Calling all 'dog lover people'

[HopeFaithLove4u]

I haven't been a 'dog person' because growing up, my mom got a psycho poodle from someone and he was 1 1/2 years old. He must've had a terrible upbringing to that point, because he used to growl and bite, whenever he felt like it, he wasn't disciplined and would chase cars down the street or get in fights with other dogs, etc. I never knew how he would act from day to day?! My mom never did training with him, just let him act the way he wanted and (of course) he was very protective over her. So, since then, I've never cared for dogs.

My daughter LOVES dogs and I recently got her a puppy, from the shelter.....my daughter is 9 (I know he's primarily my responsibility). I want our dog to be sweet, patient, respectful of people/dogs, etc. I have a fear that he'll turn out like my other dog growing up.

My question is: if we give him love/boundaries and are consistent with him as a puppy (we are starting training classes in 2 weeks) will he be a great, sweet, respectful dog? I want to do this right, that's why we got a puppy. I have zero experience with puppies and he's very hyper,bitey/nippy, in the morning. I keep him on a leash during the day, in the house to keep him near me, so he doesn't go potty and he doesn't get too excited and run and jump all over the house. Will he grow out of biting/nipping? When he's tired, he's VERY sweet and licks hands. He already knows the sit and stay command. He's already (at 9 weeks) letting me know when he has to go outside to potty. We've been crate training him. For the past month, someone has been home, consistently (I don't have to work during the summer). So he gets quality time and love and affection and never neglected.

Please tell me that, what I'm doing will create a pleasant dog to be around.....I want a really well-behaved dog.

Thanks, from someone that doesn't know what she's doing.

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Ohhhh, I forgot to mention, I'm trying to keep him socialized with other dogs/people, whenever we're out and they are around.

He went in the shelter at 4 weeks, so didn't have a mom/litter to learn from not to bite so hard, etc.

 

[Aeris]

It sounds like you are doing a pretty good job so far, its good that you are doing training classes with him, I think all people should take atleast their first dog/ puppy to some kind of training class. Its good that you are crate training him too. All (or atleast most) puppies bite or nip even ones that have been with their mothers and littermates for the full 8 weeks. The one thing I would suggest is to let him off leash in the house, he is a baby and does need constant supervision and the leash can be used if you are busy, but if hes on leash too much then it may be hard to teach him how to act properly in the house when hes off leash. Its good that you are socailizing him with other dogs and people, the training classes will help with that too. So far it sounds like you are doing a good job and your puppy should grow up to be a good dog. What breed of dog is he? If he a large breed, its important to remember not to let him do things you wouldnt want a big dog doing, it might be cute when a puppy jumps up on you and licks your face but in a year when hes big it wont be so cute. With little dogs its important to remember that they need consistant training just like a big dog, I find alot of people undertrain small dogs.

 

[tessas212]

Sometimes its simply easier and better to search for an adult, relaxed, calm dog if that is what you want. Puppies can turn out to be ANYTHING. What breed is it? That will help determine its personality.

Good for you for joining a training class! YES! That will help! But it isn't just ONE training class.. you'll be training that dog for the rest of its life. And puppies go through "teenage" years, just like humans. At about 8-12 months(or evn up to 2 years, depending on the breed) you are likely to experience a dog that acts like he's "forgotten" all his training and acts just like a complete deaf dog to many of your commands. That is normal, and doesn't make it a bad dog. It means you've got to stick by him, because he's your responsibility, and continue to train, set boundaries, discipline, and reward!

For socialization, the rule is 100 people a day! Fat, sknny, tall, short, bearded, bald, funny hats, funny clothes. He has to meet ALLLL sorts of people! And those people should never loom over top of him. Always carry yummmmy treats on you, ask people to kneel down and use the treat to call the puppy to them! (Too many people "socialize" their puppies by letting people get right in the dog's face and loom overtop and invade the dog's space. That probably does more damage than good!)

He's a puppy. Puppies naturally bite and nip. EVERY time he bites and nips, you should immediately remove yourself from the picture. ILf you had been playingwith him, stand up and walk away and ignore him for a minute. Then resume playing. Do this EVERY time he nips you. He'll soon learn biting people = they don't want to play with me anymore and will stop. It may take a very long time, as it is puppy's natural instinct to play bite.. but it will work if you are consistent.

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Thanks for the responses!

Good to know that I'm on the right track!!

