Raising a puppy like this will take a far reaching STEADY commitment through ALL circumstances. It can never be an I must win deal, an ego doesn't not respect a dog and kindness is not enough. Love must not be conditional, you have to love him when he bites you, when you ignore him in his crate, when you have to actually have to correct him...etc. You have to control his environment and access at all times...a 3 yr old has no business being around a high drive dog. This is what it takes, if not this dog will be worse than Marley. I'll be very blunt but not cruel.

I got my Dutchie when he was a year old...no training what-so-ever, never was taken anywhere....and a very HIGH DRIVE INSANE ANIMAL! I had plenty of exp with high drive dogs but this guy has really taken me back. I had no idea what I was getting into...once I nursed him to health (he was very thin) I saw his true nature. He ran toward me jumped and hit me with his shoulder or bit me...knocked down my dad, my brother, me a few times, busted a blood vessel in my hand because I wasn't fast enough to throw a kong....he has come a LONG way...but still very hard to live with but I have to do it everyday. Even now sometimes he greets me by snapping his teeth shut a millimeter from my face or bites me in the abs (he always let me know when I am vulnerable LOL)...he is always looking for a way to push it but you shouldn't have that problem...yours probably won't grow to be a crackhead like mine or Fama. LOL

But he also has a softer side, he'll lay near me and always knows what to do if I am upset. So I love him then and at all his best/worse and he does the same for me...we deserve each other.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

Hello Kristin-
Please stay -- these folks will help you to raise a good dog. My pup was a MONSTER. At 9 wks old he was running the home. He could not be petted unless asleep. He did not like to be touched. I would correct him while on lead, he would come right up AT me. He had zero sweet component, you could not touch him at all.
Everyone helped me, all the same people helping you. I had running arguments for days. These people know their "mean" dogs. If not for the Forum, I would have put this dog to sleep, 100% guaranteed.
Do what they say, give it time, hang in there. My dog turned out GREAT. Maybe best dog ever.

Betty, you did the work. Sure you had long arguments, but then you did the
work.




Kristin:

"yours probably won't grow to be a crackhead like mine or Fama"


Especially when you are here at the 8-week mark. Very different from an untrained, unsocialized one-year-old, as Tresa says.

Still here and reading, was a good night though Duke didn't like being tethered to me much at first and both people got a bit chewed on, need more chew toys. We're all stubborn as heck on this house, don't plan on giving up. Plan on ordering 8 weeks DVD tomorrow.

And # 219 would be great! Not expensive, and a great intro to marker training.

It's the foundation for all the Michael Ellis DVDs that follow.

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

Correct Connie (I was trying to say if I can do it so can she but maybe he isn't a good example for her situation very different indeed)

At this point Kristin, you can do it if you commit. Yours is a "normal" high drive 8 week pup and I am hoping he will quickly forget the mistakes and move forward with you. I don't think there is any damage.

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

Correct Connie (I was trying to say if I can do it so can she but maybe he isn't a good example for her situation very different indeed)

At this point Kristin, you can do it if you commit. Yours is a "normal" high drive 8 week pup and I am hoping he will quickly forget the mistakes and move forward with you. I don't think there is any damage.

I knew that. I didn't want to scare Kristin, though.

LOL!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

And # 219 would be great! Not expensive, and a great intro to marker training.

It's the foundation for all the Michael Ellis DVDs that follow.

http://leerburg.com/219.htm

To back me up on this, Kristin, Bob Scott was around when dogs were invented (although he was very young at the time). When he says marker training is the best thing since sliced bread, you can believe it.

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32231&page=1#360658

Look at the free DVDs on marker training to start with. In a couple of weeks your guy can know sit, down, go to mat, go to crate. Soon he can bring his bowl when it's time to feed him if you buy a bowl he can pick up.
Once he knows, "YES !" means a treat is coming a lightbulb goes on and you can teach him anything.

Kristin, I haven't gotten past page 5 of this thread yet, but want to say that I commend you for taking everyone's advice and sticking around through the "rough" comments. As someone else pointed out, almost every person here thinks first of the dog and little less about how the "human" is going to react because we all try very hard to get our point across, and sometimes it comes out in a post as very harsh.

Im not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but when you are redirecting the pup off your hand to a toy, are you making sure the toy is much more fun than your hand? Some people just show the dog a toy and expect them to automatically divert their mouth to it. It's a good idea to have 2 toys on hand. That way if he loses interest in one quickly you already have another one on hand. I was always walking around with toys hanging out of my pockets so i would have something close by if the pup got "bitey".
And it's always better to use longer type toys. I would redirect with a tug type toy and if he lost interest I would then toss a ball for him to chase, redirecting him again. If he comes back at your hands off the ball, then you have the tug there.

Tethering, im going to have to say, is the most important thing I learned here. I did it with my 2 year old rescue dog when i got him. It will help you bond and will also help with housebreaking. If the pups always with you, you'll be able to read the signs that he needs to go out.He can't sneak off and have an accident.