Finn is 15.5 weeks old now. When I can't tether him to him, he chases the girls lol, he is tethered to an anchor in the wall on a 6 ft puppy leash.
This is not how tethering is supposed to work. Tethering is supposed to be to you only and in a crate if you can't have him tethered to you or under direct supervision. Tethering to a wall is not correct under most situations. It can cause anxiety (as you show has happened below) and is almost a tease. He wants so bad to be near mom, but she is
just out of reach and he may/will act out and could develop separation anxiety.
We have started taking him off leash now and letting him run around the living room and kitchen (its the same space) and he's doing really well for the most part. We tell him to leave it if its something he shouldnt get into and he 90% of the time will do it.
Still working on it being the first time I say it but heck he's only 15 weeks old. He can do a down and stay for about 40 seconds with high value treats.
This is great! Sounds like he is right on track for his age! Getting him to let go of something the first time will depend entirely on your training, but on a second command is not too bad for a baby pup! The best thing to do though is to get anything and everything that you don’t want him to put in his mouth. Think of it as baby proofing a house, but instead you are puppy proofing! To leave something out that he shouldn’t grab is unfair and setting him up for failure.
I also knowticed when he is out of his crate he will not sleep on outside of it. No naps on the floor what so ever. Would this be because of the girls?
Yep! He is so excited to be out and with his family; he does not want to miss a thing! And like a toddler, they can make them elves over tired by refusing to nap and become a handful! They NEED to nap, so put him up from time to time for one. Just be sure all his needs are met and he gets a quick romp or play session so he really is tired. He will learn the routine soon enough.
If he is out and the girls are down for a nap or it in the evening he will just quietly chew on a toy. But wont sleep outside of his crate.
He will also grow out of this and will take cat naps from time to time while out of the crate. Giving him something to chew is correct and shows him how to occupy his time constructively!
Also the crate 95% of the time has to be covered otherwise he paws and barks at the door to come out.
Welcome to puppy-hood! Everyone has to go through this at some point or another… And it always seems like someone else got the pup that is easy and learns to settle on day two! Your training will be your results; good training will give good results, bad training will give bad results. What do you do besides a cover over the crate?
There is a phenomena with all animals and humans that they will do what was successful before. If you EVER let him out while barking before, he learned that it works!! Next time he wants out, he will bark again. OH, you didn’t hear? OK then, he’ll bark again, that ‘ought to work! YES!! It did, mom (or dad) let him out! Next time he will bark again and again until it works. Still hasn’t? Dang, they are hard of hearing, maybe if it is louder and has a howl or two thrown in! That ought to work!! You see where this is going. Just letting a pup out once can start this vicious cycle that is hard to kill.
If you are into marker training and he has a crate in the room you are in (living room, bedroom etc&hellip
, the following will be the best and most long term results. He needs to be shown that you are looking for and will reward QUIET behavior. Even with the worst-est, barking-est pups there will be a time when they are quiet, even if it is between barks. With PERFECT timing you can catch that time and tell him how wonderful he is! Mark and reward for quiet! Be careful to only mark for quiet, if you accidently mark for barking, he will think that is what you want!
Don’t just do it when he is between barks, but when he is quietly chewing a toy (make sure he has on in there with him!) or is just plain chilin’ (this is to me a jack pot reward worthy behavior). Keep a little bowl of treats on top of his crate so you can walk by and give them to him for quiet behavior. BUT you need to be sure he is pottied, fed and exercised before putting him up. It is unfair to put a starving, hyper pup with a full bladder in a crate and expect them to lie quietly.
He is a big momma boy and wants to be with me 24/7. He gets down right crabby if he is on tether and I am sitting just out of reach (not intentionally) or he can't sit in my lap.
As before, you are teasing him. He is a baby and needs to be near you. This too shall pass, but for now, keep him tethered to you.
Also the vet told us to squirt him in the face with water for "no bark" correction. How do you start teaching the " No Bark" Command and when do you do that?
Any thoughts on this? Does this sound normal?
Not my favored method, but many use it with success. I prefer to teach them what I want than to squirt them in the face with water. Some even like to add vinegar to the water! Ouch! However, I DO use a bark collar on older pups and dogs when I have a major barker. Many others would NEVER do that to their dog. There are as many ways to train a dog as there are dogs…
Ok so when he is off leash and running around (we switched him to a harness instead of a flat puppy collar because he pulled and when he couldnt go an further he would still pull and gag himself. Now he pulls hard and can't go further he stops. He is more responsive with the harness.) and we are stand up calling him most of the time in the house he will not come.
