My dog is so naughty! She will not come, she will pick up EVERYTHING she’s not suppose to, and knows it, than she will run around so you can’t catch her! Like run around a tree or a pole or the fire pit! I’ve tried walking her, exercising her to get out the extra energy, nothing works! I’ve tried to start over with treats but I gave up the “positive reinforcement” thing because she’s too busy watching my hand knowing there’s a treat in it! I can’t get her to look at me and think about what I’m asking her to do. Funny thing is she sits nice and waits for her food dish! Even looks at me calmly before I put it down! I never taught her that she just does it! It’s great that she does but why can’t I get her to pick up on things I’m trying to teach her?!? Even my husband is getting fed up. We used to walk her around the yard off leash but she’s getting to the point where we have to put her on leash or on tie out so she can’t get away. I need help, advice, and please, please don’t tell me to give her a treat if I call her and she looks at me or something like that because I’d have to catch her first! (And yes, when she’s outside, treats don’t matter when there is grass, sticks, etc to eat instead of listening). Oh, and I don’t need any badgering or negative talk please. Only friendly advice is welcome. Thank you!
I’m not really sure what advice would be appropriate as any advice that would be helpful of constructive you’ve said you don’t want..
The thing is @KrisM, your pup is behaving just like most pups do at 11 weeks. She's really not being naughty she is just finding the world a very exciting place, more exciting than listening to you unfortunately! So obviously it's stressful for you and not a lot of fun, I remember feeling exactly the same when my pup was this age. I would really urge you to stick with treating and the positive reinforcement because it does work but it takes time and a lot of practice. My pup used to run amok in the garden, run away if she had something she wanted to keep, jumped up at us, nipped, bit, whirled around like a banshee, it was crazy for a while. But lots and lots of practice started to make a difference with her behaviours along with a developing maturity. Sometimes exercise isn't enough to wear them out and obviously you have to be careful of their developing joints so they mustn't be over exercised. But little brain games stimulate their brains and this can really tire them out, games like 'find it' where you hide treats in a room and get the pup to sniff them out by saying "find it!" She will soon learn that when you say "find it" there are treats to be had and her nose will be going bonkers. Are you enrolled for puppy training classes because they will provide focus for you and pup? But please don't join a class that is not based on positive reinforcement just because you're frustrated. You could watch kiko pup training videos on YouTube to give you some ideas for training. I think you're in one of the worst phases at the moment, it certainly was for me. I really empathise. Try to hang on in there as it will come right but it's gonna take time!
Hi KrisM my girl was exactly the same,still is at times! Have you tried a whistle? Isla didn't listen,everything was to exiting and she whizzed around like a crazy pup so she couldn't hear me. The whistle was only cheap and it really worked for Isla. Also positive reinforcement really will work,i felt like i was rewarding her for taking stuff,running away with it and ignoring me, then giving her a treat when she felt ready to come back to me,but over time she began to bring it back quicker because she realised that she would get a treat I know it seems like she's naughty,boy do i know it! But keep reading on this forum because it really helps you realise they are just excited and learning everyday and she really will get better. Labradors are known to be crazy puppies,but hang on in there,it will be worth it!
Our pup used to steal my gardening gloves and shoes at any opportunity, she's grown out of it now though. You need to give your pup a bit of space for a zoomie or two, we had ours on a ground tie while on holiday (camp site) and evem with a good off lead walk every day she didn't like it.
She sounds like our Dreama who is now three years old and the Dream she was named for - but, it was a long road to get her there. I never ever cry but Dreama as a puppy brought me to tears many times - she was out of control nearly all day long. She was a biter so badly that I still bear the scars on my forearms. No type of treat training worked with her - she is still not a food/treat motivated dog. Here's what I did. I ordered "The Perfect Dog" collar and leads (6 inch, 6 foot and 10 foot). She had a 10 foot lead on outside and a 6 ft lead on inside trailing along the ground behind her until she was more apt to listen to us. The leads are extremely light and nearly impossible to tangle and catch the puppy up in a dangerous situation. They allow you to catch the dog without chasing and to get the dog out of a troubling situation before they get into it. Once she was more in tune with voice commands, she wore a 6 inch lead for several months which allowed us to get her collar more quickly. (NOTE: I did NOT use the training methods that the DVD that comes with the collar and leads suggested. The collar and leads were simply tools that I used to help with the out of control behavior of this puppy when all else had failed.) She also had a very strict crate schedule in the early days. There was no napping on the floor for her because the second she woke up she went on a mad tear around the room. Our curtains were tied up out of her reach and there were no electrical plugs anywhere in the room until she outgrew this (this came about after I had to replace several curtains and put back up rods and she had broken a lamp or two). She came out of the crate, had a lead attached to her collar and out the door we went. When she'd done her business, it was straight to some type exercise - a rolled ball, a tossed stick and release for her to get and return and so on. Five minutes twice each day and never rolled or tossed beyond the length of the lead so that I could get her to return to me. Then, it was "free play" which still included that butt tucking around the yard - we barricaded anywhere we didn't think she'd be safe or didn't want her to be. We also ordered a ball on a 40 ft lead that allowed us to bring her and the ball back to us once she retrieved it. And then back inside to her crate to repeat it all again later. After a couple of weeks of this, we began to let her out in a room with the leads attached again; strict supervision. The minute a butt tuck began inside, we'd get that lead and out the door with her we'd go. Potty on demand and then "focus training". After about 4 weeks, her behavior began to change and we were able to go to a less restrictive schedule with her. I had frozen Kongs ready all the time to give her when she was crated as well as nylabones and deer antlers. By six months, we were able to control most of her behavior outside without the leads. When she began to regress, back on went those leads. I despaired that she'd ever be a calm companion and now, she is an absolute joy to take to the beach or visiting to a friend's house and to live with.
Perhaps you could try building on this to encourage her to respond to treats. When she sits nicely ready for her food, reinforce that with the command 'sit', trying to time it for when she is about to sit rather than when she's actually sitting, and give her a treat when she sits. Then ask her to 'wait' and reinforce that with a treat, then let her have her food. Once she responds to this, when it's not food time try asking her so sit and again, when she does so, give her a treat. Then extend that to asking her to 'sit', 'wait', put the treat on the floor in front of her, then give her a cue to take it - perhaps either 'take' or 'eat', or just 'good girl'. 11 week old puppies can be very challenging because they're ready to explore the world, so it's best to do this indoors so that she has fewer escape routes! It's a long and tedious process, but by going back to basics and taking it slowly you may have some success. Good luck!
