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Hey everyone! We recently decided to adopt a gorgeous little redtick hound puppy. Shes about 8 weeks old and has been in the house for about 3 days now. I have a few questions for anyone willing to take the time to answer them.
1) Our biggest priority right now is getting her to respond to her name being said, so far shes pretty inconsistent with this, which we expect her to be considering shes so young. Any tips on getting her to come to us when her name is said?
2) The past couple days she hasnt had to many accidents but we still want to get her to learn to not do certain things. What are some ways to get her to stop doing something without shouting or scaring her?
3)Ive read alot about how dogs sometimes get kinda sad if they feel alone, ive researched a lot about the possibility of a second dog but we want some more opinions.
Thank you all and feel free to add any of your own tips for beginners!
 

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First things first, I strongly discourage people from raising two puppies at once - it's more like 3-4x the work. There's a phenomenon called 'littermate syndrome' that can impact the lifelong behavior of dogs who are raised together (they don't need to be literal littermates) from a young age. This can result in anything from them becoming intensely bonded to each other, to the point where they cannot be separated even for a quick vet visit without acute distress, to difficulties bonding to humans in their lives, to unhealthy codependences where the more confident puppy bullies the less confident one and never allows them their own space.

It is preventable, but requires you to do everything separately while raising them - separate crates, separate walks, separate play session, separate training sessions... lots and lots of work. And you not only have two baby puppies at once, but two adolescent dogs at once as well - and one of those is enough for anybody, trust me. I encourage people not to add a second until their first is 2-3 years old, mentally mature, and has decently solid foundation manners on stuff like how to behave in the house, how to walk politely on lead, etc.

As to the rest, my favorite name game is super simple. Say her name, then immediately give her a treat. Repeat this 4-5 times in a row, a few times a day. It doesn't matter what she does after you say her name, just make sure you've got the timing right - if you give her the treat while saying the name, instead of immediately after, it's less effective. What you're doing is just getting her to understand that - for now - her name means a reward coming from you. This will very quickly become her having a positive association with her name, and have her start orienting on you when you say it, even if the reward isn't immediately forthcoming. Avoid using her name - or calling her to you in general - to do things she finds unpleasant (ending play, nail trims, giving medicine, whatever she's not so keen on) and instead go to her, and it'll help keep that positive response really strong and give you a great recall foundation.

Good instincts on avoiding scolding her! Especially with accidents - she's a tiny baby and it'd basically be like scolding a toddler for wetting their diaper. Accidents never get verbal or physical corrections, just an interrupter if you see them happening (I prefer something silly like 'whoopsie' or 'uh-oh' in a high pitch because even if I'm tired and frustrated it's hard to make those sound angry) and rushing her outside to finish (with rewards after if she does). If you find an accident after it's happened, it's too late to do anything - dogs can't connect cause and effect unless the effect (reward or punishment) comes within five seconds or so of the action. Otherwise, they might learn that you act scary and unpredictable around indoor poop (or chewed shoes, or other evidence of past misdeeds), but they don't understand that their actions were the cause of your behavior.

With things that aren't potty accidents, still remember she's a baby puppy who doesn't know the rules and has limited control over her impulses and facilities. When you can't supervise, your best friend is a crate, pen, or puppy-proofed area gated off so she can't practice naughty (and/or dangerous) behavior. When you can, you can take a few approaches. If she's behaving inappropriately towards you - biting or jumping, for example, you can end the interaction. Sometimes standing up and turning away from her - no talking or eye contact - for a few seconds is enough, and sometimes you might need to go somewhere she can't follow - say, step over a baby gate - because she thinks she can continue the play by chewing on your pant legs or similar. You only need to remove your attention for a few seconds usually, and re-engage the moment she seems a little calmer. If it keeps happening - I often use three strikes - you can end the interaction permanently and let her settle in a safe, confined space for a while. If she's behaving inappropriately towards other objects, say chewing the furniture, you can redirect onto something appropriate, like a safe chew toy, and praise and fuss over her for chewing her toy instead of the furniture. Redirection, management, and rewarding her for making safe, appropriate choices about how to occupy herself (such as getting a toy to play with instead of a throw pillow) will go a long way.
 

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First things first, I strongly discourage people from raising two puppies at once - it's more like 3-4x the work. There's a phenomenon called 'littermate syndrome' that can impact the lifelong behavior of dogs who are raised together (they don't need to be literal littermates) from a young age. This can result in anything from them becoming intensely bonded to each other, to the point where they cannot be separated even for a quick vet visit without acute distress, to difficulties bonding to humans in their lives, to unhealthy codependences where the more confident puppy bullies the less confident one and never allows them their own space.

It is preventable, but requires you to do everything separately while raising them - separate crates, separate walks, separate play session, separate training sessions... lots and lots of work. And you not only have two baby puppies at once, but two adolescent dogs at once as well - and one of those is enough for anybody, trust me. I encourage people not to add a second until their first is 2-3 years old, mentally mature, and has decently solid foundation manners on stuff like how to behave in the house, how to walk politely on lead, etc.

