I feel like the worst puppy mom every. Ok, maybe not that bad but reading through the forums I get mixed emotions on how we are doing and not doing plus my own expectations tend to get the best of me. I figured I would just post here for peace of mind; history(I'll explain later) and reassurance - y'all are great at that. Here in a few days Rosie will be 8 months old. If you read our profile you'll get a bit of back ground as to how I came into Rosie at 6 months old and most of the time I keep reminding myself she's a puppy and WE have a lot to learn. I keep forgetting it's only been two months. I often get frustrated with myself because I keep hearing Routine and Schedules, both of which I am HORRIBLE at. I also have very bad memory skills and my attention is questionable as to rather it's reliable every (cue ADHD). Wait where was I; squirrel. I feel so badly for Rosie because all I really want is a travel companion that can chill while I work at events, take fun walks with me to explore and meet people but not on a regular Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule. And I really don't need her to be structured with hunt or retrieve training but PLEASE COME WHEN I CALL(ya not happening). I've had dogs and love them but I don't ever remember TRAINING them. I might have taught them a trick or two but I don't ever remember formal training. WT... Anyway I know that not only do I want a dog but NEED one for my sanity; will there be any left when she's done with me? Anyway - like I said this is going to be my journal and I appreciate anyone that wanders in to explore with us. I keep reading and watching all the training videos; even have TOTAL RECALL. Did I mention squi..lack of attention span for me; poor girl has the worst puppy mom. My hubby is not a dog person but is supportive of Rosie and helpful when I request certain actions to help with training but he NEVER treats her; walks her differently then I do and she still jumps on him when greeting him(UGH). Rosie challenging areas - Nipping and Barking and the 'getting things'. I notice it happens when I'm busy working on computer or watching TV sometimes even meal-time. I always give 'good girls' when she is resting and being good. I prompt sit and stays or 'go lay down' which she does..gets a good girl MAYBE a treat (TREATS a whole other issue). Sometimes works sometimes doesn't. I try to be preemptive and head this off before it even happens but don't always catch it as they usually means she needs to go out or PLAY. JUMPING on guests including hubby. I try to get them to not engage with her but she'll jump on their back. She'll sit for me for a second and when she calms I release her to greet and right back to a JUMP - UGH. Of course some 'it's ok' or 'OH, Rosie you're so excited' or as soon as she starts to get down they give her excited rubs and say good girl which doesn't help the situation. She does settle down quickly when all the greeting is done and over - but feels like forever for me. SELECTIVE HEARING - I think I'm BRIBING her because the only time she seems to listen to me for the commands we are working on is when she KNOWS she's getting a treat. The solid commands; sit, lay down we don't need treats. CRATE Training - has so many meanings in doggy world. For us it's a place to rest and settle down (without doors shut) and a place to be when we are not home.(which is rare - couple nights a week for a few hours) We play a game out of it - going from room to room setting on 'rugs' 'beds' 'crate' she plays and occasionally she will tuck herself in for a rest but when she senses we are going away I get a great big 'nope' and have to bribe her or physically lead her in. NO RECALL - ugh...ugh... got the book & whistle.. started the exercises and with all the 'yummy treats' she no longer will eat her meals and you're suppose to use those with the recall. WHAT!!! I moved to the no treats/random treats step and GONE!! I get blank stares. ok adjust and regroup but not even the RECALL I had in same room works - GONE. - I think I ended up bribing her but honestly have no idea how - I follow the guidelines. Now to find a new adjustment and get her to eat kibble again. LEASH WALKING/Heel - This is a goal but I need to get somewhere conducive and we rarely take trips out of home and it's something I need to make time to do for Rosie to be able to travel with me but with No Recall and 'Selective hearing' I have to be in the right mindset to not stress us both out. We do use a leash when taking he out for potty breaks and long walks on the hill. It's a retractable(I haven't heard the best reviews here in the forums but it works for us and generally it's to keep her free to sniff the trail without a lead dragging in the mud. When she is with me she rarely pulls me and a quick tug from me will change her directions. I have been trying to remember the zig zag follow me walks when I HAVE her attention(remember NO RECALL) This is all challenged with our current weather cold, snowy, icy, rough terrain. Not that Rosie minds it. With hubby they run the hill and I do notice she will pull with him but he says she is getting better at not. We have her in a harness and I clip to the front; he clips to the top back. OFF LEASH - I Love the idea of letting my girl just have her freedom but she doesn't 'hear me' outside and we don't have a nice fenced in Doggie Park or acre of fenced in garden to play in. What we do have over 300 acres of wooded area/farm land that a road runs straight through and well DEER and SQUIRRELS. Doggie heaven!!! We do have a small fenced in area for quick outside time where if I have the baby(gramma time) I can just let her out for a few, we will go out there and play fetch with a baseball cap too. Currently, I have been letting her go for 5-10 minute runs a couple times a day; when I know traffic is slow and