Puppy Development

[ColliesCorsos]

I am a trainer and I specialize in puppy development, so I wanted to share some info and techniques that I have found to work wonders in puppy raising.Chewing

Puppies naturally have to chew, but what they chew very much depends on what you do.
Here are some tips:

Rawhide: Absolutely, under no circumstances give your puppy/dog rawhide. Not only is it a very potentially dangerous object, but it encourages chewing. To you, there is a huge difference between your leather couch and your puppy's rawhide. To the puppy, rawhide and leather are the same thing. If your puppy chews your leather shoes and you give him rawhide it is your fault not the puppy's.

Stuffed toys: Giving your puppy stuffed toys may also encourage chewing. Your soft slipper is just like their toy. They can't be blamed for not understanding.

Of course, you can give your puppy a stuffed toy in time, if you put the effort into training the puppy. During those teething months, I highly don't recommend it.

The safest toys to give your dog are usually Kong and Nylabone. Some heavy chewers can break up Nylabones very quickly. Kongs are much harder to chew through, but even they can be torn apart by a very determined dog. The best way to introduce these are to give your dog one chewed by another dog. Also, think of how you give the toy to your dog... do you take it out of the package and throw it on the ground for them... Well, you've just told them that the toy means nothing to you. Try making the toy seem special. Let them sniff it and then take it away. Repeat this a few times and keep the toy where they can see it but can't reach it. It makes the toy more exciting.

When you come home to a ruined sofa, don't punish the puppy. He no longer knows what he did, he just knows your mad. Keep your emotions out of it.

If you catch the puppy in the act, spray him with a squirt bottle, throw a pop can filled with coins at him, or hit a pan with a spoon. Don't let the puppy know that YOU don't want him to do it, make it look like the house doesn't want him to do it. He will learn quickly what he can chew and what he can't chew.

Most importantly, NEVER leave your puppy unsupervised. If you can't see the puppy, he should be in his crate or x-pen.

Feeding

Puppies should eat a well balanced puppy food. Depending on your breed and size of dog when he is an adult, you will want a puppy food from anywhere from a year to two years. I recommend all natural food, but your vet or breeder may recommend something to you.

Scheduled feeding is a great way to assist in housebreaking. If you know when your puppy eats and drinks, then you can quickly learn when he needs to relive himself. A puppy generally will pee about 15 minutes after drinking water and bowel movements vary with each dog. Give water frequently throughout the day and feed 2-3 times.

If you catch the dog in the act, once again, spray, throw the can, hit the pan. Th HOUSE does not want the puppy to relieve himself inside. For awhile, take the puppy out on leash to "potty" give a command, "Go Potty" and don't move until he goes. Take him out to the same spot everytime. He will learn that he needs to go to the bathroom before he plays and then you don't have to worry about wether or not he went.

Don't let your puppy tell you when he has to go. You take him out on your schedule. That way, he won't tell you he needs to go out, and then play while you chase him down.

Once again, If you can't supervise...Keep the puppy in his crate!

 

[ColliesCorsos]

Crates are extremely helpful in training a puppy. Not only do they keep the puppy safe from danger, they help with chewing and housebreaking and other common puppy problems. ANY time you cannot keep 100% of your attention on your puppy, put them in their crate. Do not use it as punishment. Don't "punish" the puppy, rather correct bad habits and praise good habits.

When you get up in the morning, don't automatically run the puppy out, let the puppy sit in his crate for a few minutes. Same thing when you get home from work. Don't make a big fuss when you put the puppy in his crate. Encourage him into it and praise. Then leave. Don't baby him or tell him you're so sorry you have to leave him. Also, don't make a fuss when you get home. Just take him right outside, let him chill out a few minutes, and then play with him. This helps curb some anxieties.

Playbiting

Any time the puppy playbites, do the playbiting correction. DO NOT, under any cicumstances, let it slide. Playbiting can lead to aggression if delt with. Make a V with your legs on the ground (sitting on your knees with legs spread open) and put the puppy backwards into this "den" you created with your legs. Hold the puppy with your weaker hand under his chest or above his neck. With the other hand, grip his mouth lightly. Do not apply pressure, simply make sure the puppy can't open his mouth and bite. Say no continuously, but calmly

Release only when his eyes relax and he gives in. Anyone he bites, needs to either know the correction, or you have to do it until he gets the point

Socialization

Socialize your puppy around many different sounds, surfaces, people, animals, etc.
Allow the puppy to explore certain things and encourage them to investigate. If they get scared, DO NOT allow them to run and hide. Instead, have them walk up and make sure you are excited about it. Don't act scared, because they will feed off of you. Praise after tehy conquer something. Childrens toys, elevated and moving surfaces, wheelchairs, vacuums, fast moving things, etc.

Touch the puppy all over, all the time. You should be able to touch your puppy anywhere anytime. Pick up the feet and feel in between toes. Look in ears, eyes, gums, teeth, tail, etc.

