PROBLEM SOLVING PUPPY ISSUES
Sometimes your sweet puppy can show their devilish side. Here are some common puppy problems and how to solve them.
Puppy teething :
Here’s some ideas for puppy teething and using our hands as tethers. Those teeth hurt the puppies as those molars come on in and puppies chew to relieve their pain. Here’s some things that I like for teething puppies:
Bully sticks – Everyone’s favorite chew!
Elf horns cut into 1/4. Sometimes you have to look hard to find then cut like this but it’s the only way they can handle it.
Cow hooves - they stink so be prepared but dogs love them. You can also stuff them with wet dog food and freeze it. I’ve never done this but maybe outside fun
Cheese bones - super hard cheese. The dogs can only chisel little pieces off
Gorilla chew. t’s a piece of wood super dried that when the dogs chew it it just makes like sawdust
Kong’s can be stuffed with peanut butter ( make sure it doesn’t contain the artificial sweetener xylitol that’s deadly to dogs ). Or spray cheese. They also sell sprays and cookies at Petsmart that can go into the Kong’s.
Not so much for chewing but to keep them occupied you can buy a food dispensing ball that they have to roll around the floor. Or they sell snuffle Matt’s that you can scatter small pieces of cookies or food and they have to find it
Teething toys like this are fun for the dogs and feel good on their gums. I usually stock up on real baby toys from goodwill. They crinkle, rattle and have chewing rings. Like the baby Einstein toys. Just wash them
Home made pacifiers for dogs
https://austerlitzshepherds.com/2018/09/the-power-of-a-pacifer/
Homemade Chew toys
Frozen carrot
Blueberries
Strawberries
Watermelon (no rind)
Frozen banana
Pulling on the leash
For your pulling, excited puppy I would recommend a couple things
During walks,
1) Get a harness with a front clip and hook your leash onto that. It will turn the puppy when it pulls and it will not be happy as he can’t get to what he wants straight ahead. In safe areas, try using a long line so that your dog doesn’t feel tension all the time. Let the line go loose and then call the dog back. You don’t want your dog to practice pulling.
https://kikiyablondogtraining.com/kiki-blog/2019/12/17/loose-leash-walking-lessons
2) Work on desensitizing him to the distractions. Find the distance that your dog is comfortable with the distraction (people or dogs) without reacting. Then call your dog, treat, turn and walk away and walk away. Gradually decrease the distance.
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Understanding-Dog-Arousal-Problems
3) Throughout the walk call the dog randomly to come to you for yummy treats. This works on attention and a real at the same time. If the dog walks beside you afterwards reward that too
4) Try not to walk in a straight line in the same path each day. Walk to the corner and call your dog and turn around. Cross the street a few times or zigzag across a field. This teaches the dog that they need to pay attention you.
5) Don’t buy into forceful corrections on a chain collar. This doesn’t help in the long run and can damage a small dog’s trachea permanently.
At Home
1) Train your puppy at home and in the yard to learn to heal beside you for treats. Don’t use a leash to start. Start with the dog INFRONT of you and walk backwards calling the puppy and giving it yummy treats. Once your dog is following you well, you can work a in a quick pivot and walk frontwards with the dog at your left side for a short distance also giving lots of yummy treats with your left hand. Make your training sessions super short and fun. Add a play session afterwards. Later you can work on some sits at your side too. I usually work my puppies like this with no leash for quite a while. I try not to let me or the dog see the leash as a training tool.
Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog’s neck?
Getting your dog to love his harness / collar / lead
Who's walking who? By Pawsitive Dog
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_atTwudY-OE
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgOTi1d2zpM
Series of videos on loose lead walking by Jose Gomes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cWg6Yz30Zg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHwxoFPO21Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kVYn8kUCHU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPJOIK0J1vM
YOUTUBE.COM
Train me please - Episode 1 - Teach your dog how to walk on the leash (OLD VERSION)
HELP! My dog ... pulls! by Bina Lunzer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSxr2uA16M
YOUTUBE.COM
HELP! My dog ... pulls!
eBook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FSDAJ5A Loose leash training is a rather difficult task for both dog and handler. Take your time... watching the video mor...
Helix Fairweather's Polite Walking - Video Series
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmOOcELgxU
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qdMOUH1cSo
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L1vae-sOXE
YOUTUBE.COM
POLITE WALKING w/ High Rate of Reinforcement - Part 1 of 3
Here's another great loose leash walking resource.
So often we make our pups' world on a leash very small, which can actually lead to more pulling as they get to practice it a lot! Kiki discusses an alternative - loosen up the leash and teach your puppy how to explore and exist on a leash with minimal leash tension.
https://kikiyablondogtraining.com/kiki-blog/2019/12/17/loose-leash-walking-lessons
https://ahimsadogtraining.com/how-to-teach-your-dog-loose-leash-walking/
https://grishastewart.com/leash-walking/
https://www.clickertraining.com/loose-leash-walking
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/loose-leash-walking-training-your-dog-not-to-pull/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSmOOcELgxU
Does your dog sniff too much? Let him! Sniffing is not just our dog’s greatest talent. It also is one of their most universally enjoyed past-times.
Dog-Dog Dependency
A common mistake families make when adding a second pup to their home is including that new dog, exclusively, in the routine of your first dog. Meaning, coming out of the crate at the same time, going in the yard at the same time, always taking walks as a pack, and always being together. While having goals of your pups being dog partners for life, it's important that, especially in the beginning of their journey in your family, that you have them spend plenty of time apart and - most importantly - working with you individually.
Puppy Growling
Puppy growling can be a common thing with little dogs since they are picked up way more often than larger breed puppies. Never punish the growl as it is a form of communication from the dog. The puppy is telling you something- it is afraid, it is hurt, it doesn’t like that. Don’t do anything like grab its muzzle hard or roll it over and pin it to the ground. This will not help and will make things worse! If you punish your puppy for growling it doesn’t stop the above feelings but teaches the dog that it may have to find another way to communicate, which might become nipping or biting.
You will have to investigate to figure out what is wrong. Did one of the kids hurt her by mistake and she is afraid about getting hurt again? Maybe she is feeling frustrated because she is always being picked up and carried away from fun things- in her mind-, maybe she has an injury you are not aware of and it hurts in a certain spot or when a limb is moved a certain way?
Try not to always pick up and carry your dog around. Use the leash and treats to guide her where you want her to go. Rather than picking her up outside or inside when she is going somewhere dangerous maybe have that area divided off ahead of time so she can’t get there. That way she is not associating being picked up with always loosing out on having fun. Don’t make being picked up always lead to something she doesn’t like - like her crate, pen, driving, leaving fun things, grooming, baths, etc. Try to make being picked up fun. Give her treats and ear rubs when she is picked up maybe give her a cherished toy and then put her back down.
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Why-is-My-Dog-Growling-When-I-Pick-Him-Up
https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/why-does-my-dog-growl-when-i-pick-him-up
https://thebark.com/content/small-people-suffer-small-dogs
https://christinecollinscaninebehaviour.com/2017/10/30/the-gift-of-a-growl/
Multiple Dog Households
Training Videos
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R95tDp48NEk&feature=youtu.be
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=yLEG7ci-y_I
https://clicketysplitdogtraining.com/a-very-nice-solution-for-biting-puppies/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=3Odb0BAjZxA
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/4-puppy-biting-survival-strategies/
http://www.drjensdogblog.com/living-with-jaws-a-survival-guide-for-puppy-mouthing/