Dog Raising and Training Tips

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I didn't want to hijack the pipes and pets thread when I notcied so many members with pets I thought why not ask to see the collective wisdom learned on raising and training your dogs. While I realize breed termperment will determine both, please consider adding your experiences.

I pick up a Yellow Lab puppy at the end of October. She is a replacement for one that had a short life three months ago. What I learned from Charlie, the one who died, was how much I love the breed. She responded well to commands using treats for such a young animal and she wanted to be near me. I just hope this one has a similar tendancy.

I know about chew toys and have a a large crate for later. Now I am useing a small crate. She will be an inside and outisde dog that I hope to hike with and take to the lake and streams.

 

[tbradsim1]

Had one named him Henry, he was the only dog that was one step ahead of me. He chewed constantly. Went to LSU AGRI Sale and bout 6 citrus trees, he watched me plant them. Went inside to get cleaned up, walked out on patio, there was 6 citrus trees and Henry was sittng and looking like he wanted praise for doing this, I went back to my old sailor language, kids loved him. The final straw was when my wife wanted a big tub of black bamboo, very expensive, late one afternoon there was Henry curled around the black bamboo that he had knawed to the dirt. Loaded him up with kids crying and brought him to an old friend that had a cattle farm, told him as I was leaving IHOPE HE DONT LIKE MEAT!

 

[STP]

I’ve trained dogs with crates and without… I definitely recommend crates, which makes it a lot easier to house train. Moving up in size is a good idea to, which I see that you’re doing. Yes, chew toys are a great idea, especially when teething. Feed three times a days for the first 6 months, twice a day until one, and then once… but this varies somewhat. Follow your vet recommendation. Congrats on the pup. Labs are a great breed. Enjoy ?

 

[elessar]

My old lab stole shoes, specifically my shoes. They would be all lined up in the porch and they would go missing one by one. Eventually I was almost out of shoes and had to go on a hunt for them. Found them all by a tree in the yard with my lab laying in the middle of the pile, very content with his efforts. I gave him a good chewing out and headed back in the house to get a tote to round them up. As I was walking back out of the house I passed a window and saw the lab running by with a shoe. I just watched out the window as he picked up each shoe and piled them up at the porch door. I think if the door would have been open he would have even tried to put them back in lines. Pretty hard to stay mad at that old dog.

Labs aim to please. Be clear on the rules and expectations and carry a pocket full of small treats to reward them when they do well as a pup. Most of my labs have been what I call food motivated.

 

[Grangerous]

There will be messes. Don’t scold them. In the beginning bring them outside every two hours. At night I took him outside at 9:30pm 12:30am, 3:30am and awakened at 6:30am.

Gradually I extended the time. Only waking a 2am. Now, he crates at 9pm and awakens at 6am. Bladder stronger now at 12 weeks.

Hang bells ? on your doors and have the dog poke the bells with his nose each time you pass through those doors. — a lot of times your Dog is trying to tell you he needs to go but we’re not paying attention. We can hear the bells.

The crate is never used as punishment. Only good things happen there. It’s his safe space. He should like to enter.

Treats are great. I train my dog to poke my open palm with his nose to get a treat. So when he sees my open palm, he comes to it. Once you’ve got him following your palm the training possibilities are endless.

Heel. Sit.. Spin. Use a closed fist for Stay. —- Don’t want to confuse him.

The more time you can spend with him as a puppy, the better he’ll become.

Important: They respond to positive reinforcement. If they're nippy it’s how they show affection. It’s playful. Of, course it hurts us. But to the pup, you’re yelling at him for loving you. Just give him something else to chew. Divert him. Yelling only makes him more nippy. You’re hands waving are attractive to a pup. Wash your hands; if they smell of treats, he’ll even be more nippy. Don’t even present your hands.

Barking for attention gets them no where. When your dog barks, become boring. Turn away from him. He’ll quickly learn barking gets him no where. Save barks for meaningful communication.

Best of Luck!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Pretty general thread starter, so really no idea where to go with it, so I'll keep it general. I've had four dogs in my lifetime (two are still with us) - three upland hunting dogs.

It's all about trust and consistency. Learn to read your dog. It's a learned skill, IMO, and worth all the time you spend learning what your dog means by its behavior or reactions.

Training methods vary, plenty of resources out there. My two current dogs, one of which has been "retired" for a few years, were eventually trained with the assistance of e-collars (we call them "fun" collars) - but they have to have learned the commands, and what they mean, and be reliable before it is introduced. If you go that route do some good research on how to do it right. My golden eventually learned to respond to the tone beeps on the collar and hand signals over years in the field. My setter has never needed anything other than the "vibrate" setting and even at age four we continue to build on our relationship in the field in terms of communication. Never having a pointing breed, I had a professional trainer who had an excellent reputation and references work with the little guy on "whoa" because I just didn't want to screw it up. He's been 100% reliable since that training - and has picked up the skill of moving with moving birds through experience.

"Sit" is essential and an absolute no brainer when you start working on it with treats or food bowl at dinner time. Our dogs still sit as quietly (but anxiously, lol) every single time they get fed. "Here" (or whatever recall command you use) is THE command in my book and can have its challenges as pups mature, but 100% reliable recall is a must and can try your patience - but patience, patience, patience - I learned over time and by watching noisy and bad examples in the field of other owners (not blaming the dogs!) the importance of being calm and being firm without hysterics or drama, lol, and not wasting breath once a command is ignored and the dog is out there. The command is "here", not "here" "here" "here" "Damnit here", lol, all the while the dog doing whatever. It's amazing how many folks really don't have their dogs under control in the field and their idea of quietly working birds is a shout-a-thon.

