puppy Issues

[ZacAndLea]

This Saturday will be 2 weeks that we have had our little girl! It has definitely been a rollercoaster ride so far...

There are so many opinions online that it is slightly difficult to know what is correct! We are getting a feel for it but it has still been slightly frustrating/stressful.

Here is our predicament:

When we first brought our little girl home, she was 13 weeks old. She was an ANGEL for the first 5 days. She walked loosely on the lease. She didn't cry at night. She didn't bark. She went potty outside. Everything was great. Then things started to slowly change.

1. She started to not want to walk, so she would stop. We were easily able to lure her with food, but now that doens't really help. This morning she just layed down and wouldn't go anywhere. She at least peed, but that was it. I tried to lure her but it didn't matter. It is getting frustrating and I don't know what to do. Should I pull her (she is wearing a harness that doesn't touch her neck) so that she knows she is not in control of the walk? Or should I leave her to explore a little bit since she is still getting used to a new area? Could her paws be getting sore from walking about 1 hour (total) per day?

2. She learned how to bark at our first training session this past Saturday. Now she barks at various times throughout the day. I am somewhat ok (for now) with her barking when people are outside walking towards the house. She has challenged me a few times during play time as well, during those times I stand up, stop playing, click my fingers together and don't look at her. She sits there and calms down and realizes that I am serious. That only works inside and only if she isn't too excited. If we are outside and see other dogs she starts to bark. She doesn't pull or anything but I am unsure of how to get her to stop. I don't want to create and negative experience and I don't want to nurture any bad habits.

3. She nips at our fingers. When we are trying to put her collar and harness on in the morning, during playtime and when we are trying to clean/brush her at night before bed. We have made sure we don't pull our fingers out so it doesn't seem like we are playing. We typically grab one of her chew toys and replace our finger with the toy. This doesn't always work, especially after we get home from a walk and she is excited.


The good news is that she is still going potty outside and has been holding it overnight for the past few days until we go out in the morning.

We have listened to a lot of Cesar Millan before we got our pup, and we are going to clicker training for the next 5 weeks (once a week), which focuses on positive reinforcement only.

I basically am looking for a consensus - what worked for you? Is rewarding the positive ONLY a good technique, or have you found that there is a little room for correction (such as Cesar's "CH" sound and a LIGHT touch to "snap" her out of it [which honestly hasn't seemed to work]). We really don't want to let something go thinking that we can address it later and have her get spoiled, while we also don't want to go crazy and forget to enjoy our pup!

[msyorktown]

time to bump this up

[Yorkiemom1]

Well........I am really NOT an authority on training and puppy behavior correcting.....I will be the very first to admit my babies are perhaps too spoiled and even a little rude, and while I never allowed this in my "skin kids" and ran a VERY tight ship, my little pups get away with murder, I guess. In MY mind, everything you have listed as problematic behaviors, is just puppy behavior! I expect this behavior from my babies, and at this point in their lives, I dont expect a whole lot more....I am more than likely all wrong here, but when I had youngsters, I allowed them to be youngsters...then as they started to age,say around 8-10 months old, I gradually started tightening the reins, a little at a time, a couple areas at a time....and they all turned out OK.....I personally have a problem with the barking issue....I feel like that is how they communicate with me, and so I have problems curtailing it....I KNOW that is stupid, but I cant help it...but we have people on here that are super trainers and can direct you without any problems.....

[mimodok]

It is good that you are enrolled in an obedience school, keep going. Ask them these questions because they are the professionals. I am no professional, but here is what I can tell you based on my experience.

It sounds like you are responding appropriately to her behaviors. Consistency is key, so keep it up. Positive reinforcement is the best technique for training behavior in my opinion. But, I also use some negative reinforcement in certain situations.

Your puppy is probably trying to establish her rank in your pack/family. You can reinforce that you are alpha and still have a happy, spoiled baby. Dogs that view their owner as alpha feel safe, are calmer and more obedient, and happier. The pack mentality is more natural for them than total independence (how humans live).

Cesar Millan is a good source of knowledge and I'm sure he has some videos on how to reinforce your rank as alpha. There are a lot of routine behaviors that you can do to reinforce the message to your dog. I will give two examples.

