I got a new puppy today. He is about 18 weeks old. He is Pomeranian/Cocker Spaniel mix. He is black and about maybe 5 pounds. He is soooooooooooo hyper. It's funny. he is a spaz. The lady i got him from didn't have time for him. Her dil gave him to her. She would leave for work at 730am and get home about 515pm. He is crate trained so he would stay in his crate that whole time. She didn't want to keep him outside during the whole day. She asked me Wednesday if i wanted him and i went and picked him up today. He is a riot. He understands "sit" and "nice". He loves to jump all over you and i want to try to break him of doing it alot. i know he's a puppy and he will do it but i want to try to make it so he doesnt jump all over people so much. Also, he has a habit of play biting. I dont mind it for me cuz it doesnt hurt but i dont want the kids to get hurt so I'm trying to figure a way to have him calm down on the nibbling. It isn't really a bite more of a little nibbling. His bedtime is 930pm. That's when he gets put in his crate with his favorite little teddy bear. The teddy bear looks like a mini version of "Mr. Bean's" Teddy lol. I know what i got myself into and i dont expect him to behave better in a few weeks i know it'll take some time but I'm just wondering if anyone has some training tips.
Michelle(qtkitty) you gotta know cuz you have a zoo LOL How did you get Sampson so well behaved? Did you go to obedience classes? I really want to try training on my own and not spend$50 a class. My dad had trained our dogs when I was little but we had big dogs and this new puppy is small. he wont get more than 11 pounds. I'll post a pic after he calms down lol

Michelle(qtkitty) you gotta know cuz you have a zoo LOL How did you get Sampson so well behaved?

Well Sampson is partially Great Dane which are super sensitive when yelled at, even sturn voice can upset them. So just saying Sampson in a frustrated voice when he was being bad, like you do to a kid when they are being bad ( yk the voice that gets deeper as you say it), or the look would get him to go to the corner by the door and hang his head. He knows when he does bad, sometimes we do not know he's done something bad and he will have this look on his face like he had done something. Usually he has done something to get into trouble.

He used to pee on the floor a lot when he was a baby.. we never rubbed his nose in it.. but instead we ... well i took him out every half hour to hour even at night .. until he got used to knowing to go outside. If i waited to long or he was having a growth spurt he would pee. If i said his name like i was upset or frustrated with him while he was peeing he would hang his head and walk to the corner by the door peeing all the way.

He also had Parvo as a puppy and the weekend after we got him he peed, threw up and had diarea all over the house. Ugh what a mess that was!! But that set up the smell in the house and started the problem of going in the house.

When he got used to being in all night and just asking to go out during the night by whining. Then only had to go once . That was great. Until i asked the girls to take him out in the mornings when they got up to go to school. They would wake up and shut themselves into the bathroom while they got dressed and Sampson would whine cause he would have to GO BAD. We ended up having a problem with him going by the bathroom door and had to restrict him from that part of the house with a baby gate for a while. That and he was stealing stuffed animals and keeping Kasey up at night during School nights.

Dogs like to go where they smell themselves, so if they have gone in the house then they smell that and they will tend to go in the spots where they smell themselves. There are products on the market that will get the smell out and keep animals from going in those spots again. Mostly its trial and error .. they say that taking the puppy out to one small 4 ft area will help them to train to go out side since their smell will concentrate there. I did not do that i would walk Sampson around and around the house til he went both pee and poo then we would take a jog around the house and come back in.

Did you go to obedience classes?