He's a mixed breed.....medium-large dog. Got him from the animal shelter.
My vet says looks like he'll be about 50 lbs.

Yeah, I try to keep in mind that he's just a puppy, when he bites, but his sharp teeth HURT!! I do just get up and walk away when he gets to be overly active. I've only been using postive reinforcement and lots of love when he's calm.

Puppies are ALOT of work!!

 

[encouraging loves animals]

Poodles do have a tendancy to bite, growl &bark and be pschyo!

Start trainning straight away-which you have done-keep it short and practise. When he does nip, you need to say "NO firmly" Some dogs won't learn if you walk away-they will keep at it&think its something to chase-my dog wouldn't when she was a puppy. You can use a water sprayer- if he ignore you when you say NO! You need to make him sit before anyone comes to doors or comes up to you- i'm guess you do this already.

which i guess you already! if you use consistend training and both positive and negative trainning, you'll have a well behaved and well manner dog!

Positive reinformanced won't work on its on! You do need to use some negative reinforcement when puppy misbehaves. But negative reenforcemend doesn't mean Hit the dog! Also after you say No, you can use a chew toy to distract him when he lets go!


I would myself not let him sleep on the couch, on a chair or on bed as it makes the dog equal to you or above you! A dog should be below you in pack order!

Another key reason often has to do with dominance. Before dogs became domesticated, the alpha dog, or leader of the pack, would always choose a high sleeping ground as the choice place to sleep. Feral or wild dogs in packs as well as wolves still sleep in this way. The highest ranking member of the pack sleeps at a level that is physically higher than the other members of the pack. This hierarchical nature of the pack is hardwired in modern dogs as well. By letting your dog sleep on furniture that is higher than the ground (the same places you relax and sleep on) you are quite possibly communicating to him/her that he/she is your equal. You may even be communicating that your dog is more dominant than you. This is especially true if your dog regularly exhibits other dominant behaviour and it has the potential to escalate into a real problem, including aggression. These other dominant behaviours include growling at you, leaning on you, eating food before the human family, entering or leaving doorways before you and generally not listening to you etc. A dog that KNOWS that every member of the family is higher in rank, will generally not exhibit these behaviours.
It is therefore good practice, not to allow your dog access to these high sleeping grounds (or high relaxation grounds) in order to assure your position as the leader of the pack. If you are not home and the dog has access to these higher places for resting, than placing certain objects that dogs dislike on the couch or chair in question is a great idea. There are plastic items in most pet stores that have blunt plastic spikes on them that are perfect for this situation. If the dog jumps on the couch or chair, it lands on the blunt spikes which don't hurt the dog but make it uncomfortable for the dog to lie on.
It is best that the dog's place of relaxation and sleep be a comfy blanket or basket on the floor. This will prevent possible behavioral problems associated with dominance. As always, all dogs should have basic obedience training and dominance issues should be discussed with your veterinarian or trainer

It okay to let him sit at your feet on the floor and lie at the side or foot of your bed-but he should have his own bed.
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-12.htm

50 pounds=approx 22.6796 kg

Do you have a picture of your puppy? I like to guess what breed it possible is- i do know that some mixed breeds, you can least in most cases identify one or two breed in it!! I pretty good at guessing now! they will eventually. normallly about 2yrs they start to mature. Larger the dog, the slower they are!

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Poodles do have a tendancy to bite, growl &bark and be pschyo!

Start trainning straight away-which you have done-keep it short and practise. When he does nip, you need to say "NO firmly" Some dogs won't learn if you walk away-they will keep at it&think its something to chase-my dog wouldn't when she was a puppy. You can use a water sprayer- if he ignore you when you say NO! You need to make him sit before anyone comes to doors or comes up to you- i'm guess you do this already.

which i guess you already! if you use consistend training and both positive and negative trainning, you'll have a well behaved and well manner dog!

Positive reinformanced won't work on its on! You do need to use some negative reinforcement when puppy misbehaves. But negative reenforcemend doesn't mean Hit the dog! Also after you say No, you can use a chew toy to distract him when he lets go!


I would myself not let him sleep on the couch, on a chair or on bed as it makes the dog equal to you or above you! A dog should be below you in pack order!

