Evening! Sully is growing fast! He is 22 lbs at 15 weeks tomorrow! Finished his last shots on Wednesday! We are thrilled! He is happy, healthy and we can broaden the exposure/socializing training (with the precautions of covid19). However I am needing a handle with the following behaviors: Barking is still a challenge (especially when I am out of the room) when I come home he is trying to pull my pants down and nippy. I ignore him. Counter surfing Jumping on the couch when not given permission He always seems bored. I do training, games, we use toys, he goes outside and just seems like at times it is really hard for him to settle. Suggestions?
Hi SullyBear! Don't worry, at 15 weeks he is still very much a baby! All the things you're working towards will come with time and maturity. Unfortunately there is no fast forward button, we just have to ride it out. A really powerful way to shape puppies' behavior at this stage is to keep pots of kibble (out of reach from Sully!) all over the areas of your home he's allowed in. And in a pouch on your belt. Then reward him whenever you catch him behaving in a way you like. So as soon as he stops nipping your pants, whenever he's got all four paws on the floor (don't wait for him to jump up at the counter then drop back down, he might mistake the reward for being linked to both parts!), sitting on the ground, laying on his bed, being quiet, etc etc. You'll get through a lot of kibble this way, so it helps to measure out his next meal, take out 3/4 to use for treats like this, and just keep a 1/4 for a 'meal' later. Other than that, try to avoid wearing loose fitting clothing, keep your counters clear as possible, and do your best not to react to barking (I know this bit is difficult - my dog's bark makes me leap out of my skin and instinctively look towards the sound!) Learning that the couch is out of bounds sometimes but not others is quite a complex concept for such a little puppy. It might just be easiest to keep him off the couch altogether for now (or let him on all the time). As for your last bit - that's just puppies! They're full on and draining, and they're not very good at regulating their energy levels yet. It gets better with time. This article about teaching a dog to relax will help. Good luck! It's great to read about Sully's progress, please keep updating us!
@sarah@forumHQ I have an update for you! Sully did amazing today. He was about 90% calm all day. We rewarded that calm behavior. Not only that my other older dog came to cuddle with him and Sully left him alone and they were butt to butt laying down. Today was a lovely day. Seems like all that training needs time to click in. That is truly a process. I guess when I typed how much I was struggling - not realizing that training is fluid. It is never the same on any given day. Today I saw such maturity and responsiveness to all the training I have been doing with him. It was lovely. I have a new perspective now as I approach every day. Thank you for all your support.
That's wonderful! It was this forum which taught me that puppy training is never a matter of perfect linear improvement. There are good days and bad days, but with time you get to see that overall, they are improving
@sarah@forumHQ Absolutely. Today again was the same result. He did remarkable. I wish I could post photos easily here! He really shocked me. I went out to get some food shopping for a bit and he was a dream (my kids watched him). No issues. When I came home he was wonderful. I am excited to see how the training continues to pan out. We are STILL dealing with crate issues with barking in frustration. That's pretty much all. Do you have any tools for this? Other than keep making it a positive source. Like cooked steak in a kong, different yummies in a toy, doing a lot of boundary work with the crate? I really want him to be comfortable in it.
