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#255448 - 10/24/09 06:20 PM
Puppy Interrupted
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Marcia Blum
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 10/07/09
Posts: 20
Loc: Denver, Colorado
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I have a 7 month old white GSD with an unusual story and I could use advice and support. We brought her home at 8 weeks puppy training began! Then after about a month, when she was 3 months old, we found a bat in our yard. The bat later tested positive for rabies. I am sure she was not bitten, because after reading Mr. Frawley's puppy training eBooks, I never left her unattended in the back yard. However it was 2am when we were out for that potty break and dark. The health department determined her to have had a high risk exposure as she had not yet had her rabies vaccination. We were told to put her down or put her in quarantine for 90 days--there was no arguing (I tried). As you can see, we chose quarantine and she did not get rabies. I was able to visit her every day except weekends and since I was vaccinated for rabies I was able to take her into an isolation yard and play. We worked on marker training and she can sit, down, come and stay. We also played ALOT of fetch, since it was her only exercise opportunity (she did have an indoor outdoor run that was a nice size). She had very limited contact with others, but everyone at the kennel loves her.
She has been home now for about a month. Our celebrations: House training has picked up where we left off and she is starting to more reliably tell me when she needs to go out. I still go outside with her most of the time. She just started liking her crate again and will sleep in there (there was no crate at the kennel). She enjoys marker training and is still learning. With distractions in the house and in the yard she is great, and can sit, down, come on voice command. I've worked on place training.
The struggles: She is now considered on home quarantine (90 days) and still has two months to go. This means she stays on our property, in our house or back yard. We play lots of fetch and Maggie in the middle. She clearly needs more exercise, but for now no walks. When a new person comes over it is a BIG distraction and there is no following commands of any sort. I know we need to work on it, but there is limited opportunity because of the quarantine rules. AND she is an ankle nipper with the prey drive thing, but we walk around holding a ball on a rope and this interests her enough to lay off (I hate it when I am coming home from work and I don't have it with me).
I need help with everything! but have found the WebBoard to keep me sane.
My question for the experts is this. She jumps up to look out doors, windows, on the counter (yes I keep food away ever since she got the hunk of cheese) and she jumps on us. This was not something we worked on at the kennel,
and I'm sure she jumped up in the run when people went by. She went nuts whenever she saw me, until I could get the leash on and correct her. When I am standing up, I think she knows I'm the boss from all of our training and she won't jump then. We are working on "off", turn away and ignore and I say "off" for the other places she's jumping up on as well. Sometimes I get a huge pounce when I least expect it, because she wants to play, it's usually when I am sitting down. She is responding, but hasn't stopped yet. Do I give her a treat when she gets off? or does that encourage the pounce to begin with? Corrections work, but she's a pretty good listener without them and actually does get off with the verbal command--just not all the time yet and she will work for food.
She's a puppy (a 50 pound one) after all, and not too bad for being away for 3 months. The next very big step for her will be socialization...but, we have to wait till December.
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#255453 - 10/24/09 06:35 PM
Re: Puppy Interrupted
[Re: Marcia Blum]
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Connie Sutherland
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 07/13/05
Posts: 15451
Loc: North-Central coast of Califor...
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What else do you do for exercise for her? How much upbeat training do you do every day (in short sessions)?
Do you have a game of fetch before a visitor is expected so she is somewhat less wound up?
Do you know the joys of tethering the dog to you and also of a light drag-line when she is loose in the house?
I'd be managing her environment much more carefully so that jumping on the counter, etc., was not an option. 
P.S. Welcome! Others who are puppy experts will have more detailed advice; the weekend when folks are out training and stuff is a pretty slow board time.
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#255473 - 10/25/09 12:53 AM
Re: Puppy Interrupted
[Re: Connie Sutherland]
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Melissa Thom
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 12/04/07
Posts: 1135
Loc: USA
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You need to follow the quarantine guidelines as far as people coming over. Don't do it... don't think about it... it's just plain not worth the liability. You have another 3 months and frankly the health dept will be much less friendly if your puppy gets mouthy with someone from outside the home while in quarantine.
In the mean time you need to work off that energy somehow, it'll make forming behaviors alot easier. Any chance of getting a treadmill off of craigslist? It doesn't have to be beautiful, just functional.
How much backyard space do you have? Do you have room to set up some activities back there?
Does your dog have a crate?
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#255477 - 10/25/09 10:13 AM
Re: Puppy Interrupted
[Re: Melissa Thom]
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Marcia Blum
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 10/07/09
Posts: 20
Loc: Denver, Colorado
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We are limiting guests into our home or have her crated when they are here. My daughters have come to visit a few times so there is a bit of opportunity to work on this.
Exercise in the back yard consists of fetch, some general running around with the ball on a rope. The yard is a fair size, but in this circumstance it has never seemed so small... On the weekends, since the weather has been nice, we spend most of the day out there. During the work week, we play 15-20 minutes of fetch before and after work and then at least one more time in the evening. Also, we do some short, intense training sessions. It helps redirect her energy.
Her pouncing to play definitely increases during the week, she just loves to have us home. And then I do get up and train or go out to the yard for fetch, so even though I said off and she got off, she still got to go out to play. HMM
I was tethering her to me at first, and my main focus was the house training. Since that was going so well, I've let her have more of the house. She follows me around everywhere, so I usually know were she is. The kitchen counter is relatively new to her so when I say "off", she gets down. But she lingers in there when I walk out and takes one more look to see if I left more cheese. I will need to remember to make her come with me the instant I leave the room.
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#255557 - 10/26/09 07:40 PM
Re: Puppy Interrupted
[Re: leih merigian]
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Marcia Blum
Leerburg Web Board User
Registered: 10/07/09
Posts: 20
Loc: Denver, Colorado
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We put the long drag line back on. What a cure. But it was like a demotion and she spent most of the evening chewing on it (at least she kept herself busy). And I have been really working on anticipation, that also helps. Thanks everyone!!
Today was a great day. We also got a lot more exercise--2 kong fetch in several sessions till she sat down and said "no mas"
Edited by Marcia Blum (10/26/09 07:44 PM)
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