Question about puppies (canine)

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LadyConstanze -> Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 12:06:22 PM)
Some of you know that big big Dobie Alfie sadly passed away due to cancer, we thought we stick with the 2 other ones and give us time to get over him, however then a rescue called us and asked if we can foster/adopt an 11 months old Dobie who spent all his life in a small cage, suckers that we are, we agreed (he needs a home and it's not his fault), he a lovely dog, very smart though a handful, with 11 months he's already 40 kilos and quite lanky, due to always taking in rescues, my youngest one so far was 18 months, I don't have much experience with puppies and he's full on. Anybody knows some tricks with pups? He wants to learn but basically has the attention span of a gnat and just wants to play all day long, so far we're down one sofa, several dog beds, jackets, shoes, joy when he got into my clothes room and discovered the underwear drawer.... I'm a bit exhausted, luckily at the moment I'm having not a lot to do but but in January I'll be pretty busy again. On occasion I give him time out and send him to his crate (especially when he starts shredding) but I don't know much about puppy training and the classes I checked with only take very young puppies. So any advise would be much appreciated, we exercise a lot and while it tired him out the first few days, he caught up, training tires him too (having to use his brain) but again, puppy, short attention span...

ExiledTyrant -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 12:27:26 PM)
Get oodles of old socks, roll up socks A and B into balls and slip them into sock C. Compress the "ball" of socks into the end of the toe, tie a knot as close to the "ball" as you can get it. Now you have a medieval mace of mighty puppy smiting! Start with tug of war, then swing-toss-attack (he'll learn to fetch pretty fast), then the viscous flail of puppy pounding... just like a bottom you have to turn it up slowly until he understands it won't hurt but entice him to SHRED!!!! Take him from the crate and introduce him to this toy. He'll play as long as you are willing. Crate him up w/o the toy, rinse and repeat. Keep the toy(s) in his toy box and in a few days you'll have shredded sock bombs and not much else. You have to instill that the "sock" is the acceptable object of destruction and you can get the other dogs involved in the tug of war as well... I tend to play with two of them, get them both fired up, and once they start tug of war I sit back and watch.

Spiritedsub2 -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 12:28:48 PM)
Dogs don't understand the concept of "time out". That's a human construct, not an animal one. All you would be accomplishing with what you describe is teaching him that his crate is punishment. If he eats the couch in the "past", meaning any time outside of your presence, he is unable to associate any punishment you dole out with "eating the couch". While he's so young reward him for anything he does that you like and stop and redirect him when he's doing something you don't want him doing. I'm really sorry your dog died. I remember you posting about his spine but I'd thought you posted that it turned out to be something less serious.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 12:41:53 PM)
We were hoping that it might be something less serious, it was one of the most aggressive forms of bone marrow cancer, we had him put to sleep before the pain meds didn't work anymore, he couldn't use his backlegs at all, the tumor basically exploded in his spine and it was the last kindness we could show him. Actually, I know that with dogs you have to react the minute it happens, so no, I don't tell him off for stuff that happened before, but if I catch him and he's a bit too full on, you know pulling books from the shelves and flinging them around and such, I tell him NO, he usually listens, sometimes he's trying it on and then it's "Harvey, in your bed" and he gets a bit of "time out" as he relaxes in the crate and calms down, when he's in one of his hyper destructive modes, you sometimes can't snap him out of it. It literally was me going to the bathroom, say 3 to 4 minutes and our leather sofa was history, stuffing everywhere, leather bits all over the place.... So until he is a bit calmer, when I can't have an eye on him (like taking a shower, bathroom break, making a cuppa) he has to go into the crate briefly, just for my sanity and our stuff. I try to make it a nice experience with a toy and all that. It's just so difficult as he's all over the shop, everything distracts him...

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 12:52:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ExiledTyrant Get oodles of old socks, roll up socks A and B into balls and slip them into sock C. Compress the "ball" of socks into the end of the toe, tie a knot as close to the "ball" as you can get it. Now you have a medieval mace of mighty puppy smiting! Start with tug of war, then swing-toss-attack (he'll learn to fetch pretty fast), then the viscous flail of puppy pounding... just like a bottom you have to turn it up slowly until he understands it won't hurt but entice him to SHRED!!!! Take him from the crate and introduce him to this toy. He'll play as long as you are willing. Crate him up w/o the toy, rinse and repeat. Keep the toy(s) in his toy box and in a few days you'll have shredded sock bombs and not much else. You have to instill that the "sock" is the acceptable object of destruction and you can get the other dogs involved in the tug of war as well... I tend to play with two of them, get them both fired up, and once they start tug of war I sit back and watch. I bought the most solid toys I could find and he shredded them, he wants to play tug of war, I won't let him, his teeth aren't fully grown yet... Monty and Kia don't play as much as he does, Kia turned 12 on Sunday, she is still springy and playful but Harvey is just too full on for her and knocked her over a few times. I think he might settle down, it's possibly the first time he's allowed to be a dog and doesn't have to sit in a cage like a stuffed toy, but hell, I tell you grown up dogs are a lot easier....