Another key reason often has to do with dominance. Before dogs became domesticated, the alpha dog, or leader of the pack, would always choose a high sleeping ground as the choice place to sleep. Feral or wild dogs in packs as well as wolves still sleep in this way. The highest ranking member of the pack sleeps at a level that is physically higher than the other members of the pack. This hierarchical nature of the pack is hardwired in modern dogs as well. By letting your dog sleep on furniture that is higher than the ground (the same places you relax and sleep on) you are quite possibly communicating to him/her that he/she is your equal. You may even be communicating that your dog is more dominant than you. This is especially true if your dog regularly exhibits other dominant behaviour and it has the potential to escalate into a real problem, including aggression. These other dominant behaviours include growling at you, leaning on you, eating food before the human family, entering or leaving doorways before you and generally not listening to you etc. A dog that KNOWS that every member of the family is higher in rank, will generally not exhibit these behaviours.
It is therefore good practice, not to allow your dog access to these high sleeping grounds (or high relaxation grounds) in order to assure your position as the leader of the pack. If you are not home and the dog has access to these higher places for resting, than placing certain objects that dogs dislike on the couch or chair in question is a great idea. There are plastic items in most pet stores that have blunt plastic spikes on them that are perfect for this situation. If the dog jumps on the couch or chair, it lands on the blunt spikes which don't hurt the dog but make it uncomfortable for the dog to lie on.
It is best that the dog's place of relaxation and sleep be a comfy blanket or basket on the floor. This will prevent possible behavioral problems associated with dominance. As always, all dogs should have basic obedience training and dominance issues should be discussed with your veterinarian or trainer

It okay to let him sit at your feet on the floor and lie at the side or foot of your bed-but he should have his own bed.
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-12.htm

50 pounds=approx 22.6796 kg

Do you have a picture of your puppy? I like to guess what breed it possible is- i do know that some mixed breeds, you can least in most cases identify one or two breed in it!! I pretty good at guessing now! they will eventually. normallly about 2yrs they start to mature. Larger the dog, the slower they are!

thanks for this.....I knew some of these facts, but not all, so any bit of info. is very useful!!

I'll post a pic. of him in my photo section of my profile......keep in mind it was taken 3 weeks ago, he's 13 lbs. now @ 11 weeks old. And his ears are in between limp and standing straight to pointy.....he looks as is his ears mt be pointy. Here's what people have told me he looks like mixed of lab, golder retriever, sheppard, pitbull, boxer(because he's so big at 11 weeks), terrier.....the people that think he's part sheppard say no pitbull and the people that say part pitbull say no sheppard. His fur is changing color from (tan when he was 4-5 weeks) to (redish-orange at 11 weeks). I have no clue what he is?

Also with the crate....I use it when he starts getting excited and wants to run thru the house.....I'll just keep putting him in the crate until he's calm. And I do walk outside 1st when we go for walks.....I'm trying to teach him to wait until I get out the door, 1st.

The sitting down command when people are at the door or enter the room is a good idea!! He LOVES people and get's VERY excited whenever he see's someone new!!

I'll try to post a pic of him in this thread, but if I don't succeed, it's in my profile pics.

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Sorry it's sideways.....I don't know how to straighten it?

Keep in my he's almost a month older, bigger and his ears are bigger and perking up.......my vet said, last night that he could be 50-80 lbs., since he's gotten so big in the past month!

Also you can't tell from this pic, but his face has wrinkles in it, too.

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Here's another one.

 

[encouraging loves animals]

Looks to me Like a Kelpie x Labrador x tiny Border Collie x tiny amount of German Shepherd-have a look at the slight black ticking on the head-in the 1st picture. Hope you like to walk lots when pup reaches 18month old! Because Kelpie LOVE TO WALK LONG WALKS! 99.9% sure it most certainly Kelpie x Labrador-got more white then i would expect from both breeds but its possible.

I don't see the Golden Retriver, I don't see the Pitbull, but I think people are saying it pitbull x because of the colouring-pitbull x are commonly this colour-he doesn't have the conformation that is typically of a pit. He got the conformation of the Labrador & i'm seeing alot of Kelpie too in him.

Kelpies

Kelpies are a working breed so need lots of mental stimulation and plenty of exercise. They generally don't cope well in a suburban backyard where they become bored and destructive. This girl is still a pup so will chew and needs to go to obedience training. She'd love to live on a large property with another dog or an active family to play with. exercise require are 4km walks-2walks twice a day. even for most mutts- occassion a mutt would be quiter and need less exercise, but most of the time a Mutt has the energy of purebred working dog!
i'm sure your daughter can do some of the walking, it can be spread out through the day!

