Hello, I just ordered the "Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months" and also, "Basic Dog Obedience". Ill try to make this short. I recently purchased a GS pup and love her to death. She is 8 weeks old today. I have had her for approx 10 days. I have NEVER owned my own puppy/dog. I have cats. I was always afraid i would become to attatched to a dog (I have no kids). Anyway I just have some basic questions that maybe can be answered before I receive my videos.

I have heard that I need to let the puppy be a puppy and not correct her until later on. She does not have all of her shots at of yet. We need to more. **SHE WILL BE A COMPANION/HOUSE DOG**.

Questions:
1) Can I put her on a colar and leash at 8 weeks?
2) Can I do small corrections/pops to make her respond?
3) If I take her outside in the back yard, where she cant get out
can I leave her off her leash?
4) When I do things inside around the house should she be in
her crate or on a leash with me?
5) If we go for a walk how far should we go?
6) And then there is the crate question.. SHE HATES HER
CRATE. Do I need to use the crate if she is a house dog?

I have "MoJo" in her crate when I work in the yard or go out for an hour or so. She constantly barks/cry's/howles.. Per the neighbor.

I know these are probably all basics questions and will probably be answered in the videos. But what Should I do for now?? Thanks for your wisdom and sharing.. And sorry if this is toooo basic..

Thanks SBS

 Quote: susan brandi smith

Hello, I just ordered the "Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months" and also, "Basic Dog Obedience". Ill try to make this short. I recently purchased a GS pup and love her to death. She is 8 weeks old today. I have had her for approx 10 days. I have NEVER owned my own puppy/dog. I have cats. I was always afraid i would become to attatched to a dog (I have no kids). Anyway I just have some basic questions that maybe can be answered before I receive my videos.

I have heard that I need to let the puppy be a puppy and not correct her until later on. She does not have all of her shots at of yet. We need to more. **SHE WILL BE A COMPANION/HOUSE DOG**.

Questions:
1) Can I put her on a colar and leash at 8 weeks?
2) Can I do small corrections/pops to make her respond?
3) If I take her outside in the back yard, where she cant get out
can I leave her off her leash?
4) When I do things inside around the house should she be in
her crate or on a leash with me?
5) If we go for a walk how far should we go?
6) And then there is the crate question.. SHE HATES HER
CRATE. Do I need to use the crate if she is a house dog?

I have "MoJo" in her crate when I work in the yard or go out for an hour or so. She constantly barks/cry's/howles.. Per the neighbor.

I know these are probably all basics questions and will probably be answered in the videos. But what Should I do for now?? Thanks for your wisdom and sharing.. And sorry if this is toooo basic..

Thanks SBS

1. Yes.
2. Corrections for what, exactly? (I'd say no, no corrections.)
3. I wouldn't, unless you are present. Is the gate locked? No one can enter, unaware that there's a loose dog? No way for a big dog to jump the fence? No way for kids to tease the dog over the fence? No way for anyone to throw anything over the fence? (Yes, I'm phobic.
4. Yes, either in her crate or tethered to you..... especially while you potty-train her.
5. Short, for now, and it's best if you can possibly make those walks on grass or dirt. (Puppy experts will see this and give better guidelines for puppy exercise.)
6. Yes.

What do you do when she cries or howls in the crate?

And welcome to the board! :>

Hi and welcome! You may get varying opinions, her is mine! Godd job on ordering the vid, it will help.

1)Yes put a flat collar on the dog and you can put a leash on first. It may take some patience letting the dog get used to being on a leash. Make it fun and positive, clap your hands and encourage the put to follow you as you hold the leash.

2)No to corrections at this age. Of course you can tug a little tug to get the dog moving, but no dragging, popping or anything like that. encourage the pup along with praise, treats, a toy, your voice, clapping, whatever works.

3) If it is secure and you are watching, yes, let her off leash in your yard. Play fun games of follow the leader, encourage her to follow you, you follow her..play fun games...

4) Some of both. Redirect puppy bites and chewing to a toy, if you need space to get something done, crate the dog.

5) Once the dog is used to walking on a leash, you can walk as long as the pup is active, energetic and interested. I vote for softer surfaces if possible, and more shorter walks vs. couple of long ones. COuld be 10 min at a time at 8 weeks, could be longer...

6) STICK WITH THE CRATE! Your dog is so young, it will work out and it WILL be SOOOOOOO WORTH IT to have a crate trained dog. House dog or not. Your dog will learn to enjoy having its own den, housbreaking will be easier, your dog will not destroy your house.....I could go on. STAY FIRM

Enjoy your little pup. You WILL become very attatched, and it will be worth it Nice you are commited to getting off to a good start!

Edit: Connie is lightning fast

Go to the articles on Ground work for puppies and Introducing puppy and read the e-books that Ed has there that would be the best thing to do until you get the dvd.

You should use a crate in the house it will be a great tool for so much that goes on through the dogs life.

You can do all the things you asked about. I wouldn't really pop her with the leash yet. Ed also has an excellent article on how soft or hard your dog is you should read also. You could use light tugs to get her attention.

Make the crate as a positive experience the best you can. Feed and water her in her crate. When you tell her to go crate throw a treat in there,things like that. If she is howling and barking in the crate and you let her out she will figure that you will let her out when she does this. If she is howling and barking only let her out when she stops. Don't use the crate as punishment.

I would use a long training lead rather them a leash. It is important to keep constant control of your pup from day one this important in regards to becoming her pack leader. Using a leash or long lead in the house will help aid you in keeping a constant eye on your pup to aid with housebreaking. Use a long lead outside also to help get her attention when you call her to come.