the other critters are less active and she's very responsive to treats (aka bribes). I can call till I'm blue in the face even with a hand full of yummy treats but until she can no longer see me does she come bounding back. We do about 3 of those 'catch and releases' with lots of exciting greetings and yummy treats before I leash her and we do some brisk walking before heading into the house. RETRIEVING She loves retrieving a tossed squeaky floppy toys and no treats needed, she'll come right to me while we are inside but outside she does a ton of running around before bringing it to me and not at my command. BRIBE/TREATS/REWARDS/mom is a bore - I swear the only time she's excited to see me or interacts is if she knows I have treats for her. Treats trump toys so if she even has an idea I have them all play ENDS. I just can't figure out a good balance for treating/feeding that doesn't become bribing. My hubby doesn't use ANYTHING EVER. But then he doesn't always get the best response unless it's the reliable sit or lay down. I know she doesn't hate me because she does miss me, when I go to another room she doesn't have access she'll lay down(if she's tired) or 'dig'(if she wants to play/out) waiting for me. But as we work on training when I reward her with ear rubs she ducks away and stops engaging. FOOD - kibble has become less then interesting to eat. I wrote about this before and tried the tricks but she seems to be this finicky 'really kibble' plus with all the training and treats I just don't know ... really I just don't - I make good treats - apples, hamburg, chicken, carrots we do have 'doggie' crews from the store and marrow bones for when we need longer distractions(because life). I use a kong or cut tennis call to trick her into some kibble - I load the bottom with kibble and a few dry treats mixed in top with a tiny milkbone and then 1/3 slice of american processed cheese(we both like cheese better then peanut butter) The cheese is a plug for the top and around the inside edge of the toy for lots of licks. GOOD THINGS we are able to do She fully house broke Commands Rosie knows and is reliable on Sit, Lay down, paw & hand(taps my hand with her nose) Commands Rosie knows Leave it, stay, wait(at the door) She is amazing at night - comes to the room with us and goes to her bed(a dog pillow) and just settles in - DONE DEAL LEAVE IT game - in the house anyway. I will place treats around her paws as she's laying down and tell her to leave it and she will till I release her. We do this random times and it's a tool I use when she's in her attention frenzy and nipping at things to pick up(towels, papers). Outside falls in 'selective hearing'. When she settled down around company she is good until she wants attention - but then aren't we all. Rosie has a her teddy bear which has becoming her calming toy. She's quick to go out to potty and can be directed, with excitement for returning to the house(she chasing me). She loves car rides and settles into a seat without jumping around. The one time I took her to the store she did very well. Not taking her more often is my own short comings and probably doing her harm. GOALS WITH ROSIE: Get out more - walk the outlet trail; have her go with me when we buy her food; find doggie play dates RECALL - get back on track - ugh it's such a long process - did I mention ADHD (I got this) No Jumping - recruit a partner to help with this Sign up for a dog training class Improve Crate training
Wow, there’s a lot of info here which is great, but I’m under the weather so can’t manage to respond to it all right now. I’ll add a few comments though. 1. If you don’t live a life of routine, don’t feel you should force one on yourself for the sake of your dog. Some training plans even talk about ditching routines to make your dog more robust. It depends a lot on the dog and the “level” of routine. For some, changing the 5 minutes of routine behaviour you demonstrate before leaving the house is enough to unsettle them. Others are bombproof if you have no routine at all. If your dog appears anxious, a bit more routine could help her relax, but otherwise I wouldn’t be concerned about it and you might actually be helping her to be more flexible. 2. Treats are bribes if your dog don’t perform without them. If you are bribing then you aren’t training. Basically a treat, however good it is, will never beat potential environmental rewards so you can’t have your dog weighing the two up because you will always lose. By all means use a lure in the very early stages of training a behaviour but it must be faded very quickly (within a few reps) so that your dog doesn’t become dependent on it. You can “fake” it for a few more reps, so your dog gets the idea that even when there’s no visible treat, she still gets a reward after the behaviour. 3. If your dog isn’t eating her kibble because of too many training treats, I’d actually use her daily kibble allowance for training instead of special treats. Just keep a small number of biscuits back to use in the bowl for the Total Recall exercises. My dogs get most of their kibble throughout the day for training and only 10-15 pieces of (small) kibble in their bowls got their “meals”. By all means use something special for jackpots still, but have the majority of your training just done with kibble. At least then you will know she’s still getting a balanced diet, and using it for training will increase the value of the kibble, too. 4. If steps are breaking down with training anything (in this case specifically recall) then you’ve moved on too quickly. Take it back a few steps rather than looking ahead and don’t move on until you’ve cracked the earlier stages. Don’t try to run before you can walk I hope that helps; you’re obviously thinking things through well and are organised despite your ADHD so stick with it and you’ll get there!
