Yippee is now 11 weeks old. She is such a mischief maker and I have to say, she makes me laugh. I don't know what she'll be like when she grows up, but she makes me laugh now and that is wonderful.
Housebreaking is insufferable slow. She kind of has a clue, but not really. My expectations are that she'll be housebroken some day.
Her mouthing is quite a bit better, she knows what "uhuh" means. If you make a loud scream or puppy sound, she would come back stronger. Kind of like, "now I've really got a game going". Some dogs that works for and others it doesn't. Doesn't mean the method is at fault only means try something else.
Lots of good dog trainers out there, lots of common sense too. We need to apply it is the only problem.
Puppy ate, puppy drank, don't let them have free roam of the house. Have a young child and an exuberant puppy? Don't let them be alone unsupervised. Someone is going to get hurt, mouthed, and that could be the puppy or the child. Common sense. It is tiring, but we put them in these situations and it isn't a Disney movie. They have real teeth and need to use them. Part of who they are and what they're growing through.
Yippee is doing very well with handling now. Every day I go over her. I also put her up on a grooming table and work her there too. I lay her on her side and work on her relaxing. I handle her mouth, ears, feet and so forth. I am working the dog that I want as an adult.
Come is always rewarded , food and praise. She is now being a tad independent and exploring more on her own. I want her to do that too, so I pick and choose when I call her. I want her to figure things out. Step on a wobbly board, climb a limb that's on the ground, attack a dandelion. So I make sure I have time to do this. If I have to be some wheres soon, I don't let her roam.
Leash and collar work is going very well. Again, I don't want to do the bucking bronco routine. It isn't for me. So I have been applying tension and she gets a click and food as soon as she checks in. I had her in class last night to demo. Someone said their puppy was like that at that age too, so they thought they didn't need to train it. We never, or I don't want to, take any training for granted. Just because she is doing it now, doesn't mean she truly knows it. It has to be trained in lots of different conditions and environments.
Crate training is going so much better now that I cover the front of her crate. We have gotten through the screaming baby times, thank goodness.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Puppy days
I am tired. Puppies are exhausting! Kind of like raising kids. You have to be attentive and in the moment. You can't let anything go to chance.
Yip just ran through the house and I had to make sure she didn't have to go outside. It was a false alarm, the cat was in front of her and needed attending to. The cat baits her all the time. They have a good time together, even the other 4 dogs are respectful of the cat. He does have his claws and knows how to use them.
Worked on Yip walking on leash and wearing her collar. That is going very well. Tons of opportunities to work on the come command too. We walked by the ducks and she likes to make them move, good girl. I put a handful of her food in my pocket to always work on the come command and her name. She responds to me, big praise and food.
I always like to think of how important is it for her, or any of my dogs, to respond to their names and the word come. So on a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 being the most important, it is a 10 to me that they listen and respond. So when I am praising them and rewarding them I make it sound like a 10.
Took some pictures today of her and now I have to figure out how to put them on.
ROBYN!!
Noel
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
more Yip news
We are all really trying to find out who our puppies are before it is too late. Too late for what? To have the perfect dog, the perfect competitor, the dog we refer back to when they're gone as "they were the best dog ever?"
It is a journey for me, and it is the journey that we need to live and experience. Aren't I just too full of myself this morning? I will chalk it up to being sleep deprived. Of course I want to do this just perfectly, but I know I am human and I'll probably repeat some of the things I always repeat. Which isn't too bad as long as it isn't hurtful.
Yip was wonderful yesterday with her feet being handled. She got over that temper tantrum pretty quick. I need to make sure it is a part of my handling every day. Touch feet, hold her gently on her back, go over her body, handle her mouth. I even name what I am doing. Ears, feet, mouth, and so forth.
Today I am going to work on the touching game (for lack of a better description) and collar with leash. Always the basics too. Lay down for a cookie, stand and look, sit for meals. This is done quickly and with luring. She is 10 weeks old and life is fun and full of adventures. It is exhausting raising a puppy!!
Oh, a comment about toys. When I ask someone about the toys they use for their puppies, they always say their dogs have a ton of toys. Yippee has a big bag full of toys. She plays with them with me. I sit down, I have old knees too, folks, but you gotta get down to play, and we go through the toys together. We squeak toys, throw them, I turn her with them. We play together. I want her wanting to play with me, I am the keeper of all really cool, fun things!
Again, she is not allowed to have certain types of toys unsupervised - such as rope toys, or anything she can rip and eat. These things do not digest and she can get very ill. Seriously so. I use Kong stuffed with food, and nylabones.