I never went to an obedience class. Although it makes training a little easier i think, since you have an experienced person there who can help trouble shoot. Also it allows your dog to associate with other dogs and people and learn to behave and not hop on people or attack other dogs. Some people like clicker training better and say treats are bad.. some are the other way around. For me treats worked wonders !! I used cheese i took a half to 1/4 a slice of american cheese and break it into teeny little peices. I mean teeny since they only need a taste and you do not want big peices because if they have to chomp a lot it takes time away from training. After a while you can take the treats away and you will not need the treats because the dog will want to do it for you. Training really creates a special bond. its best if all members of the house hold take part so they know the commands and the dog respects them. There are some tips though

1. Wear out your pup first. Take him for a walk or throw the ball for a while. Anything so he is not hyper.
2. Start all training in a quiet space.
3. Do not scold your dog while training. Training should be something fun for the dog something he wants to do for you, not because you are going to yell at him if he doesnt.
4. Use the Dogs Name as an attention getter.
5. Use Short commands 1 syllable if possible.
6. Praise your dog as you give them the treat, because once you have the trained peices done you can wean your pup off the treats. Some people just use praise as well, but that depends on how attached you and your dog are.
7. Only train for short periods of time so your doggie doesnt get bored. 15 minutes MAX.
8. After training is done then give the pup some loving and do something fun.



The very first thing i tought Sampson was attention. I would say his name holding both hands to my chest ( because most of the time treat trained dogs will look at the treat hand and not the trainer) and when he concentrated on me i would give him a treat. As i went through this i would wait longer and longer and add a few distractions like tv or radio.

Some people say not to teach hand signals to dogs as well as comands. I do, because i never know if i will be some where noisy. I show the hand signals with the same hand as i treat with since treat dogs focus a lot on the treat hand. Do simple hand gestures that you will remember.

Then i tought him sit. To do this Say his name as attention getter and then say sit once.( I used a really simplle hand motion for this command because it was the first. If you know the sign that the italians use when they say aldentay( sp) and kiss their fingers.. all of their fingers together with the thumb all of them pointing to the floor like i have a treat. THAT REALLY TEMPTS A DOG!!! And as a first command they see the treat in hand and can really get the gist of what i want him to do... after that dogs seem to know that you want them to do something ) you really do not need to repeate it a lot because they can remember it for a while. When you say sit for the first few times push down their butt firmly then give them a treat when they get into position or you can hold the treat over it head and move it back towards his butt which will cause the dog to sit because it wants to sit back on his back legs to stand up on them . They will get the point after a while. Then start doing the command for them to get and do not give them a treat til they get it. Then wait for longer periods of time before giving them their treat after they sit.

Down is supposedly the hardest command .. i use a flattened hand and act like i am pushing it down. When i did this one i first did sit then would say down after he sat instead of giving him a treat .. the first few times he stood back up after while because he did not understand. Then he got tired of it and layed down then i gave him a treat. After a few times he understood and would do it right away instead of me having to say sit i could just say down. We now also will say Sampson Lay Down and he understands.

I also tought him move since hes a big doggie. I point in which direction i want him to move and tell him to move. If he doesn't want to i would stand infront of him and invade his space til he would back up. Then he just sort of learned it from there on.

I also taught him Scootch which i do not care where he goes but he's got to go some where else. i use the shoo type motion for that.

For Leash training use a short leash 6ft or so. Then find a quiet spot thats flat ( Trust me i have twisted my ankles doing this with a yard with hiding holes!!) Stand with the dog on your left and say walk and go. If the dog goes infront of you or tries to wonder off make a sharp right hand turn. This will teach the dog to stick close to you when you walk and not pull. Although you will not have a big problen with this since its a small dog, but a bouncing small dog yanking on a leash and barking all over on a walk can get to be a pain in the butt on walks. When you stop say something like halt or stop. Then sit and or down. This is also a time when you can do come, and stay with a partner or a long lead to make sure the dog does not run away. Then try it without the leash. After they have the moves in a quiet place move them into nosier and nosier places .. go back to using the leash as you move into nosier places just incase something spooks the dog until they have got the moves. You can do something like going from a quiet yard to using a radio or having some one walk around while you are training then to a field with traffic close by but not right next to the road or a quieter area in a park.. then move into places with lots of people and distractions and other dogs.