Welcome to you I have diagnosed ADHD too. I think it helps us to understand dogs lol. There is no routine in my life at all except from waking up until after breakfast, I make that a strict routine so I don’t forget anything. My dogs have learned to read my every action to see what’s happening next. Tatze is 4 years old and knows exactly what’s what. She knows when I’m going out with her, with the pup or with neither, just by watching me - she stays on her bed if it’s not her turn. Clever girl. Going to a class is a great idea. My pup is eight months old too - it’s a challenging time, but well worth the effort when you come out the other side.
It sounds to me as if you are doing everything right....you've only had the puppy for two months so you are catching up on the first months of lost training (to your way of life). Most of us don't get that ideal story book Labrador until around the age of three....until then, each one will present its own challenges. Our little Cain is 8 months old and the only issue we have with him is recall into the house. He is one of the few Labradors I've had the pleasure of sharing my life with that absolutely loves to be outside all by himself (he is one of five that live with us now). It is a joy to watch him entertain himself thorough the windows, but as he is too young for extended unsupervised time outside, getting him to come back is a challenge. He returns to the back door when the bell is rung, but the minute you open the door he is requesting that you chase him...which we never do. After trying several methods (including the long lead to enforce recall), I moved to a high value treat instead. I am on day three of this....He LOVES a hot dog, it's his very favorite thing in the world. Day one I went out with the hot dog in hand and waited for him to realize I had it. Breaking it into pieces, I threw it for a game of "catch" moving closer to the back door with each toss. I rang the bell, said "inside now" and he got the last of it when he came inside. The next time, he came a bit quicker he got less of the hot dog and I moved to the door more rapidly. Yesterday, instead of ringing the bell and giving him the chance to disobey me, I walked out to the yard, called him and stood for his return. He came over "playfully" but immediately sat when he realized I had the treat he loved. He got one toss right there and then we walked to the back door where he got another and then I rang the bell, gave the command and he got another bite when he entered. Last night, I rang the bell and he immediately came; got a tossed bit of the hot dog and another when he came inside.....then lots and lots of praise and cuddles. This morning, he came to the bell and entered before he got his tossed treat....Now the trick is to gradually remove the treat from his coming inside....remove it too quickly and we will revert again....eventually, he will just come in like the rest of them do and will get treated occasionally. Any type of treating is essentially a bribe, but the trick is to know when to remove it. One thing I've learned is that you may spend a lot of time going back to the beginning with certain dogs....but eventually all that hard work does pay off. If you're lucky, it happens before they are three years old!
