Hi, My lovely little Mole is now 17 weeks and thanks to all the info on this forum we are doing really well with training. He is very responsive to treats and off lead stays very close (I take chicken with me!) I just wanted to see how I can encourage him to be a little more independent as he will not go in the garden to pee or at all without me - I wouldn't want him playing out there on his own at this age as its a good size garden but he is firmly attached to my side - also on walks he really won't go far from me at all and I would love him to run and play a bit more. I had the opposite with my last lab who worried me all the time disappearing so this is a much better situation to be in If we walk with another dog he will go and play - I think he is just waiting for chicken when we are on our own! Should I not worry about this! I imagine it will change when he hits his teenage years?!! Sam and Mole
I would say enjoy it while it lasts! He will no doubt gain confidence and independence as he grows up.
Make the most of it while you can Juno doesn't stray far from me on walks even now which I prefer. On our walks with our trainer and other dogs Juno would run off with the dogs, stop, turn round and start coming back to me and I used to have to tell her it was OK at which point she would go zooming after them. That lasted until around a year old
I had the same with Shadow - he really lived up to his name and I was constantly tripping over him. I was a bit concerned about it, but was told to just enjoy it, and not to do anything to encourage independence because there would come a time when he learnt it himself and I'd then be spending my time trying to encourage him to stay close. Well, everyone was right. Willow was a lot more independent as a puppy, and so I did loads of work with her on checking in, staying close yada yada yada. I did nowhere near as much with Shadow because I just didn't need to. Now, at 19 months, Willow is the one that wants to be with me all the time, and Shadow is a lot more independent and has to be managed more to keep him close. So, I'd agree with Heidrun. Enjoy it and actively encourage it with treats, games and praise. I do believe it's time for some photos of Mole
What a beautiful girl! Don't worry about her not going far from you; that is a GOOD thing!!! Also, Poppy at four years still won't go into the garden for a pee without us accompanying her...
Don't say that! Mole's a boy, you'll give him a complex! Maybe he needs a blue bow He's very handsome, lovely photos!
Lovely photos of you BOY !! Really make the most of this time , they grow up far too quickly Sam is out in the garden now, on his own, sunbathing but even at almost five years old, he still likes to be with us
Thanks everyone! Maybe I need to rethink the purple collar!!! Great advice as always! I think because I have been following the Happy Puppy handbook religiously and all your fab tips on here I am just not used to having such a well trained puppy!!! It's lovely not being worried about him on a walk as he checks in with me all the time but we don't have a lot of distractions to contend with other than some other dogs that so far he is amazingly well behaved with. I'm sure things will change before long!! But I will keep with the praise and treats as it certainly works for him. Any tips on how to get him to take a treat gently?!!! Sometimes he will and he definitely knows the word gentle but often he will grab it from my fingers in desperation! How have you all managed this? Thanks again!
Sam was a grabber too , this is what I did . I put him into a sit , holding the treat in my hand and, if he went to grab , I closed my hand around the treat so that he couldn't get it , then tried again . The penny began to drop , eventually
I would go the same route as Kate with Sam they tend to learn quite quickly to be gentle. I know it seems obvious but make sure you're not holding the treat too high as that encourages more of a snatch as well. Start with low value treats and build up to the chicken super treat.
