Quote: nathan tierney

Sounds great! I was told not to give very much praise, just enough to satisfy him. Oh, and to never play with him, but that was very hard....I'm glad I found the site, other wise I would still be doing both of these!

Nathan, I'm glad you found this site too. Yikes, I can't imagine NOT playing with a dog, most especially a puppy. Dogs are not wolves that don't want human interaction, they're completely domesticated, completely rely on us for everything, including companionship and they actually need us for that since they're pack animals. You are the "pack" to your puppy. Everything and everyone outside of your home is not part of the pack, so no need to interact with other dogs.

Ideally, ignoring other dogs is best. A dog prefers the companionship of its human anyway.

Excellent advice given to your questions. I would add, in case I missed something, that when outside in your side yard, make sure the pup is on a leash or 20 ft longline at all times. You're probably already doing this however.

The not listening to you part, well that's a puppy for you. One of our forum members, Mike Schoonbrood, refers to puppies as being in the "mindless puppy phase". I think that explains so very much when it comes to puppies. They are so very busy exploring everything they have never seen before, everything is exciting, they're curious about every single thing, and thinking through things is just not part of their age, paying attention included.

So just enjoy. That ball of fluff will soon be big and you'll wonder where the time went.

Just remember, anything you want to teach him can be taught with yummy treats and patience and fun, fun, fun! Everything should be a huge blast for puppies, nothing but fun . I think puppies come out loving life and going for it in a big way

Never play with a puppy??? Too much praise???

Yeesh, who would give such advice? Kiba must be happy that you found this board

He is such a CUTIE!!! I'm not sure how you can ever tell him no when he looks at you with that smushy face of his. Congratulations on the new puppy Nathan, he's an adorable ball of fluff


Some puppies will naturally follow you around and watch your every move from the time you get them.

Others, like yours, are more independant and take more work and patience to bond to. I've raised both kinds and I have to admit, the independant type takes more patience

Your job is basically to convince him that the fun things in life all come from you and only you.
So definitely don't allow anyone else to pet and gush over your puppy. Don't let him play with other dogs either. Otherwise he will start seeing strangers and other dogs as potential playmates and will blow you off to go play.

However, if at any time you see him acting afraid of someone, then yes, you can let that person give your pup a treat and maybe pet him, just to show him that everything is ok. That's pretty much the only exception to the no petting rule.
You want your pup to grow up confident of his environment.

You're definitely on the right track by establishing structure in this pup's life (the crate and the leash). You're already a lot less clueless as a dog owner than most

As far as getting your pup's attention, take food with you. All the time.
I like to use cooked chicken pieces and cheese (low fat, low sodium). It's amazing how focused a puppy becomes when there's yummy food involved and how they will suddenly block out distractions
If you want his focus at any time (especially on walks), show him the food and speak excitedly to him as you back away from him. When he comes running, give him the food and plenty of praise.
Repeat this for as long as puppy is hungry and is coming for the treats.

Keep this up long enough and he'll start to pay more attention to you on his own
It's a completely conflit-free way of training a puppy to focus on you. Beats leash jerks doesn't it?

Playing is great too. If you're just raising a pet and not a competition sport dog, I would definitely correct the biting at you (I know how annoying and painful that can be, haha).
Just don't overdo it. I like to make the correction as quick as possible: grab the scruff, give a quick jerk on it and release before the puppy realizes what's going on. Use your voice at the same time.

If you can, watch how an adult dog will correct a puppy when it's had enough abuse. It gives a sudden loud growl and pins the puppy to the ground, but then immediately backs off. Puppy yelps and calms down a little. Adult dog doesn't hold a grudge and acts calm and aloof. It looks a little violent when you see it but it's instantaneous. The puppy reacts out of surprise, not pain (the adult dog won't bite down hard, it will just grab the puppy's muzzle in its mouth).

It will probably take a few days of this but hopefully you'll get your point across soon enough.