So I've learned a lot that is necessary with dogs that doesn't always get applied to my dealings with people, haha. Still learning!

Trust and consistency in all things puppy!

 

[mso489]

Some highly experienced dog owners here. As they suggest, and as with any domesticated species, trust is everything. Different animals require different levels of proof before they confer trust. My late wife used to say, dogs are what people aspire to be -- loyal, companionable, affirming. Cats are more like people -- skeptical.

 

[kcghost]

Sounds like these guys know what they are talking about. Positive reinforcement is absolutely the way to go. The only other command I'd say is essential is "Come". It great for quieting rambunctious young ones. Bells on doors is a great idea.

 

[anotherbob]

I didn't want to hijack the pipes and pets thread when I notcied so many members with pets I thought why not ask to see the collective wisdom learned on raising and training your dogs. While I realize breed termperment will determine both, please consider adding your experiences.

I pick up a Yellow Lab puppy at the end of October. She is a replacement for one that had a short life three months ago. What I learned from Charlie, the one who died, was how much I love the breed. She responded well to commands using treats for such a young animal and she wanted to be near me. I just hope this one has a similar tendancy.

I know about chew toys and have a a large crate for later. Now I am useing a small crate. She will be an inside and outisde dog that I hope to hike with and take to the lake and streams.

fun fact two of my favorite all time dogs totally go against breed temperaments. First the Doberman that was a super cuddle buddy. Seriously loved everyone and wanted nothing more then cuddles. My friends retriever that would retrieve anything. I threw a toy for it and it seriously gave me a look of confusion.

 

[mso489]

My childhood dog, George, didn't get much training, I'm afraid. Like many dogs, he was stuck in a suburb and needed a farm. He was almost blue black, a hybrid cocker and springer spaniel. Some of his sibs were sweet little house dogs and made for that. George seemed the strongest dog, pound for pound, that I met. He could clear a five foot hedge with ease. He was a fierce swimmer, in the Des Plaines River, and demanded to be thrown sticks to retrieve from the river even in the winter, breaking through the ice, and snorting as he returned with his prize. If you didn't throw it for him again, he'd shower you with ice water. When he was wet, you could see he didn't have any fat to keep him warm, but his eyes glowed with an eerie fire. What a little power house, a dynamo, a warrior alien.

 

[didimauw]

Our newer dog Luna is a hunting dog. I haven't hunted in years, but she just can't help herself. We can't get a cat as she just obsesses over them. My in-laws got rid of their cat when we got Luna. They needed a final push to get rid of that prick. This is her main downfall. We want a cat but Luna won't let us.

We have pet rats, and she obsesses about them too. Always telling us that the rats are in their cage, in case we were wondering. It has come in handy when the rats get out. I now ask her to find the rats, which she does. Every. Single. Time. And the. I praise her for it.

Instead of constantly yelling at her for obsessing over the rats, I now use her abilities, and praise her. She loves to help.

Main point: focus on praising the good, instead of punishing the bad. Or make a bad trait into a good one.

 

[Grangerous]

It’s all about love and trust. Ask your dog and make all of his learning fun. —You want a friend, not a hostage.

They’re intelligent and they all come with unique personalities. Learning what a certain action or bark means take time.

Steer clear of punishing a dog for anything. Divert their behavior to something else.

Here’s an example of a diversion. If your dog is excited and jumping on newly arrived guests, do a treat scatter. Just toss out a pocketful of dry food on the floor. The dog will find each one and forget all about jumping on your guest. See? No yelling required.

There are no bad dogs. Only ignorance in dog owners.

What not to do? If you find a mess, rubbing your dogs nose in it and screaming is futile. — A dog only associates a correction with what he has done an instant before. If your screaming 20 minutes later, all you will accomplish is to make your dog fear you. A dog who fears you will not trust you. The bond is broken or badly damaged and will take patience to restore.

 

[Worknman]

I'll second the notion that spanking and scolding doesn't work very good. I grew up with dogs, and my parents always would spank them with a newspaper or something when they crapped in the house. But it seemed to only make for a nervous dog that was even more likely to piss where he shouldn't. It took me until about the 3rd dog as an adult to unlearn this and try something different. Every time I caught him messing up, and catching him is the key, I would immediately tell him no and bring him outside. No spanking, no yelling. That dog was potty trained in no time, quicker than I'd ever seen before with any of our other dogs .

Put him in the crate at night and take him straight outside as soon as you wake up. Keep him in a smallish area of the living room or something to where you can keep an eye on him during the day.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I read that if a dog jumps on someone to distract rather than yell. Today my daughters lab was barking at the neighbors. I got his attention with a small bit of cheese and no more barking.

 

[warren]

If you want a long lived pup, no scraps or human food. Do the research, talik with the vet and find a quality food. Train yourself and you train your dog. Dogs react poorly when confused. They, generally speaking, want always to be in your good graces.

 

[Zack Miller]

 

[anotherbob]

I read that if a dog jumps on someone to distract rather than yell. Today my daughters lab was barking at the neighbors. I got his attention with a small bit of cheese and no more barking.

dogs have short attention spans. Distraction works great. Also yelling reinforces their believe that something important and dramatic is happening because you're doing the human version of barking too.