Some questions

[KouVang]

Hi,

So while I'm working my ways towards the obedience module there are some behaviors that comes up that I need help with. This is regarding my 12 weeks old black lab.

 

1. Chewing/Biting - There are times where she has a tendency to chew on our shirts/pants or even bite. What do you suggest we do in these situations? I do like the positive re-enforcement approach so what i do is I usually make a loud "ow" sound and I walk away and over the gate and turn my back to her. I see her reaction so if she pays attention to that she will look sad or go into a sit/down position then I come back in and that seems to work most of the times. There are times where that doesn't work because once I walk over the gate she is distracted and goes to play on to other stuff.

Should we do more things like send her to her crate? Is that bad?

 

2. Potty training - So we got one of those plastic holders where we got the pads clipped on top. The dog keeps tearing those pads up so we invested in one of those where you put the pad on and then there is a cover with holes so that it will prevent that. That's been great. She knows how to use that but there are times where she will still do it else where. I'm curious if it is because once she has peed in the pad, does she thinks she needs to pee elsewhere? Should she be pooping on that pad to or no?

 

3. Outside- going outside she is soooo distracted and it seems like I don't even exist anymore. This time we are starting out small now by putting her on a leash and I'm trying the training where everytime she makes eye contact I give her a treat. She barely does it. I also call her name but she doesn't respond much. Any other suggestion?

 

4. Resistance - What do you do when you want her to come inside or come back inside the closed gate but she is resistance to you pulling the leash?

 

5. Gentle Feeding - I thought I read somewhere but I have a problem sometimes where she is too excited during training that when I give her a treat off of my hand she takes it too aggressive and it hurts some of the fingers. Did you have a suggestion to do that better?

 

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello,

Many of the behaviors you are facing are perfectly normal parts of puppyhood, so no need to worry about them! There are several things you can do though to make it through more quickly and easily. I will address first the nipping at the shirt and pants.

 

1) The chewing on shirts and pants is play. There is nothing more entertaining than things that move for a puppy. If you watch two puppies play, all they want to do is chase each other and nip. They will do this for most of the day and since puppies are in our homes with us, they will seek us as playmates. It seems from your descripton that your puppy is receptive for the most part to your approach of saying "ouch" and then walking away. This method is based on negative punishment. In other words, your are removing yourself from play (negative) so to reduce and extinguish the nipping behavior (punishment). Since you mention it's working most of the time, you are likely seeing a reduction in the behavior.

You can read more about this here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/biting-mouthing-nipping/

 

While negative punishment is effective in informing the puppy that we don't like him to play with us in a certain rough way, it's also true that we must teach pups what we want them to do instead. So it's good to provide opportunities during the day (preferably before your puppy even tries to chew your pants) where you can redirect your pup and she starts playing with something else. This is a good time where you can go get a tug toy or toy on a string (look up flirt poles if you want a fun toy to use to redirect your pup) move it about and tell your puppy to "take" so to entice him to play with the toy rather than your shirt and pants. Another way to redirect is to play a game of targeting (reward with kibble/treats) before the puppy starts wanting to play inappropriately (try to find whether there is a pattern of when this is likely to happen and recognize the pre-nipping behavior) Always praise and reward your puppy for making good choices. With the good choices being rewarded and the less desirable ones being negatively punished, you should see an increase in desirable behaviors.

 

You may also want to teach your pup to engage in activities that do not involve you, but rather encourage independence. Food dispensing interactive games and puzzle games such as the Muffin Game, Bottle Game, Treasure Hnt Game and Bobbing For Treats are some examples. In other words, you want to encourage independent play away from you but also teach her that all interactions with you should involve non-nipping activities that are highly reinforcing. Hands are to target rather than nipping, when she's interested in biting your clothing, stop walking in your tracks, ask her to sit (or maybe perform a cute trick), praise and toss a piece of kibble across the room. You can even try a flirt pole to redirect her and encourage her to play. Basically, you'll be enticing her to play with a toy dangling off a rope instead of with your clothing.

 

Now, you mention having the issue that when you leave the room sometimes your puppy is distracted and goes to play with other stuff. You may therefore be thinking that your withdrawal from play has less impact so to say. Per se' I don't see this as something to be particularly concerned about. I know it's easy to think "well, it looks like my pup can care less about this." However, from the pup's persepctive toys are likely less entertaining because they do not move and they do not have the same history of emotional attachment with them as they do with us. On top of that, the pup is performing a desirable alternate behavior which is playing with his toys (the puppy is not barking or chewing a pair of shoes apart). Sending her to the crate with nothing to do may not work well, because with a pup's short attention span, by the time the pup is sent inside it, he/she may have forgotten what happened prior. Yes, it's is possible to chain the "ouch" with being sent in the crate and create a strong association if the crate is readily nearby, but we don't want a pup to associate the crate with it being a boring place or a place associated with punishment as that can put a dent on the crate training process.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Training puppies to eliminate on pads can be quite a challenge. It is hard enough for a puppy to eliminate outside in the yard, yet imagine how challenging it is to have a puppy go on the middle of a 17x24 inch squarish piece of fast-absorbing material.