There alot of breeds that can appear to look like boxers-Is it Possible that you get a head shot of your pup particular the amount of wrinkles?

 

[HeDied4Me]

Aw, cute pup.

It sounds like you are dedicated to training this puppy well. That's great! You're on the right track.

One caution...Not all training classes are equal. Many are great, but there are a few that might not be so good. One key is if the dogs seem to respond well...not just obediently, but happily. A well-trained dog is a happy dog.

If you have questions for professionals, here is a link to a good dog messageboard run by a world-famous dog trainer.
http://familydog.yuku.com/directory
I'd also recommend the book My Smart Puppy, by the same trainer (Sarah Wilson). I've heard it's an excellent book. (I might be a bit biased since there are pictures of my dogs in it, but still...)

 

[K9_Trainer]

He kind of reminds me of a pup I had for a while, the muzzle and face structure is very similar. Buddy was 1/4 basenji for absolute sure, 1/4 pittie for absolute sure, 1/4 lab for absolute sure and the last quarter we believe was border collie or kelpie. You can see the wrinkles in him there, on his face and around his eyes....That was the Basenji in him showing. Of course they are different because Buddy was 5 months in that pic, but when he was younger, he looked a lot like your pup.

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

He kind of reminds me of a pup I had for a while, the muzzle and face structure is very similar. Buddy was 1/4 basenji for absolute sure, 1/4 pittie for absolute sure, 1/4 lab for absolute sure and the last quarter we believe was border collie or kelpie. You can see the wrinkles in him there, on his face and around his eyes....That was the Basenji in him showing. Of course they are different because Buddy was 5 months in that pic, but when he was younger, he looked a lot like your pup.

Yes....I would say this is what Rocky looks more like now....with his ears, body structure, wrinkles on the face are the same. How big did this dog get?

I'll have to look those breeds up.

 

[tessas212]

Hope, ignore too much about dominance. It is overused and over emphasized. Especially about the bull about sleeping on beds, furniture, and walking ahead of you out the door. Dogs are not wolves, nor are we dogs. I'd stray far far away from advice that includes too much about dominance, alpha rolling, etc.

(However, not allowing them on furniture and beds can be a lot more convenient for the sake of cleaning!)

It is best to wait until they are older and more towards their adult features to make the 'final guess'.

 

[Aeris]

Poodles do have a tendancy to bite, growl &bark and be pschyo!

Start trainning straight away-which you have done-keep it short and practise. When he does nip, you need to say "NO firmly" Some dogs won't learn if you walk away-they will keep at it&think its something to chase-my dog wouldn't when she was a puppy. You can use a water sprayer- if he ignore you when you say NO! You need to make him sit before anyone comes to doors or comes up to you- i'm guess you do this already.

which i guess you already! if you use consistend training and both positive and negative trainning, you'll have a well behaved and well manner dog!

Positive reinformanced won't work on its on! You do need to use some negative reinforcement when puppy misbehaves. But negative reenforcemend doesn't mean Hit the dog! Also after you say No, you can use a chew toy to distract him when he lets go!


I would myself not let him sleep on the couch, on a chair or on bed as it makes the dog equal to you or above you! A dog should be below you in pack order!

Another key reason often has to do with dominance. Before dogs became domesticated, the alpha dog, or leader of the pack, would always choose a high sleeping ground as the choice place to sleep. Feral or wild dogs in packs as well as wolves still sleep in this way. The highest ranking member of the pack sleeps at a level that is physically higher than the other members of the pack. This hierarchical nature of the pack is hardwired in modern dogs as well. By letting your dog sleep on furniture that is higher than the ground (the same places you relax and sleep on) you are quite possibly communicating to him/her that he/she is your equal. You may even be communicating that your dog is more dominant than you. This is especially true if your dog regularly exhibits other dominant behaviour and it has the potential to escalate into a real problem, including aggression. These other dominant behaviours include growling at you, leaning on you, eating food before the human family, entering or leaving doorways before you and generally not listening to you etc. A dog that KNOWS that every member of the family is higher in rank, will generally not exhibit these behaviours.
It is therefore good practice, not to allow your dog access to these high sleeping grounds (or high relaxation grounds) in order to assure your position as the leader of the pack. If you are not home and the dog has access to these higher places for resting, than placing certain objects that dogs dislike on the couch or chair in question is a great idea. There are plastic items in most pet stores that have blunt plastic spikes on them that are perfect for this situation. If the dog jumps on the couch or chair, it lands on the blunt spikes which don't hurt the dog but make it uncomfortable for the dog to lie on.
It is best that the dog's place of relaxation and sleep be a comfy blanket or basket on the floor. This will prevent possible behavioral problems associated with dominance. As always, all dogs should have basic obedience training and dominance issues should be discussed with your veterinarian or trainer

