SOMEONE HELP.. I am having trouble raising my 4 month old Puppy..

reply to post by Ben81


Great idea, I'll for sure check that out..

reply to post by tony9802


Have you considered crate training? My brother did it with his dog and that's the best behaved dog I've ever seen

Originally posted by stirling
I s he fighting the leash? or trying to be boss dog?
You have to be alpha male and show him that.......hes supposed to look to you for guidance...not the other way around......not only patience but consistance is key.......dont give up at all.....teach him one thing at a time too.....

Yeah, originally he was always pulling on the leash and pretty much determining the walk- always walking ahead and kind of fast! I found the Gentle Leader, and Easy Walk Harnesses and those have definitely helped out but he still walks ahead instead of walking to the side: That really angers me since I know he should be at the side and heeled first. The leash pulling has diminished so that's getting much better, and fortunately I can see the progress he's making which is naturally fascinating-- Took care of the housebreaking Poop and Pee outside issue, and that ocurred relatively smoothly so I'm doing a few things the right way at least.

I am actually thinking of going with a little muzzle to see if that will help with the chewing on my legs issue--Just too much blue and purple on the legs! He's good though, but it's clear that he's still just a baby figuring out where he is and what his objectives are.. I'm learning loads from him, that's for sure;

Originally posted by kdog1982
Here are some things to try.

www.dog-obedience-training-review.com...

I have had several dogs,none of them were the same.

I had one dog,a yellow lab,that shredded my couch when I left her alone for a day.
Separation anxiety in that one.

But the puppy stage,well they are teething,so they need something to chew on.
Get a rawhide bone or some appropriate chew toy to keep him happy.

Got the bones for sure, the ropes are pretty good too but he becomes quickly distracted with me..
Currently I'm working on taking all of his energy to parksites in mountain zones so that he can release
all of that energy before settling down at home in the evening so I'm hoping that's going to work-- I do have a question for you: How do you feel (and others as well..) about muzzles..I'm looking into this option without going too professional; just a nylon mesh nylon muzzle to wear when he gets too radical with his baby teeth. He does feel like he's into his Alpha position though, so I do need to be careful. For reprimand.. I just leave him closed in the bathroom for no more than an hour, and since I don't have a crate, I'm figuring that should be alright.. but any advice and input from some of youz "dog-pros" is most absolutely entirely appreciated-- I need all of the advice I can get and each situation, pup and owner is distinct and special.

Originally posted by Infi8nity
Hes only 4 months old so not much you can do but training him. Just be dominate. When i was training my dog, I would rough house with him, when he got to aggressive I would hold his head down to the ground, he would try to wiggle out of my hand but could not. They will put up a fight for dominance so you have to counter it. Eventually he learned. Its a puppie and its going to bite, dont punish him for it just be dominate. Dogs dont have hands they have mouths you want to teach them how to use it before it becomes powerful. I have tough my dog light holds to hard bites so he knows what hurts. I dont know about you but I dont want my dog to be to submissive, after all he is his own being just as you are. I dont want him to make his choices based out of fear of punishment. I have tough my dog good from bad most of the time he is good but every now and then he makes a bad choice and thats ok because it means he still has his own freewill.
Teach your dog good from bad, be EXTREMELY emotional so their is no communication barrier. If hes good

AHHH WOW your such a good boy your so good yes you are

BAD DOG!!! BAD!!! VERY BAD DOG why are you going threw the trash?

edit on 15-10-2012 by Infi8nity because: (no reason given)

Be dominant.. In his case, he needs to be humbled and I would maybe even go so far as to say that I may need to "break him..". What a terrible expression to use but he sometimes has a little trouble with being modest and humbled.. that's what gets me. Just wish he were a little more "lowly.." I want him to have a good tender eye, to ensure he'll be a softy when he's older-- I might be scared a little that since he's part german shepherd that he's going to want to stay champ and alpha throughout-- But, time will surely tell, and once his adult teeth are in hopefully the biting problem will have been resolved.

PRAISE AND POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
STERN NEGATION, or IGNORE, when misbehaving..

Gosh, dogs are such a huge world of knowing.. I feel I've been so ignorant for such a long time--Unbelievable.

Originally posted by boschbaby
reply to post by tony9802

 

Have you considered crate training? My brother did it with his dog and that's the best behaved dog I've ever seen

Not yet, but that certainly sounds like an interesting option.. I'll have to do some youtube research for that..And absolutely, some pups and adult dogs are so well-behaved; My delay makes me feel a little foolish, but I'm catching up;

Originally posted by Manhater
Use McDonald's hamburgers and break them up as a treat, first start a square and walk in the square in the back yard for every corner that he walks too and is good, break a piece of the hamburger and tell him to sit.

I never had any issues with my dog, Mine is aggressive and I have to walk him in the dead of night where there are no other dogs. If there are other dogs around, it turns into a battle. After the dog fight he's been too traumatized to go for walks now. He goes one house and that's it then turns back home.

