Puppy Training

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by michika

I'd look around for a dog walker. They can be invaluable. If you can find a great one they'll both exercise your dog, work in its socialization skills, and often you'll find that their general responsiveness to commands improves. All on top of your dog getting lots of great long walks.

You're vet could also probably recommend a behaviorist if you feel like you need additional outside help.

Ok this is a good idea that I had not thought of. I am going to look into this for sure. Eventually I may look into the behaviorist too I guess. Lately I am kind of feeling a little guilty even keeping this dog. We are both very attached to him and love him a lot but maybe we are not the best home for him without a yard? We really do want what's best for him. We are looking into selling our condo and buying a house but because of our wedding next year and some roof problems with our condo, it might not be for a few years which doesn't really help diesel.

[imisky]

i have a male jack x schnauzer which is not neutered and he can be a handful sometimes but usually if he gets too aggressive during any event whether play or greeting someone simply sit him down with a firm "NO" does the trick, otherwise if your at home flip him onto his back (watch for the teeth) until they have calmed down before standing up and walking away into another room. by calm i mean they will lay on there back without you pinning them down. mental training on a dog is more tiring for them then physical training, it will wear them down fast from my experience.

I find that indoor games is useful with training them mentally, telling the dog to sit and stay and walking away, stay within his sight for the first little while then move onto walking out of his sight and calling his name and letting him find you works well both for bonding and training and wearing out his energy.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by imisky

i have a male jack x schnauzer which is not neutered and he can be a handful sometimes but usually if he gets too aggressive during any event whether play or greeting someone simply sit him down with a firm "NO" does the trick, otherwise if your at home flip him onto his back (watch for the teeth) until they have calmed down before standing up and walking away into another room. by calm i mean they will lay on there back without you pinning them down. mental training on a dog is more tiring for them then physical training, it will wear them down fast from my experience.

I find that indoor games is useful with training them mentally, telling the dog to sit and stay and walking away, stay within his sight for the first little while then move onto walking out of his sight and calling his name and letting him find you works well both for bonding and training and wearing out his energy.

Yeah I remember your dog He was very calm compared to my dog though! He was kind of more what I had expected when I got diesel. We knew he would be a handful but nothing like this. We actually do exactly what your saying already and he's pretty good with sitting and waiting.

I think I should be more clear. He does listen, is very smart and very, very affectionate. He just has a hard time listening once he is distracted by the cat, new people or dogs he doesn't know, birds,ect. Normal puppy stuff but like a million times worse than a normal puppy.

Then add the dominance and he can be tough to deal with. One huge mistake we made was pinning him with our hands when he was young and also putting a finger in his throat when he bites. These were things a few people had given as advice but I now believe are totally wrong...at least with this dog. He is now a little scared of hands or at least he associates hands with being in trouble. Scared is maybe the wrong word. So now he nips and tries to avoid hands even when you go to pet him. We really messed up there and are trying to fix this. We also made the mistake of going after him or chasing him when he wouldn't listen to his commands and run away. My mom has since told me never to chase after a dog as it shows them your not in control and its what he wants us to do. I'm sure we have made many more mistakes along the way which is why I know we need to be trained probably more so than diesel.

[marie]

Don't give up hope... one of the biggest problems you have right now is that he is going through puberty. Just like any teenage boy he thinks he's all grown up and doesn't "need" you to tell him what to do anymore

More dogs are re homed or "rescued" between the ages of 6 months and 18 months then any other time

Looking at the pics I can tell he's trouble and probably not the most ideal apartment dog, he looks like a terrier at heart and needs a job to do (mainly hunt down and kill vermin ) I second a dogwalker and maybe even find a large area fenced in where he can race his butt off to burn off steam


And remember he will grow up.....maybe

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by marie

Don't give up hope... one of the biggest problems you have right now is that he is going through puberty. Just like any teenage boy he thinks he's all grown up and doesn't "need" you to tell him what to do anymore

More dogs are re homed or "rescued" between the ages of 6 months and 18 months then any other time

Looking at the pics I can tell he's trouble and probably not the most ideal apartment dog, he looks like a terrier at heart and needs a job to do (mainly hunt down and kill vermin ) I second a dogwalker and maybe even find a large area fenced in where he can race his butt off to burn off steam


And remember he will grow up.....maybe

Thanks Marie.

I agree that he is really not a great apartment dog. That is really the main reason we had been considering re-homing him. We do not want to be selfish and keep him if he could have a better life somewhere else. The problem I have with re-homing him is that I would have a hard time letting him go to people we don't know and I will not send him to the SPCA. This is the first animal I have ever had as a family pet or my own, that has not come from the SPCA and I had a hard time in the first place buying a dog instead of rescuing one.

I think my fiancee would be a mess if we re-homed him. She has been really quiet about the subject and just kind of said if its the right thing to do then I can figure it out. Not so much help...but the only dog she has ever owned as a little girl had to be given away and it was rough on her.

I don't know how to decide if keeping him in a condo is "wrong" and he should be re-homed or if its just not ideal? It's a lot easier with fish lol.

I do know we are both willing to work even harder than we have been to train him. We have changed lifestyle things like being home on a saturday night because we were out most of the day today and don't want to leave him too long. I notice we are home more often since getting him.

Another question about the dog walker. Is this a suggestion so that he gets out more or so that someone else is training him and handling him? I guess a bit of both?

[marie]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Thanks Marie.

I agree that he is really not a great apartment dog. That is really the main reason we had been considering re-homing him. We do not want to be selfish and keep him if he could have a better life somewhere else. The problem I have with re-homing him is that I would have a hard time letting him go to people we don't know and I will not send him to the SPCA. This is the first animal I have ever had as a family pet or my own, that has not come from the SPCA and I had a hard time in the first place buying a dog instead of rescuing one.

I think my fiancee would be a mess if we re-homed him. She has been really quiet about the subject and just kind of said if its the right thing to do then I can figure it out. Not so much help...but the only dog she has ever owned as a little girl had to be given away and it was rough on her.

I don't know how to decide if keeping him in a condo is "wrong" and he should be re-homed or if its just not ideal? It's a lot easier with fish lol.

I do know we are both willing to work even harder than we have been to train him. We have changed lifestyle things like being home on a saturday night because we were out most of the day today and don't want to leave him too long. I notice we are home more often since getting him.

Another question about the dog walker. Is this a suggestion so that he gets out more or so that someone else is training him and handling him? I guess a bit of both?

I suggested a dog walker (or even better a good puppy daycare) to get him socialized with other dogs as well as some exercise

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by marie

I suggested a dog walker (or even better a good puppy daycare) to get him socialized with other dogs as well as some exercise

Ok. There is a dog daycare just down the street from me. To be honest, I have been kind of embarrassed to take him there because I know how he will act when I walk in but I think I should give it a shot. It would be nice for him to be out for a full day with other dogs a few times a week.

[michika]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Ok this is a good idea that I had not thought of. I am going to look into this for sure. Eventually I may look into the behaviorist too I guess. Lately I am kind of feeling a little guilty even keeping this dog. We are both very attached to him and love him a lot but maybe we are not the best home for him without a yard? We really do want what's best for him. We are looking into selling our condo and buying a house but because of our wedding next year and some roof problems with our condo, it might not be for a few years which doesn't really help diesel.

Not having a yard can also be a blessing. Remember there are some dogs who never go for walks, runs, or off-leash adventures. All their owners do is let them out in the yard and thats it. I bet he appreciates walks more then you know. My dogs love it when the dog walker comes, its definitely worth the price, the benefits completely outweigh the cost.