hi everyone.i live in a country with no breeding laws and no training or obedience classes and no one to seek guidance from and i have one ball of energy and mischief of a Siberian husky pup.oh and my mother is afraid of animals but she is trying really hard to be friends with him. i got my puppy about 10 days ago.his name is Kibo vital.kibo was less than 7 weeks old when i had to separate him from his mother a because the breeder would no longer take care of him and b because i noticed him coughing.he had two viruses.distemper and maybe parvo too the vet said.but he was tough and survived that.had us worried sick but he survived and is OK.no signs of illness anymore.but now he is out of control.i read up about training him for months before i got him but it doesn't seem to work.he had gotten thin due to his illness but that seems to have been solved too.but even now he wants to eat every half our or he will start biting everything,including our limbs.and he eats little every time.he will not for the life of him eat kibble or anything else that's not warm mushy and has an arousing scent.so i give him a mixture of carrots,fish,egg,potatoes and sometimes kibble.he is not allowed to eat other meat yet.for a few days just to be safe.and when he does eat things that he doesn't like he eats the minimum amount and is restless until he eats sth else.he doesn't like commercial treats either.sometimes on the evening and the night he acts very strange.tense body.c shaped tail while barking and jumping at us if he isn't busy sniffing the ground.and then he bites.hard.and no yelping and walking away helps and confinement is too cruel for him and makes him even more crazy.when my mom got back from a two day trip he went crazy marking everywhere until my mom fed him a few meals.oh and he humps things when gets restless especially his puppy shaped toy.i have not crate trained him yet because i have not been able to find the right size crate yet.and no amazon here plus we have spent a lot of money on his recovery and crates are a tad bit expensive here so it will take a while longer a i have taught him bite inhibition except it doesn't work when he is hungry or in the crazy but not playful mode.my boyfriend has come from another city to help but he loses patience sometimes and lets him run free in the house so that he stops barking and biting. he starts peeing everywhere in the house then.i go to the bathroom for two minutes to comeback and see he has peed in three places.not marking but pee.it's gotten to the point where i don't know whether to breakup with my boyfriend or give up my puppy or both or neither.also he barks a lot sometimes.that's about it.sorry it was too long.
Hey there and welcome. First, take a deep breath. BREATHE. This is a puppy you are dealing with, not a huge monster. With patience and the right approach he will grow up to be a lovely dog, but it will take some time. Firstly, I would say your puppy sounds hungry for MEAT. If he is not eating kibble, then he needs protein, and fish and eggs are good but he is a carnivore and requires meat. I would give him some minced beef - I bet you he will eat that completely. The odd behaviour in the evening is just him being a hyper puppy and wanting to play. You know he was taken from his mother and siblings too early, so the biting (which is ONLY play) is probably worse than with a puppy who has been with his family for longer, as they start to learn bite inhibition from the others. Despite the crate being expensive, I really think it would be an excellent investment for you. I do not believe your puppy is 'marking' anywhere, he is too young for that, but at 8 1/2 weeks there is no way he is going to be toilet trained yet. You need to take him outside every 20-30 minutes to encourage him to pee outside. It is difficult I know - and a crate would really help, since puppies naturally do not like to wet their beds. So you could pop him in his crate when you need to do something where you are unable to supervise him for a few minutes. Also, it is terribly important for puppies to learn to relax, and they do this best in a safe, calm spot such as their crate. Hang in there, dont be afraid to ask questions. And welcome to the forum!
thank you so much Karen.i can't give him meat yet.for a few days.he loves any kind of meat but if i give it to him without mixing it he will not eat anything else and he growls to guard it sometimes.even the fish.and the marking,i know he is too young for it but he's also too young for humping.isn't he?he does it anyway but i think it really is marking.it's just a little.he runs and plants it all over the house and looks anxious.it was when my mom had gotten back from her trip.and it stopped after my mom gave him a few meals.he is still a bit wary of her though.my mom loves him but doesn't want her hand in his mouth so she withdraws her hand when he opens his mouth and then he withdraws when she tries to pet him.my mom has phobia of animals because a cat attacked her when she was little . she has come so far for me and kibo but the mouthing thing is just a bit too hard for her.she won't let it happen.i don't want them to have a bad relationship. also any tips on how to stop the barking.he never listens when i say no and he barks if i say no or yelp when he bites too hard.
Do buy The Happy Puppy Handbook by Pippa Mattinson, you can get it from Amazon. It is excellent and you will find it very helpful and supportive. To stop the puppy food guarding, put a very small amount into his bowel and when he has eaten that, drop a little more in etc etc. He will then see your hand as something giving, rather than something taking away.
He's just a little baby, go easy on him. It'll all fall into place, but right now it sounds as though he doesnt understand exactly what you want from him - hence the peeing all over the place and looking anxious. (He is NOT marking!!). He knows that you are annoyed about something, but doesnt understand what yet. An 8-week old puppy has very little control over his bladder, hence you need to be extremely vigilant and take him out so very often.
i think maybe this was the case: Stress Marking. In some cases, dogs urine mark when they are stressed. In these cases, the marking is used to cover unfamiliar smells that concern the dog. These new smells, once covered in urine, smell familiar again, and the dog therefore feels a bit less stressed. This is often seen when new guests arrive in the home, a new baby is introduced, or a new pet is in the home. The dog therefore purposely, marks over things that smell ''new'' so comon targets may be the newborn baby's blanket, the guest's luggage, or the new dog bed where the new dog is sleeping any ideas on how to calm him down when guests come visit?