It is a journey for me, and it is the journey that we need to live and experience. Aren't I just too full of myself this morning? I will chalk it up to being sleep deprived. Of course I want to do this just perfectly, but I know I am human and I'll probably repeat some of the things I always repeat. Which isn't too bad as long as it isn't hurtful.
Yip was wonderful yesterday with her feet being handled. She got over that temper tantrum pretty quick. I need to make sure it is a part of my handling every day. Touch feet, hold her gently on her back, go over her body, handle her mouth. I even name what I am doing. Ears, feet, mouth, and so forth.
Today I am going to work on the touching game (for lack of a better description) and collar with leash. Always the basics too. Lay down for a cookie, stand and look, sit for meals. This is done quickly and with luring. She is 10 weeks old and life is fun and full of adventures. It is exhausting raising a puppy!!
Oh, a comment about toys. When I ask someone about the toys they use for their puppies, they always say their dogs have a ton of toys. Yippee has a big bag full of toys. She plays with them with me. I sit down, I have old knees too, folks, but you gotta get down to play, and we go through the toys together. We squeak toys, throw them, I turn her with them. We play together. I want her wanting to play with me, I am the keeper of all really cool, fun things!
Again, she is not allowed to have certain types of toys unsupervised - such as rope toys, or anything she can rip and eat. These things do not digest and she can get very ill. Seriously so. I use Kong stuffed with food, and nylabones.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Yip and more collars at 10 weeks old.
Working more with Yip and her collar. I can get her to wear it for long periods of time without a fight. She will let me do collar grabs for cookies and is working on the stand and look word with collar grabs. I am clicking each time and giving food. This works very well with Yip. Anytime I have food in my hand, hidden under my thumb, and I hold my hand flat to the ground she will go down. I am now using a down word with the behavior. I click each time she goes down. I used to click when she started to shift down, I now click when she is all the way down. I have been doing this for just a couple of sessions. I say nothing at all until she gives me a behavior. She has no clue what the words mean so why use them yet? I want to capture the behavior on a regular basis and then I will give a word for the action.
I have also, today, started attatching a leash to her collar. A very light leather leash. I give her food right away, this is her lunch, and then start applying tension. When she looks at me or my direction, I click and give her food. The session is very, very short and ends on a success. I don't want to play bucking bronco with her.
She is getting the game, in the house with one older dog around so am not ready to take this on any road.
Temper tantrums. Well Yip decided last night she did not want her feet wiped or touched. She had a fit. Guess what we are working on all the time now? Cookies for paw grabs, grooming , and handling. She has no choice but to let me do all these things. It is part of living with us.
The crate is going better when it is covered. Again she has no choice but to accept the crate.
Whew it is a lot of work having a puppy!
I have also, today, started attatching a leash to her collar. A very light leather leash. I give her food right away, this is her lunch, and then start applying tension. When she looks at me or my direction, I click and give her food. The session is very, very short and ends on a success. I don't want to play bucking bronco with her.
She is getting the game, in the house with one older dog around so am not ready to take this on any road.
Temper tantrums. Well Yip decided last night she did not want her feet wiped or touched. She had a fit. Guess what we are working on all the time now? Cookies for paw grabs, grooming , and handling. She has no choice but to let me do all these things. It is part of living with us.
The crate is going better when it is covered. Again she has no choice but to accept the crate.
Whew it is a lot of work having a puppy!
Friday, March 17, 2006
More Yippee news
Little Yip is teething big time! Yikes those teeth hurt. I have a huge bag, almost resembles a diaper bag, full of toys for her. There are hard chews, kongs and such, that I play with her with. I am constantly reminding her gentle, not reminding but teaching, and praising what I consider gentle. I am still feeding her a meal out of my hand plus lots of treats too. Again each time I give her something, I say gentle. I am putting a word on a behavior. It will sink in, no pun intended, when she doesn't press down with her teeth. Tons of repetitions.
What a sweet and fun puppy. I was thinking today that if you don't like sitting down and playing with an active puppy, don't get one. Bottom line, know what your getting and know what you want. I want high energy and playfulness. I got that in spades with Yip. The other dogs are starting to play with her now, and they're being quite gentle with her. They correct her when necessary and are quite fair about it.
I am using the clicker to mark her turning her head when I say her name, food always following, and I am also clicking her for going to the bathroom outside. She still has some accidents, but that is life with a puppy.
Management is the key for training. The crate is just that, her crate. She sleeps in it, takes naps in it, and has quiet times in it. Anytime she is out, she is being watched by someone. I don't let her get into trouble, but I encourage her to investigate her environment.
