A New Puppy, Any Training Advice?

[shadowx 0]

Hey everyone, got a 5 month old puppy Staffordshire Bull terrier (In the UK we call them Staffs, i dont know about America) *BLEEP*, shes called Ruby, it was going to be diamond but we chose ruby (we're not some posh, poncy, tarty, fancy familly, it just seems a good name). Shes black in colour with some brown creeping up her legs and a white belly , back paws and the middle of her face. Shes a great dog but there are a couple problems. Aparently she was the runt of the litter and had to be hand fed at the start but a week or so after we got her we had her eating her dry food with a little canned food and now shes eating and drinking fine, shes a bit stubborn but we will get over that, her breed can be that way i hear but they are pretty clever too. The thing is she is petrified of her collar and lead (leash) and as a result petrified of going for walks. We only just got her vaccinated so these last couple days have been the first time shes ever been out, we live in a 1st floor maisonette (dont worry we walk her regularly, every day when she gets over this!) and we took her round my nans today and she loves the garden there without her collar but as soon as we put the collar and lead on her she went very submissive and laid down and wouldnt move, we picked her up and put her in the garden and she just hid in a bush. At the moment she has a standard neck collar but tomorrow im going to but her a harness and use that hoping that she will like that better. I've read a lot of articles on the net about this problem and ive read that its good to have her on the lead while in the house but dragging it around with her and then move to holding the other end and eventually walking her around the house then outside. This sounds sensible and i will start that tomorrow with her new harness. We have lots of treats and dont hit her or abuse her so i know we havent caused any confidence issues, i know her previous owners who bred their two dogs to produce her litter lived in a run down house but my brothers GF knows them and i dont think they are abusive. She's fairly submissive, she met another dog of the same breed yesterday, the other dog was off the lead so i picked her up just to be sure and we spoke to the owner and found out this dog was fine and indeed she was, very well behaved and the two dogs played a little but Ruby was a bit nervous (the other dog was twice her size ) As always the two dogs sniffed and when the other dog sniffed Ruby, ruby rolled over in a submissive way so im thinking she might be TOO submissive. Anyway, the lead we have for her is one of those retractable types and ive heard that a slack lead is the way to go so i dont know if, while training her, i should take the lead fully out and lock it fully out to make it slack or use her other, short lead, any advice there? The rest of her training is going well, she has Sit now and is starting to get Lay, she responds about 60% of the time to her name being called but if shes having a mental moment she just ignores us, but were working on that! Overall shes a great little dog, i just dont want her to be scared of going out on the lead, i would like to be able to trust her off the lead, in an open field away from traffic and children and other dogs of course, but it is still essential to train her to walk well on the lead and not be scared. Any advice? (I know the basics of conditioning behaviour from psychology at college so i know how to reinforce behaviour but not where to start with this other than gradually introduce her to the lead)

[Mich 0]

I am no expert on the subject of training dogs, but I know who is; Cesar Millan. This guy is known as the "Dog Whisperer" here in the States. Check out his site and you may be able to ask questions there. At the very least you will find a list of his books on dog training. Plus you can find supplies there as well.

[sheepdog 10]

