The pains of being a puppy mommy
So I just got my first ever puppy this weekend. My boyfriend and I spoiled her rotten. We knew we'd have to gate her in the bathroom for while we go to work, so we tested it out... and she just whined and cried and whined and cried. It was the most awful thing ever! So I decided to stay home this morning. My co-worker told me to be strong, don't even talk to her when she whines. she'll stop... eventually. So I shut myself in our bedroom while I gated her in the bathroom with all of her toys. She whined and cried and jumped on the gate for probably a good 20 minutes.. but now she's finally quieted down. I'm so proud of her!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/forxthe xdamaged/CIMG1763.jpg
Me and my little Dakota :] She's an Alaskan Klee Kai (miniature Husky) and she's 9 weeks old!
Anyone got some fabulous tips for a first time puppy mommy?
Original Post by sybil878:
As for training him to listen to you, dogs are pack animals. You are the pack leader, so act like it. Leaders lead, through doors, up/down stairs, etc - always lead physically. Try not to be physical with your dog to correct them though - the escalation should be a warning, body language, verbal, and only as a last resort be physical since a dog equates that as a fight. Also, dogs don't understand 'NO' or 'BAD', the understand body language and growls. It sounds dumb, but learn to growl (deep sounding like a dog) - it works like a charm and the puppy immediately understands 'whatever I'm doing I'd better stop!'. When I 'growl' at my puppy if he stole a shoe or sock to chew he would immediatly drop it. Now he never steals shoes, socks, or anything and only plays whith his toys and he's only 7 months. Oh, that's another thing - don't give him too many toys, only 2 or 3; otherwise he'll think that everything is his toy.
personally, i don't buy the whole "pack leader" thing. people like cesar millan push that all the time, but that guy's methods range from ridiculous to dangerous for the average dog owner. he is NOT a good source of info when it comes to raising puppies IMO.
dogs are smart enough to know that we are of a different species, just like they can differentiate between a small dog and a cat. this is easy to prove at your local dog park. watch the way dogs interact with each other, then watch the way they interact with the people.
if growling at your puppy works for you, that's great, but i really think using a firm "NO" or any other loud, firm, slightly startling (but not outright frightening) vocal command will be just as effective to get your dogs attention when you really need to. dogs don't understand english words, but they also don't understand people trying to speak "dog" either. it's all just a noise coming from that two legged friend with the magic bag of food.
dogs also understand hand signals when learning basic commands faster than they do verbal commands. i definitely recommend using them from the beginning!
i think the rest of the advice you gave was great sybil, i'm not trying to be a negative nelly, just wanted to give my opinion!
Whenever my dog (a 2 year-old Jack Russell) is doing something naughty I gasp really loud and he stops. It's so funny. He rolls over on his back and looks at me trying to act really innocent. I didn't crate train him (mostly because I couldn't stand the fuss he made) when he was a puppy and he took a little longer to potty train than I would like but he turned out ok :-) I agree with socializing your dog as soon as she has her shots. I take my dog to the dog park every week and I feel so bad for the owners who have jerk dogs lol. Most dogs there get along but some people have to leave because their dogs are not able to play with other dogs at all.
Now I know way I like so many of you people here at CC! You are all dog lovers! Nothing better than a puppy!!! Just be prepared for the work you will need to do. I think the advice about the pack dogs doesn't always apply, but seeing as your dog is husky, I can tell you that it is true. Our first Siberian Husky would definitely try to be the leader if you let him. When we first got him he used to growl if my husband sat by me on the sofa, or especially if he was hugging me. Someone told us to flip him on his back and make him expose his neck to my husband, but we thought that was a bit extreme/cruel. We just made sure not to baby him (to much... those blue eyes were very hard to resist!) and to really act like the pack leader. He was the best dog ever. I still miss him to this day and he has been gone 10 years. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!
Wow so much awesome advice :] We try not to spoil her outrageously.. we pick her up plenty cuz she's going to stay pretty small. We let her sleep on the bed but I think we'll encourage her to sleep in her crate once we get it. She makes it kinda hard to cuddle! Haha. and I only give her treats when she goes potty outside or if I'm trying to teach her how to sit.
