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puppy question - 2/15/2012 2:46:53 PM   
defiantbadgirl


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Status: offline 		Yesterday, as a Valentine's Day present to each other, Sir and I adopted a 9 week old male puppy from an animal shelter. He was labeled a German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd mix. He has kettle cough that he caught before his vaccination for it kicked in, but the vet says his lungs are clear and didn't give any antibiotics. The problem is, I'm afraid I'm going to have difficulty training him. He tries to bury his puppy treats instead of eating them. We try to reward him with treats when he pees and poops outside. He carries his puppy treats a few feet away, drops them, and then covers them with leaves and sticks. Is this normal behavior for a 9 week old puppy? What does it say about his intelligence level? He doesn't act like he's stupid. He hasn't had any accidents in his crate, comes when called, chases thrown objects and will bring them back if called, and is very alert. Will he outgrow burying treats? My biggest concern is what I'm going to do when he starts obedience training classes. Aren't treats used as positive reinforcement at training classes?

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 2:50:56 PM   
LadyHibiscus


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Status: offline 		Burying/hiding things is a dog thing. At least you know he's doing it, so you won't have to play "find the smell"!

Not all training involves treats, nor should it. The idea is to use positive reinforcement for most behaviors, not treats. That mix is going to be VERY smart and have many ideas of his own. He is going to need lots of things to do, and a "job", if you will. Maybe you can do agility with him when he's older?

Have fun with your new companion!

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 2:56:16 PM   
kitkat105


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Status: offline 		Food is positive reinforcement/reward during training, but at 9 weeks old, he's like a toddler. Life is a game for him

Try persisting with small things (like learning to sit & stay) to begin with. Don't worry so much about rewards because he doesn't know yet that you guys are the bosses. Once he learns that, then he will be breeze (he's a mix of 2 super intelligent breeds, he just doesn't know it yet!)

Good luck and enjoy! We possibly need photos???

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 2:59:20 PM   
kdsub


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Status: offline 		hmmm...maybe keep his nails cut at but not into the quick...maybe this will discourage him from digging and help in training.

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:02:17 PM   
angelikaJ


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Status: offline 		Positive reinforcement isn't necessarily puppy treats: it's pets and rubs and enthusiastic Good boys!

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:13:44 PM   
calamitysandra


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Status: offline 		A German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd mix? Aren't you two living in an apartment? And both of you work and go to school? Did you do some research into the needs a dog like yours has?

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:14:59 PM   
OsideGirl


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quote:

ORIGINAL: defiantbadgirl

Yesterday, as a Valentine's Day present to each other, Sir and I adopted a 9 week old male puppy from an animal shelter. He was labeled a German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd mix. He has kettle cough that he caught before his vaccination for it kicked in, but the vet says his lungs are clear and didn't give any antibiotics. The problem is, I'm afraid I'm going to have difficulty training him. He tries to bury his puppy treats instead of eating them. We try to reward him with treats when he pees and poops outside.


*kennel cough* You can treat the cough with an alcohol-free and acetaminophen-free over the counter cough syrup. You might want to ask your vet if s/he prefers a specific brand.

I have never given treats for potty training. I repeated the words "go potty" until they were done going potty....and then acted really excited, said "good boy" a lot and gave them tons of affection.

Aussies are very smart, very active dogs. You're going to need to play with him a lot and make sure he has something to do when you're not home.

This is our Aussie/Shepherd mix Raider:




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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:16:33 PM   
LadyHibiscus


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Status: offline 		What an alert dog! He must be great!

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:17:09 PM   
calamitysandra


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Status: offline 		Those ears slay me.

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:27:37 PM   
OsideGirl


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Status: offline 		When we got him at 13 weeks, the ears were down and looked very Aussie. Now, they're straight up and the size of my hands. We joke that he has really good hearing and we have to make sure he's inside when it's windy. He's a very sweet, goofy boy.

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:38:59 PM   
defiantbadgirl


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Status: offline 		The shelter listed him as a German/Australian Shepherd mix. The vet said he was probably many different breeds just because he came from a shelter, but his fur looked shepherd. I tried uploading a picture but got the file too large message.

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:45:11 PM   
Iamsemisweet


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Status: offline 		Maybe he is not a food motivated dog.  Try using a toy for a reward instead.



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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:54:41 PM   
MistressEllen444


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Status: offline 		OP:

Both breeds are highly intelligent and he will have you trained in a matter of weeks. There are many resources out there about dog breeds and temperaments and expectations; of course, generalized as every dog has their own personality. I have had Aussies (rescues for the past 16 years) and a great deal of the time in an apt and always 2, so it can be done but it takes a lot of work and tons and tons of exercise and stimulation. Aussies have a tendency to be velcro dogs and can have separation anxiety easily. There is a website: SoCalAussieRescue.com - I advise you read the literature there and enjoy.