The best thing to do is read the ebooks Ed has here since I didn't get in depth

Thanks to all of you... I REALLY apprecaite all your experience and advise. I think im on the right track??

The corrections are for when we walk.. not hard corrections just little tugs, then she comes. Also for when my two kitties are around.. she does the prey drive thing.. totally stares the kitties down then runs after them. The leash helps me to control and then tug to stop her.

The back yard is closed in, kind of a quiet neighborhood not a lot of traffic or people around. She is super good about peeing and pooping outside. All of the accidents are becuase I was not reading/watcing her. My bad..............

I feed her in her crate with the door open.. When I need to leave her alone I give her a kong with some cream cheese. She is happy for a while but then she howles and cries until I come in. I think the longest she has been in the create is a little over an hour. Tomorrow we have a afternoon gathering to attend and will be gone for about 2 hours. I hope she can handle being in the crate that long. Any thoughts?

And again, Thank you so much, I really want to have a great and happy and obiedient puppy/dog. ANY ADVICE and/or THOUGHTS are GREATLY APPRECIATED.

SBS

I had a MoJo once!!! Great name...

I just want to reiterate what has already been said about the tethering to you...it's either that or pup in crate. My experience is if you try to give them "free time" before they know the free command, you will have a pup who finds a lot of things that MIGHT just be more interesting than you are, if even momentarily. They can easily self reward by not being near you and, well, why would they need you if they can go off and do that???

This leads into the yard...even on lead (drag line) pups will inevitably find rocks, sticks, etc) it can be dangerous (even with close calls, for them to be out alone...

If she has only been in the crate (longest time) a little over an hour, where is she sleeping at night??? Give her stuffed kongs or bone or soft music while in crate. The crate is YOUR friend!!! Eventually, it will be her fav place to be, you say "kennel" or "crate" and she'll be running in...seriously, hard to believe, but true (if you stick with it)

 Quote: susan brandi smith

...She is happy for a while but then she howles and cries until I come in....

This may be the problem right here. Her crying gets you to come in (if I'm understanding your post correctly). That's a reward to your puppy, she got what she wanted.

The thing with puppies/dogs is if a reward to a bad, unacceptable, or annoying behavior is given only even ONCE, they don't forget that. It sticks in their brain like forgotten data in a computer and is always available to them for future use, even months later.

It takes many many more times to undo the behavior by not rewarding it at all, in any way. Still remember that they retain the memory of even once rewarded not to mention twice rewarded which equals more work on your part.

When she's quiet for a few minutes, let her out to potty then play. Another thing you could try: when she's quiet, walk by on your way to another room. If she's still quiet, walk by again. If she's still quiet, walk in and let her out. She'll see you which is reassuring as you walk by and it may tend to keep her quiet if she gets to see you off and on. Do not make eye contact with her or talk to her while you're walking around. Just let her see you. When you do let her out of her crate, always keep it very low keyed, soft voice, minimal talk (a soft "good girl"), no excitement.

I did this when my dog was a puppy and it worked for him. Also, when you leave the house, leave casually, no eye contact. Say something like "I'll be back" as you open the door to leave, then close the door and go.

Today just before you leave, put some very low volume soft music or innocuous tv show on, then take her outside and play till she's a little tired (don't overdo since she's very young), let her potty, take her back to her crate with a cream cheese filled kong and then immediately leave, leaving the music on.

It's hard to see but she'll have to work through it. No puppy (or adult dog for that matter) likes to see part of his pack walk out the door while they're alone in the house. As unnatural as that is in a wolf pack, dogs are domesticated animals and as such have to learn to mold themselves to what us humans do. But they're capable of doing that, and have done it since forever.

Thanks for the response's again. I will do what you say and leave her in the create when Im gone and only let her out when she is quiet. Another thing im worried about is I think she see's the crate as a "bad" thing. Can I turn that around some how. Yesterday when I left for about an hour, I stuffed a kong with cream cheese and she was happy to go there and eat that.. Then I could close the crate door and she didnt even know i was gone (until she was done with the cheese). I really want to get her to like the create. And not really afraid or feel bad when i leave her to her howling.

From day 1, MoJo slept on the floor on a blanket right next to my bed. The 1st nite she was a little whinney and I would put my hand down and pet her a little and she was ok. She has slept there for 11 days now, not getting up until i take her outside at 3:00am to potty. Then she walks right back to the blanket and goes to sleep. Will this change? She has no free roaming in the bedroom, only in the kitchen where i have baby gates containing her to that one area.

And your right, about being outside. She eats everything.. So I should tether her to me when im out side?

I cant wait to get those DVD's..

Thanks again for your input.

SBS

Well, I have some other questions/issues that again Im sure will be answered in the videos I ordered. But for now maybe you can help.

1) When I take my pup (8 wks) outside, she eats just about everything she can put in her mouth.. She eats rocks, sticks and licks the dirt?? WHY? How can I break this habit. I try to get her attention (she is on a leash) but she continues to eat this stuff.

2) I have been really trying hard to put her in her crate more and more each day.. I fill her kong toy with cream cheese and put it in her crate. But now she knows whats gonna happen.. She has discovered when I put the kong in there im going to leave. So now i have to force her to get in.. Today I left for a couple hours and came home and she was crying.. I waited until she stopped and let her out, calmly. Later I threw her kong toy with a little cream cheese in there and left the door open, she hesitated but had her head and front paws in and her back paws out. I fear I have presented a negative crate experience for her. Any advice on these two issues??

thanks sbs