I wouldn't trade him for the world.

edit on 15-10-2012 by Manhater because: (no reason given)

Normally give him sandwiches, or sandwiches pieces, but we can jump onto the burger wagon--
That might be tastier...

Originally posted by Ben81
Dog Whistles !

only 2$ at the pet store

edit on 10/15/2012 by Ben81 because: (no reason given)

Actually this is a beautiful video.. I may need the whistle for myself as well, to maintain peace of mind;
Great video;

reply to post by tony9802


BITE HIM BACK.

I've raised 6 pitbulls. 4 from birth. You need to establish dominance WHEN the dog is acting like he is charge.

So, what I did, is SIT on them ( chest ) and then bite their head, HARD.

Not enough to really hurt the dog but to make it understand that you could break him if you tried. You are the boss, inside and outside.

~Tenth

Aw I feel for you...that is a hell of a mix of breeds! Just remember, when he's grown up a little...ok maybe grown up a lot...you will have an amazing companion, who will be as smart as paint.

I can't agree strongly enough with the people who are saying never ever use physical violence, even a little bit. At worst, it will teach your dog how to be aggressive back to you, and at best...well there is no best.

Be patient, remember he's teething and it must hurt, and he's looking to you for leadership. Stick to one thing at a time with his training and be ABSOLUTELY consistent. Calm assertiveness, like Cesar Milan says, is the way to go. He will respond to your tone of voice and body language more than anything.

Here are a couple of things I used with my GSD...he was a nutter with no training when I got him aged 2. The thing where he's jumping about on the lead is a pain. I remember it well! He has to learn that nothing good or interesting will ever happen while he's acting like a turd. I used to react by just waiting. I would stand still, no words, no movement, nothing, with his lead in my hand, until he calmed down and sat quietly at my feet. Every time he kicked off, I would stand still again. He learned *very* quickly! Even if I had to stand in the street with him for 10 minutes, I would do it. Leaving and entering the house was also a problem until I learned to ignore him completely. Originally, he would go mental, running about, jumping on me, causing mayhem. I started to ignore him for a few minutes when I came home, and for a few minutes before I left, and he got that it wasn't a big deal. He had to know that my coming home wasn't all about him, and I would talk to him and fuss over him when it suited me.

You haven't made a mistake hun! He will be incredible when he's got that you're the boss, and his hormones have calmed down. Oh yeah....please oh please get him neutered! He has a big brain and will love being trained....keep at it, and post some pictures for us, eh?

Also, for the teething.

This may sound gross but there are two things you can get that will REALLY help.

Cow Femur - will take MONTHS for him to get through it.

Bull Penis -- you'd think that's realy gross, he'll LOVE it and it's maluable so it will help with teething.

Oh yeah....treats...try and keep it natural as much as possible. Little bits of chicken, cold cooked bacon in tiny bits, liver chopped into cubes and baked with garlic till it's hard and dry. These will improve any dog's focus and recall!

Also worth considering....look at his diet very carefully. I've always been very suspicious of commercial dogfood, and find that it can cause a few problems, even the premium ones. I have a pit bull now, 16 months old, and the dried food he was on when I got him was giving him skin problems and making him very hyper. I've put him on the BARF diet. It suits him and he loves it. That stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet...close to what they would eat in the wild. Google it and do your own homework.

reply to post by kyviecaldges


Very keen and insightful advice.. I will need to compare how I currently am attempting to train my puppy with the information you've here shared.. I have to better understand the mechanics of "THE HARMONY" of dog obedience training.. It's this HARMONY that I have to tune into. Unfortunately that harmony becomes easily offended and eventually transforms itself into "THE DISCORD," just as soon as he has bitten too tightly. It's a pattern so I have to really observe where it is that I'm hishandling things.

Normally the jacket sleeves get quite a bit of abuse, so I started trying to wear thicker jackets, this might help. Sometimes I feel obligated to pull VERY HARD on the leash to control his head and remove it from near me to avoid the obvious arm and sleeve grab-- At that point I become very upset, angered- finally fed up- I wind up reinforcing the wrong behavior and that's what I'm trying to correct about myself as well.

I cannot take him for a walk if he always wants to chew the arm and sleeves, so what I've begun doing is I've begun taking him directly in a car, to a park, and allowing him free without leash, so that we can play a good 2 hours of fetch. No leash though ( I hope there is nothing wrong with having him without a leash..).

I pull him by the bulk of the neck hair to get him off of me, sometimes using a bit of aggression, so I know that might be bad, and then uh, I throw him back physically, when he's wearing his paws up to my shoulders too strongly-- I think EXCERCISE is going to be the key for him. Just got back from the park-- he returned nibbled and nipped a bit, drank loads of water, finished all of his dinner, and now he's sound asleep so I'm betting that running and excercise is going to make a difference in this case; Let me review and read over everything you've written to make sure that I'm following the same training page-- I've been very delayed so I believe much of this is perhaps my fault..