Introduce brushes and toothbrushes, nail clippers, etc. by letting the puppy sniff and touch them. then slowly use the brushes (use back side first) encourage and praise. Clippers - touch them to the puppies toes before using them. Clip nails at the hook once a week to reduce the size of the quick

 

[ColliesCorsos]

Enlist your puppy in puppy preschool. A good puppy preschool will socialize your puppy around other puppies, dogs, sounds, surfaces, and objects. Most importantly, however, a good puppy preschool will teach YOU how to handle your puppy.

Never baby your puppy. By reassuring the puppy when he is scared, you are encouraging the scared behavior. Instead, encourage the puppy to conquer his fears by using motivation and praise. Do not let the puppy turn away or run. Show the puppy that you're not afraid and neither should he be. Be enthusiastic about new things.

Introducing the Nylabone:

What I had to do with my pup was to use her natural play drives to get excited about a toy, and then start throwing the nylabone into the game. She was so excited about playing, that the nylabone was just another thing to chase. Eventually, she started bringing the nylabone when I told her to get her toy. Another way is to get them curious about the toy and then right as your about to give it to them, place it just out of their reach, so they can see it, but not reach it. Play with it yourself, and let Poppy see it and smell it, but not keep it. Make the toy seem like the greatest thing you own for a few days, then start letting Poppy have it. First, for a few seconds and slowly progress to just simply letting it get chewed on. If you have a friend with a dog that loves them and that Poppy knows, ask to borrow the nylabone and let Poppy see the other dog playing and chewing on it. Eventually, it becomes a treasured object that they HAVE to have. Not every dog will take to them, but most will. If you get a puppy, simply only let them have that toy for a while. Get different flavors and sizes and the puppy won't even know what rawhide is, so he can't prefer it. Then, Poppy might become more interested in them.

 

[Barb04]

I don't agree with your statement which I've copied below of throwing the can at him.

""When you come home to a ruined sofa, don't punish the puppy. He no longer knows what he did, he just knows your mad. Keep your emotions out of it.

If you catch the puppy in the act, spray him with a squirt bottle, throw a pop can filled with coins at him..."""



The chewing a Kong is good. An Orbee-Tuff bone from Planet Dog lasts longer than a nylabone (mine have had them for over a year now and are still as good as new.

 

[bubbatd]

As to what you quoted in the Socialization... this all should have been started with the breeder........

 

[Gallien Jacks]

I also disagree with what you said about rawhide, a dog needs something of its own to chew on, giving your dog raw hide responsiably is ok, its when people feed the wrong type and feed a small picec to a dog that is dangerous, how many dosg have you tried all of this out on?

 

[Fran27]

There's lots of safe chew toys out there, it just depends on the dog. Some will destroy them, some won't, you just need to find what is suitable for your dog, but one way or another, in my opinion they can make the difference between your shoes and their toy.

As for the kong, none of my boys care for them when they are empty. I've never seen them actually chew the thing, but they do like nylabones, even if sterilized bones are still their favorites. They totally ignore the orbee bone though

I totally disagree with your methods to prevent playbiting... No need to force the puppy into a position he dislikes to get a point across. That, and it's the first time I've heard that playbiting can lead to agression... two totally different things if you ask me.

 

[Gallien Jacks]

yes mine dont want anything to do with their kong when empty either, a raw bone is the best thing for them and they love it, the problem I find is People (i am not saying you ) train to be a trainer and havent ever put these things into pratice, what method may work for one dog may not work for another and the different breeds will also react differently

 

[aelizilly]

I agree that the same thing doesn't work on every dog. My 10 wk old Beagle gave me fits when I first got him and tried the force holds to get him to quit biting me.

I have resorted to the positive reinforcement, and we are both better for it. I continue to gain his respect, I can tell from the way he reacts to my commands. When he starts play biting too hard, I put a toy in his mouth, say no bite, and separate myself from him.

 

[Saje]

I believe there is safe rawhide and dangerous rawhide. Raw bones are a good option for chewing. The best as far as I'm concerned. Just make sure they CHEW and don't swallow pieces whole. A gulper needs to be monitored closely.

As for food I'd rather listen to someone like Mordy than a vet who doesn't specialize in food.

This makes me cringe:

Playbiting

Any time the puppy playbites, do the playbiting correction. DO NOT, under any cicumstances, let it slide. Playbiting can lead to aggression if delt with. Make a V with your legs on the ground (sitting on your knees with legs spread open) and put the puppy backwards into this "den" you created with your legs. Hold the puppy with your weaker hand under his chest or above his neck. With the other hand, grip his mouth lightly. Do not apply pressure, simply make sure the puppy can't open his mouth and bite. Say no continuously, but calmly

Release only when his eyes relax and he gives in. Anyone he bites, needs to either know the correction, or you have to do it until he gets the point

There are much more humane ways to teach a puppy not to bite.