Of course, as soon as you correct him for biting you, immediately whip out a big stuffed toy (whatever you think he'd prefer to latch onto) and wave it around in his face with a lot of encouragement. When he bites the toy, act really excited and praise him.
If he's not liking the tug, maybe it's just not soft/big/exciting enough for him. You may have to experiment with different toys or teach him that the tug is a fun thing to bite.
That way you won't quash his prey drive alltogether (prey drive is a fantastic tool to have when you start training later on).


Anyway, everyone else gave you fantastic advice.

The most important thing is probably to lower your expectations. Don't think of it as dog training. Your pup is just a baby. He barely has a brain at this point

It's like playing with a human baby... you have to get down to their level and exaggerate the excitement to amuse them.

If you're feeling irritated, it's probably not the best time to be dealing with puppy. Leave the puppy in the crate, go relax and come back when you're feeling happier and more patient

Oh and 45 minutes is too long for his age (unless you're taking a lot of breaks on the walk where he can lie down and rest until he feels like getting up again).

Getting him to chase you around (when you're holding food or a toy he wants) will tire him out very nicely, it will help your bonding and it will start teaching him to pay attention to you and follow you.

Good luck with him and enjoy the baby stage while it lasts!!


Welcome to both of you, I hope you'll keep us updated on how you get along with the little fella

Oh and just to add, definitely have this puppy on a leash 100% of the time when he's outside.

The 20 foot cotton lines that Leerburg sells are fantastic for this. They're so lightweight that puppies won't even notice them. You can give him some room to romp around without ever losing control.

If you never, ever let him take off on you, he will grow up without developing this bad habit.

Just don't give him any jerks on the leash

If he's too distracted and won't respond to food (or if you run out of food), just walk on past the distraction and he will have no choice but to follow because he's on lead. Be careful not to lose your temper though; puppies can be very sensitive about that and they have a good memory of what scares them.

Have fun :-)

AWSOME posts everyone! This dog will get such a great start now thanks to all of you!

Yes .... somebody bookmark the thread for future reference!

I bookmarked it a while ago.

Hes doing great already. When we went outside earlier, he actually found me more interesting then the spot he usually goes to dig into, he actually decided then that he wanted to chase me and I guess I kinda got into it too. We ran around the house a few times. xD

I'm also taking him to a park thats about a block away. No one is EVER there so its a great place to play with fetch with him and such.

That reminds me, is there a correct way to hold a leesh? If it gets into his face he tries to bite it (Seems like its just annoying him, he doesn't go for it like he does his toys).

Hes a big ball of fun most of the time although some things aren't so much fun...like the cuts and bruises I have. :P

Ah yes...I remember that *look* all too well.

Seeing my arms, I'm sure some people wondered if I had some serious issues. Some people actually asked what on earth happened to me.

I felt like wearing a sign "No, it's my new puppy!"

This is a great thread with lots of useful information. I would like to add a word of caution regarding the long line. It is an necessary tool in every dog's education. I have used it alot and have the scars to prove it. To avoid my fate, use gloves (mine are weight-lifting ones), cover your legs, and always know where the line is relative to your legs and feet. A puppy grows fast and the bigger and faster the dog, the more likely you are to suffer "rope burn" like injuries.

 Quote: mary k.pope

This is a great thread with lots of useful information. I would like to add a word of caution regarding the long line. It is an necessary tool in every dog's education. I have used it alot and have the scars to prove it. To avoid my fate, use gloves (mine are weight-lifting ones), cover your legs, and always know where the line is relative to your legs and feet. A puppy grows fast and the bigger and faster the dog, the more likely you are to suffer "rope burn" like injuries.

My scar's bigger than your scar. http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/144226/page/0/fpart/1

The level of praise your going to have to figure out on your own. Right now while he's still young it's hard to give to much praise however; later depending on each individual dog's temperament determines how much praise you will give it. Some dogs go all squirrly on you if you give to much (especially in a training situation). For now just love him up!!!