Puppy Training

[mamabear]

You are very welcome!

Ok now some more questions, again I know they seem silly but I need to know in order to help me help you.

Are your parents involved with the dogs? Does your dad(I'll just call him dad) disipline Maya? Does Mom as well?

I ask this because if dad does the disipline in the pecking order he is alpha in the house and should continue to take on that role. Then you and mom are next and then your brother.

BUT your brother MUST no longer treat the dog as though this is a joke. He must comply with listening to you. Again if he can not then he can not play with the dog. Explain to him that this is a very serious thing and he will have more fun when she is trained.

More questions:
Does she have a crate? If not are you willing to get one?
Do the dogs go on furniture?
How is the eating arrangments? By this I mean do you eat first, do they eat first, when they eat does Maya or the Lab eat first?

The Lab is a male and is older therefore HE MUST be first at everything. He gets fed first, he goes out the door before Maya does BUT NOT before you unless you command him to. Any treats that you give Lab gets one first.

I like the layout of the book that I recommended, but I do like to make sure that the pack order is clear.

Please remember that Huskies and Sam's are working dogs and NEED their pack to guide them. They are winter dogs and love their jobs when out in the wilderness. They are loyal and true and there is nothing like a either one of them. Personally I have German shepherds, but my grandparents had huskies our whole lives and my aunt and uncle still do have the great grandchildren of those dogs. They are hard and stubborn but dont let someone come into that house will ILL intentions. I would feel sorry for an intruder. To think of one of these dogs makes my heart flutter knowing that without training they will protect you and save you from danger even if they dont look like they will.

Exercise is key for either breed and not just running around about the yard. I mean you as an alpha female getting her on a leash and taking her for a walk. As you walk and she learns she will start to take her ear and bring it backward to listen to you. As you walk just have her stay by your side. If she does not do this, then we must start with walking first and the first commands she will learn should be sit,heal. it wont be easy nad there willbe setbacks but remember anything you do with her if she does not comply with what you say, YOU NEVER say the command again, you wait for her to come to you or snap your fingers to make her go by you and as she comes to you give her praise BUT not toomuch praise and DO NOT pat her on the head. Contrairy to what people think dogs dont like things above their head , their instincts are to snap at it . when praising a dog you extend your hand out like you have food in it and touch their mouth or ear and say good girl. But dont pat her head.

Let me know the rest of hte answers to the questions and we'll go from there. I usually repeat myself so dont worry if this is too much info for now. Repeating myself helps with the client remembering that is why i do it. Oh and 4 kids 3 of which are running around makes me tend to forgtet stuff I have already said LOL

I will be back sometime in the afternoon to break the dogs before I leave again. So i will check in then. I say break meaning potty. LOL

[mamabear]

Oh one more thing,

Encouragement is key and that is why I and will continue to encourage you.

There is nothing worse than trying to train a dog and feel like you have not done the right thing or done the wrong thing and think you wont get through it. Dogs are domesticated but still have instincts. I have well trained dogs yet my oldest one Max is very alpha and always tries to get over on me. I am always making sure he knows I am alpha over him but he tries to test me. Again I have refresher training all the time so he knows I mean business. He is tall and unlike the american shepherds, he is West Germany blood line and thin and tall, slinks around to stalk things and can climb a fence so he likes to be thin. He tries my patience most of the time but again i just put him back in his place and he knows who is who.

My other one Sgt. he is more short and stocky and looks real mean but he is a gentle soul and doesnt want to be alpha at all. He wants me to be it and he gets to reap the benefits and he sees me yelling at Max and wants no parts of that.! Dogs are not the same and the tend to have their own personalities even if from the same litter. We bought Max knowing he was a hard dog and needed him for what we wanted. Sgt. was a softer dog yet will protect as well, he is great around kids. But either dog I would never let near my kids alone. You never know, kids do silly things and dogs react due to the pack order and we as humans think it is wrong when in the wild it would be perfectly normal. So make sure that the 3 year old is not left alone with any dog. Maya, mouthing your hand is one thing but a 3 year old will freak out and maya might think the wrong thing and go after 3 yr old not knowing she will hurt her.

Have a great day!
I'll be back later.

[mamabear]

May I ask how old you are?

[ginnah]

The dogs are outside dogs. We live in practically the middle of nowhere, and the yard is fenced in.

My parents aren't involved with the dogs. Maya is my responsibility. Food, Water, Everything. So, as for feeding, they are fed outside, they are fed separately and in separate areas.. Maya is very well crate trained and kennel trained. When we have to be away from home for certain period of time I put her in the kennel and at night I'll put her in the crate. My mom will not allow the dogs inside, which I think is a big problem because I cannot spend as much time as I would like with her as I would like to. Aside from crate training and kennel training she is also very well on a leash . . . with me. My mom took her for a walk once and she drug her everywhere practically. But when it comes to me with her on a leash, she'll come to me if I say anything, she gets wrapped around something, I tug gently and she'll come around. A car comes down the road, she'll sit next to me and wait until it disappears before we walk again. She's a great dog, I love her to death, but the biggest thing is I absolutely hate how she will jump on people and me. As well as biting, and digging is only a problem because we don't need her getting away or just tearing up the yard anyways.