What a sweet and fun puppy. I was thinking today that if you don't like sitting down and playing with an active puppy, don't get one. Bottom line, know what your getting and know what you want. I want high energy and playfulness. I got that in spades with Yip. The other dogs are starting to play with her now, and they're being quite gentle with her. They correct her when necessary and are quite fair about it.
I am using the clicker to mark her turning her head when I say her name, food always following, and I am also clicking her for going to the bathroom outside. She still has some accidents, but that is life with a puppy.
Management is the key for training. The crate is just that, her crate. She sleeps in it, takes naps in it, and has quiet times in it. Anytime she is out, she is being watched by someone. I don't let her get into trouble, but I encourage her to investigate her environment.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Collars and Toys
Today, I thought I should begin introducing Yippee to a collar. I first made sure all the other dogs were exercised and then put them away. Yippe had a short play session and potty time. I filled my pockets with cookies, and headed out into the sunshine for collar intro.
I put some of her kibble on the ground while I attatched her collar. I then fed her from my hand, I feed her one meal a day from my hand, as I touched her collar. I am praising her the entire time and talking about the collar. Then I take it off and repeat it again. Putting food on the ground, hooking up her collar, putting my hands on and around the collar while feeding her from my other hand.
Toys and Yippee. Yip is very toy motivated. She loves to play with them and interact with you at the same time. Raising a pup is like raising a child, and I am tired!
I have lots of chew toys around and use them to work on biting gently, no fingers, and to practice the come command. I am always naming the behavior. Come, look, wait, and so forth.
I never let her keep rope toys or stuffed toys unsupervised. They can pull of strings that don't digest and can cause serious problems.
Crate training is very important to me. She sleeps through the night, oh yes it is great, and doesn't complain too much.
The first day was rough and I kept repeating, "good dog trainers don't let puppies out when they cry"! My instinct is to run and let her out, anything to stop the screaming. It only lasted a short time, and then she came out. I throw cookies and toys in there for her to get them.
She sleeps only in her kennel.
I put some of her kibble on the ground while I attatched her collar. I then fed her from my hand, I feed her one meal a day from my hand, as I touched her collar. I am praising her the entire time and talking about the collar. Then I take it off and repeat it again. Putting food on the ground, hooking up her collar, putting my hands on and around the collar while feeding her from my other hand.
Toys and Yippee. Yip is very toy motivated. She loves to play with them and interact with you at the same time. Raising a pup is like raising a child, and I am tired!
I have lots of chew toys around and use them to work on biting gently, no fingers, and to practice the come command. I am always naming the behavior. Come, look, wait, and so forth.
I never let her keep rope toys or stuffed toys unsupervised. They can pull of strings that don't digest and can cause serious problems.
Crate training is very important to me. She sleeps through the night, oh yes it is great, and doesn't complain too much.
The first day was rough and I kept repeating, "good dog trainers don't let puppies out when they cry"! My instinct is to run and let her out, anything to stop the screaming. It only lasted a short time, and then she came out. I throw cookies and toys in there for her to get them.
She sleeps only in her kennel.
My new puppy, Yippee!
I am creating this blog (what a word) specifically, as a training journal for
my new puppy, Yippee.
What can I say I have done so far? She is 8 weeks and I have had her for
a week.
My pockets are always filled with treats of some sort and whenver I say
her name, she gets a cookie. When we go outside for her to potty, I click
and treat. I am using a clicker with her to mark the word/behavior.
The other big thing I am always working on, is bite inhibition. Whenever
she bites down we scream, puppy scream, and use the word "gentle".
Everyone in the family is doing that. It is the most important thing that we can do. Train her to use a gentle mouth.
Play, play and more play. I am always playing with her. Handling her feet, mouth and body. Always praising her.
She retrieves naturally so I am making note of that. She is also very toy motivated - which I love.
I am always looking for anything that concerns her so we can go check it out together. I encourage her bravery to check out things on her own, coke can in tall grass that has now become her favorite toy, praising all the way.
my new puppy, Yippee.
What can I say I have done so far? She is 8 weeks and I have had her for
a week.
My pockets are always filled with treats of some sort and whenver I say
her name, she gets a cookie. When we go outside for her to potty, I click
and treat. I am using a clicker with her to mark the word/behavior.
The other big thing I am always working on, is bite inhibition. Whenever
she bites down we scream, puppy scream, and use the word "gentle".
Everyone in the family is doing that. It is the most important thing that we can do. Train her to use a gentle mouth.
Play, play and more play. I am always playing with her. Handling her feet, mouth and body. Always praising her.
She retrieves naturally so I am making note of that. She is also very toy motivated - which I love.
I am always looking for anything that concerns her so we can go check it out together. I encourage her bravery to check out things on her own, coke can in tall grass that has now become her favorite toy, praising all the way.
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