I'm excited to get her crate :] I think potty training will take a while for her, because we are using a mix of puppy pads, going outside, and then soon the crate. We live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and it's about 30 degrees at night, so I don't particularly want to bundle up and go down there every 2 hours in the middle of the night to let her potty! I kinda feel bad... but she'll survive. Once she gets older and can hold it all night we won't use the pads at all. I can come home and let her out at noon, so I think it'll work out pretty well
We are going to take her to puppy preschool in a couple weeks I think, so she can meet some other doggies and people! I left her at home and went to the store and stopped by and picked up my parent's mail for them, and when I got back I listend at the door and she was totally silent :D But of course as soon as I opened the door she went crazy haha. what can ya do? I'm going to head to work soon so my co-worker doesn't have to stay late for me, and we'll see how she does being alone for a whole 2.5 hours! Aahhh. Nervous :]
teaching to sit is fun and usually pretty easy! the quickest way is to stand in front of her with a smelly tasty treat shes excited about. put the treat right near her nose, and slowly draw it back over her head, keeping it close to her head. usually a dog naturally goes into a sit trying to follow the treat with their head. the second her butt hits the ground, give her the treat and praise. after she sits a few times, start saying the command while doing the same thing with the treat. they usually catch on really quickly!
i did some reading about her breed too, and it sounds like you are going to be in for a fun time at obedience class! Klee Kai's are known to be eager to please and really smart!
The best piece of advice any of us can give you is to go to a Positive Reinforcement Puppy Kindergarten class. They can help you get over many of the humps of raising a puppy. They also allow puppy play time so your pup can make new friends. So much fun.
You'll love R+ training.
Re: The Puppy Pee Pads
Pick outside to pee or pee pads, don't mix the two. It will make potty training so much easier. I swear.
Not wanting to start drama or anything, but i was always under the impression you can't own a dog unless you've got a garden? Maybe thats just because of the places we've looked at to get dogs, but the rules for the type of envoirment you lived in seemed pretty strict.
Original Post by delilah87:
Not wanting to start drama or anything, but i was always under the impression you can't own a dog unless you've got a garden? Maybe thats just because of the places we've looked at to get dogs, but the rules for the type of envoirment you lived in seemed pretty strict.
Don't need one if you take your dog for walks. Usually a backyard/garden is so the dog can run around and exercise. But a good 'ol walk does that. As for poop, you usually pick it up pretty soon after they go so... yard or walking doesn't matter. :)
And this puppy school business sounds awesome! I've missed out!
And I second on the mix potty training, I did that with my beagle and it took him 6 months to become housebroken. Was the longest poopiest 6 months ever. :P
To be fair, I didn't read all of the responses so far but definitely crate train your dog. It'll be better for you and the dog in the long run. Crating your dog gives her a safe place to go when she's feeling nervous-- it becomes their "sanctuary". And the biggest thing, it's the easiest way to keep your dog from doing her business in your house.
I adopted a dog from a shelter that had been caged 24/7 so she had no concept of not "pooing where you sleep" so I had a really hard time with her but after 3 months she was pretty solidly housebroken, which maybe 1 accident per month for the next 2-3 months.
Edit: My sister bought a 6 week old puppy and had her crate trained in 1 week.
Original Post by jules817:
personally, i don't buy the whole "pack leader" thing. people like cesar millan push that all the time, but that guy's methods range from ridiculous to dangerous for the average dog owner. he is NOT a good source of info when it comes to raising puppies IMO.
dogs are smart enough to know that we are of a different species, just like they can differentiate between a small dog and a cat. this is easy to prove at your local dog park. watch the way dogs interact with each other, then watch the way they interact with the people.
if growling at your puppy works for you, that's great, but i really think using a firm "NO" or any other loud, firm, slightly startling (but not outright frightening) vocal command will be just as effective to get your dogs attention when you really need to. dogs don't understand english words, but they also don't understand people trying to speak "dog" either. it's all just a noise coming from that two legged friend with the magic bag of food.
dogs also understand hand signals when learning basic commands faster than they do verbal commands. i definitely recommend using them from the beginning!
I don't know who cesar millan is or what his methods are... I didn't buy in either when I heard about the growling thing, then my dog trainer made a growl and my dog sat up at attention and clearly understood who was boss. If you say no in a stern low voice you're kinda doing the same thing, it's just not effective unless it's in the right tone. The only thing my puppy needed to know was that when I growl, he needs to stop what he's doing. They don't take offense to it, it's natural for them. My dog hasn't gone through any of the defiant or mischievious phases and I credit it to him recognizing that I am the boss. Dogs know we are different species, but they only understand dog language. Hand signlas totally work too, becuase it's body language and that's the easiest way to communicate ... turn your back on them means you're not happy with them, etc. (I don't carry treats around since I started using this technique and I get better results)
At the end of the day though, it's all about what works for you! I use positive inforcement when teaching him tricks too.
