Puppies Gone Wild

1195 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Amelia_, Oct 21, 2011

PotentialDobby

Discussion Starter · Oct 21, 2011

Hey all, I posted a while back about trying to rescue a Doberman but the owner was a tool. Anywho, I got my own little angel on Labor day weekend. For the most part she has been great and mind you this is not my first Dobe or dog. Here is the issue.

Out of nowhere, literally she has just stopped listening. Will not respond to her name, won't listen to commands unless there is food involved, etc. Its almost like she has ADD, I know that sounds a bit off but whatever. The biggest thing I noticed is she is entirely different with me then others. She is SUPER sweet with all people, me? HA!

I know I'm doing something wrong I just think I'm over analyzing it because this is my first puppy by myself.

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mmctaq

· #2 · Oct 21, 2011

So, if she sticks her little paws in her ears, scrunches up her eyes and says, "La! La! La! La! I can't HEEEEEAR you!" do you respond by making the magical tasty tidbit appear in front of her nose? 'Cause that's just her being a great human trainer, and you responding by being trainable...

Other people offer the possibility of exciting novelty... you, she expects to dance.

Try playing a little hard to get. Try playing on the floor by yourself, and make her work to get included in the fun. Get into a puppy class! Try to pick a puppy class that is NOT all about the treats. Go places. Have adventures. Do stuff. Be fun! Stop sucking up to get attention from her LOL!

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monicaei

· #3 · Oct 21, 2011

Tired puppies are good puppies! Walks can exercise and be a chance to interact with you in a structed way.

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PotentialDobby

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 21, 2011

She gets anywhere from 1-2 hours of exercise a day. I really work her, I just can't help but notice how different she is with me and say my girlfriend. This is especially true with the nipping/play biting. I do the whole yelp/oww bite inhibition thing but sometimes she catches my face. Not. Cool.

She is in a puppy class right now and she does overall pretty good. It is just a natter of the aloofness/lack of attention unless food is involved. I'm actually wondering if I need to feed her more but her weight etc seems pretty good. It isn't like I'm feeding her Wal-Mart brand food either so she should be absorbing a nice amount of what she eats.

Overall she is a pretty good puppy, I just think I need to be mindful of when she is getting overly wound up and then walk away so bad behavior does not start from the get-go.

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monicaei

· #5 · Oct 21, 2011

There are some great self control games, I will defer to others to provide links. Honestly, puppy getting overly excited by treats is pretty normal. You are in the right place, and doing a great job, by being here. shows you intend to do right by her, and it's gonna be ok. It gets better, I promise.

On another note, exercise and walks are not always the same thing. Both are awesome. Walks, on leash, getting constant feedback from you, is mental and physical for her. They need their brains exercised as much as their bodies. Smart little boogers

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mmctaq

· #6 · Oct 21, 2011

PotentialDobby said:
She gets anywhere from 1-2 hours of exercise a day. I really work her, I just can't help but notice how different she is with me and say my girlfriend. This is especially true with the nipping/play biting. I do the whole yelp/oww bite inhibition thing but sometimes she catches my face. Not. Cool.

She is in a puppy class right now and she does overall pretty good. It is just a natter of the aloofness/lack of attention unless food is involved. I'm actually wondering if I need to feed her more but her weight etc seems pretty good. It isn't like I'm feeding her Wal-Mart brand food either so she should be absorbing a nice amount of what she eats.

Overall she is a pretty good puppy, I just think I need to be mindful of when she is getting overly wound up and then walk away so bad behavior does not start from the get-go.

In my experience, there are two possible responses to the wounded yelp: one is "Oh! I am sooooo sorry! I totally didn't mean to hurt you!" <licks an apology> and the second is "Yessss! I am mighty! I must redouble my efforts!" <comes back harder with nasty little puppy teeth>. For the second puppy, "Ow!" is not a good plan. You DO need to be mindful of when she is getting overly wound up... better than walking away is to help her calm down before she goes over the top. Quieter, lower, slower voice... still your hands and body... become the master of calm. Some puppies (like some human children) will spiral out of control when they are exhausted and should have had a nap... if this applies, don't let here get to this point where she cannot control herself. Puppies often reflect the energy you project... examine your part of the interaction... also, since she seems different with your girlfriend, observe how your girlfriend interacts with her - see if you can discover what the difference is, and perhaps you can model your behavior on some aspects of your girlfriend's behavior and get similar results. If your pup is insane and out-of-control when there are treats present, I would suggest you lower the value of the treats (and possibly minimize them, as well). Also, learn how to deliver treats so you don't get shredded: lay a treat on your middle finger right below where it meets your palm, and use your ring finger and index fingers as chopsticks/tweezers/I-can't-think-of-something-better to hold the treat in place... present your hand perpendicular to the ground (upside down "Stop" gesture), and allow her to take the treat... there are no teeth! Sometimes the issue with treats/food is that people get jerky in anticipation of pain, which kind of comes off as teasing and is frustrating to puppies and makes them get excited and nutz.

Maybe you've mentioned elsewhere, but I do not recall... how old is this pup?

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Australdi

· #7 · Oct 21, 2011

Human being can sometimes = the ultimate squeeker toy!

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Amelia_

· #8 · Oct 21, 2011

Hey there, congrats on getting your puppy!

How old is she? 1-2 hours exercise sounds like ALOT to me if its a young puppy, maybe too much? When they are puppies, you should generally walk them for about 5 minutes for every month of their age, twice a day. It doesnt sound like alot, but really long walks can damage their bones.

Maybe shes at the 'doberteens' stage! (Depending on her age again) Puppies generally go through a stage there they challenge you and any other dogs in your family. My puppy started doing 'down' but not completely putting his stomach on the ground, as some sort of protest! And doing 'sit' but not putting his bum on the ground!

Was driving me nuts, but I was just very persistent, and kept up the training.

For treats, I think its fine go use lots of treats, then slowly move down to less treats/switching to other things such as toys.

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