 

Good to hear that you have found a solution to the tearing the pads up. Those pads can be so much fun to tear up from a puppy's eyes! Usually, when a pup pees on a surface/area they feel compelled to use the same area again and again because it smells like bathroom. Indeed, one of the biggest issues with potty training puppies is the fact that if a specific area on a carpet is not cleaned well enough it would still retain the smell of urine which will trigger further urination in that same spot.

 

I am not sure exactly why your puppy is peeing elsewhere. I can think of a few assumptions though:

 

-If the pad is wet or a bit humid, perhaps your puppy doesn't like to walk on it to go again. You can try changing the pads as soon as they are soiled and see if it helps.

-Your puppy may at times get too distracted playing or exploring and not make it on time to go the pad again.

-Your puppy may have access to a too large space that is too far from the pad.

-Your puppy is urinating from submission or excitement when it's not happening on the pad.

 

Here are a few tips:

If you catch your puppy giving pre-potty cues, gently try to escort your puppy quickly to pee pad if you can, and when she finishes up there, make sure you praise her lavishly and reward (you should always keep a treat in your pocket or treat pouch when potty training for instances like this!).

 

Every time your puppy successfully uses the pee pad, you need to be nearby and fast in praising and giving him a treat. Make sure though that your praise starts when you are sure your puppy is done. Ideally, not a second before not a second later. If you praise too early, your puppy may not finish up and he may do it later in a spot that she's not supposed to. If you are too late, your puppy may think you are praising her for doing other things like sniffing the yard or walking away.

 

Finally, set your puppy for success. Place the pads in an enclosed area so it's easy-peasy for your puppy to make a good choice. It is difficult for a puppy at times to make it on time to the pad when she has to go, especially in a large room. She may also get distracted along the way.

 

If your puppy is having accidents in areas other than the pad, there are chances your puppy will continue eliminate in these same areas more and more if you don't clean up his messes correctly using the right products (enzyme-based cleaners).

 

At 12 weeks, puppies have still not attained sufficient bladder and bowel control. It is therefore quite normal for them to have some accidents at this point.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

For gentle treat-taking, yes, there is an article in the archive.

Here it is:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

I will need to take out the doggies now, will resume with your further questions shortly!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

"Outside- going outside she is soooo distracted and it seems like I don't even exist anymore. This time we are starting out small now by putting her on a leash and I'm trying the training where everytime she makes eye contact I give her a treat. She barely does it. I also call her name but she doesn't respond much. Any other suggestion?"

 

This again, is pretty normal puppy behavior. Puppies are easily overstimulated by all the sights and sounds of the great outdoors. Don't take it personally: your puppy isn't voluntarily ignoring you, it's just that she hasn't attained yet the necessary impulse control to control her emotional response to all the stimuli. This takes time, some maturity (that comes with age) and patience. It will get easier with time.

 

It helps to practice first in low distractions areas. You can start at home by practicng walking around in areas like the hallway or a large room. Make it a fun game where looking at you while waking is extra rewarding. Then once you start seeing an increase in looking at you, you can try in front of the house or in the yard and then a few steps farther etc. If at any time your puppy appears too distracted, you may have progressed too much. Do this several times during the day so that going out isn't a big deal anymore. Make sure your puppy has been exercised and provided with mental stimulation and brain games beforehand so to drain some excess energy.

 

I wouldn't call her name if she is in a situation where she doesn't respond much. Protect her name and use it for now only in situations where she is more likely to succeed. We don't want to burn her recall by causing it to become irrelevant.

 

At 12 weeks, your puppy is at the prime stage of socialization, so make sure she gets ample of socialization opportunities in safe places as outlined here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

 

"What do you do when you want her to come inside or come back inside the closed gate but she is resistance to you pulling the leash?"

 

For resistance on the leash to coming back inside, pulling her in won't really accomplish much in changing her emotions and may trigger the opposition reflex causing her to put on her breaks and pull back. Instead, try turning coming inside into a fun and rewarding opportunity. Try to do things that will attract your puppy to come inside and that your pup looks forward to do. For instance, you can run inside if your dog loves chasing you and then ask her to sit or target your hand and toss a jackpot of treats. You can leave a flirt pole by the door/gate and entice her to chase it inside. You can have a stuffed Kong ready for her right by the entrance. Keep her entertained for a bit so she'll soon forget about the outdoors. How about feeding her right after walks? She'll have her bowl full with food waiting for her right at the entrance. Day after day, she may fall into the routine of lookng forward to coming home to eat her meal. You'll have to get creative so to find activities that beat the great outdoors.

 

You can try to play with your dog outside for a bit now that it's warm. She'll likely soon feel hot and will be thirsty. Then entice her to follow you indoors where you have the AC running and a nice bowl full of fresh water for her waiting for her. You can also add a few ice cubes or give her some doggy ice pops (you can find some great recipes online) to let her have some more fun.

 

With dog breeds that tend to love the outdoors, I like to put going inside on cue "let's go inside!" and make it a fun, happy event letting a rainfall of treats fall to the ground as I close the door. After a while, such dogs will voluntarily follow me and wait for me to open the door.

 

Finally, it may also help make the outdoors more boring. Like, just stand in front of the gate for some time or sit down in a chair nearby and wait for her to get super bored. Or try walking back and forth near the gate several times. Then try going inside with her. Chances are, your dog may like this change in activity especially if you have created the above positive associations with the indoors being super rewarding.

Edited June 22, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli