Whens a good time to start training?

[tomatoboi]

hello, i dont think ive introduced myself in the Puppy section yet!! but HI! me and my gf recently bought a 6 and a half week old Shihtzu.. im jw can i start teaching her NILF and Sit, stay commands yet? She likes to sleep ALOT! also she runs weird.. kinda like.. crooked lol its hard to explain. Can it be because shes so young?

[tessa_s212]

You can start training right away! :D

The first thing that most all people teach is to "sit". You can do this by luring. Use the treat, place it infront of the dog's nose and lift up and back, which makes the dog's rear fall back. When the puppy's butt hits the floor, say yes and treat. At this point in time, don't say any command. Get the dog familiar with the behavior. Once the dog is quickly sitting when you begin to lure, you then add the command. When the butt hits the ground, say "Sit" and then treat and praise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESZozdpmQMs

You can also teach your dog to down on command. Simply place the treat in front of the dog's nose again, and this time lure down and back, in between the dog's legs. The dog should begin to lean back and into a down. Again, yes/treat at first, and then soon add the command.

You can also teach this from a sit in the same exact way, except that the dog will instead lower its upper body instead of folding back into a down. I always teach my dogs both ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmwJWAAv6so

I also recommend that you start working on the recall command very early! :)

[tomatoboi]

thanks alot..all that really helped.. now about the biting part. she likes to bite everything..how do you let her know NOT to bite people? i read about the IGNORING her thing, where you play with her, and when she bites you, you stop eveyrthing and walk away. I tried this but it doesnt seem to work LOL. everytime i walk away, she looks like she doesnt care and just starts playing by herself.

[Buddy'sParents]

It's important to remember that this is just a puppy and will have puppy behaviors for quite some time. And, your puppy is quite young to be without her mom and littermates, so the transitions may be a little more difficult. :)

I know that when our Bella clamped down on my fingers, I let out an , "owwwww" and that stopped her in her tracks. When your pup starts to chew or bite on things that are not okay, immediately redirect the behavior to something that is okay for her to chew on.. a rubber toy, chewie, etc..

It is never too early to start training. Just don't go overboard with it. your puppy needs to be a puppy. :) We got Bella on Tuesday and she is 12 weeks old, she's pretty comfortable with her name and is learning sit and come now. But these are not rigorous training sessions.

Good luck! :)

P.S. --- puppies do sleep... A LOT!!! :D

[tomatoboi]

lol yeah she sleeps ALL day... but at NIGHT, she cries at times..but ignore her.. i let her out to pee or poo and after shes done.. i put her Right back in, but she STILL cries, so i know it cant be because she needs to pee or poo, am i doing the right thing?? i feel so bad

[Buddy'sParents]

Are you crate training?

[tomatoboi]

yea when i say take her out to pee or poo, i mean just right outside her crate. The crate is in my room lol i place newspaper in front of the crate. after she goes.. i put her back in

[FoxyWench]

sounds like your doign everythign just right, ignoring her when she cries at night is the best thing, you might want to get a little comfort heart (or a stuffed toy with a ticking clock behind) at 6 1/2 weeks shes VERY young (i dont suggest toy breeds going home before there 10 weeks, 8 weeks at the VERY youngest) shell be missing her littermates and feeling very lost and alone, be patient.
Dont give in to the crying (the first time you do shes won!)
as for traiing yes you can start trainign her now, just keep sessions short and fun and ALWAYS positive. at 6 1/2 weeks shes bound to sleep MOST the time and lose interes quickly!

[Buddy'sParents]

I think you're doing everything right. :)

It's great that the crate is in your room also. That will help her a lot.

[Herschel]

You're going to have significant biting problems for quite a while. 6 and 1/2 weeks is far too young to remove a puppy from its litter mates. Puppies learn bite inhibition from their siblings--so you are going to have to start working immediately to help her through this. http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html

I'm glad to hear you are crate training. You are right to ignore the whining and you will soon see that her whining to go to the bathroom is quite different than her whine to get out of the crate. She left her family very early so she is probably a little bit homesick. How far is the crate from your bed? If you bring it closer, it might help her feel safe and secure.

