Various things with my new puppy...

rambosaur

After reading a few posts a bit ago, most of the replies stated that a pup should be at least 8-10 weeks before it is taken home. Rambo is 7 and a half weeks, is that a problem? I was a bit irresponsible when I went to pick him up in forgetting to ask how old he is, and the owner isn't a breeder or anything, her dog just isn't spayed for some reason. Hopefully she fixes this now that she sees what an issue it is to get pups into homes, even when they're free.

I've been told by several acquaintances who own dogs that 6 weeks is the average age that it's okay for a pup to be removed from the mother, but of course I have no idea how reliable this information is.

He's doing okay, even though he's not interested in any of the toys I've gotten him. He found one of Panda's old rawhide bones that is half pulled apart (it's one of the big bones that are wrapped up... kind of hard to explain) and it's the only thing he pays attention to for longer than a minute. Some of the plushies my brother has won from the crane games at his work entertain him, too, which makes me think he only wants to play with things that are way too big for him. When I pull him away from something he shouldn't be chewing on and try to interest him in his toys, he'll just attack my hands or find something else he's not supposed to be chewing on. I'm being patient, though.

I put him in his crate with the previously mentioned bone and some other things to try and keep his interest, but when he's in there he's even LESS interested. He either wants out or just goes to sleep.

He learns some things very quickly, and other things not so much. He was doing extremely well with potty training the first few days, but today he just started peeing around the living room where I let him wander and play in with supervision. And I don't think it's just because he has to go, because he peed three times within an hour. He also has already learned how to get up the stairs (and not through my trying to teach him, either - I think he saw Panda go up them) at our front door, despite them being much taller than he is. I don't think he's brave enough to try and go down yet. Since he's figured it out he no longer even wants to be outside, which probably accompanies the problem with him peeing all over my living room. I'll let him out and walk him to his spot, where he will usually pee and then immediately take off up the driveway and sidewalk to our front door. I hope I haven't discouraged him from wanting to be out there somehow.

As for why he's not on a leash when we go out... he won't wear his collar. The only way I'd be able to keep it on him is if it was fitted perfectly to his neck with no finger room, which I'm not going to do. He will slip his lower jaw under it and then it gets stuck in his mouth and since he is so small, the collar is tiny and it's unbelievably hard to get it to unlatch due to the size of it so he ends up just panicking, making it even harder. He's been very good at following me around when I call him, but now that he doesn't want to be outside he just ignores me.

I'm also having a hard time encouraging him with anything because up until this morning, he has had no interest in any treats I've given him.

It's very disheartening because I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong here.

Also, is it okay for him to get any shots now? A chart someone gave me said 9 weeks, but when we made the appointment the vet said it wouldn't be a problem. I'm a little paranoid because I didn't get him from anyone reputable, just a family friend so I just want to have him check the puppy out and make sure there's nothing wrong since I don't have any kind of guarantee from a breeder. I'll be asking about shots, but it might be too early. I'm also taking Panda in to be checked out. The appointment is in about a half hour.

Thanks for reading such a long post.

cshellenberger

The most critical period in whelping box socialization occurs from 6-12 weeks. It's when pups learn bite inhibition form their litter mates and proper doggy 'manners' from mom. Pups who miss this time are more prone to fear behaviors and often have poor doggy social skill and may have problems getting along with other dogs. It's also harder to teach them not to bite humans, though it can be done with consistency in training.

hattrickinc

give it time..

for the next couple months, you must give it your all.
Dont get mad when he pees on the floor, he doesnt know yet.
I personally would wait for shots.
does any of your friends have puppies?
Can't you play the bite/fight game? I love playing that one with my puppy.. lol
He needs to adapt to this wonderfull thing called life that your going to provide for him. Just give it some time.
If you have a backyard, I'd recommend spending lots of time there. What dog doesnt love to roll around on the grass?

good luck, seriously. I know it's heartbreaking at times.
But the one and ONLY thing that's kept me sane with my animals is this forum. These people do so much... any problems/ any venting you need to do, just post it.

rambosaur

Don't worry, I know better than to get mad. I just say "Uh oh!" and lead him out to his spot so he gets the idea (or hopefully does, hehe!)

