[Nola]

Nola is 8 weeks. Doing well crate training, I just have to pay lots of attention to her when she is not in the crate to watch for sniffing and circling. At this age what should I expect from her??? Obedience wise??


She hasn't quite learned her name... some days she knows it and others she acts like she has no idea what I am doing.. so when I try to call her to "come" I have to either make a noise or tap on the ground in front of me....


She is scratching on things.. like blankets and pillows and is pulling the threads out of things.. how do I stop this??


She is not adjusting to her collar all that well, and when I leash her, well she thinks it is another toy and chews or grabs the leash and pulls... I try to lead her by having the clasp of the leash on the back side of her neck and she just tugs away and squirms out of her collar...


I don't want to put too much on her at one time so what should I be doing first... I just want her to not seem like she is an ADHD dog because as of now she pays no attention when I try to get her to sit.. even with rewards.. :confusffed:

 

[puppylove]

This is why puppies are so darned cute. They take so much patience.

When you call her you must be sure that she'll come every time. That may mean only calling her when you have irresistable treats or when she's leashed so that you can reel her in. And then practice for many weeks.

She will adjust to her collar. Don't baby her. If she is squirming out of it, it's too big. I like to use a martingale.

Don't worry too much about putting too much on her. Dogs are very smart and willing to learn, particularly poodles.

Good luck and enjoy that puppyhood, she'll be grown up before you know it!

 

[Nola]

Is there a certain treat that you would recommend? I am scared to give her something that is not made well and bad for her but I do not want to spend a fortune on something.. Also... is it okay to give a treat that often?? i dont want her getting used to it and expecting them over her food...

 

[cbrand]

She hasn't quite learned her name... some days she knows it and others she acts like she has no idea what I am doing.. so when I try to call her to "come" I have to either make a noise or tap on the ground in front of me....

You will want to use a clicker or a shaping word when you are training. A shaping word is a word that you say everytime she has done something correctly. It can be a sound or a word, but you want to be consistent. Pick something that you don't mind saying in public (i.e if you pick the sound BING... you may be embarrassed to use it in front of the neighbors). The advantage of a word is that you always have it with you. The advantage of a clicker is timing. People just seem to get the timing of a clicker down better.

Attention is taught as an execise. Nola needs to be on a leash so that you can control her. Sit in a chair with her in front of you on leash. Say her name in a happy manner: "Nola!" If she looks at you... click treat. If not, give her a gentle collar pop. This will encorage most dogs to look up at you. Click treat. Keep doing this until she looks up at you every time you say her name. DON'T EVER REPEAT YOUR ATTENTION WORD!!!! Say Nola and if she does not look, give her a pop. Don't ever give a command that you can not treat or enforce. Note..... you can use another attention word such as "watch". I use "ready".

She is scratching on things.. like blankets and pillows and is pulling the threads out of things.. how do I stop this??

Cut her nails short. Use a squirt bottle to stop her.

More later on your other questions later.....

 

[Jessie's Mom]

lol - such cute antics. she's doing all kinds of puppy stuff. when she chews or pulls on something you want to discourage, replace it with something that's ok to play with. teaching her name is easy enough. get small bits of a treat that she likes and keep saying her name, then treat her, then say her name, then treat her, etc etc. you get the idea. she will eventually equate that "word" (her name) with a good thing (the treat). that will lay the roadwork to teaching her recall (come when called). try never to use her name with an angry tone of voice. she will get confused. "hmmmm, is that sound (her name) a good thing or not?".

and be patient - she's a happy, healthy baby that really will grow too fast.

 

[Jessie's Mom]

Cut her nails short. Use a squirt bottle to stop her.

More later on your other questions later.....[/QUOTE]

or put loose change in an empty soda/water bottle and shake it whenever you want to break a habit she's doing, distract her from what is not right.

 

[TZel]

We got Sam at 11 weeks, a bit older than your pup, but he had not been housebroken nor cratetrained. So we started just having him near us at all times to watch for sniffing and circling. Yes there were many accidents, but now he has not had any in a couple of weeks. He is in his crate whenever we cannot be aware of him or are away from home. His crate has a divider so that it was not big enough to go potty in and sleep dry, so he never had an accident inside. We took him out very regularly and often, after very meal, after every nap, in the morning and before bed, plus once in the middle of the night (until 12 weeks, then no more during the night.) About every hour during the day I would say. We gave no water after about 8 pm. If he made noises in the crate, we ignored him and did not put him into the crate unless we were sure that all his needs we fulfilled. He settled down pretty well. Sometimes he still whines, but ignoring works wonders!
At six weeks I would expect very little obedience-wise, as they are so distracted and well, so little! But it is good for you to play the name game, calling her (tapping on the floor is ok, or making other noises) and giving a treat (or praise, petting if you don't use treats) when she comes. Never call her for negative things. She will learn her name super-quick, don't worry If you would like, you can begin teaching her to sit or lay down, but slowly, with little pressure.
I thought it helpful to think of Sam as I would like a 1 1/2 year old, they always get into things, destroy whatever they can, and require CONSTANT supervision- that is the same for a new puppy! There is no naughtiness, it is all learning and happy play! But of course we have to teach and protect them from danger. It is completely natural for your puppy to eat inappropriate things, chew and chew and chew, scratch on things, etc. becuase that is how she learns. Provide things that you deem appropriate for chewing and playing, like Kongs for example, and when you catch her grabbing things that she shouldn't, exchange it for something she should. Please note: Sam is 17 weeks old and still grabs DD's bunny slippers and chews on his leash whenever he can!
This is a long answer, huh? Please bear with me
"Make haste slowly" is a great training phrase, it means train your dog new things slowly, and by steps. Get her used to the collar first, then start by tying on a very thin lead or even rope so that she will get used to it, then move onto something a tad bit heavier like a nylon leash, on and on, until she will tolerate it. Let her drag it around WHEN YOU CAN CLOSELY SUPERVISE HER, try not to let her chew on it too much, by distracting her once again with appropriate chew things. Eventually she will completely ignore it. About leash work, well, she is very little, try just to get her to follow you by calling her or using treats, and when she tolerates the lead and collar better, you can start picking it up. There are great online resources to teach you this, google "leash train a puppy."
Enjoy your precious little one, use this time to bond, and before you know it, (with consistency and hard work) she will be a great, well-behaved friend for you !