In a pack, the alpha always sleeps in the highest and most comfortable place (your bed). By allowing your dog to sleep with you in your bed, you are giving the dog the message that you are equals. If you really want to share your bed with your dog, make the dog sleep at the foot of the bed (the lowest place) and never at the pillows (the highest place).

The alpha always eats before the rest of the pack. Before feeding your dog, eat your meal or just a snack first and let the dog watch. This is another reason why dogs shouldn't be fed from the table; since you are eating at the same time it sends the message that you are equals. I know that sometimes eating first isn't always convenient, so just try to do it most of the time and exaggerate it when you do.

[mimodok]

Also, remember that this is your dog. You get to choose what behaviors you want and don't want. Don't be intimidated if you are told you should or have to train your dog a certain way.

My Mom thinks it's adorable how her dogs go NUTS when she gets home. Many people consider that a bad behavior that should be discouraged. But hey--her dogs don't hurt anyone, they calm down pretty quick, and it makes my Mom happy. So if you think a behavior is cute or you want to spoil your dog, go for it! As long as the behavior won't put the dog or people in danger it is okay (for example, chasing people's feet--cute, but dangerous).

[ZacAndLea]

Thanks for the info so far! Things have been getting better. When I first posted my wife and I were just worried parents not wanting to do the right thing but not knowing what the right thing is!

The obedience training is going well. So far, we have been making sure to challenge her with sit exercises for her food. The most difficult thing now is the walk, because she gets distracted and wants to go every which way, but she has been rather consistent and knows to stay on our right side and walk loosely, not pulling. She stops sometimes to sniff around or something but then quickly gets moving since we don't stop.

Her barking has subsided, but it is still there. I really don't mind if she barks at a strange person approaching the house, but if there are kids outside playing we don't want her incessantly barking at them from in the house.

We have the Cesar Millan Mastering Leadership DVDs, but the "CH" sound (snapping her "out of it") doesn't work at all. She is a puppy and when she is in her zone it is easier to say "Let's Go" (combined with our trainer's technique of rewarding her for walking with us, starting with one step at a time) and keep walking.

Despite loving Cesar, we are going to stick with the trainer's methods of positive clicker reinforcement. That means ignoring the bad and rewarding the good. The methodology is that if the pup is doing something that we don't like, giving her any kind of attention is just reinforcing the behavior. For example, when she barks we ignore it, don't pull her leash, don't say anything and when she stops for a second, even to catch her breath, we click and give her a treat. And to be honest, after just a few days (since this past Saturday, so 4 days) we have seen significant improvements.

I'll keep you all updated!


(Picture: Rain, rain, go away!)

[mimodok]

I am glad your puppy is improving. Ignoring bad behavior, then rewarding good behavior--yes, that's how positive reinforcement works. I think that this method should always be used first for training. However, when/if this method fails for stopping unwanted behaviors, I like to use some negative reinforcement followed be positive reinforcement when the behavior I don't want has stopped.

For example, I have been struggling to get my puppy to stop biting my feet. It is something I will not tolerate. I tried ignoring her, then praising her and playing when she stopped. I tried redirection with toys. I tried saying "stop!" and pinching her.

Finally, I tried clapping once loudly and saying "stop!" This is what finally worked for me. She instantly lets go of my feet when I do this, and then I give her a toy and praise her. Now she looks at my feet as if she is about to go for them, thinks about it, then changes her mind and goes for a toy.

So, sometimes negative reinforcement in conjunction with positive reinforcement works better than just positive reinforcement alone. Now, if I had continued ignoring her and letting her bite my feet, then praising her when she stopped--I'm sure she would have learned that she doesn't get attention unless she stops, eventually.

You will find what works for you and your puppy as you go through training. Positive reinforcement is definitely the way to go if it works for you. Unfortunately, it isn't always enough in some cases (in my opinion).

