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Becoming Leader of Pack

3K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  Millenia 
#1 ·
Jack is 10 weeks now and we have started training. He has begun to learn, pretty quickly actually, but sometimes he just doesn't want to pay attention. Sometimes in the yard when trying to give commands, he's going around eating leaves, rocks, plants, whatever it may be, causing us to run after and chase him. I don't want him to swallow a rock or something. We're working on the leader of pack training: sit and stay before eating, coming in the house after us, not walking around him, etc. Also, working on "look" so he looks and makes eye contact waiting for a command. Sometimes have to put him in sit position. We do positive reinforcement with treats and veggies. But sometimes he just wants to be a pain in the butt, and not listen. He's only 10 weeks, so I hope it will get better. Am I being too paranoid? Just stay consistent and give it time? Will he eventually realize that my wife and I are alpha?


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#2 ·
It will get better. Jack is just a baby and your expectations are too high for his young age.

At that age, they have the attention span of a gnat. Frequent, short training sessions throughout the day is more than enough for his age. As soon as he has received all of his shots, you could start him in a puppy obedience class.

The main thing I would concentrate on is bonding, basic manners as in don't chew on the furniture etc. Socialization is also very important.

I'm sure others will chime in, but another thing is to drop the alpha notion. There is nothing wrong with practicing NILIF, but I think you can take it to far.

I will say again... he's just a baby and that leaf or that rock in the yard can be pretty exciting. They are exploring and the bushes and dirt etc have lots of wonderful smells.

I'm glad you are using positive training. Another important thing to know is that it's better to teach them what you want them to do rather than what not to do. If he tries to chew on something inappropriate, pop a toy in his mouth and praise him.

Always set him up for success. Don't leave shoes, socks etc laying around for him to get into.

Enjoy him and his puppyhood. It will be gone before you know it. Spend lots of time bonding and playing.

Good luck with your baby. [emoji2]


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#4 ·
NILIF stands for nothing in life is free. You being the owner are in control of all things wonderful in his life.

Ask him to sit before he eats. When taking him for a walk, he sits before he goes out the door. If he wants attention, he doesn't get it by being a brat. To me, it's basically manners.

I believe if one puts in the time to train their dog what to expect and the owner is consistent, they will have a well adjusted companion that's a joy to be around. The dog will be happier and so will you.

Sounds like what you have already started doing. In my opinion, sometimes owners can take it too far. I want my dog to have manners, but I also want them to be a dog and be happy. It's kind of like some parents who are so overly strict with their kids. They just go overboard.

My girl is 4 now and she can still be mischievous. She will get my attention by grabbing my shoe and shaking it, dancing around with it. She doesn't chew it or hurt it at all, it's her way of saying, C'mon Mom, play with me. She's such a goofy girl and I just melt every time she does stuff like that. She always gives it up when asked.

Have you posted pictures of baby Jack yet? If so, I missed them. Would love to see a picture of you Dober-boy. [emoji2]


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#13 ·
Thank you. She is sweet, but she was a handful and a half as a puppy! She was a Dober-shark with a capital D, and stubborn.

She can still be stubborn at times, but all in all, she listens pretty good most of the time. If there is a squirrel around, not so much. Lol. She has a high prey drive for sure.


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#14 · (Edited)
I've had girl 3 dobe puppies, since 1977.
- both mom & dad and if you have any children / all need on the same page / consistency is key
- I have never-ever worried about who enters or exits the door first or last / never affected any of my dogs
- usually pup exit door first / if its raining, they usually need a little push outside
- while pup follows me in the house, as sometimes I have to unlock the door

^^ Your rules & expectations, through love & fairness establishes leadership.
(takes 24/7 supervision, first few months).
Pups don't look at me as weak, if I walk behind the dog, up the porch steps.
- I don't let pups jump up on me outside, or run into my knees and set me off balanced
- I now teach "Frisbee Fetch" starting first week home
- this is via sitting on the living room floor / and lightly tossing toys towards the TV
- learning is quick, involving fun play
- there is always a few toys left outside, that get tossed daily / as a result of early frisbee training
- our girls also softly pickup moms slipper, in their mouth / to greet mom, returning home from work

^^ In the context of the situation, the slipper mouthing & teasing mom is encouraged - because its harmless fun & an expression of canine love...but our pups are trained, to not destroy stuffies or digest foreign matter (avoiding blockage). Digging holes is bad, but some bad thing can be good (with the rules in play) !!
 