Training is VERY arduious but very rewarding. Sampson still needs a lot of training, which i have not gotten around to yet. Most of the training Sampson has gotten has been just day to day talking to him and him wanting to do good and please me. Talking to your dog and interacting with him can train the dog more then sitting down and trying to think of certain things that would be cool or that you would need. And do not forget to use the trained activities in day to day life. Even if you are just walking around and see the dog ask it to sit or lay and then praise and give it a good jovial scratch. If you do not use the training from time to time after they learn it they will forget or get rusty. Just a warning.

I am not sure that i got everything but i tried to put in everything that i learned.


I'll post a pic after he calms down lol

WE WANT PICTURES WE WANT PICTURES!!!!

When he nibbles even if its gently .. tell him ouch and draw your hand back as if he really hurt you ( not like you are going to smack him though .. just wanted to make sure cause drawing back makes it sound like that ) even whimper or pout.

This will make the dog realize that Human flesh is sensitive and soft and easily hurt. MAKE SURE EVERYONE DOES THIS. Do not let him knaw or teeth on yah, because then when the pups older they will think its okay to do the same even harder .

If he needs something to chew on because he's teething try a rawhide thats been soaked in water and frozen, a wash cloth thats been wetted and frozen, bones, rawhides, chews.


Watch the rocks when they are teething.. I know Sampson REALLY had a problem with the rocks .. he always wanted them. Rocks are BAD for the digestive system and can get stuck in their tummy and make them sick. I used to watch Sampson if i saw him pick up a rock i would tell him NO .. if he did not drop it i would hold his nose and bottom jaw until it opened. this might sound extreme since Dogs nose are pretty sensitive, but Sampson really liked rocks. For a long time i just would not let him near rocks or we would go quickly over them so he would not have time to pick one up.

I have to agree, NO biting, gnawing, mouthing of any persons body parts is to be acceptable behavior. When this happens, say or yell OUCH and pull your hand away. He'll get to realize he's hurt you. Then give him a proper chew toy to chew on. (redirection).

About the hyperness, it may go away in time. In the meantime, try games of fetch (or teach him to fetch! LOL)....with rubber balls, frisbees (soft or hard, your choice), and wear his butt out. :) Keep dog in crate overnight until you trust him not to go eating your favorite pocketbook or shoes or peeing/pooping whereever he pleases. We let the dogs out about 1/2 hour after they eat, and when we've seen them drink water. Other than that, we try to bring them outside several times per day to play fetch...if they've gotta go, they go. If not we play. :)

Invest in a good pet stain/odor remover solution...and use it liberally. The people who lived here before we did had SEVEN dogs...it's a wonder both dogs kept *marking* their territory. ugh! It was awful! Thank goodness for carpet cleaners and that pet stain/odor removal stuff! LOL

Be careful about rawhide, chewing on it is okay. EATING it is not. Why? Cuz it gets stuck in their tummies. When Mason or Scottie's rawhides get small enough for them to chew and swallow, they hit the trash can quickly.

Stick with good, high quality food. Because it's so healthy he'll need to eat less. Good names are Solid Gold, Innova, Wellness (what we use), and a few more I can't remember. Less poops, healthier and more active and HAPPY dogs. :)

Yes, wear out your pup a bit before starting training. At first make them 5 minute sessions. As he gets older you can increase the time. Make sure you have TEENY TINY tidbits of treats (we like king TOTS for this) and reward your pup w/in 5 seconds of doing a command. (after that they tend to forget what they did..lol) Commands should be (use them individually, don't tell him to sit, then go down or it will become habit and they may not do one or the other w/out the other, yk?) sit, down, stay, up (as in onto the bed, couch, onto you, etc), leave it (meaning don't eat it, pick it up, etc...good if your dog is a food stealer like mine was), stop (as in stop walking...while on leash), slow (as in slow down, you're dragging me!)

I HIGHLY recommend getting the gentle leader or halti leader....the ones that go on their head/face....the dog won't drag you around. It's made such a HUGE difference with Mason, who insisted on tearing my shoulder out of joint whenever we walked together (him on leash).