Well, since we were unsure of whether or not the mother or father had ever had shots (according to my mother, the family friend is kind of irresponsible and doesn't have much money), the vet said it would probably be best to go ahead and get him started on building up his immunities.

I read that play fighting encourages him to keep on biting as hard as he can. Still, I play along a little bit and I constantly let him nibble on my fingers, pulling away with a yelp if he bites too hard.

Yes, you've all been exceptionally helpful in the few days I've been a member. I look forward to spending a lot of time here.

Fortunately, he seems very willing to socialize with other dogs and people. I took him to my friend's barbecue to introduce him to some people and pups, all of whom he did very well with. The youngest of the dogs there was a dachshund around one or two years. At first he scared her with a sneeze, but then she was back yipping and running around him. He was very confused and she was moving way too fast for him, so he just kind of sat there turning around trying to watch her.

The vet said that since he's so young, the best way to teach him that biting hurts is to yelp like a puppy would when he bites. It certainly made more sense to me than saying "Ouch!" I mean, he doesn't know what Ouch is. :P

Thank you for the information.

FilleBelle

You've got a lot of questions, but only one issue really stood out to me. Why are you not going to fit the dog's collar so that it is wearable? It's probably a good idea to get the dog used to the collar and leash now, so that it won't be a major trauma later on.

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rambosaur

The tightest I put it on was only one fingers width, which I didn't approve of but it wasn't choking him so I left it hoping he'd get used to it. He still managed to get his jaw under it and threw an even bigger fit than the previous times when it was on right. I thought I was going to have to cut it off.

If you've got a suggestion for this... that would be awesome. I WANT him to get used to it.

rosemaryninja

7 weeks IS young to be away from the litter. The bare minimum is 8 weeks, but many breeders will not let pups go till they are 10-12 weeks old. A lot of learning takes place during this period, learning about how to interact with other dogs, how to behave like a dog, how to function in a social group, how to accept discipline from others...etc. Not to worry. You have the dog now and he is in a good place. The key is to make sure he gets good socialisation to make up for the time lost with his litter. This page has really good information on puppy socialisation:

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/ear...alization.html

Regarding the collar, which I too considered to be the most important issue -- first of all, I would get one of those collars that snaps shut rather than one of those strap-and-buckle ones (that work like a belt). Bucklebone collars are what I use, and aside from being quite durable and attractive, I would think they would be a lot easier to release if he got himself into a spot like the one you described.

Have you tried fitting the collar at different positions on his neck so that he can't squeeze his jaw underneath it?

The other thing that I think will help you a lot is finding out what motivates your pup. Food, toys, praise? Find out what he responds to. No training will get done unless you can figure out what resources he values, and how to use these resources to hold his attention. One tip I have is to train right before mealtime so you know he's hungry. You can even train during mealtime, using pieces of kibble as treats. When you train, keep treats as small as possible -- that way it'll take longer for him to get satiated (and bored). Training sessions should also be uber short, maybe 5 minutes at a time, with 10 being the absolute maximum.

gingersmom

Can you try putting the collar on for brief periods of time, with lots of praise and other activities with you to keep him distracted?

Another thing that might help is to put bitter apple on the collar.

rambosaur

The collar I got is one of the ones that snaps shut. The issue with it is that it's so tiny, it's hard to release the snap. How would I go about putting it at a different spot on his neck? Having it up higher would help, I think, but how do I get it to stay up?

He does love his food, and he gobbles it up, so maybe I will try that.

I just put the collar back on a little tighter this time. Then I put the leash on and he's so pissed about the leash he completely forgot about the collar.

For the first time ever, he's calmly sitting in my lap chewing on something that isn't my flesh. And won't accept the treat I'm trying to reward him with. Hopefully the verbal and physical praise is enough.

rosemaryninja

Make it smaller?

I just thought of something. There's a video on this page where Jean Donaldson uses positive reinforcement to acclimatise a dog to the Gentle Leader. In your case, the collar is different, but the method should be the same.

http://abrionline.org/videos.php
There isn't a direct link to the video, but scroll down until you see one called 'Conditioning an emotional response.' That's the one.

Check it out, it might help.

Yay! Progress!