As for the whole encouragement thing, I feel often that I have not done the right thing and just, it's really frustrating when she wont listen if I have her down at the lake without a leash on and she just completely blocks me out. That's another thing I need to fix about myself is trying not to get frustrated. But it's so hard. D;


Also, I'll be 19 on August 4th.

If there are any questions I missed in answering, feel free to ask them again. ;P


Also, as for the whole outside thing, when I get my own place soon-ish, maybe two years, I will definitly have her as an inside dog, it will be difficult, but maybe not so much as she is crate trained, but to 'potty train' her may be different although she doesn't pee in the crate... oo;

[mamabear]

Ok this is a good picture for me to work with. Ask pops to order the book for you, tell him it is essential in Maya's training and that you will pay for it either with your money or do some yard work for them.

Try not to be too upset with parents about not wanting dogs in house, i don't blame them with the hair and the maintenance of long hair in a house.

As for your frustration, well I am a grown woman and get that way sometimes too. It happens and you wont be as much once you learn HOW to train Maya and stop this behavior.

1st thing, I must this, Maya and all dogs NEED companionship, their pack instincts call for it so spend as much time as you can with her.

2nd I know this seems silly but I have to say this because I have seen this happen. Please go to your regular dr. or allergist and get tested to see if you are allergic to dogs, its a pain in the butt to get the scratch tests or the needle tests BUT well worth it to know if you are because if you leave in 2 yrs and are allergic, having them in an enclosed space closer to you will be havoc on your allergies. At least if you know you can always decide to take medicine or start the shots so you are no longer allergic. It takes a few years to get that way but worth it to some people. I like reminding people that outside dogs you may be allergic to and to find out you are when you bring them inside is just a mess.

Ok so jumping , biting and digging. These are key in knowing and tell me that she is excited (jumping) to see you and tries to be dominant and also tells me that she is bored(diggign).

She is really the only one since Lab is older and doesnt want to play, she has no one else to play with. No suggesting that you get another dog, at least not at this time in your life. But Maya is bored to a point. She needs toys and some meaty bones(NOT COOKED), cooked bones with be brittle and can break and choke her. A marrow bone (long ones) are good for bordom. Keep it in her cage though while she is in there so it doesnt get dirty. once she has eaten all the marrow then she can kick it around outside. I give these often to my boys,, THey love them.

Ok Lab is always fed first, he gets out of his cage first and does everything first. You are alpha and then comes your family but in the pack world after the humans the oldest or the one that has been there the longest is the alpha next, then the rest. Since you have a male and female and the *beep* have different pack orders it should be fine.

If you want to deal with the jumping which seems to be the issue here first and foremost, then you have to realize that in your head you must KNOW that you ARE the alpha over any of these dogs and that will trickle off to her brain that you mean business. she is not a small dog to be jumping on people and when she does the very first time after you read this you should grab her paws and put her down and say(dont yell) NO! You can even do it is a growly voice, while saying this grab her snout (yes her mouth) and wait for her to turn her eyes away from you. As soon as she does this praise her with a good girl. THEN release her by saying ok or what ever you wish to use as a release command. My dogs have a realease command as well and in english it simply means ok. (meaning go and your done
)

Every single time she does it do the exact same thing. if you can not get one hand around her snout then use both, if she tries to get away from your put a little umph into it and hold that snout. She must look away if even only for a second. Not too much praise but just a good girl and then ok. If she at any point after this tries to get you to pet her or rub her , get up and walk away. Alpha's do not get told what to do . so by walking away you are teaching her that you are alpha. You can go back a minute later and do it but not when she asks. IF she is licking her lips or laying on her back that is submissive behavior and you can touch her but try not to let her do it often as you dont want a dog that it TOO submissive.

Her BITING is the same thing, once you put your hand to her face and she takes it weather gentle or not you grab a hold of her snout and say NO! Wait for her to look away from you and then praise and release.

It seems simple for me to type it but this is going to be ongoing with you to do this everysingle time she does it. AND when you are home and see her doing it to someone else you must go there, grab her snout, say no wait for the look away and release.

I am not sure if Maya bites their hands as well or others but everyone must be on the same page here. If Maya is out and your brother is there he MUST know that this is training and he must comply if he can not then he can not be with Maya untill you are finished with training her. He can not let her bite his hand while you are tyring to stop it. I have seen bad things happen when someone tried to screw around with a dog who was being trained and the dog figured ok well that one is alpha but this one lets me still do it so they arent alpha. That person got a mouth full of dog and hurt and then he stopped. Lesson learned to him.

I think this is a good start for now so try this and let me know how it goes. IF she goes after you(i dont think she will BUT if she does) you take her by the collar and say no and bring her to her cage and lock her in there for a few minutes and ignor her then go back and start over. When she does good then praise.