I don't agree Taradis, an eight week old puppy doesn't have the bladder control to do any 'marking' In my view. They need to be gently house trained and their owners need to understand that there will be plenty of accidents along the way. Here is a good thread with all the info you need on house training - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/house-training-your-labrador-puppy/ Bbb
t Thank you but it costs wayyy too much to get the book here.I live in Iran.for us it's like buying a 200$ book
You maybe right but he is a very smart puppy.when he is not stressed he lets us know and waits to get outside to do his work.once when he was in the mood he did the the sit,down and bring the ball to get treats.that was before he hated commercial treats
Do you have access to the US or regional website for Amazon? I'm outside the US but can access and pay for things on the US Amazon site - I don't know if it's blocked in other regions. If you can access the US or other Amazon site, you can download the book an an e-book and read on your smart phone, tablet or whatever you are using to access the Forum. The Kindle app is free to download, the e-book is $11.30 on US Amazon and GBP 9.49 ON UK Amazon. It also looks like you can get it as an e-book on iTunes. But I know that may not be available to you either depending on internet restrictions within your country. As Boogie has already linked to, there's a ton of really good information to read through on the main Labrador site as well. Also loads of positive dog trainers post videos on YouTube, if you are able to access those.
It's not about being 'in the mood'. I think it would really help if you change your thinking from "what did he do wrong" to "what did I do wrong?" All my pups have been super smart - they are bred for it. But they take time to learn and need many repititions in different circumstances. This article describes it far better than I can - http://www.thelabradorsite.com/dog-training-stages/ Mmm
Puppies can be very tiring and emotionally draining, but they do grow up! Toilet training - you need to take your pup out every 30 minutes and stay with him until you see him wee and then praise him. At this age they need to go often and even with this routine you may have some accidents indoors, but he will grow out of this. Biting is normal. He may do it more because of leaving his litter mates early (my current dog Molly, who I got at 7 weeks, was much worse than my previous dog who was with his mother till 10 weeks.) I didn't find yelping when I was bitten helped - it just made Molly more excited. I quietly withdrew from her - moved to another room if possible, and also used lots of soft toys and rice bones to hold for her to chew instead of me. I was bitten so I was bleeding every day, but it only lasted till she was about 4 months. Rice bones are great if you can get them - they are bone shaped chews made of tightly compressed rice. No use once the adult teeth come in but brilliant for puppies. I have never used a crate (small house) but puppies do need more supervision without one. You need to 'puppy-proof' a room - make sure he can't get at electrical sockets or wires and remove everything valuable. Even then, there is bound to be some damage. Set up a routine that suits you and your puppy. Build in the frequent toilet trips and intersperse it with little games with you - like rolling a ball for him, chasing a sock tied to a rope. He might also enjoy large cardboard boxes - climbing in and out, tearing them up (but supervise him). Put a few bits of kibble into an empty plastic bottle, without a lid, and let him chase it around so the kibble comes flying out. Build in sleep times - at his age I'd say an hour's activity and then a rest / sleep. Food: I do think you need to move him onto a balanced diet. Either kibble or raw meat or a combination. If he growls when you go near his food bowl, put just a little in and move right away. Wait for him to finish completely, then pick up the bowl and add a little more. Again move right away while he eats. Gradually he will learn that you are not going to steal his food. Good Luck!
Welcome...from myself Meg (lab) and Jasper (malamute). You have had some great advise here...I can't really add to the puppy advise but just wanted to comment on breed specifics ....Sled dog breeds can be very vocal...my malamute is a real chatter box. It's not really barking...it's funny...more conversational. It's very different to my labs barking. I have never tried to stop it...we live with it. He would never bark if someone came...he just talks almost when he wants something. Have a google it won't take you long to find videos of husky singing to their owners...
i have changed my thinking to that.it's all very good to be responsible but he is easily bored.with everything.food,toys,sleeping area,treats.i try to make a challenge his mind but i run out of challenges.and i'm not blaming him and yes yes he is a baby.i've read that a lot.i'm just looking for solutions.thank you for the article
thank you so much.especially for the biting bit.i hope he stops at 4 months.i don't want my mom's phobia to get worse by injuries caused by my pup.will taking him to play with other puppies help?people are not as familiar and comfortable around pets in this country.especially dogs.i want at least those around me to see that pets are worth it but that won't happen if i can't train him.is there any other balanced diet.other than kibble and raw meat?and does a meat only diet have to be raw?i don't want him getting used to that.seems a bit risky.
thank you yes this forum has very good people.it's details that worry me though.my puppy does bark i want it to stop because consistent barking may bother the neighbors and if they call the police for that they will take him away and put him god knows where.the rules are different here.yes i have seen the singing huskies.I'd love for him to do more talking than barking
Oh god yes.Even his vet is puzzled.the thing is he is also hungry all the time.I'm not sure what to do.he does like it better when i hand feed him though.do you know of any tasty reasonably affordable diet that's not kibble(which he won't eat)and raw meat (which for many reasons doesn't appeal to me).Also do you have any idea why he sleeps so much better during the day rather than the night?
There's no reason why you can't feed cooked meat (but not cooked bones) and fish plus some vegetables - Molly loves a whole raw carrot - but he needs a diet that's high enough in protein (so more meat/fish than veg). Young puppies need feeding four times a day. Perhaps he's not sleeping through the night because he's hungry? You could try feeding at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm and see if that helps. Has he been wormed?