stef -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 1:16:14 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ExiledTyrant Get oodles of old socks, roll up socks A and B into balls and slip them into sock C. Compress the "ball" of socks into the end of the toe, tie a knot as close to the "ball" as you can get it. Now you have a medieval mace of mighty puppy smiting! And a dog's lifetime of trying to get them to stop dragging off your socks and chewing them to shreds.

NookieNotes -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 1:22:33 PM)
If he's out of the crate, have him on a leash attached to your belt or your chair leg, or whatever. When he is acting up, ignore him or redirect him to something you want him doing, then leave him alone again. When he lays down or picks up a toy or does ANYTHING that you want him doing, mark it (clicker or "Yes!") and give a small treat. Over and over. I did dog training for 22 years. Rescue and rehab for 8 of them. It's fun to mold a puppy brain, when you know what you're doing. "Don't Shoot The Dog" by Karen Pryor is an excellent behavioral training book. smiles

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 1:31:34 PM)
LOL, errr, you have no idea about his size, he is HUGE... I'll send you a picture on the other side, you'll understand why the tying to a chair leg would result in a chair without a leg... We only had him for a week, he had no commands, he already does paw, left paw, right paw, sit, down, in your bed, heel, wait, walk and out, super clever babyboy, not a mean bone in his body just hyper hype active. The main problem is him pouncing on the 2 older Dobies and knocking them over, Monty has a horrible history of abuse and is super timid, so he usually hides, Kia is a bit of an alpha bitch (mommy's girl) and so there is a lot of growling and barking, he just doesn't understand that growling is not playing, male young dobies are notorious for growling but it's basically just play, or like a grumbling teenager. I'll order the book, we have a pretty good trainer who helped us a lot with all our problem cases (all rescues who were in danger of being put down due to issues that were the fault of people) and they all adjusted super well, unfortunately he's quite sick at the moment. I'm not sure if I should add more commands, he does them beautifully but due to being smart he gets bored very easily, so repeating the same stuff, he just switches off, and as I said, attention span of a goldfish. I shouldn't laugh, but if hubby tries to take him for a walk he pulls like a steam train, with me he heels like a dream ;)

Baldrick -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 1:37:26 PM)
Do you guys have chukkit balls where you are? Our Rottie is about 50 kg and she can chew on those balls all day without them being damaged. We also have a Bassett Hound that used to eat everything in sight, a few remotes, a $200 pair of sunglasses, amongst other things, eventually she outgrew the chewing phase

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 1:52:29 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Baldrick Do you guys have chukkit balls where you are? Our Rottie is about 50 kg and she can chew on those balls all day without them being damaged. We also have a Bassett Hound that used to eat everything in sight, a few remotes, a $200 pair of sunglasses, amongst other things, eventually she outgrew the chewing phase Got to look for them, the bag I used to train all the other dogs to fetch with, didn't last a day with him, the solid Kong toy you stuff and then freeze - shredded in 2 days. Think pup with 40 kilos and the energy levels of a child with ADHD, he already ate a Prada bag and several nice leather coats, the damage to my undies was dramatic (Wolford and LaPerla), in the end it's just stuff and he's a living being, but the thing is, male Dobies stop growing with about 2 years, if he doesn't learn soon and he pounces on somebody wanting to play, it's his life that is at risk and I wouldn't forgive myself. I can tell you my fitness levels have risen within one week, though considerable injuries, I was wrestling with him and girlie misunderstood and tried to defend me, got my ass by mistake, no skin broken but the biggest bruise you've ever seen, makes those 10 mile walks a bit painful.... The odd thing is he pounces on the dogs, with the cat he just grovels and begs for attention.... He just brought me his doggie brush, I guess that is a hint....

