We just adopted a 12 week old black lab mix named Phoebe, she has been doing good so far, she already knows how to sit,down,come, stay and wait and to play fetch with actually bringing to toy back. when i say knows i mean 9 out of 10 times she will do the command. we are crate training her and she is doing good, we have had her for a week and she has only gone pee in the house about 4 times which was our fault for not getting her outside fast enough. but when she is outside she likes to pick up and check rocks, leaves, grass and even dirt. is this normal? and how can she be broken of this habit? ive tried usi g treats and toys but nothing stops it. other then that she is doing good to me. i will post some pictures of her later today
Hello and welcome to the forum from Fred, Annie and me. Looking forward to hearing about Phoebe and your time together.
Not a good .....could become a habit ......habits can be difficult to undo.......and some dogs will swallow these things of which can create obstructions. Good time now to teach "leave it".......supervise her closely and always keep her on a leash when outside of her crate. When on a leash this will keep her within feet of yourself...... Having her close to you on a leash will allow you to catch her "in the moment" of picking something up......the moment she approaches the object ...instruct her to "leave it".....and re-direct her attention to you. Jump around ..act silly.....just get her to become more interested in you........When this happens successfully and she "leaves it" .......praise praise.......maybe even a little treat ......give the treat/praise the moment she focuses on you....and leaves the object alone. Congrats on your new pup !
Thank you, i have started the leave it training and drop it training. and watch her like a hawk when she is outside, for now she is only outside while on a lead, as she doesnt always come when called and it give me quick access to her incase she does pick something up. ive caught her with rocks and had to use my fingers to get them because she still wouldnt drop them even with a treat bribe. luckily she seems to be a very fast learner and we do training sessions quite a few times a day.