Well, for starters, in all the pups I have raised over the years, (and there have been many) I have only seen ONE pup that was put on a lead and walked off with his new owner like he'd been doing it all his life, without a single missed step. Most pups have a major temper tantrum the first few times, complete with double back flips, roll overs, screaming and howling like they are being murdered, slobbering, eyes rolling back in the head, etc. Other pups sull up and refuse to move a muscle, or lay there trembling violently. Either of these is actually a normal reaction. Unfortunatly, many pet owers go soft at this point thinking the pup is going to hurt it'self, and are unwilling to wait patiently untill the storm of protest passes. I think the harness is probably a good idea. They are less likely to cause damage to the pups trachea, which in your breed and other snub nosed breeds is always a problem to watch out for. The biggest problem with the harnes instead of a collar is that a pup learns to lead because the body follows the head. If you get the pups head going in the right direction, he will move the way you want him to. This is not so easy to manage with a harness. I am also not fond of the dragging the leash around behind them trick many people favor. It really doesn't teach them anything, and sometimes just gives the pup the idea that the leash is just something to chew on. You definatly would not want to attempt it unless the pup was under strict supervision, in the event it got tangled up in the leash, or the leash got hung up in something. It is not a learning experience for the pup if it is simply stumbling around and triping over the leash at random intervals with no comands given by the owner. The pup just doesn't understand what is going on. Leash training is just that, key word...training. The pup needs input from the owner, work commands, instruction, and praise when he responds properly. If the pup dislikes the colar and leash, you might start off with just letting him/her wear only the colar. Call the pup to you, put on the colar, give pup a treat, and praise, pet him, and let it wear the collar for awhile. You can remove it in an hour or so. Repeat the process frequently, until the pup actually looks forward to the collar. (or, actually looks forward the the reward for getting the collar put on, which will be your praise or a treat.) It also helps greatly with the leash training process if your pup has allready learned the "come" command. Put on the collar and leash, step a few feet away while still holding the leash, and tell your pup to come. Gently take up the slack in the leash as the pup moves to you, putting only the slighest tension on the leash. Pet and praise the pup when he comes to you for a moment, then back off a few more stepps away from him and repeat the process. Remember, a pup's attention span is short, keep the lessons down to 10 minutes or so, and ALWAYS end any training session on a positive note, with a treat, or praise for even the slighest good behaviour. You can repeat this short sessions several times a day, short frequent sessions are a better way for a pup to learn than a long drawn out ordeal once a day. Hope this helps a little.

[shadowx 0]

Thanks for the link Mich, ill bookmark that as ive never trained a pup before so im sure it will come in handy, ive had a few dogs but all have been adults so a pup is a new thing to me :lol:As for dragging the lead around i would always be watching her, she rarely leaves the room anyway, only to use her puppy pads (thankfully she is potty trained so far) but you're probably right, just experiencing the lead isnt going to be the fastest or best way, but getting her to like the lead will definitely help! We dont plan to keep her in her collar while indoors, partly because she doesnt like it and partly because theres no need so getting her excited when she sees it will be sort of like the "walkies" word (at the moment we're experiencing the joy of being able to get our coats on without having her go mental ) I'll give her collar a go a bit later and see how it goes. Generally shes ok with it, she lays down and tries to get away when we put it on but once its on she largely ignores it with only a little scratching. I think part of the problem is the only time we really collar her is to take her to the vets for her jabs so she links it with bad things, the treats will help that!While im here, whats the best way to "punish" bad behaviour? I would never hit her unless she was about to hurt herself or someone else and needed extreme stopping. I've heard and seen the use of a shaker bottle full of stones that surprises or scares them if they do something wrong, but all the TV programs say not to do it unless told to by an expert so any advice with that?She does know the word "no" but she has a habit of playful/teething biting which doesnt hurt but i dont want her to think biting is ok to do so i need a word or a sound or action that i can use/say to her at any time to get her attention and let her know she cant do that, if she bits me a lot i will hold her mouth shut and look her in the eye and tell her No but otherwise i just tell her no and stop petting/stroking her for a little while.

[sheepdog 10]