If you come to him and call him sweetly he just runs around like a mad fiend or zips around you like ha you can't get me.
EASY! First, NEVER call him to you unless you can make him come to you. EVER. You just teach him that coming when called is an option and not a requirement. Same with multiple commands; they learn that the first and sometimes the second are options and it is the last one, when they are feeling like listening, that they should obey. Phew! Now that that is out of the way, let’s get to the simple part!
Go to Wally World or a hardware store and get some clothes line. It is cheap, light weight, does not catch on anything and can be replaced for nothing if it gets nasty or chewed up. Cut it into a ten foot length and tie it to an old leash clasp or a new one from the same store you got the rope from.
EVERY time the pup is allowed loose, attach this line to the dog. We call it a drag line. Don’t let him get more than that ten foot length away from you and he will never be able to blow you off. If you want to do a recall, grab the end of the rope and have a treat ready (you have a treat bag attached to your belt right, if not, get one!), get down on one knee and call him to you! If he ignores you, give a little tug and remind him to come to you. If he is really stubborn, do it from five feet or two feet… As he is running to you, tell him how wonderful he is and that there is no puppy that can compare! Reward him and have a little puppy party to celebrate his brilliance! Do this EVERY time you call him!
If you are not up to this, or are unprepared to, then just walk up to him calmly and pick him up. If he is trying to dodge you, walk along the length of the drag line so he can’t. Be calm and relaxed. It is not his fault you don’t want to have a party! If he is doing something that is more fun than you, then you need to make yourself more fun…
Since he has a habit of dodging you when he gets close, reel the line in as he comes so that he can’t get too far. Eventually he will learn that coming all the way to you is WAY more fun than playing tag. Just don’t fall into the habit of repeating the command…
I also knowticed if you come at him to quickly he will dart away really quick. Like he is fearful.... makes no sense we dont hit or yell at him.
He does this because of the below…
Also when he does this he knows he got into something he shouldnt have. We basicly are trying to catching him to either take him out or take whats in his mouth out (kids stuffed animals).
No he doesn’t. He has no idea that he is playing with a toy he shouldn’t. All he knows is that when he finds a great toy to play with mom (or dad) get all scary and comes running at him, then they try to take it away!!! Of course he is scared! Soon he will anticipate that you are going to take his cool new toy away and may get possessive over it.
This is your fault in two ways. First, there should not be any toys lying around that he shouldn’t play with. Not fair to him since kid toys and puppy toys all look the same to him and he has no idea which are which. Second, if he is tethered to YOU, he should never get the opportunity to get a wrong toy in his mouth to start with. Be aware of your environment and watch for those things. IF he should get an inappropriate toy in his mouth, CALMLY (and since you all are attached you should have no reason to rush him) trade him for a more appropriate puppy toy and pinch yourself for letting it happen. If he likes the new toy better, make the puppy toy fun by making it come alive! Play with it WITH him so the puppy toys equal mom interaction ad fun.
He will come easily to you if you are kneeling or closer to the floor. Is this part of a fear stage? Thoughts on this part?
You are less intimidating at this level. Just like with a toddler and getting down to their level. He will grow out of this, most likely, but for now he is a baby, humor this.
Also for any part of this I know that if the puppy knows the command and fails some say to give a correction. I have heard of it as levels or correction 1- 10, 10 being worst. What are examples or these corrections because that is what I am totalyl lost on.
Assuming 1 - voice
2-slight tug on tether ?????
First, I doubt he knows ANY command at his age well enough to warrant corrections… No way… I don’t correct a puppy for disobeying a command until MUCH later and they are 99.999% perfect in highly distracting environments like a pet store.
BUT to answer the question, each pup is different. For some a sharp tug on the leash is a level 10 (this is a “Come To Jesus “ correction) and others it is a level 2. I have had a dog that could be hit with a 2X4 and would laugh at me, or a highest level e-collar stim on a double box collar, and he would go pee on a bush! Another would piss herself if I raised my voice… Also the situation and drive level at the moment changes things too. If a dog that normally responds to a sharp leash correction sees a cat, that may not be enough… See what I mean?
Jessica
tethering, crateing, and other questions
#293421 - 08/25/2010 10:00 AM 
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