THREE - I keep hearing THREE years old - I got this!! you all are awesome with your ideas and feedback, THANK YOU! @Aisling Labs - Rosie loves the outdoors too and I think I created my own problem there because we go out and WE let her sniff sniff sniff, so off leash she's on her own but does come back to me for her treat and will wait briefly for a release. After about three of those she takes the liberty of a LONGER sniff and I loose sight of her but she does come bounding back. I do leash her to bring her back into the house but she does come willingly; it's more of a safety measure from distractions. I love the idea of a recall bell for home - will work great in the country. I also had the feeling that treating is bribing - PERIOD...I'm working on the logistics of when to remove it. @Boogie I'm hoping that this will be us in 4 years, not to put any pressure on Rosie. lol @snowbunny thank you for taking the time for a few tidbits. Like I said I'm writing here to keep track of me and am very grateful for anyone that's willing to drop a bit of advice or encouragement. I'm glad to hear that maybe not having routine will help her not become anxious but a bombproof dog - just what I need. I'm also crazy excited about giving kibble a spot in my treat bag for standard behavior requests. We do use it for catch but she has turned her nose up to it when I have tried to 'treat' her with it before but we have backed off on most treats and maybe it'll work. Today's report: We took a 'training' break and I have just been doing follow me games along with some seek and finds to keep her mind busy and her coming TO ME. We are also doing more intentional brisk walks so she can't sniff. Backed off the treats, that should make kibble doable as a treat. Trying to get her focused on ME as I don't feel like I'm the most exciting thing in her life; actually rather boring - shouldn't I be? I'll probably go back to Total Recall next week since I think I broke the whistle. Yes, I probably tried to move on too quick; didn't break treating right yada yada - we'll get it.
Yes, you both will get it. It just takes time! The main thing is enjoy these early years because they grow old on us so very fast.
Little itty bitty win today. I have been taking Rosie out off leash for her potty breaks; at least 2 a day. First I check all the fields to make sure the other critters aren't out and about and of course when traffic is typically at a lull and that I have a leash in hand incase I need to capture her to bring her in. We go up onto a porch and a small hill into the yard that becomes acres and acres of woods and creek/waterfalls. I have been using UP as a command to move her in this direction I prefer her to go which is 'uphill' as the other option is into the drive way and way too close to the road. On leash it might be a tug to remind her; off leash I have her chase me but sometimes she has it all on her own. She's getting really good at SIT & WAIT before being released to leave the house - not proofed by any means but improvement everyday. Today is bitter cold(AGAIN) she probably would have stayed out longer if I did. As she was off sniffing I went back to the house(about 75 yards from the tree covered hill she likes to explore) and started to clean that snow stuff off the porch, walk and car. She hurried right back to see what I was up to and stayed with me for the remainder of our outdoor time; yes a few treats were involved. When it was time to come in she didn't need any bribes, I mean treats. She was well rewarded when we settled back in. Still no recall, I rely heavily on her desire to not loose me and I find walking away from her works but is still a bit nerve racking for me.
Just catching up with your thread and wanted to say "welcome" and i'm looking forward to following along with you and Rosie. It certainly seems that for only two months of working together, she's learned a lot. Smart girl and smart mom! I was intrigued that you think (thought?) that lack of routine was a detriment to training. I am also a bit "Squirrel!" (to use your lingo ) and my dogs have never had a routine beyond getting fed twice a day. The ones I raised from puppies were not bothered by this at all and always just went with the flow of whatever happened on a particular day. Also my fosters that were younger (under a year) adapted really well to the no-routine routine. My older fosters? Wowsa, did it drive some of them nuts! I adopted an 8 year old girl and she NEVER got over the fact that her dinner didn't magically appear precisely at 5pm. This is only my personal experience, but I really feel my lack of routine was invaluable to having my dog Brogan be such a happy traveler. New tasks, new people, new places...they all made him one happy camper. So at least for the one item on your long list, I'd stop worrying. Maybe even think of your "Squirrel!" kind of attention span as an asset in training? As @Boogie says, it probably helps us understand our dogs better!
