Bear's Puppy Log
- Thread starter Natalie
- Start date
- Location
- East Sussex
Wonderful photos! I think hiring a secure field every so often is a great idea - if nothing else it will give you a stress-free exercise period and he'll enjoy running free. It will also be much easier to practise some of the things you want to train without the worry of him running off to jump on other people - and if you are more relaxed the training is likely to go better. I would let him have a good gallop around and then do just one minute on lead practising walking in circles (easier than straight lines) using food every step if necessary, and then let him off lead again for either free running or play with you. You could fit in 3 or 4 very short lead sessions in half an hour.
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
I don't think it's time yet to say you've failed with the on lead walking because he pulls. Joy still pulled on lead at Bear's age and older but she's really pretty good now unless we're heading for something really exciting like the SEA! It sounds like he's a lovely confident little lad and I'm sure that you'll get there eventually.
Since lockdown my dogs are terrible on lead. Really terrible. they really set each other off. When I hurt my leg they were gits some of the time. Its hard retraining. I don't think you've failed, walking on a lead for puppies is really hard. You have a broken foot give yourself a break. No pun intended honest
He is lovely! I can relate to lots of the dynamics that you are describing with Bear - Brodie was/is also a very powerful, strong and strong-willed dog and it came as such a shock after Jess (who had her own challenges but was much 'softer' in every way). A few months down the road I can say it really does get easier and while the fierce love took a while to develop here too, it feels almost stronger because of it.
We have had a lot of the same training problems that you mention - attention barking and whining when left alone, jumping up, pulling- just being a determined and powerful young dog really. We saw a behaviourist/trainer and on his advice we did use a water squirter a couple of times. I know it's an aversive and a lot of people here probably wouldn't recommend it so I am mentioning it with some hesitation (and will also say that I do trust this trainer as someone who absolutely assesses the individual dog and its behaviour/motivations rather than just doing the same thing with all of them. Of all the trainers I have used - and that is quite a lot now! - he has had the fastest and most accurate understanding of our dogs' characters and feelings. He helped a lot with Jess at different times and would never have used or recommended any aversives with her). Just using the water squirter once with Brodie stopped his attention barking almost entirely. I feel a bit guilty about that as obviously he really did experience it as an aversive, but it was also such a relief to not have him barking and whining incessantly and has made a BIG difference to daily life for me, particularly while WFH. Now both dogs just settle together in the living room all day while I work upstairs, and Brodie only whines/barks at feeding & walking times - he likes his routines!)
For lead walking, the easywalk petsafe harness helped us a lot. It has a small tightening loop on the chest so again it is an aversive and pre-Brodie I would never have considered using it - but with him it has been a huge, huge help. And he doesn't seem to mind it - never tries to avoid getting the harness put on etc. Without the harness I find him very difficult to control on the lead (and most of his walks are entirely off-lead) so I need help too in finding a better and lasting training approach for loose lead walking. I thought I had done such a good job with Jess, but different dog = different challenges!
We have had a lot of the same training problems that you mention - attention barking and whining when left alone, jumping up, pulling- just being a determined and powerful young dog really. We saw a behaviourist/trainer and on his advice we did use a water squirter a couple of times. I know it's an aversive and a lot of people here probably wouldn't recommend it so I am mentioning it with some hesitation (and will also say that I do trust this trainer as someone who absolutely assesses the individual dog and its behaviour/motivations rather than just doing the same thing with all of them. Of all the trainers I have used - and that is quite a lot now! - he has had the fastest and most accurate understanding of our dogs' characters and feelings. He helped a lot with Jess at different times and would never have used or recommended any aversives with her). Just using the water squirter once with Brodie stopped his attention barking almost entirely. I feel a bit guilty about that as obviously he really did experience it as an aversive, but it was also such a relief to not have him barking and whining incessantly and has made a BIG difference to daily life for me, particularly while WFH. Now both dogs just settle together in the living room all day while I work upstairs, and Brodie only whines/barks at feeding & walking times - he likes his routines!)
For lead walking, the easywalk petsafe harness helped us a lot. It has a small tightening loop on the chest so again it is an aversive and pre-Brodie I would never have considered using it - but with him it has been a huge, huge help. And he doesn't seem to mind it - never tries to avoid getting the harness put on etc. Without the harness I find him very difficult to control on the lead (and most of his walks are entirely off-lead) so I need help too in finding a better and lasting training approach for loose lead walking. I thought I had done such a good job with Jess, but different dog = different challenges!