Expose your pup to EVERYTHING! kids, adults, disabled people, senior citizens, other animals/pets, take him for rides (get a ruff rider roadie seatbelt harness or something similar so if there's a wreck he won't go flying and get his neck broken), all kinds of noises, etc.

Basic training/obedience class will help you with some solutions to typical dog/breed problems as well as help you to get to know your dog better and train him better. You want a family member, not a brat of a dog you have to lock in his crate anytime the doorbell rings or a friend comes over, yk?

HTH!

I didn't see anyone mention these things so I will:

1) Puppy Kindergarten - IMO it is a must. You can usually find classes through your local vet or Humane Society. All of our dogs worked their way through the obedience ranks after Kindergarten and eventually earned their Canine Good Citizen Awards.

2) This may be a given, but don't allow the kids to interact with the puppy without supervision (especially if you are already noticing issues with the pup). Kids and puppies can be a wonderful combination, but kids will be kids and sometimes a puppy, especially a very small puppy, will feel a need to defend itself if play gets too rough. This leads to a cycle of nipping and fear biting.

3) As with kids, you need to be consistent. No is always no. If you don't want them doing something specific, it must be reinforced every time. Nothing will strengthen a bad behavior more quickly than inconsistent reinforcement.

Lisa

Thanks for all your tips. He is getting a little better aat not peeing in the house. he finally goes on the paper if he does goes pee in the house. I'd rather him pee on the paper and not the plain floor. He is already crate trained. he goes in there at night. The lady that gave him to us had him in a tiny cat carrier crate so we got a nice big one for him. He already knows sit, down, stay and fetch. If we throw a toy out in the yard he goes and gets it and then brings it back. He is great with the kids but we still supervise when they are around him. My 2 yr old niece is afraid of animals so we don't force her to do anything with him that she doesn't want to. She is even afraid of my cat who is afraid of his own shadow lol. Over time I'm sure she will realize he won't hurt her. We are getting Brutus neutered in the beginning of August. The vet told me it may or may not calm him down that it's different with every dog. So I'm HOPING he does calm down a bit. We try to wear him out but yeah we get worn out before him LOL He can play for ever lol Last night I took him for a walk and my dumb neighbor had her dog out(it was 12:30 AM) loose and in her front yard so as I'm walking by I can't see over there cuz there's no lights on and I just hear him bark and the bark sounded like it was getting close so I picked up B and carried him home. I think her dog is a boxer. i've only seen the dog once or twice so I forget what it is but I'm pretty sure she's a boxer. yet she tells me the other day "Don't let Pepper see Brutus" and I'm like okay i wont and then she tells me Pepper is friendly. yeah maybe to people she is but how about dogs and why would you tell me dont let her see my puppy if she's friendly. Aren't dogs supposed to be tied up in your yard? Last I knew they were supoosed to be or fenced in. The dumb thing is it was 12:30 in the morning and all her lights were off so that must mean they were in bed, so why would you leave her out in the front yard that isn't fenced in!! Anyways, vent over lol

We do have little tidbit treats for B when he does a command. We don't give too many but we do reward for being good and listening. We took him Wednesday for a MUCH NEEDED tuneup(hair clipping) lol He looked like the ole shaggy dog from Disney lol Now he looks like a puppy lol The lady that gave him to us she said he was part Cocker Spaniel part Pomeranian but the groomer said he's Cocker Spaniel Poodle Mix. I will ask the vet when we go in August though but I'd think most groomers would know their breeds but just wanna see what the vet says. :) SO here's a couple pics. Enjoy! He sure is a cutie!!!



http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL347/2100090/4077362/60307240.jpg
http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL347/2100090/4077362/60307247.jpg

It looks Poodleish to me... HOW SWEET !!

Now you got a mini Sampson Hehehehe .. well almost .. now you don't have to snitch my sweety.

Ohh You can tell in those eyes that he is just an Ornery little cutie.


P.S.... Isn't it hard to take pictures of black animals ...it might just be my digital camera though hehehe