Your going to confuse her with the newspapers. I understand that she is quite young, but you're at an advantage with house training. Right now, you're teaching her that it is OK for her to go to the bathroom in the house (but only on the newspaper). That's a tough distinction for such a young infant to make. If you want to have a dog that only goes to the bathroom outside, you're going to have to take her out in the middle of the night. It's tough, but it's the reality of raising a puppy!

[bubbatd]

^^^^ agree with the newspaper ! Will take longer housebreaking too . My grand-dog Seger slept between his new Mom and Dad from day one with them . Woke up the first night and from then on , slept all night long . He starts puppy obedience next week and is completely housebroken ....proud of him and them !

[tomatoboi]

k this is What i THINK i learned from that article is ..

1) if she tries to bite me, i have to grab her by her scruff of the neck and say NO in a low voice.. (im scared im gna hurt her lol)

2)Do not play tug of war with the puppy ( i play that with her all the time..lol so do i just leave here there and let her play with her toys on her own?)

3)"She'd roll them over, pin them down, growling at them if they didn't lie quietly. " (Does this really work?

[jason_els]

1) if she tries to bite me, i have to grab her by her scruff of the neck and say NO in a low voice.. (im scared im gna hurt her lol)

It's ok to chew your hand only if it doesn't hurt. Stick with the, "OWWW!," say it really loud and in a high-pitched voice so it startles her then immediately walk away for a few minutes. If you so much as look at her she'll notice it as she has better peripheral vision than you do. Don't look at her, just ignore her for 2-3 minutes. Walk away, no play, no anything.

2)Do not play tug of war with the puppy ( i play that with her all the time..lol so do i just leave here there and let her play with her toys on her own?)

Tug of war is ok if you're the one to initiate it and if you're the one to end it. Always end it with you winning. You can lose individual games bouts, just don't end the game entirely with her winning. Use a tug-of-war toy that doesn't get used for any other game. You keep that toy and decide when it gets played with.

3)"She'd roll them over, pin them down, growling at them if they didn't lie quietly. " (Does this really work?

This is called an, "alpha roll," and I don't know of anyone here who thinks it's ok to do. Mom doing it is one thing, you doing it is another. It's a very aggressive thing to do on your part and can harm the relationship. As I'm sure the trainers here will tell you, there are better ways that give better and faster results without stressing-out the dog.

Welcome to Chaz!

[Herschel]

Actually, sorry about that. I didn't read the whole article.

I just wanted you to get this out of that article:

"Biting and mouthing are normal behaviors for puppies. Dogs don't have hands so they investigate objects and their environment with their mouths. To a curious puppy, everything about this big world is brand new and exciting. He learns as he goes along. You can almost hear his thought processes as he discovers something he's never seen before: "Hmmm...what's this? [chomping on it] Something to eat? No? [tossing it around] Can I play with it? Maybe. Can I make it squeak?"

Playing is also a normal learning behavior for puppies, especially play-fighting. Play-fighting with littermates and other animals develops reflexes, coordination and physical skill. It also helps them develop social skills and teaches them how to interact positively within their canine society, their "pack." And it's great fun for them. Sometimes their fighting and "attacks" on us appear frighteningly fierce but to them, it's just a game. Much like a group of kids playing make-believe games and pretending to be grown-ups, puppies have their own games and pretend to be "grown-ups," too!

A dog's ability to control the force of his biting is called "bite inhibition." It's a critically important skill that every puppy needs to learn, the earlier the better. At first, they don't know their own strength nor how sharp their little teeth really are. Puppies learn to control the force of their biting from the reactions of their mothers and littermates during play and especially play-fighting."

Imitating a mother or another dog doesn't translate to dogs. At best, actions like scruffing and alpha rolling will scare your dog into submission. At worse, you will either hurt your dog or your dog will hurt you.

A better article for some techniques of teaching bite inibition:
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/archives/bite.txt

[Herschel]

k this is What i THINK i learned from that article is ..

1) if she tries to bite me, i have to grab her by her scruff of the neck and say NO in a low voice.. (im scared im gna hurt her lol)

Don't scruff your dog, just ignore.

2)Do not play tug of war with the puppy ( i play that with her all the time..lol so do i just leave here there and let her play with her toys on her own?)

Tug of war is fine. Read the Shirley Chong article in my above post.


3)"She'd roll them over, pin them down, growling at them if they didn't lie quietly. " (Does this really work?

Don't alpha roll.

