Oh, is it too early to teach him to no jump up; if yes, how does one do this without a correction, which I understand must wait til 6 months.

Hi Bev,
You just got the pup a few days ago, he might be still a bit stressed out. I wouldn’t start too much “training” until he settles in a little bit more with you. It may take a few more days for him to get used to his new home and you.

“Treats” don’t always have to be bad for the pup, ol roy or milk bones all day, yes that is bad, kinda like eating McDonalds juicy McDoubles all day . The vet was probably confused with the word “treats”. Vets are very easy to get confused, they normally aren’t dog trainers. Use things that are still healthy or like said above (boiled chicken), I like red barn meat rolls (sold @ Leerburg) or natural balance meat rolls, grilled steak, etc. and cut down on the regular meals so he doesn’t get fat. Some days he might not get “regular” meals, he may be fed from you not a bowl.

I would watch “he only listens or follows when he sees kibble” all engagement should be on you, you are essentially luring the pup all over the place. Luring is used at specific times not all the time. Just give it a few more days and don’t focus on “training”, relax, and focus on having fun with your new pup, they grow up way too fast. Toss a ball, have him chase you around the yard rewarding when he follows, restrained recalls are fun to do in a week or two, just work on having him engaged with you and make sure he thinks you are the most fun person in the whole world. This will help build the bond between the two of you. Remember “training” is fun for the both of you!

Get the marker videos when you can, they are VERY good and worth so much more than what they charge, now that I have them I would have paid twice that. In the meantime watch the free videos with M. Ellis, it will get you started in the right direction.

Just my 2 cents, hopefully someone with more experience will straighten me out if I am misleading you.…I am a pretty new trainer myself


PS: don’t let him jump, it will haunt you for a long time, and probably get worse. I will let someone else take up how to deal with it.

 Quote: bev thibault

... The challenge is that our vet cautions us about too many treats.

You might change the focus in your mind from "treats" to "rewards" and make them extremely high-quality. Tiny bits of chicken breast are food for a dog, and can be counted as part of the day's food rather than "added" to it.

Kibble isn't a high-value reward to any but the most food-driven dogs, IME.

I'm also not saying to ignore your vet. I think you'll find, though, that neither nutrition nor training is a big part of vet school. It's the exception who knows much about either one.

Thanks Scott,

All wisdom is appreciated. I'm feeling somewhat challenged, as his liking of his kibble changes; he ate without hesitation this morning, but when I put it out for lunch he turned away.

I am also struggling with how operationalize the "no corrections before 6 months" concept and the "tether him if you can't watch him" - he pulls at the end of the tether it feels punative to me.

Again, thanks -- I'll continue to work. We got outside, despite the deep snow & cold, and hopefully we'll get there again.

Bev

I am a professional winter weather trainer (just kidding about the professional part!!!!), I live in Northern MN. Very cold and lots of snow too, It can be challenging, but a good work out for me and the pups…

Don’t feed too much, keep him hungry. Remember he still maybe a little stressed out with the move, don’t rush anything.

Where did you get the tether him if you can’t watch him from??? Use a dog crate, same goes if he is in your way )by your stove. When you don’t have time to deal with him put him away.

Thanks Connie,


Any advice on the tethering dilemma - he wants to go where I don't; he doesn't want to go where I need to? When I try to lessen the tension on the tether, so to avoid a power struggle, I feel I'm now following him, which doesn't set me up as the alpha.

B

How long have you been tethering?

It takes a couple of days to get used to it, on both sides. No, he does not decide.

 Quote: scott kapphahn

... Where did you get the tether him if you can’t watch him from???

To clarify, we don't mean to tether the dog to a stationary object. Nothing about "can't watch him," which is indeed when the dog or puppy goes into his crate.

Actually, we should all probably start clarifying this every time. I'd hate to think anyone was getting an idea that what was meant was tying the dog up somewhere.

Tethering to the new owner is a great tool for reading the dog's potty signals, not letting any accidents happen, allowing the dog out of the crate but still under 100% close supervision, and bonding (including a recently acquired adult).

 Quote: Scott Kapphahn

Use a dog crate .... When you don’t have time to deal with him put him away.

Heck yeah!

 Quote: bev thibault

I could use chicken - but it's an expensive treat for me.

No chicken dinners. One piece of chicken, boiled and the skin tossed away, yields dozens of eraser-size rewards. One of the cheapest cuts of beef, ditto.

I use chicken breast because of the huge number of diced pieces it yields.

Some go into the freezer and some are mixed into a "mixed bag" of rewards, including these: http://leerburg.com/treat.htm

Check out the prices on that top row; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Those buckets hold literally hundreds of tiny soft rewards.

A handful of those and a handful of my tiny-diced chicken go into my bait bag. http://leerburg.com/736.htm My dogs happen to love cooked broccoli, so tiny bits of that too often go in.

These homemade rewards are made about as small as you can make them.