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by tony9802

 

BITE HIM BACK.

I've raised 6 pitbulls. 4 from birth. You need to establish dominance WHEN the dog is acting like he is charge.

So, what I did, is SIT on them ( chest ) and then bite their head, HARD.

Not enough to really hurt the dog but to make it understand that you could break him if you tried. You are the boss, inside and outside.

~Tenth

EXCELLENT!!
I have tried biting the ears of little "Giulio" (as in "Julius" Cesar..) and it makes him react that is for sure, but- he just cries out for a brief moment. My fear here has been that if I bite him too hard, that it will produce some kind of negative behaviorial reaction.

I'm going to have to lose that fear there.
A GOOD TOUGH BITE on the head sounds EXCELLENT to me; No harm though..

Good luck! puppys are a bundle of fun

Reward all good behavior even if that's 1 second that he turns away and breaks the bad moment,
I have a GM/husky.

Do your home work on the 2 breeds also as this will help you understand and adjust your training with him,
Also be the leader at all times, Dont let your pup pull any of them toys of you, Simple pick them up and put it away untill you decided to play or when the game is over, This will all help you new furry to understand,

If you can it would be good to get him in to some puppy class one that focuses on positive rewards,

Originally posted by caitlinfae
Oh yeah....treats...try and keep it natural as much as possible. Little bits of chicken, cold cooked bacon in tiny bits, liver chopped into cubes and baked with garlic till it's hard and dry. These will improve any dog's focus and recall!

Also worth considering....look at his diet very carefully. I've always been very suspicious of commercial dogfood, and find that it can cause a few problems, even the premium ones. I have a pit bull now, 16 months old, and the dried food he was on when I got him was giving him skin problems and making him very hyper. I've put him on the BARF diet. It suits him and he loves it. That stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food diet...close to what they would eat in the wild. Google it and do your own homework.

Does that mean you don't feed him packaged bagged dog food-- Raw Foods Only; He gets plenty of carrots, and potatoes, which are not gmo.. He does receive packaged dog food, but it has no preservatives or additives and no added sugars generally; I do try to be careful about that-- However I surely could upgrade to better quality chow straight from the Vet--

The little treats I have for Giulio (and Giulio is Latin for "Julius" - such as "Julius Cesar"(?)) are normally all natural- most of his bones are 100% natural with sometimes maybe a dash of glycerin.. It would be fun to go organic for him: I'll have to see what's available in my area.. Not too many organic outlets nearby if you know what I mean..

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Also, for the teething.

This may sound gross but there are two things you can get that will REALLY help.

Cow Femur - will take MONTHS for him to get through it.

Bull Penis -- you'd think that's realy gross, he'll LOVE it and it's maluable so it will help with teething.

Got it, nice one thanks..

reply to post by caitlinfae


Will do.. I'll try to get a couple of photos up a little later this evening; and thanks so much for the support and the very uplifting positivity, it's very much needed.. it's so easy to fall into brief states of unhappiness thinking that perhaps my pup isn't the right one for me.(?!).That did go through my mind a few times by the way.. But, fortunately I've learned to understand puppy life and behavior much better now since then..



"Bang bang, He shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, That awful sound
Bang bang, my baby (my puppy,) shot me down."

by N. Sinatra..

reply to post by tony9802


Food is a tough thing.

If you really trust the vet, you can buy from them, I don't so I Make my own.

Stay away from anything that's called Meat meal I think it is in the ingredients. THat basically means you are feeding your dog dead animals.

Here's a good resource for what things to avoid;

Source

My dogs are on 100% raw diet, they eat no dog food at all. On the rare occasions they have, it's not kibble, but fresh stuff I get from the refrigerated sections of the dog food aisle.



~Tenth

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by tony9802

 

Food is a tough thing.

If you really trust the vet, you can buy from them, I don't so I Make my own.

Stay away from anything that's called Meat meal I think it is in the ingredients. THat basically means you are feeding your dog dead animals.

Here's a good resource for what things to avoid;

Source

My dogs are on 100% raw diet, they eat no dog food at all. On the rare occasions they have, it's not kibble, but fresh stuff I get from the refrigerated sections of the dog food aisle.

~Tenth

Do you mind if I ask what types of ingredients you use to make your own food.. I would imagine it would consist of a combination of meats and a series of cereals (rice and corn..) fish products maybe if some of your pit bulls are still puppies (6 raised you had mentioned!).. I think making my own pup chow would be one of the better options also and you're absolutely right, sometimes on the bagged items "animal by products" can totally mean hundreds of things.. This gets scary if we start discussions about what goes into dog food generally and the abuses thereof;

I do have another question for you since you're one of the moderators of the forum.. has ATS thought about starting a forum that adresses animal issues/rights and topics at all?? I think that would be interesting to bring up to your staff colleagues and members, maybe you could give it a shot on behalf of ATS members.. Might be
interesting to give it a shot..