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Originally Posted by jacs0517  Thank you C C Kent!
He doesn't bark and does know the 'no' command, and I think 'stay' - unless he was just pooped and didn't want to jump down off the couch when I went to the kitchen. Not quite sure that he knows, sit, stay, etc - which would make sense for the show ring. I am not going to teach him any tricks until the potty training is done - I'm not working too hard on the potty training until he gets neutered (next Tuesday). He is kept in his pen all day, unless we have him on the couch or in our arms - he sleeps in a baby's playpen in our bedroom.
My hubby will be home this weekend - so maybe with both of us here he will be more outgoing. I just really want to ensure I get this right, so Carson will have a happy life where he loves many people and isn't scared of everything.
QUESTION - When I get in his pen to try and play, he doesn't want to. Is it possible that this is his space and I shouldn't be in there?
Thanks again! |
He probably would prefer that you not come into his space. He isnt likely to be willing to play until he is quite comfortable in his surroundings, including his new people. Right now he's the "new kid in class" and he just needs some time to size things up and to figure out the "pack order," who ranks highest in the family and where he ranks himself.
It could be that he's not assertive in unfamiliar situations. That would hold him back in the show ring because there he would need to go in and exude confidence in an unfamiliar place with dogs he's never met.
Since he's show trained you can rest assured he's comfortable with a lead. He's probably had one on every day of his life. Taking him for walks on a lead would be familiar to him and it will help him form the pack order quickly. Allowing him to be attached to your belt with a lead,inside the house, will allow him some freedom to explore without the worry of marking in the house.
In his life to this point he's has been used to earning attention. I don't want anyone to take this wrong but rather to see the importance. A pet puppy has very few expectations so we can lavish praise and attention at will. In fact if he comes when I call him and I think he's pretty....it would be a shame not to use him at stud....yes he's that good. Very often when we do this the puppy becomes very difficult to train. In his mind he is so completely awesome, he feels, that he doesn't need to do anything specific to "earn attention."
The show puppy must earn attention because when we enter the ring he needs to be absolutely willing to try to read my mind. The slightest bit of pressure on lead or quickness of step has a meaning and he needs to know it. We're a team and he's the one everyone is looking at. The successful show dog looks forward to this few minutes in the ring. It's been the focus of his time with his favorite person in the world, this is his job and he loves to do it.
The proper companion animal is bred to have an innate desire to please his master. The simple sound of his master's voice is music to his ears. But when that voice carries the cadence and intonation of praise....ecstacy. Training a dog is the absolute best way to show him love. Once he is well trained, he knows what is expected of him and he can earn praise at will.