Again there are better was to handle this:

If you catch the puppy in the act, spray him with a squirt bottle, throw a pop can filled with coins at him, or hit a pan with a spoon. Don't let the puppy know that YOU don't want him to do it, make it look like the house doesn't want him to do it. He will learn quickly what he can chew and what he can't chew.

Dogs should have water available to them all the time. Fresh, clean water.

 

[ColliesCorsos]

Oh wow, this forum is so ridiculously close minded. These methods work. Not to say that they are the only ones, but they work. I am appalled that not one person can at least say, "hey, thanks for trying to help out new puppy owners"

So what, is this like a "positive trainers only" forum? I am not a positive only trainer. That is, in my opinion, not healthy for the dog. Dogs need discipline. You can't stop the dog from doing something unless they learn not to. I don't see how the playbiting correction is cruel!!!! That is the best way I have seen it done.

Just as they need discipline, they need praise. Not food to teach them. I never use food and have wonderfully trained, spirited dogs.

Good job, guys, you created a very welcoming forum...yeah right.

 

[Zoom]

This forum does gravitate towards positive reinforement methods over most of the "old-school" ones, yes. The reason for this is that we have a largish handful of accredited, experienced behaviorists and trainers who, with the advice given on here, have proved the effectivness of their methods. Everyone on here also knows that not every method will work for every dog, and we are all actually quite open minded when it comes to new techniques. I do believe that where everyone's negativity is coming from relates to how physical your corrections are. Our favorite method for stopping play biting is do the same thing a litter mate or mother would do when a puppy bites too hard: Yelp and walk away. In a short amount of time, the puppy has learned that biting too hard makes the fun times stop. This method has also worked great for me and my 2 year old rescue Aussie. Also, most puppies should have learned a great deal of bite inhibition from their litter in the first place, unless the puppy in question was removed before they were at least 8 weeks old.

I for one, would like you stick around and give us another chance. We are actually a very welcoming forum, just particular about certain things.

 

[Saje]

I don't think we are the ones that close-minded. We have heard these methods before and don't use them (those of us that posted). Have you tried other methods?

I think that you should stick around I'm sure that the learning will go both ways.

And yes, dogs need discipline. They need a hierarchy. Have you ever looked into NILIF? http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm Positive training AND they know their position.

So what kind of trainer are you? Who did you study with? What are your experiences?

 

[ColliesCorsos]

I would like to stick around, but only if people are willing to be open minded. My methods teach alpha rolling, yes. But they work. If I tried yelping and walking away with my collie or rottie, the collie would think it was a game and play harder and the rottie would resort to prey drive. You are right, not every method will work with every dog. That method seems ineffective to me. A mother dog will apply pressure on the dogs neck to stop them from doing something. I would know, I breed.

That might work on some dogs, for some people, but I wouldn't use it. The playbiting correction has yet to fail on me.

 

[ColliesCorsos]

And yes, dogs need discipline. They need a hierarchy. Have you ever looked into NILIF? http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm Positive training AND they know their position.

So what kind of trainer are you? Who did you study with? What are your experiences?

Well, so far I am a National K9 grad, working with a positive trainer right now (I am not close minded, I am learning both ways, still leaning towards my way) and I simply train. I have friends on both sides of the spectrum. And, never before has one of them been rude to me about my methods. They might have disagreed, but not like that. I don't like NILIF. I have tried it and didn't see good results because they dog shouldn't have to work for food. They should trust that the food will be there. I never use food for training. In my past experiences with doing so, the dogs worked for the food, not the person.

 

[Saje]

NILIF isnt' all about food you know. And it's the only thing that has worked consistently for all of my dogs and kept my home somewhat in order. I suppose you don't like clicker training either?

 

[ColliesCorsos]

I am learning clicker training right now. I have no problem with it. It helps the dog understand what he is learning. But, even though I love the concept and can use it to teach a new command, I won't rely on it. The dog needs to be weaned off of the clicker once the command is learned in my opinion. I am still new to the clicker, but I really do like the idea. It's not necessary for everything, but for some dogs can really help.

 

[ColliesCorsos]

In my opinion, you shouldn't need a constant training method to keep your house in order. We have 15 collies at the kennel, most of which live in the house, the others live in a barn. By the way, that is not my choice, they are not my kennels, I just happen to be the stepdaughter of a breeder. My dogs would ALWAYS stay inside. Either way, the dogs in the house are always under control when needed without food being necessary. They can run around and be dogs, but when the time comes to follow commands, they do it. They are civilised in the house without needing food.

 

[Saje]

Again, I'm not talking about food. My dogs get more treats when I clickertrain than when I use NILIF. Actually I don't use food really at all with NILIF unless I'm teaching them not to lunge at their dinner. NILIF helps them understand their hierarchy amongst themselves and with me. A dog who is always challenging their position can be quite a handful. My dogs follow their commands. Are you sure you've studied NILIF?

 

[ColliesCorsos]

I haven't studied it, but rather had a positive trainer I know explain it to me. Sorry, if I've the wrong idea. Please, by all means, explain it properly to me. She must have given me the wrong idea.