Dogs III - the return of the furbaby thread

[Derfel Cadarn]

16 minutes ago, Ran said:

It can be very tough for puppies in particular to begin with, because mouthing things is kind of a major way for them to explore and feel their environment as they're growing.

Labs are fairly "soft" dogs, so if she's mouthing at you, yeah, try making a yelp or cry sound and see if that gets her to break -- and then praise her when she does do so. It will take awhile for her to understand, so you need patience, and I'd suggest limiting your daughter's play with her until  you've got a handle on it. She can snuggle her and so on, but as soon as the puppy starts trying to mouth her just part them.

Sometimes, that hyperactive behavior is a sign of an over-tired puppy, too, so sometimes it makes sense to just leave her alone and see if she conks out. (Of course, it can also be a sign of an understimulated puppy! If it just woke up from a nap, yeah, it has a lot of energy to burn. If it's been awhile since it napped, it probably will do so if opportunity for amusement is reduced.)

Also, besides the hand going limp, it's more important to not turn getting at your hand/feet into a game -- don't just jerk away, she'll just try and chase after it as if it were a toy. Consider offering an alternative -- a chew toy or something, a rope toy that you can play some tug of war with if she wants -- as another approach.

Finally, you mention going away doesn't work -- you could always have a pen or something for her, but try to use it sparingly as a solution, rather than as the default for whenever she misbehaves. Treat it as a brief time out, like you'd do for a child.

 

 

Thanks. We do have toys for her including tug of war rope but her preference is a hand.

She was yelping at me for not getting her food in her bowl fast enough, which is good that her appetite is back

[Which Tyler]

Whilst on the "first dog?" bit.

Treat the puppy school (and puppy school, not so much 1-on-1 unless specifically required) as human-training with your dog along for the ride, because its you that's doing the learning, her a little, but not so much. And based around rewards and play is very important - basically, once she's got a mind of her own, you want whatever you've got to offer her to be more interesting than that cat on the other side of the road.

Socialising (once fully vaccinated) - needs to be done where she feels safe, and introduce her to as many different dogs, humans, and generally stuff that might spook her. But you also need to be careful not to over-stimulate her, and make sure she's comfortable whilst doing this. Good puppy classes will include a lot of this, and remember that you get to ask the trainer questions as well. Dogs spook at things like big dogs, little dogs, black dogs, tall men, short women, kids, hats, glasses, beards, deep voices, high voices, singing, horses... the list goes on and on. The more she meets these things whilst everything is new, and without being spooked, (and preferably without a big deal being made of it - maybe a little treat for ignoring it) then the more she'll ignore them later in life.

 

Oh, and when she's ready for walkies - get a harness (JuliusK9 would be my recommendation), rather than attaching lead to collar.

 

And finally: Penny is a lovely name for a dog - my niece has a Penny. But Nimue is far better (and yes, she is feisty) :p

Edited September 20 by Which Tyler