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Originally Posted by R-Teddy  Ok thank you. I get what you guys are saying here, and understand, although I do want to note that the adult dog your talking about is a Shih Tzu and quite small himself. Its not like im allowing her to play with a Saint Bernard. But still, I get the point.
The problem I do have however, is everyone keeps telling me I need to teach her all the stuff her mother would have, ok, I know that, But no one seems to have any suggestions as to HOW to teach her these things, nor exactly what it is I need to teach her that the mother dog would have. Its not something I have been able to find so far on the web either. Ive entered every kin of combination or words to search it I can think of. I can do individual behaviors, but most of them have to do with adult dogs. Ther eis no list out there that is titled....
"Got a puppy that's too young to be away from its mother, here is what you need to teach them and how."
Or if there is, I havnt found it yet. |
I know you aren't talking about a St Bernard vs a tiny puppy, but your puppy is still significantly smaller and her bones are still developing, more fragile. Even my barely 6 pound ridiculously skinny Teddy was at risk going up at against his 9 pound brother. Some wrestling is fine when she grows, as long as there isn't back biting. My boys do shadow boxing or karate kid stuff that is funny, but when they get out of hand, I settle them down.
When your pup is old enough to go for walks or maybe run around in a yard, things will get easier burning off all the energy.
The advantage I had was that my older Max was the one who needed breaks and he could escape Teddy by simply taking refuge on the couch. When you see your puppy needs a break, I would separate the dogs with a baby gate or xpen.
Teaching -- if she is nipping at you or her brother, say "no bite." When she is doing it to her brother, you can touch her on her shoulders, near the nape of the neck when you say it. When she is nipping at you, you can make a yelping sound like a puppy would. If she is going for your hands, fold your hands across your chest, taking away the targets.
Read the part about "Installing Bite Inhibition":
Teaching Bite Inhibition - Whole Dog Journal Article
Things are going to get harder in this department as she begins to teethe. Give her things to chew on. I used soft toys and made sure Max didn't rip the stuffing out.
Work on general obedience training like sit, down, stay, come. Puppies tend to learn fast and like to do this kind of "work." When my boys get bored and start wrestling and things get out of hand, I redirect them to performing tricks for a single piece of kibble. This kind of training also helped my boys form a bond with each other.
Work on playing fetch together. That is another great way to bond and learn socialization skills.
Having a daily routine of activities at about the same time each day also has a calming effect. Sleeping time, meal time, little play sessions or training sessions. Talk to your dogs while you are doing your daily things too. I talk to my boys a lot and they follow me around like they are involved in whatever I am doing.
YouTube is full of dog training videos. Great resource.