DogsforMe

http://abrionline.org/videos.php
I found lots of other useful info on this site. Another site I also stronly recommend is www.dogstardaily.com To find videos on this site use the search feature & type dog training videos.

rambosaur

Thanks! Both links are very informative. Here's hoping they help!

So far, no suggestions for Rambo's biting are helping. He doesn't respond to anything, just keeps on biting like a little wolverine or something. I know I have a few months, but it seems like he's just getting worse - biting harder and more often.

Filling his Kong with a tightly packed mix of his kibble and the only treats he likes gets him to pay attention to it for a while, but the stuff comes out too easily. Any ideas?

cshellenberger

(The Bite Stops Here)The Bite Stops Here

Read through this, and be sure to be ruthlessly consistant. It really does work!

rambosaur

Yeah, I read that. The trouble is I didn't have any rooms with doors to lock him in when he bit too hard. I cleaned out the guest room and have made it his official play area. Sure, it's got carpet and not tile, but it'll have to do. Now let's hope for some progress!

Also, I found a toy Godzilla-like thing that I'd bought for Panda a while back but she wouldn't play with it because it squeaked too loud and scared her... and Rambo loves it. It's really soft plastic and easy to squish, and best of all it's light enough for him to carry around. He chewed on that in a longer consecutive time than even her old raggedy bone.

The vet gave me a clicker, so I've been teaching him that. He figured it out pretty quick, and has kind of learned how to "Sit" now.

My mum brought me this book by a woman called Karen Pryor, and she talks about positive/negative reinforcement; how it works on animals and humans, same as the clicker. It's really interesting.

rosemaryninja

Put the kibble in with some plain, lowfat yogurt. Or, seal the last half-inch in the Kong or so with peanut butter/wet dog food/mashed banana/chicken broth/mashed potato. Then, freeze it. It will take much longer for him to get out.

Here's a pretty useful page on stuffing Kongs:
http://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/200..._chew_toys.php

rambosaur

Yeah, I managed to find that site shortly after my post and since my mum was on her way to the health food store anyway, I had her pick up some dried apple pieces and plain yogurt.

Rambo doesn't like peanut butter. I tried a recipe from some other site the other night (honey along the inside, filled with moistened dog food, and topped off with peanut butter - no mention of freezing though). I thought, "What a good idea. He loves his dog food and no dog doesn't like peanut butter." So after I got it all packed in there, I handed it to him to let him smell... and he backed off and looked at me like I was crazy. So I dipped my finger in it to see if he'd eat it that way. Still no. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Oh well, this just goes to show that some dogs actually are picky. :P Since it's so small, Panda had it cleaned out in a matter of minutes (I think I'm gonna get her her own since she seems to enjoy it so much). So I washed it out real good and just packed it tightly as previously mentioned.

Thanks!

rosemaryninja

Is the book you read called "Don't Shoot The Dog"? If so, it's a pretty popular one on this forum.

rambosaur

Yeah, that's the one.

Panda seems like she's trying to enjoy Rambo's company. Her tail has stayed up the past few times they've interacted, and she even wagged it a little. Still, I tense up quite a bit and I bet they both sense it. Panda was trained not to bite at all, so she has no restrictions when she does bite (which she never does anyway). She has snapped at him a couple times and I know she could seriously injure him. I don't want to keep pulling them apart so I just watch until it seems like she's not interested anymore, then I distract him with something else.

And a couple days ago, after the trip to the vet, he was bushed and just slept most of the day. Since he was sleeping so soundly, I decided it would be okay to just open the door to his crate so he could come out when he woke up, since I knew I'd be in there all day anyway. Well, Panda comes meandering in and sniffs up the crate a bit, then sticks her head in there. That worried me. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but peeking through the holes in the sides revealed she was just watching him sleep. And she was furiously wagging her tail the whole time. I quickly ran off to grab my camera to get a picture or maybe even record it, but in the couple minutes it took me to find it, he had woken up and come out. We went outside after that and after they both pottied, Rambo just sat in the grass and Panda came over and stood over him, sniffing his shoulders and wagging her tail.

Possibly the happiest moments of my life. So it seems like she's trying to tolerate him now, but when he gets so excited he starts biting harder and more often... it'll be better once/if he calms down, I hope.

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