8 Months old today - nothing specific worked on but we had great success with off lead again & Leave It(in the house) & WAIT. Some minor success with visitors. Greeting Guests - She settled down relatively quickly even though she still jumped on them a bit and once I had her attenton I gave her a chew distraction. I have to remember to keep water bottles handy. I was really surprised at how quickly she calmed down after she had a minute or two with the bottle. Treats don't work because I have to get to here but the crinkly of the bottle gets her attention. She had to earn the bottle(she loved them) with a SIT on her rug and then she went off to play; just a very short bit and came back a nice calm(ish) dog for more greeting. LEAVE IT & GO AHEAD - we played snack toss & catch. I would toss random treats into the air for her to catch but occasionally I would toss one on the floor with a LEAVE IT she did great and stayed attentive to me and the next toss. After placing a few on the floor I released her with a 'GO AHEAD' and she would go find her reward. I find we use the GO AHEAD on her off leash too. After she returns to me and after I reward her she (sometimes) will wait for me to release her with a 'GO AHEAD' WAIT - has become our command for stay not even sure why it's come about or works but it is and now I have to train my hubby to use it too, but honestly I think he might be the easiest of us to train... oh wait back on track. She SIT & STAYS before exiting the door when I place her in a SIT and tell her to WAIT. GO AHEAD, is her release to move forward. Not proofed by any means but relatively reliable. Our super exciting WIN for today: we took our guests out the garage(across the drive and a bit dark walk in the evening) to pick up a project. They walked back to the house before I shut off the lights. So Rosie was in the doorway wanting to follow, she was on lead but not pulling and I say WAIT. She sat down and just waited for me to finish. HAPPY PUPPY MOMMY We turned off the light and walked politely back towards the house and our guests. Again, thank you everyone for the real life support - I think knowing that I don't have to go by the book and we can work with our own personalities. We do reference the immense amount of positive training as vital resources and a base of fabulous ideas @Emily your avatar reminds me so much of my Sam - we lost him 8 years ago and he was such a fabulous rescue.
Today we had a pretty lazy day. Rosie is limping, probably from her zoomies out on the ice and chasing toys on hard wood floors aka slip and slide. Sad puppy mom. We will be visiting our local vet this week to get her 'moved' here and the leg checked to make sure it's not just a strain. Training today was working on her WAIT. She did amazing - she sat and waited at an open door while I place trash into the bins outside. We walked down the drive to get mail (rural delivery box). She stayed on loose leash the short walk and when we got to the box I had her SIT and WAIT while I retrieved the mail from the box. Then we loose leash back to the house. Crate training was kibble in a kong and tennis ball I'm working on it being a faster, more reliable and excited response. First was with a closed door the second with an unlocked door. I think we need a larger crate as she can tuck and sleep fine but can't stretch out much. Wandering around YouTube training - I found out that either side for leash walking is FINE - HURRAY because we always seem to do right side; it's just naturally comfortable for us both and I'm happy to know we don't have to change that. Now I'm focused on loose lead; having her come to my side instead of worrying how am I going to get US to use my left side. I also picked up treating tips - I always felt like I was over treating so she wasn't eating kibble. She has been very good at turning her nose up at kibble lately - so now it's going to be the staple of regular treats in hopes that high value and jackpots will be worth more.
HAHA..what was I thinking kibble for treats!!! I got a serious upturned nose this morning. After our morning potty break she did take to it as a toss game and distraction chew when we received guests. Our potty break however was a HUGE success again. Off lead; I had back up hotdogs in my pocket. I hear a larger critter across the creek and I was prepared to put her on lead to return to the house. It got her attention but not enough to have her bolt off into the unknown. She was very responsive to my call back abet hotdog bribe returning to me and following me back to the house and inside without a single issue. She was horrible with our guests - my daughter and grandbaby but she was also pretty wound out hadn't had enough playtime yet.
WELL today felt like a WIN and a BUST at the same time. It's been forever since we have gone for a ride or visited anywhere. We went to the vet just to do a walk through and get her an appointment for a wellness visit and sign in to our local vet. We also went into town and visited with a friend for a minute; Rosie came out of the car and we walked(if you can all it that) around the block. There wasn't a thing I could do to get her attention but luckily she's not aggressive and just wants to sniff and check EVERYTHING out. All she did was SNIFF and want to jump on any one passing by. Thankfully I know our environment and was able to pace her a distance from the few folks we seen and whatever might have been on the sidewalk to sniff was way more interesting. There wasn't a treat that could get her attention or me..I was just the dead weight on the end of her leash. She didn't bark while waiting in the car and wasn't destructive. In the vet she wanted to meet the other dogs after a bit she did settle down and I could get a nice sit from her but I'm very glad for the harness to keep her in check. Again, she didn't bark at anyone even the dog that barked at her. I'm looking forward to getting some training because I'm at a loss to help her in public if she doesn't even know I exist. She is one TIRED puppy tonight.