It just sounds like she isn't used to a collar, most pups will scratch at them when they are not acustom to wearing one. If it's left on she will soon forget about it. I do want to ad one thing here though. If you decided she doesn't need a collar on full time, please be sure to have her micro chipped, or tatto'd. You never know when she might dart out a door and escape, and with out a collar and tag or some form of identification, you may not get her back.Shaker cans are effective for some bad behaviours but they only work on some dogs, and their effectiveness wears off quickly for a lot of dogs. In a dog that is self confident and not easily startled, they don't have much effect. Dogs also don't always connect the strange noise to their own bad behaviour. Play biting and mouthing human hands are typical and normal behaviour for a pup. But they are behaviours that should be discouraged immediatly. When pups play together, and one gets too agressive and bites too hard, the other pup will yelp, and stop playing. Copying this behavour in the human form will help your pup know that it is the wrong behaviour. You can "yelp" an OUCH when you feel the teeth, and then a firm NO, or no bite! and then stop playing with the pup. Grabbing the muzzle and holding it shut while you say NO Bite just for a couple seconds will help to get the point across. Then just walk away and ignore the pup. Also, while the pup is young, avoid tug of war type games. I know they are fun, but wait until your pup understands some basic commands first and knows what to bit and what not to.

[shadowx 0]

Thanks for all that!I bought her a harness and at first she seemed more comfortable in it but reverted to her old ways when my mum took her out with it, in the end my mum took the harness and lead off her and she loved it, she didnt come back as promptly as we would have liked but she did come back when called eventually. The micro chipping is a good idea, ill look into that for sure. My mum put the collar on her this morning and shes had it on for 3 hours or so now and isnt complaining so maybe it will work!

[shadowx 0]

Complete success! Woohoo! We live near a large country park, most of which has paved paths through it and lots of grass and such, i put the collar on the dog for a couple hours and tried taking her outside onto the balcony that leads downstairs and she didnt like that much so i gave up and took her in, when my mum got home we took her over the country park and she didnt like the 5 min car ride there but we got her onto the grass and she loved it, she was walking around sniffing and investigating, got stung by the nettles a couple of times gave her a drink and she was walking like any other dog. Then we met another dog (its a very popular place for dog walking and bike riding) it was a labrador puppy about 4-5 months old and they played together a bit, chasing each other and we met another couple of dogs and she played with them too and now were at home with a rather tired and hot puppy! The only time she played up was getting her into and out of the car, she tried hiding under it but once we picked her up and i had her on my lap she was fine Good times

[sheepdog 10]

Glad to hear things are working out for you. A well trained dog is an absolute joy to own. Of course, I've seen some bratty dogs that I know their owers were pretty crazy about too, but give me the choise and I'll take a well trained one any day. My sister in law had a little mix breed dog that suffered from cronic dry eye, and it would bite her ever time she tried to put drops in her eyes which she had to do every day. I don't know how she put up with it, but she just loved that little dog to pieces. Dogs are just good company.

[jopak134 0]

some dogs are really spoiled death by pamphering . have one like this, not accustomed to other dogs and people because its a no pets allowed community. but she is very smart and sometimes i wonder if she can understand what i'm saying

[GrinningKittie 0]

I don't really have anything to add here about the leash situation ( and it seems that you have that under way for not being a problem any more anyways ). I just wanted to add my two cents about the play biting.I agree that a word like "OW" or "OUCH" works real well. My puppy Link ( an australian sheperd) is 7 months old and still likes to nip the hands or gets over excited when we belly rub him and wants to chew so we tell him "OW!" in a firm but hurt tone and he lightens up immediately ( with big puppy eyes full of apology to go with it....lol what a ham!). I usually keep a favorite chew toy ( like a chew rope) near by so that if he does act up and get the "chewies" ( as we call them) I can redirect him to the right thing to gnaw on instead of my hand. LOL! I am glad to hear that your puppy is coming along with the leash. It takes awhile but in the end they get the handle of it. Link is SO excited by walks ( he is an active breed) that he'll wake out of a dead sleep when he hears the leash being jingled. LOL! Then it takes a moment for him to settle down for me to put the harness on ( we felt more comfortable with a harness than a collar and it works well with him). He gets so antsy he jumps up and paws the door while squirming. It's so funny really and it only lasts a moment. He knows he has to sit still and get the harness on if he wants to go out so he doesn't have a problem complying. It's just that first moment of "OMG we're going out we're going out!" excitement. You would think that we never walk him! LOL!