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 2:35:12 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: stef quote: ORIGINAL: ExiledTyrant Get oodles of old socks, roll up socks A and B into balls and slip them into sock C. Compress the "ball" of socks into the end of the toe, tie a knot as close to the "ball" as you can get it. Now you have a medieval mace of mighty puppy smiting! And a dog's lifetime of trying to get them to stop dragging off your socks and chewing them to shreds. We could use the socks from here, I bet they last a bit longer when they chew on them and might make very nice squeaky noises...

stef -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 2:50:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyConstanze We could use the socks from here, I bet they last a bit longer when they chew on them and might make very nice squeaky noises... I don't think that I would want any of my pets eating those nasty socks.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 2:52:58 PM)
I wouldn't let them eat it, but they could play and shred a bit...

areallivehuman -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 3:28:14 PM)
A bucket of balls and a 40 foot rope, throw a ball, drag him back, throw another, repeat until he's tired. It's good "come here" training, too.

Baldrick -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 3:33:53 PM)
My Maya ate a pair of Oakleys and a $200 pair of chef shoes

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/16/2015 3:56:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: areallivehuman A bucket of balls and a 40 foot rope, throw a ball, drag him back, throw another, repeat until he's tired. It's good "come here" training, too. I really don't think so and if I'd see anybody doing that to a dog, I'd be on the phone to the RSPCA. He has recall without abuse, thanks

NookieNotes -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/17/2015 2:29:42 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyConstanze LOL, errr, you have no idea about his size, he is HUGE... I'll send you a picture on the other side, you'll understand why the tying to a chair leg would result in a chair without a leg... Then the belt. And I understand huge. My Fetlife profile starts with: quote: I like 'em BIG! Big Brains are a MUST. Big heart is important as well. I love big dogs (RIP). A big personality is a check for me and you. Big hopes, dreams and goals... I know I have them. My last dog was an Argentine Mastiff, and I've had Weimaraners and rehabbed Great Danes, a Neopolitan, Dobies, a GSD, and others. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the big ones. So, yeah. The belt. And hyper is good, when you can harness it. Can you play fetch? Wear him out a bit? Also, do you have agility courses anywhere near you? The combination of movement and thinking for many dogs is a good soporific. Oh, and if you use socks, use NEW ones. Old ones still have scent from your feet, and can encourage some dogs to chew things that smell like you. Or your feet (Not my shoes!).

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/17/2015 3:57:01 AM)
He's the biggest puppy ever, I've been doing agility with him, you know I'm getting quite good jumping hurdles, also falling gently if he decides to put the breaks on while I'm trying to lead him over hurdles.... Spent the morning on the phone with a breeder, apparently it's a Dobie male adolescent problem, a bit like teenage boys going nuts. Had the dog behaviourist round, as we don't know much about his history, just that he went from one home to the next and they all kept him in a crate smaller than the one in the pic I sent you and only let him out for going to the toilet mornings and evenings, typical "cute puppy turns into big dog, shit, can't be bothered to train..." case, behaviourist also thinks he was taken from the litter much too early as some social things they learn from mommy and litter mates are just missing. I am having a few minutes peace and quiet, went past the butcher on our morning walk (5 miles) and bought him some huge beef bones, luckily they are more fun to chew than our furniture. His teeth are still growing, hence the excessive chewing. I'm not even attempting socks, I don't want to encourage him to rip clothes, he's done enough damage as it is.

DesFIP -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/17/2015 11:21:32 AM)
My sister took her lab through puppy kindergarten three times in a row before he was sufficiently house trained. That's all I have to suggest, there's a reason why I always took on adult rescues that were house trained.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Question about puppies (canine) (12/17/2015 11:43:37 AM)
He is house trained, took a day to house train him, unfortunately I thought it would be a smart idea to teach him to use his squeaky toy to signal that he needs to go, baby boy decided "I use the squeaky toy and she takes me for a walk, how cool is that..." It's the chewing and the energy though we really do see progress every day, if you think about it, 11 months old, spent his whole live in a small cage and was only let out to do his business, not a surprise he goes mental, he has no idea how long it is going to last so he possibly tries to make the best out of it. He's also getting used to affection and that and treats are a good weapon, we added drop today to the commands, he drops whatever he picks up and tries to rip, I give him a treat and praise, I will slowly phase out the treats. I also started sent training together with Kia, she was trained as sniffer dog and he loves that, boiled a ton of eggs, carry a hard boiled egg on my body for an hour or so, then take him to a park with a long leash, hide the egg and make him search it, 3 finds and he is allowed to eat it...

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