HI Joanne, I do believe Ive had the pleasure on another recent post..wanted to thank you for that by the way...wont bore you again with my stuff...just wanted to say great post and lots of help.
Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:25 pm Post subject: puppy training
Hi puppy owners!
I brought home a week ago 2 gorgeous black lab bitches who are now 9 weeks old & could do with some advice!!!
House training: we seem to have cracked the poo but they are still peeing half the time on the floor & half the time on paper despite spending hours outside giving titbits & praise! Also its just lots of tiny spots! Help!
Their play fighting sometimes gets a little agressive & also although they greet us enthusiastically they prefer to play with each other & wont engage in games with us. If I throw a toy they just look at it & wander off!
Any tips on lead training??
Finally, they aren't responding well to their names!!!
I grew up with labs as working dogs & now they can be the most loving, gentle, well behaved dogs & really want to achieve this with mine but at the moment my 3 children are a little disappointed in how little interest they show them!!
Housetraining....Get rid of the paper, this only teaches them it's ok to toilet indoors....It's too confusing.....take them out regularly, don't wait for them to "Ask" and then reward them for going outside.
You have bought two pups the same age.....they are not going to want to be with you, play with you, or bond with you at all, unless you spend LOTS of time with each one of them seperately....Otherwise they have no need for you other than to feed them. All training should be done seperately, especially lead training...and I wouldn't even try to lead walk both together until they are both at a stage where they can and do walk nicely, without pulling and weaving ALL of the time. Even dogs that usually walk nicely can revert into a pulling mess, if you throw another dog into the mix.
I am a little surprised that the breeder let you have two pups from the same litter, as most won't do this, unless the new owner is very experienced AND has LOADS of time at their disposal every day.
I know some people do take on two pups at the same time and they do grow up to be wonderful well rounded dogs...but this take a lot of time and effort...so be prepared.
I know that many breeders won't let two puppies go to the same home together as they will tend to bond with each other rather than the owners, causing some of the problems you have mentioned.
Hopefully someone will see your post and be able to advise you on the best course of action soon.
(You might want to post your questions as a new thread in the Puppy section too so more people will see your post)
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:42 am Post subject: wow what a great post!
I have read the entire thread and it's really great and informative, but I'm not sure if any of the training methods are ok for our 9 week old puppy?
"when is the right time for trying method X,Y,Z" seems to be our main concern right now. I would like to teach it "leave it/take it" but the puppy isn't able to sit for more than a few seconds yet so is it too early?
I started take it/leave it as soon as she came home and I read this thread.
Just add these commands into your everyday routine, ie when you give pup their dinner. Put the bowl down and maybe gently hold the collar just for a few seconds while saying leave it, then you can say take it. You can build this time up and before you know it pup will sit there waiting for the take it command.
I taught my pup this using Joanne's method with a treat in my hand and she learnt it in around 10 mins at only 9/10 weeks old.
Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 10:26 pm Post subject: Sensible Article
Hi, brilliant article, long overdue and hopefully a great help to others who use this site. Far too many people treat their dogs as if they are a human wearing a fur coat and then wonder why they have so many problems! The temptation to over indulge Lab puppies is of course huge, they are georges, but resist you must or you will suffer big time for your mistakes. I really look forward to reading the next installment and admire your dedication, thank you.
Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 2:08 pm Post subject: Great Guide.
Fantasic, clearly written and great for a first timer. This guide alone convinced me to sign up. I'm getting my first dog, a black Lab in 6ish weeks, I've been doing all the reading I can but so far haven't seen anything on "take"/"leave" and this was ideal. Also the biting guide, just what I was looking for. The only criticism I have is the walking guide was a little confusing, I'll have to reread that one.
Have you thought about putting this guide somewhere else? Maybe try and get it added on the kennelclub website?
I just want to say what an awesome article... we are about to embark on taking in a puppy and this has helped no end, my thanks for making so much so clear... cheers
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