As to the rest, my favorite name game is super simple. Say her name, then immediately give her a treat. Repeat this 4-5 times in a row, a few times a day. It doesn't matter what she does after you say her name, just make sure you've got the timing right - if you give her the treat while saying the name, instead of immediately after, it's less effective. What you're doing is just getting her to understand that - for now - her name means a reward coming from you. This will very quickly become her having a positive association with her name, and have her start orienting on you when you say it, even if the reward isn't immediately forthcoming. Avoid using her name - or calling her to you in general - to do things she finds unpleasant (ending play, nail trims, giving medicine, whatever she's not so keen on) and instead go to her, and it'll help keep that positive response really strong and give you a great recall foundation.

Good instincts on avoiding scolding her! Especially with accidents - she's a tiny baby and it'd basically be like scolding a toddler for wetting their diaper. Accidents never get verbal or physical corrections, just an interrupter if you see them happening (I prefer something silly like 'whoopsie' or 'uh-oh' in a high pitch because even if I'm tired and frustrated it's hard to make those sound angry) and rushing her outside to finish (with rewards after if she does). If you find an accident after it's happened, it's too late to do anything - dogs can't connect cause and effect unless the effect (reward or punishment) comes within five seconds or so of the action. Otherwise, they might learn that you act scary and unpredictable around indoor poop (or chewed shoes, or other evidence of past misdeeds), but they don't understand that their actions were the cause of your behavior.

With things that aren't potty accidents, still remember she's a baby puppy who doesn't know the rules and has limited control over her impulses and facilities. When you can't supervise, your best friend is a crate, pen, or puppy-proofed area gated off so she can't practice naughty (and/or dangerous) behavior. When you can, you can take a few approaches. If she's behaving inappropriately towards you - biting or jumping, for example, you can end the interaction. Sometimes standing up and turning away from her - no talking or eye contact - for a few seconds is enough, and sometimes you might need to go somewhere she can't follow - say, step over a baby gate - because she thinks she can continue the play by chewing on your pant legs or similar. You only need to remove your attention for a few seconds usually, and re-engage the moment she seems a little calmer. If it keeps happening - I often use three strikes - you can end the interaction permanently and let her settle in a safe, confined space for a while. If she's behaving inappropriately towards other objects, say chewing the furniture, you can redirect onto something appropriate, like a safe chew toy, and praise and fuss over her for chewing her toy instead of the furniture. Redirection, management, and rewarding her for making safe, appropriate choices about how to occupy herself (such as getting a toy to play with instead of a throw pillow) will go a long way.
Oh wow thank you so much for your response, i honestly wasnt expecting such a detailed explanation lmao. Just one question, is it acceptable to use some of her dog food instead of treats? I want to avoid giving her too many since the treat bag recommends only given 3 a day at her age.
 

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Absolutely! Just have to ask - are these training treats or more like milkbone-style treats? When you train, you want small treats around the size of your pinky nail so you can minimize the risk of overfeeding, especially with a puppy when you'll want to reward every successful potty trip as well as any training like the name game. You can make your own by chopping up something like boiled chicken breast (bone free, of course), but most pet stores will also have small training threats for sale.
 

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is it acceptable to use some of her dog food instead of treats? I want to avoid giving her too many since the treat bag recommends only given 3 a day at her age.
I used to give my dogs kibble (I switched to a dehydrated raw diet a few years ago), and back then I would put a handful of the kibble in a Ziploc bag and sit it in a separate cabinet that they recognized as the treat cabinet. They honestly couldn't tell the difference, they were really just wanting the reward and recognition!

But it was much healthier than the treats I could find to buy, and a heck of a lot cheaper!
 

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My puppy frequently gets his lunchtime kibble on the grooming table or for a training session. I have a friend who's puppy is the same age as mine, and about a week ago, she said he has yet to eat out of a bowl, since if he doesn't get a meal in a toy, he gets it in training. (I should add that she's a much better, more experienced trainer than I am, and doesn't have an autistic teenager to work around).

There are a couple of versions of the "name game" that DaySleepers mentioned. One is "say her name and give a treat". Another is "say her name, mark (click or verbal), and give a treat". A third version is the start of actual recalls, and goes "say their name, say "come" ("here" or whatever recall cue you want), lure then to you with a cookie, mark and give a treat". The third version eventually works into two people calling the puppy, and him running back and forth between them for cookies.

As far as getting into things, crate or pen when not supervised, watch like a hawk when she's loose, and either redirect her onto something she can have, or just gently take away what she has, no yelling needed.

Start with leaving her alone in increments, if you can. Make sure that she's pottied, isn't hungry, and has a few safe toys in her crate or pen. Low key going and coming is crucial.
The more of a big deal you make out of it, the bigger a deal it will be for her. Simply pop her in her crate, give her a cookie, and say bye, and walk out. This is a good resource for crate training. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - LS135: Crate Training Dogs: Happy Crating for Life It's an on-demand video that is only $19, and you will have access to it for an entire year.
 
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