[ginnah]

I'm definitely not allergic to dogs. Reggie, our lab, used to be an inside dog, along with two others, Comet ( Cocker Spaniel ) and Syrina ( Pomeranian ). We got a new house put onto the same lot and my mom didn't want to deal with more than the cat hair of our one cat inside. Both comet and syrina have died, but I've had lots of experience with dogs and cats at close contact. -nods-

As for the jumping thing, I have tried the thing to put her feet on the ground, although, I never grabbed her snout, so I'll try that next time. When I put her feet on the ground she'd always just jump back up. I don't know how well grabbing her snout will be either because when she bites, and I'd do that, she'd just try and wiggle out and jump and put her paws on my wrist. Again though, I will try it and see how it goes. -nods-

[ginnah]

I tried that tonight, with her jumping, and she'd just paw at my arms and then she'd just jump on me. Also, I had trouble grabbing her nose because when I put her feet on the ground she'd just jump right back up. D;

[mamabear]

This is all about being alpha. Now I have to ask, is Maya mouthing at your hand or is she really biting at you with teeth and lip up?

IF she is mouthing at your hand to keep you away that is a totally separate problem then fearing she will hurt you.

IF this is just her mouthing your hand then you are going to have to put some force into this.
***attention please do not read any further if you do not believe in any force when dealing with dog****

OK when she gets up on you the very next time, I want you with force to grab her paws and throw them down on the floor , say NO! and walk away.

2nd time she does it(even if it is right after you walk away) Take her paws, throw them off of you and you yell NO! Grab her snout with both hands and if need be get her down on the ground to keep your hands on her. If she is wiggling around during this time grab her and put her in her cage, and walk away. Do nothing else. Just walk away, do not say bad girl or anything. Just walk. There is to be NO ONE that goes near her during this time. Be gone for about 30 minutes then YOU and only you go to her again and let her out of her cage(NOT the kennel it must be her cage), if she does it again then proceed in doing this step again.

What we are trying to do is get her to understand that that behavior is not liked by YOU the alpha. And dogs HATE when the alpha is angry or upset. In the dog world the alpha female will walk away from things that she is not interested in with the younger dogs and therefore the pups learn that that behavoir gets them nowhere and thus they stop. Again this will not happen over night. It can be very hard on you in keeping her in her cage when all you want is for her to play BUT this is a serious problem she has and has to learn. You ARE NOT being mean you are not being cruel (as long as you feed and water her while she is out of her cage or if she has a bowl in the cage), do not allow family to say you are wrong and this will not work. You present yourself as a dominate female and you will go through life with your head always held hi and know that what ever comes your way you will figure out what has to be done. It seems silly but that is what happens when you teach your dog that you are alpha. You dont get a big head over it but most women and girls certainly gain the confidence with their dogs and life in general when they learn that being alpha is a life thing not just a god thing.

Maya will eventually learn that this is the way it is or she will spend longer periods of times in her cage. Yes it is sad but look at what you will gain after she learns. Hopefully a well trained dog.

I also want to know what she eats? Does she eat kibble? Doesnt matter what type, i'm not looking to get you onto something else, just want to know what it is because I would like you to start hand feeding her food the first few bites. SHE MUST work for her food. If this is kibble, I want you to have her sit. Sit is simple and I hope she knows this one, if she doesnt know it then this will help teach her to sit, since she doestn get fed till she sits. Have her sit and have food in your hand(just a couple of peices) and give them to her IF SHE SNAPS AT YOUR HAND OR BITES IT TO GET THE FOOD, take your hand back and yell NO! If she got out of her sit position also yell no and without saying sit again put her back in a sit position. THis might be where you need to force her to sit and you will hvae to put some umph into it. Get her back into a sit and say good girl and give her a piece. AGain if she goes for your hand to fast or tries to bite it yell no! and cage her. If she can not comply with what you say then she does not get fed. Go to her in 10 minutes and try again. (always hold the food in your hand and cup it) this helps with snapping at your fingers.

Always feed her AFTER YOU have eaten and AFTER Reggie gets fed.

Lets see how today goes with her. Let me know. Remember that if this doesnt work to cage her and go back and try again. If you are angry or upset about something else today DO NOT go to train her. Dogs know and will sense that you are not all there in your head.

Also remember that she loves you and that she is not a mean dog and doing this because she is a mean dog. She is just confused as to where she is in the pack. You are helping her learn this, you are not being mean or cruel about it. I applaud you for trying this and being as young as you are. Learning to relax and deal with this sort of thing will surely help you when you have a child one day. Great job for getting help!

[JUDY S]

Quick question, does anyone know some really good toys for bigger dogs. Meka is still digging as well. She has a rope and some balls that she has mutilated but still plays with. I would love to get bigger more fun things for her, but don't have any ideas.

[ginnah]

@ mamabear : She's just 'mouthing' I suppose. It's chewing and trying to bite, not to hurt, but she's not showing her teeth.

@ JUDY S : Sorry, I don't know of any right off hand. I know those Kong things are supposed to be good but I don't know.