[ella77]

YOU wash and brush her every night? Not a good idea if so. Also, you say you walk her for an hour each day? Thats alot for a little puppy especially one that only weighs 2lbs. Sounds to me like shes over stimulated by all the activities throughout the day. You also have to be careful with shock from insulin. The teacups and tiny toys have a problem with that when they over exert themselves. You should only play for 5 or 10 min at a time when theyre that young and weigh that little. She can actually have seizures from the insulin spikes. Im no expert and need advice from time to time too so im jusrt givin ya mine. Also you havent had her that long and should maybe spend more time indoors relaxing with her to build the bond. It sounds like youre really trying your hardest to do right by her but sometimes just taking a breath and letting her do what comes naturally is the best thing for the situation because every animal is born with instincts. Also do you let her meet other dogs and people? Sorry for the long speech lol

[mimodok]

I overlooked the part about washing and brushing every night. You definitely don't want to give daily baths. People who show their dogs might (?), but certainly not this young. Once a week is about as often as you want to bathe your puppy right now (unless they get into a huge mess and require it).

You can brush your puppy daily, but only for short periods at a time (10 minutes) and only as long as the puppy is enjoying it. It is good to start grooming early so they get used to the routines.

I did think an hour a day of exercises seemed like a bit much, but I was hesitant to say anything. Puppies need a lot of sleep at this age in order to grow. Like kids, they sometimes don't know when they need sleep and need to be "put to bed" for naps, etc.

I've found that ten-twenty minutes of interactive play followed by an hour or two of nap/down time is good. This down time could just mean the puppy is in a play pen dictating its own play/rest schedule. I like to stay in the same room during this time and if I see my puppy is awake and playing with her toys, I'll talk to her and reach in to toss the toys around and pet her for a few minutes. I like to encourage her to learn how to entertain herself with her toys also though. This is good practice for times when she is home alone.

Relaxing and playing with your puppy indoors is definitely good for building a bond with your puppy. If I see my puppy is asleep, I often sit on the floor and pet and talk to her. If she starts to wake I sometimes pick her up, along with a bone, and sit with her in my lap on the couch. I hold the bone for her while she lays in my lap and chews on her bone.

This age is a critical socialization period for learning how to interact properly with humans and dogs. Just make sure that whatever dogs/puppies she interacts with are healthy, up-to-date on their vaccinations, and of a good temperament. Introduce your puppy to your friends and family and let them visit often. Just be sure to educate them on how to hold/handle such a small dog and teach them to be very careful where they walk.

I don't mean to lecture you, I just know you want to hear a consensus of the same information and I'd like to help provide that. You are doing a great job with your puppy. What is most important is that you love the dog and you do your best. Dogs are very adaptable and with a parents like you, I'm sure she'll turn out great.

[ZacAndLea]

Just a quick note: When I said "clean/brush" in my original post I just meant that we wipe her bottom from going potty outside and brush her so her hair doesn't get matted. We DO NOT give her a bath every day! That would be overboard! We have only given her a bath twice in 3 weeks.

[SWHouston]

On you item #1:
Many Dogs take quite a while to get used to a Harness. You might try letting her wear it around the house more. I've always made any puppy I got wear a Harness just about 24/7 for the first few weeks it's with me, then it's only used when we go out jogging/car/other.

Item #2:
It is VERY important to me for them to alarm/bark, and do for people they see and animals as well. I praise them generously when they notice something important (person or stray dog like that) and really play down the praise, when it's something important. But, I never chastise them for any alarm, just soft petal most.

Item #3:
That's TOTALLY unacceptable ! Nipping at hands or feet just is bad behavior, and I give a puppy a verbal "Growl" at first. If that doesn't get it's attention (make it stop) I reach down and give it a firm pinch on the back of the neck as I growl again. I know that's "corporal", but it does work, and a puppy needs to know what growling means, and the consequences of what it's doing. Neither of my two nip any more ever, and know to back off, when they hear a Growl, from me or a Dog.

[bchgirl]

I think you are doing a great job at training and positive re-enforcement works so well! Keep it up

[ironmike86]

Sometime it takes time. Wash,cleaning everyday is good..Not bathing. Playing as much as they want is good. I watch the litter my pup is in. they will run play fro 35min all out play. then sleep. Wake up eat poop play,sleep. they get lots of exercise. Probally amounts to 4-5 hrs a day inbetween sleeping,eating and pooping. Don't limit there play if they want it. IMO