I speak specifically about Aussies because that is my greatest experiences with the possible breeds you mentioned.

I like yahoo meetup groups too to find events for socialization and fun, dinners, hikes, etc.


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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 3:56:40 PM   
defiantbadgirl


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quote:

ORIGINAL: calamitysandra

Aren't you two living in an apartment? And both of you work and go to school? Did you do some research into the needs a dog like yours has?


Sir and I lived in an apartment when I first moved in with him. We have been making mortgage payments on a house for the last 3 years. We have a back yard and a dog park in town. High energy dogs are fun to exercise with. I like breeds with protective instincts because they grow up to be good watch dogs. Yes, my Sir and I attend college part-time. We also have a roommate so there are 3 of us. We often work at different times so there's no long stretch with nobody here. Why do you think we would get a young puppy if we planned to leave it alone for long hours?


< Message edited by defiantbadgirl -- 2/15/2012 4:01:45 PM >

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 4:00:23 PM   
needlesandpins


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Status: offline 		i've never used treats for potty training, in fact i'm not a huge treat giving fan. i like my dogs to be obedient at all times because i ask/tell them to be, not because they expect food. i know others have differing opinions but mine is mine and it works. instead i heap loads of praise on my animals when they get it right.

train the puppy to command. let him out every 20mins when he is awake (or when he will need to go for sure...when he wakes up, when he's eaten and such) and wait until he starts to pee or poo and while he's doing the action give the command (be very consistant on what you choose to use and make sure you both say the same thing) and tell him how great he is. once finished make alot of him and play with him. he'll soon cotton on. it will take much longer giving a command the puppy doesn't understand while waiting for him to go. association is quicker if given when they are actually doing it. if he goes to mess in the house use a very stern voice and say NO! and put him outside giving him heaps of praise when he then goes out there.

don't smack him, or rub his nose in it, if you find he has gone in the house. that's like smacking a potty training child for having an accident and he'll have no idea why you are doing it after the fact.

burying his food is not a sign of uninteligence, he's a baby who has only just been weaned and doing when dogs do playing/burying his food.

good luck with him.

needles

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 4:03:52 PM   
OsideGirl


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quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressEllen444
Aussies have a tendency to be velcro dogs and can have separation anxiety easily.


Raider is our second Aussie and is a velcro dog. Red Dog was too.

Another thing with both of our Aussies: they tend to need a ritual when introduced to new people coming into your house otherwise there could be nips and bites.

With Red Dog, we had to have the person come into the house and one of us had to touch that person. Then that person needed to pet Red. After that you were fine.

With Raider, you have to sit on furniture. Once you do that, he's looking to get affection.


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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 4:14:37 PM   
DarkSteven


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quote:

ORIGINAL: calamitysandra

Those ears slay me.


Yeah, looks like he's part bat.


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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 4:15:54 PM   
Winterapple


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Hello Raider! He's adorable.
I've never used treats to potty train.I've never
had to reward for potty training at all really.
All the dogs I've had, poodles, scotties, lab mixes,
Shih tzus picked up potty training very quickly.
They loved/love going out and romping and
doing their business.
And the treat burying is normal. My Scottie buried
everything. He never outgrew it, he had buried
treasures all over the house and the yard.


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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 8:38:23 PM   
TheHeretic


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Status: offline 		Treat training is for dumb dogs at first, and things the dog really doesn't want to do. Save the goodie for "go lay down."

Dogs are individuals, and sometimes just come with fixations pre-wired. Our mid-sized mutt will play fetch with his duck (or whatever slimy and disgusting shred of it is left ) endlessly), and has been like that since he was maybe 10 weeks. We also had to stop playing with him with a laser pen, because he would then stare at the bottom of the love seat for literally hours, waiting for it to come back out. You may just have a dog that is going to bury stuff. Keep your keys and wallets up high, if you do.

My advice to anyone training a new pup is to have consistent rules from day one. If you don't want an adult dog on your bed or sofa, don't have the puppy up. Figure out between you what the specific command words are going to be, so they are consistent for the dog. "Sit" and "stay" are easy, but does "down" mean "lay down," or "get off the sofa?" It used to annoy my wife when she she would tell my old Akita/wolf to get "down" from the bed, and he would just stare at her. He was already laying down. (He knew what she meant, but he was very smart, very independent, and very stubborn - she had to say "off," before he was moving.)

What is the "stop what you are doing" command going to be? Know that, and use it differently than you use "no," and not in conjunction with scolding. This one could save your dog's life someday.

Best wishes, and may he only chew shoes you really didn't like anyway. I can't imagine life without a good companion dog in it.

< Message edited by TheHeretic -- 2/15/2012 8:39:57 PM >

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RE: puppy question - 2/15/2012 9:48:38 PM   
subrob1967


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Status: offline 		He hides his treats because he's used to competition at the shelter, give him time to settle in.


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