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Oh, I forgot the counter surfing. He's a demon. He can easily jump up on the dining table, but last night surpassed himself in stealing a big mouthful of roast potatoes and mince in gravy straight out of the dishes I was serving up in, he pretty much pushed my arm out the way as I was serving up. He gobbled it down before I could grab it off him. It must have burnt his mouth, but this puppy shows no pain. (Two weeks ago he was annoying the cat, who swiped at him, and her claw got caught in his upper lips. OH had to unhook her, Bear didn't make a peep.) He's like Rambo in dog form.
Beanwood
Administrator
Oh Bear you are utterly gorgeous! Even though right now it sounds like you are being a wee bit of a pain in the arse 
It sounds like Bear is heading full pelt into that teenage phase. Other things have increased in value, such as people, dogs, random things .... as well just being "out". The loss of puppy recall sounds like a classic.
This is the time to invest in training, and I totally agree that starting in from scratch is a good idea!
Pulling on the lead is really frustrating! Otter is a nightmare, really the worst dog I have ever had for pulling, I think she was born like it! It is also the most boring thing to work on. Lead work needs consistency, find a method and stick absolutely to it.
Give me a bit more time and I will jot a few ideas down for you xx
It sounds like Bear is heading full pelt into that teenage phase. Other things have increased in value, such as people, dogs, random things .... as well just being "out". The loss of puppy recall sounds like a classic.
This is the time to invest in training, and I totally agree that starting in from scratch is a good idea!
Pulling on the lead is really frustrating! Otter is a nightmare, really the worst dog I have ever had for pulling, I think she was born like it! It is also the most boring thing to work on. Lead work needs consistency, find a method and stick absolutely to it.
Give me a bit more time and I will jot a few ideas down for you xx
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
With the lead walking, quadruple your reinforcement. If it still isn't working, double that and keep doubling it again until you are there. It's a really hard concept for some dogs and you need to really heavily pay in to it. If that means a biscuit after every step, so be it. The more you pay in, the more likely it is to stick later on. Ensure that you're reinforcing from a pouch as soon as possible, rather than holding the treats over his nose (but that's totally OK to start if that's what it takes). So step > "yes" > stop > feed. Make it into a game. Step one pace forwards, mark as he comes to your side, reinforce. Turn 90 degrees to the right, step, mark as he comes into place, reinforce. Take one step slow, another step fast. Jump to the front, to the side. Mix it up. Keep the energy where you need it for you both to enjoy the game and him to still learn. It CAN be fun!
Thanks @snowbunny and @Beanwood - I know it's easy to say, but so easy to forget to not pay enough into training.
The confusing bit for me on loose lead walking is what you do when you are not training it. So, If you are going 100 yards on lead from your car to a field, or if you've popped puppy back on lead as it's a bit busy - are you meant to try and train it then, or accept that he's going to pull on certain occasions? Or is this when you need to switch between harness / collar points - back harness fastening means pulling is ok, but front harness fastening (or collar) means it's loose lead training and we play the game as above?
The confusing bit for me on loose lead walking is what you do when you are not training it. So, If you are going 100 yards on lead from your car to a field, or if you've popped puppy back on lead as it's a bit busy - are you meant to try and train it then, or accept that he's going to pull on certain occasions? Or is this when you need to switch between harness / collar points - back harness fastening means pulling is ok, but front harness fastening (or collar) means it's loose lead training and we play the game as above?
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
If you're just getting a really short way, I'd be inclined to use a treat magnet (grab a handful of treats, pop them on his nose and keep releasing one every few paces), or the reorientation game, where you mark attention on you, then toss a treat on the ground, mark when he gives you attention, toss again. Both are good for covering distance quite quickly. You want to practice both of these beforehand so they're nice and fluent and he knows what's going on.
If there's a situation where you have to walk him farther than those games are practical for, then I'd use the front fastening point and suck it up. I would use the back fastener or collar for LLW and the front fastener for when he might pull (because it stops him pulling so effectively and potentially damaging you). I wouldn't use the front fastener if I were expecting him to walk on a loose lead, because it's making corrections for you, so you're not the one doing the training
If there's a situation where you have to walk him farther than those games are practical for, then I'd use the front fastening point and suck it up. I would use the back fastener or collar for LLW and the front fastener for when he might pull (because it stops him pulling so effectively and potentially damaging you). I wouldn't use the front fastener if I were expecting him to walk on a loose lead, because it's making corrections for you, so you're not the one doing the training
Ah, thank you - I hadn't thought of using them the other way around. It's the knowing how to manage the 'suck it up' times as much as the training times.If you're just getting a really short way, I'd be inclined to use a treat magnet (grab a handful of treats, pop them on his nose and keep releasing one every few paces), or the reorientation game, where you mark attention on you, then toss a treat on the ground, mark when he gives you attention, toss again. Both are good for covering distance quite quickly. You want to practice both of these beforehand so they're nice and fluent and he knows what's going on.