It okay to let him sit at your feet on the floor and lie at the side or foot of your bed-but he should have his own bed.
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-12.htm

50 pounds=approx 22.6796 kg

Do you have a picture of your puppy? I like to guess what breed it possible is- i do know that some mixed breeds, you can least in most cases identify one or two breed in it!! I pretty good at guessing now! they will eventually. normallly about 2yrs they start to mature. Larger the dog, the slower they are!

Thats a good point I forgot to mention! With my dog he was first taught that he is not allowed on the furniture at all, then once he understood that and never went on the furniture we taught him he can go on it but only if he is invited and its not very often, he is also taught to get off if you tell him to.

 

[Aeris]

Here's another one.

Hes very cute He looks like a lab x to me, I dont know what the cross is with though, maybe shepard? I dont know why people would think he is part pitbull or boxer though, he doesnt look at all like either breed to me other than the white marking which are kinda like a boxers.

 

[Aeris]

He kind of reminds me of a pup I had for a while, the muzzle and face structure is very similar. Buddy was 1/4 basenji for absolute sure, 1/4 pittie for absolute sure, 1/4 lab for absolute sure and the last quarter we believe was border collie or kelpie. You can see the wrinkles in him there, on his face and around his eyes....That was the Basenji in him showing. Of course they are different because Buddy was 5 months in that pic, but when he was younger, he looked a lot like your pup.

Yes Besenji would make alot of sense

 

[K9_Trainer]

Hope, Buddy was about 30 pounds at 5 months when he was PTS. If he were still alive, I would guess him to be about 50 to 60 pounds.

Oye that article is quite possibly the worst one I have ever read! It reeks of false information! Feral dogs do not live as a pack, they are scavengers. If it weren't for villages and towns, the feral dog population would die because they don't know how to operate as a pack. They are adapted to an entirely different niche.

Forget dominance completely. If you train the dog and he knows what you expect, you won't have problems. My dogs are on the bed and furnature ALL the time, they have never shown an ounce of aggression to a single soul purely because they are trained and know what's expected of them.

 

[encouraging loves animals]

Sorry K-9trainner, I disagree with the dominace not relating to being allowed on the couch. I seen numerous time from people letting there dog on the couch and having behavioural issues on vet based tv shows and asking the tv vet to do house call to fix numerous behavioural problems associated with dogs being allowed to be on the couch, bed and chairs and yes these dog were basic obiedience trainned!

 

[HopeFaithLove4u]

Again thanks for all the replies they are all very helpful!!
I LOVE that everyone has given me so many ideas about this subject I know nothing of.....also, I have more insight into what Rocky is mixed with, other than lab. K9.....I'm sorry about your dog that you lost, he looked very sweet! Also, Rocky does look alot like him, now, at 3 mos., but his snout is not as elongated, as you can see in the pick, his profile of his face looks more lab-ish. I don't see the pitbull either, other than the color. Also I didn't know what a yelpie or basenji was until you guys mentioned it.

I have a funny story (wasn't funny last night, tho). Since we brought him home, I've been sleeping on the floor, next to his crate (it's easier for me to take him out to potty, during the night. Last night, I decided, he's old enough and it's time for me to not sleep on the floor next to the crate, but on the couch, that's further away. Well, Rocky didn't like that I wasn't sleeping right next to him.....so he started yelping and yelping and I ignored him, because he has to get used to it, I also took him outside to go potty before sleep, so I knew having to go potty wasn't why he was yelping and he never would've if I was right next to him. I'm kinda' watching him, because he has PURPOSELY gone poop in his crate, from being mad before and not wanting to be in there. And sure enough!! Started pooping all over! Thank goodness I was watching him, because I removed him before he could get it all over him.....cleaned it up, took him outside in case he had more and PUT HIM RIGHT BACK IN THERE!! He was quiet for 2 more hours, then started yelping again (2AM).....I, then, took him outside to do his thing (just in case) and put him right back in, he yelped a little more, then finally gave up, he was good until morning, then.

Hopefully tonight will be better!

But, I'm doing good, sticking by my rules.