#15 ·
I've had girl 3 dobe puppies, since 1977.
- both mom & dad and if you have any children / all need on the same page / consistency is key
- I have never-ever worried about who enters or exits the door first or last / never affected any of my dogs
- usually pup exit door first / if its raining, they usually need a little push outside
- while pup follows me in the house, as sometimes I have to unlock the door

^^ Your rules & expectations, through love & fairness establishes leadership.
(takes 24/7 supervision, first few months).
Pups don't look at me as weak, if I walk behind the dog, up the porch steps.
- I don't let pups jump up on me outside, or run into my knees and set me off balanced
- I now teach "Frisbee Fetch" starting first week home
- this is via sitting on the living room floor / and lightly tossing toys towards the TV / learning is quick, involving fun play
- there is always a few toys left outside, that get tossed daily


Thanks for the tips!


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#17 ·
As someone mentioned babies have the attention span of a gnat, I'd go further and say a gnat with ADD<G> At his age he can learn stuff sure! But the best thing you can teach him is that you humans are the bomb, you are more fun than anything else out there, and he can always trust you to protect him, and treat him fairly. Michael Ellis is a trainer I found out about not too long ago, he has some absolutely fantastic videos available on puppy training, and laying the foundations for having a good adult dog, or a competition dog. Might be worth looking into! I just got the heeling video, as I loved his earlier ones so much, and his methods have been very rewarding working with my girl.

But back to your pup, manners, basic easy stuff like sit and down and we teach tem to 'crawl' and roll over and all sorts of fun tricks as well, all of it is training, none of it is compulsory. 5 minutes here, 3 mintues there, do a sit, get a treat, lets go play tug. Walk on a lead, don't pull my arm out of socket<G> good job! So really not formal training if you will? But learning, and getting the puppy used to listening because I am FUN to be with and work with, and it's rewarding for both of us. That said, I also very much allow them to stop and smell the roses, a puppy learns a lot about it's environment through unstructured interaction. Not everything needs a purpose, sometimes we can learn from our puppies, how to chill and just enjoy something for the sake of the moment. Us humans tend to be way too focused on achieving things, and don't always kick back and live in the moment like our puppies do.

So, best advice, teach yes, make yourself fun, absolutely, learn to enjoy life on your dogs level, priceless
 
#20 ·
Thanks everyone!! So we're giving him venison sticks right now to chew on while teething. Any other healthy chew sticks I can give him? The venison sticks keep him busy for hours and he loves them! Plus they don't smell too bad haha! Any suggestions so we can switch it up, I don't want him to get sick of these. Thanks!


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#26 ·
Having just raised a puppy for a guide dog school, I learned so much about raising a puppy. These pups are taught from the womb to sit for everything they want. When I brought him home at 8 weeks he would sit whenever he wanted something or was confused. I can tell you it is virtually impossible to ignore an 8 week old puppy who follows you around and sits every time you stop because he wants attention. The best thing you can do for your dog is consistency. If you won't want him to do it at 80 lbs, don't let him do it at 10 lbs. This includes jumping on you or the furniture (your decision on the furniture), chewing on your hands, begging from the table, etc. Don't let him in your lap in the car unless you'll ride him there when he's big. Dog's don't understand sometimes. Being inconsistent and scolding them for breaking rules 'sometimes' is one of the meanest things you can do to them.

Good luck with your pup!
 
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