If there's a situation where you have to walk him farther than those games are practical for, then I'd use the front fastening point and suck it up. I would use the back fastener or collar for LLW and the front fastener for when he might pull (because it stops him pulling so effectively and potentially damaging you). I wouldn't use the front fastener if I were expecting him to walk on a loose lead, because it's making corrections for you, so you're not the one doing the training
Have to say, Bear's been a little darling since I posted, he must have known I was feeling a bit exasperated. He has this great relationship with OH - all the things that scare and worry me - the leaping about, racing at a zillion miles an hour, zoomies - are the things that have made OH fall in love with him, he just loves his zest for live. I guess it's a reflection of human personalities as well as our dogs'.
Beanwood
Administrator
I am working very hard with Otter right now. Her excitement started the minute the car stops! She is bouncing at the crate door and if left to her own devices would fly out of the crate, over my head and off down the field before engaging her brain! So I have to help her engage her brain, whilst not increasing levels of frustration, it is not necessarily bad to allow for a little frustration, as Otter has the resilience to problem solve. I do have to weight this up carefully as we have a poor reinforcement with car = " a bad thing might happen next". This is why her energy levels can have an element of nervous excitement mixed with anticipation.
I have been practicing this on the driveway in the car, so not to increase her nervous levels of energy, instead we make this a game. We also use the front door, baby gates, so Otter doesn't have a negative associated to a sit "whilst the door, gate, crate" is opened. This means that she knows to sit, while I open the crate door and wait to get rewarded.
The other reason I do all this, is to help bring her overall levels of excitement down once we have safely got ourselves out of the car. I actually start my treat streaming at this point on the ground. Otter gets out, pauses and does a bit of hunting. All this is management. I get a breather to make sure that I am not dragged off at this point. My arms are safely by my side with the lead in a good position to take the first step. Now like @snowbunny, I have a handful of treats, and if need be will pop them on her nose every step until we at a safe point I can let her off. Even then I will work heavily on engagement, preferring not to have her too far away at this point. I have to say, Otter is a handful, she makes Benson look like a dream dog! Even at his worst, he was never as bad as Otter. Not that I compare the two, but I do find myself smiling wryly as Benson waits patiently in the car for me to get myself organised with Otter Pothead!
I have been practicing this on the driveway in the car, so not to increase her nervous levels of energy, instead we make this a game. We also use the front door, baby gates, so Otter doesn't have a negative associated to a sit "whilst the door, gate, crate" is opened. This means that she knows to sit, while I open the crate door and wait to get rewarded.
The other reason I do all this, is to help bring her overall levels of excitement down once we have safely got ourselves out of the car. I actually start my treat streaming at this point on the ground. Otter gets out, pauses and does a bit of hunting. All this is management. I get a breather to make sure that I am not dragged off at this point. My arms are safely by my side with the lead in a good position to take the first step. Now like @snowbunny, I have a handful of treats, and if need be will pop them on her nose every step until we at a safe point I can let her off. Even then I will work heavily on engagement, preferring not to have her too far away at this point. I have to say, Otter is a handful, she makes Benson look like a dream dog! Even at his worst, he was never as bad as Otter. Not that I compare the two, but I do find myself smiling wryly as Benson waits patiently in the car for me to get myself organised with Otter Pothead!
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I just had a flashback.....we had chips and I'd just poured the warm oil out of the frypan into the glass bottle we keep our used oil in. The bottle was sitting on some paper towels that were hanging over the side of the kitchen bench. Maxx, about the same age as Bear.....ran into the kitchen and jumped up to snatch the corner of the paper towel. Luckily I was there and screamed so he ran off before the bottle toppled onto the kitchen floor and exploded.
Has anyone ever tried to get an entire bottle of warm oil off the kitchen floor? including shattered glass? It took about 3 hours
Sometimes I think it is a miracle he survived puppyhood....or maybe it is a miracle we did
Has anyone ever tried to get an entire bottle of warm oil off the kitchen floor? including shattered glass? It took about 3 hours
Sometimes I think it is a miracle he survived puppyhood....or maybe it is a miracle we did
It always surprised that Moo reached old age. The things she did, she was just so clever. She wasn't destructive just devious. She stole sneaked and ran off from such an early are. She was completely fearless very obedient but it was all about moo.in certain situations there was no dog you could trust more but sometimes oh sometimes