 

[puppylove]

If I am doing lots of training I feed less at mealtime. For treats I use regular kibble, I just use another brand/flavor so they think it's something special. Some dogs need more enticing treats. I buy low-sodium turkey franks and slice them paper thin. Few doggies can resist that.

 

[Nola]

Cbrand: Thank you, i will go out and by a clicker today! With the squirt bottle, my family used this on our toy that is about ten years old now and at first it freaked her out and then she was not scared of it and didnt mind being squirted with water.. will this be different for Nola??


Jessie's Mom: I try replacing what she is scratching with a new toy but it is like she pushes the new toy away and fights to get back to what she is scratching..


TZel: When I am trying to get her to learn her name.. can I alternate between treats and petting/praising or will that throw her off?? I bought her a kong and I first tried kibble, she only rolled it around with her nose and then i tried peanut butter and she licked for a little while but it is like when she noticed it required work she gave up.. With her collar is it okay that i have a cat collar with a bell.. (she is a fast lil thing and ends up under my feet before i know it so this way i can hear her coming)
So with the lead, let her drag it for now? even just around the house??


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES!! THEY ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND NEEDED!

 

[Nola]

PUPPYLOVE: Okay I was feeding on a schedule and not allowing her to get to her food whenever she wanted but it was not working out... she was not eating at the allowed time and I think her breeder allowed free feeding... So for the past two days or so i have left her food in her crate with her at all times.. she grabs a few kibbles here and there and continues playing in between.. Is this not a good method??

 

[Jessie's Mom]

Jessie's Mom: I try replacing what she is scratching with a new toy but it is like she pushes the new toy away and fights to get back to what she is scratching..


TZel: When I am trying to get her to learn her name.. can I alternate between treats and petting/praising or will that throw her off?? I bought her a kong and I first tried kibble, she only rolled it around with her nose and then i tried peanut butter and she licked for a little while but it is like when she noticed it required work she gave up.. With her collar is it okay that i have a cat collar with a bell.. (she is a fast lil thing and ends up under my feet before i know it so this way i can hear her coming)
So with the lead, let her drag it for now? even just around the house??


THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES!! THEY ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND NEEDED!

you could also try buying something called bitter apple. it is not harmful at all to the dogs and when jessie was starting to really teethe, she thought the legs of my tables were meant for that. so i just sprayed the area with the bitter apple and she didn't go back to it anymore.

yes, a collar with something that jingles or whatever is fine. jessie keeps her collar on around the house and it has has tags on it that jingle like bells. even @ 16 months we are happy to know where she is.......lol

and just be patient and enjoy her. learn to read her...believe me, she's studying you too !! lol

 

[TZel]

I agree about the jingly collar, but the bitter apple didn't faze Sam at all, so try it if you would like but be prepared that it might not work.
When you are first teaching a new skill, treats are often best, but if the dog is food-motivated. Some dogs are more motivated by toys or praise as rewards- you know your pup, what makes her get the most excited? Use that to reward her.
I really like the training principle "nothing in life is free," which means that all good things that your puppy receives come from you, and she has to do something to get them. It helps you to avoid lots of problems later, like dominance and food aggression, for example. For food, give maybe 3-4 small meals a day, but have it be a reward for her- for come maybe or a sit. Try to get her to look at you in the eye before putting the food dish down. (check out this video: YouTube - nobodybutjustme's Channel)
That is a big thing, the eye contact, it will help you to have more success in training later. Also, a good book is Leader of the Pack by Nancy Baer and Steve Duno. To understand the psychology of dogs. I wish you the best!

 

[Toy Bella]

I have only had Bella for a week, and she is doing great in her crate, and with potty training. From everything I have read, free feeding is not good. The first couple of days I had Bella, she would not eat very much at all. I still took the food up, even though I felt bad about it. When it was time for her next meal, she ate more. She still tries to go back and forth sometimes and only nibble. I give her 20 minutes, and I take the food up until next time. She is getting better at understanding she needs to eat when fed. She doesn't seem to be hungry in between, but she is only two pounds, so I can't imagine it takes much to fill her little tummy. There is a lot of good information on the web, and especially on this forum. One thing I have learned so far is to have plenty of patience and love. We will wish we had this time back after they are grown.