[Buddy'sParents]

k this is What i THINK i learned from that article is ..

1) if she tries to bite me, i have to grab her by her scruff of the neck and say NO in a low voice.. (im scared im gna hurt her lol)

2)Do not play tug of war with the puppy ( i play that with her all the time..lol so do i just leave here there and let her play with her toys on her own?)

3)"She'd roll them over, pin them down, growling at them if they didn't lie quietly. " (Does this really work?

I didn't read the article, but I see no reason for doing any of those things.

1. If she tries to bite you, say no or ow or something to that affect. Let her know that it hurt. And give her something that is appropriate for her to bite.. like a rubber toy or what not.

2. Many people do not play tug of war. We stopped and then we started again. As long as you are in control of the toy, I see no problem with it. For example, you always win the toy. When you say, Drop, your dog drops it, etc.. If I'm playing with my boys and they get too rough, I say drop and the toy then becomes in my possession and we dont play again until I am ready.

3. Im confused about this? Who rolls over who? :confused:

[Buddy'sParents]

I see we were all typing/posting a the same time! :p Hope we were able to help .

[tomatoboi]

wow thanks alot guys for the help. one thing about the ignoring tho.. if i ignore her am i suppose to get outta the room? i cant do that becuz i have alota wires in my rooms and i cant leave her in there alone.. and if i ignore her and just walk away to the other side of the room.. she just plays by herself! like she doesnt care lol

[Buddy'sParents]

*chuckles*

Sounds like a puppy!

You don't have to leave the room, but do ignore her. :)

[tomatoboi]

just wanted to show u guys this little girl :D
http://img187.imageshack.us/my.php?image=49dehg4.jpg
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/6439/eaasz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Buddy'sParents]

Aww, cute! :)

[kidsanddogs]

Your puppy is just adorable! So tiny! I think it's most important to remember how young your dog is. Everything should be about play! It's kind of like tricking children into eating nutritious foods by making them taste really good. If your pup is having lots of fun, she can learn lots of things. Teaching tricks is great fun for both of you. Developing a strong bond will go a long way to having a dog that's willing to learn from you. Talk to her all the time. Use words that she will eventually learn. Use her name only for positive things. Leave it out when you are being negative or disciplining.

Here's a page that lays out your pup's first year and things that are important for her to learn: http://loveyourdog.com/firstyear.html

Congratulations on your new pup!

[Lizmo]

She's adorable! :D

[tomatoboi]

help guys, this little girl is driving me crazy right now... shes biting me like crazy!! even when i pick her up!! AND she growled at me.. shes never done this before :mad: she looks RAELLy scary rite now.

[tomatoboi]

anyone?? shes biting the crap outa me! everytime i pick her up or anything..this never happeend before ,

[tiivi]

When she bites you, let out high pitched yelp and ignore her for a moment after it. That's what her littermates would do if she bit them too hard. If she gets really out of control (bites even you yelp and let her know it hurts) try putting her to time out. She should get it quickly that she won't get any of your attention by biting.

[tomatoboi]

yea h she doesnt care about the yelp or OW :confused: its like.. she does the crounching position(u know the one when theyre playing) and then snaps at anything that goes near her.. my family is getting scared to pet her!

[Maxy24]