She wants our attention and interaction ALWAYS! and if it's not to her liking she gets barky and nips. I've tried to teach her manners - she knows the steps just not how to use them to calm herself. I try to preempt when before we have a behavior but too often miss the mark lately because I'm actually working; from home. Starting to think I need to crate her during 'work hours' so I can concentrate. I'm not getting work done, she's getting worst and I'm frustrated....how many more years?? I feel like a horrible doggie parent by having to crate her and now keep her onleash all the time as today she didn't come back from her off leash walk and when she was out really hurt her back legs - sore sprain..we seen the vet this week and she has meds for it.
I also work from home, and I've learnt you have to invest in your dog's behaviours in order to get the results you want. I use much of my dogs' daily food allowance in rewarding calm behaviours. I will regularly toss each of them a piece of kibble when they are settled nicely - even though in the early days this can result in them getting up, they quickly learn that there's no point and they might as well just stay settled. In time, the settles become stronger and longer and you will get more work done, but in the early days, it's just part of what you have to do. Invest and ye shall reap the rewards I think we from-home workers also need to remember that it's not enough to just be there, working from home. In the same way that dogs who have owners who work away from the home need to arrange social interaction for their dogs (day care, dog walkers etc), we have to ensure that ours are also getting enough social interaction during the day. Being in the same room isn't enough. So I make the time a few times during the working day to do a little bit of training with them, or just sit on the sofa and have cuddles while I have a cuppa. My latest addition can be a frustration barker and when very young would definitely bark for attention. The second she woke, she would bark. It was intensely annoying! But I invested in proactively training her settling behaviours - which I could only expect to be a few seconds at first! - and worked from there. Now she settles for a couple of hours quite happily. If for any reason any of my dogs start getting antsy and I can't give them any attention, I chuck them a frozen Kong and use that as a calming mechanism. They normally have two or three Kongs a day as part of their daily food allowance.
Thank you for your comments ... I keep reminding myself she's ONLY.. and it'll take time.. I have also gotten loaded up Kongs and they have become part of our daily routine. When she gets antsy and I know she has no need to; she's had play time and cuddles I'll give her one in her crate. She's getting better at knowing it's temporary and to enjoy her nibbles.
So after our vet visit where I was told she's got a little more meat on her bones then necessary I decided to back off the treating since I feel I was bribing her mostly anyway. I stopped all the 'formal' training I feel like my personality was just getting in the way and we seem to be doing much better. Without treats or formal structure, I say this but in hindsight we are getting even more training time. Staying with me: When I get groceries I have her help me unload them. She is great about sticking with me; probably hoping for a ride. I make more trips from vehicle to house then necessary so we can get as much off leash as possible. I have yet had her run off on me. One kibble Kong when we are done and she's happy. Coming In: when we talk our walks, go out on potty breaks she sniffs and just does as she pleases as far as the leash will go. I've come to not let her PULL ME, she'll only go as far as a loose lead but still have no real recall. However, when I say IN she will head back to the house with little hesitation. In another thread they were talking about using NO. I became more conscientious of the words I'm using and we have a few key words. Excuse Me gets her attention because she knows I want something other than what she's doing.
I have been away from home and Rosie for 5 days, two of which she spent in boarding due to my husbands traveling. The boarding is a nice place not sure what to compare to but we did check out a couple locally and were happy with the caretaker, play area and opportunity to socialize there. My hubby took her and picked her up so I didn't get a feel but he said she was happy and didn't want come home, she had made a friend so ya know I can't blame her. In the time I was gone she followed my husbands routine and he doesn't treat or train with her they simply play a bit and do their walks. I came home to a fabulous well behaved dog. I really believe I was trying too hard. So i haven't been treating and she doesn't get kibble as a catch game or anything else and just eats her 3 meals a day when it's offered up. We have a ton of heavy snow again so walks are tough and I took it as an opportunity to work on recall with treats. So we walked off leash twice today snd she stayed with me like a champ, waited for me to release her to explore and came back when i called for her. She also eagerly followed me back into the house. I did use hotdog bits for this and they became high value. So in conclusion i believe I devalued treats and now we have re-established a better base line and we have a better behaved pup on our hands. Oh and I'm so excited that my hubby bonded with her, see he's not a dog person.