do something she really enjoys, some type of game. Do it in a room with not many interesting things and no toys of hers. Once you get her into the game pet her. If she does not bite then continue the game, stop and pet her a few more times. If she dos fine with this then pick her up for a second and put her down continuing the game. Do that a couple of times and only for a second or two. Slowly increase the amount of time you hold her and make sure if she does not bite then the game continues. If at any point she puts any part of your skin in her mouth, even if it does not really hurt or it seems like an accident say OW! as if you had just...I don't know slammed your finger in the car door or something (well maybe not that loud, but you know kinda startling and sudden) stand up put the toy in your pocket or behind your back and look away from her or turn your back to her. Pay zero attention. After 1 to two minutes of you silently looking away from her go down and play again then go over the steps, don't start from the point she bit you at as she as not yet ready to be held that long and remain calm. Make sure the game always continues if there is no biting.Also it's important that while you are playing the game you don't make any noise be quiet while playing with the toy, that will make your "yelp" more noticeable and don't ever use whatever noise you choose in regular play as she will learn that it is normal for you to make that noise when you are playing with her.Another important thing I must mention is NEVER EVER play with her using your hands. I know a person who would get angry at his dog when he grabbed his hands but then would rough house with the dog using his hands as toys! That teaches him that it's fun to bite your hands. NEVER let your dog get away with biting. When your holding her she may bite because she wants to get down. Chances are after she bites you put her down. By doing this she learns biting works, so you must prove her wrong. When she is biting you, don't put her down just wait for her to stop (don't use "OW" for this as you can't ensure she will actually stop biting during this exercise you don't need to say anything) when she stops biting for 5 seconds grab a treat out of your pocket (oh yes, I forgot to mention you will need a pocket full of yummy treats like sliced hot dog) and give it to her. Don't show her the treat before hand, surprise her with it. Once she eats the treat put her down and play with or pet her (whichever she prefers) for a minute and then hold her again. Make sure she is in a comfortable position when you hold her (if she does not like to be cradled like a baby don't do it for now. You will also need to desensitize her to this way of being held just so she will be easily handled but that is for a different thread.) and make it pleasant, talk to her pet her if she likes that, walk with her or sit with her, whichever she enjoys more just make it pleasant. Each one minute period she goes without biting give her a treat (this is where your other pocket comes in, these treats will not be as yummy as the hot dogs. Try normal biscuits with none of those flavors just regular milk bone biscuits or whatever they are called, break them into smaller pieces for training.) Just so i make sure you are following me you use the hot dog slices if she was biting but stopped for 5 seconds and you use the regular treats for if she has not bitten at all since you picked her up, these are given at one minute intervals. You give them at intervals until she starts biting then you wait for the 5 seconds and give the hot dog wait a second and put her down to play or pet and pick up again. If she goes 5 minutes without biting through the entire thing (that means you did not need to give any hot dog because there were no "incidents") give her a hot dog treat, put her down, play with her for a minute and end the session.

With those sessions you will increase the time of the session and the time you require her to go between biting bouts (the five second time will slowly increase) and also the time intervals that you give the regular treats will increase. These should not start increasing until you notice significant improvement (at least a week) then slowly begin to increase the times. If she has a really hard time with these sessions than you may need to make them shorter. Make the entire session shorter make the time between bites shorter (maybe 2-3 seconds) but don't increase the regular treat intervals. Always end on a positive note like she just went the 5 seconds between biting and got her hot dog treat or she went the whole time without biting and got her hot dog treat. Put her down give her a short game (I say short because I don't want her to think you put her down and then ignore her because she may think she did something wrong but I also don't want her thinking being put down is much better than being held because then she will want to be put down very badly to play). Never end the holding session while she is biting because like I stated she will think it works. I hope this helps and I'm VERY sorry it's so long, I hope I didn't babble and that everything makes sense. If you need me to clarify a certain point I'd be more than happy to I just want to make sure you understand everything so you can do this thing right and have a bite free puppy :D good luck!

[Maxy24]

she does the crounching position(u know the one when theyre playing) and then snaps at anything that goes near her.. my family is getting scared to pet her!

Oh, and for now when she is in this mode play a very tiring game with her like a vigorous game of tug or a fast paced game of fetch to tire her out (thats what I have to do with the cats when they start attack people who walk by, and climbing the curtains, not the exact same games of course, although one of my cats will fetch in fact it is the only game he will play :D ) when she is like that don't try to pet her that is a set up for failure.

[tomatoboi]

O WOW :yikes: thanks for ur time to type all that.. ill definitely try that and ill post the results!!

[tomatoboi]

hey guys, well my puppy is still biting lol ive even asked people.. and they said " its normal..at 7 weeks, she will bite no matter how much u train her" , i think shes starting to show a bit of dominance.... i hope not, but.. she likes to STAND OVER her toys(which consists of a puppy and a frog doll), and when she bites them, she goes crazy and FLINGS them around while biting them!

[Herschel]

That isn't dominance, it's play!! Please don't buy into all of this Cesar Milan dominance hype.

Yes, at this stage she will bite. However, you want to train her not to so when she grows out of this stage she will have learned some manners. If you don't train, then she will continue to bite forever!

[tomatoboi]

lol ur so right! that was where i got it from lol. ive been wa tching too much ceasar milan.. i thought he was good..