pups and outdoors

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neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Aug 19, 2009 - 02:28am PT

hey there ob1, say... my pup-dog, patty ann marie... she was very scared of anything different, due to being off the street, and put in a shelter...

she took to me very well, but any loud noise or scary looking things, like close hallways, or furniture, made her cower... she never was nervious or bity, though...

so---when i went to train her, i used treats... and peanut butter and even tiny bits of brounswieger...

many folks will say don't train by treats, but for us, it worked wonders... she is now a happy and brave dog... and she learned to sit, laydown, come, give her paw, go up-up on her feet, give a hug, and wag her tail, on command now...

she does have a hard time when she sees a doggie buddy though, she just goes nuts into play-mode, but we never got to get out and practice---she just saw the dogs from afar...

now that we are making contact with said-dogs and able to train, she is getting better fast---she will sit and wait until i say "okay" and THEN she will play...

she also went nuts into play mode, when she saw the kids, but now, she is learning to sit on the sofa and wait, or just go "nite nite" until the visitors settle in...

i do not yet trust her off leash, though, as these newer "obeys" are still not perfect yet...

**well--- just sharing how i worked my dog... other dogs that i had as PUPPIES, they would learn fine with no treats... they were happy though, and had never been scared... praise and good dog, and pats and hugs worked great for them... and a few treats on the side, too...

*patty ann is still scared to lay on her back and will not roll over or let anyone turn her over to touch her belly...
she does not growl or get mad, she just gets this terribly worried face and feels panicked... it would be nice if she learned, as it is easier to do her toe nails when they get too long, and easier to wash her if she'd roll over...

but---we're working on it slowly... maybe one day... only the good lord knows, i reckon...

best wishes with your wonderful new dog... :)

Chaz

Trad climber

greater Boss Angeles area

Aug 19, 2009 - 12:27pm PT

Fet's right.

Socialize the dog.

I started taking my latest Doberman out the day after I got her (8 1/2 weeks old), and it has paid off big-time.

I looked for places that were filled with chaos, noise, people etc. Bicycle races, motorcycle week in Palm Springs, firework displays, trap shooting, airport, and a bunch of other places too numerous to even remember. Nothing freaks or startles her. Very stable dog.

Recall, like Kuan said is just as important, especially for an outdoor traveling dog.

I carry one of those miniature chalkbag looking things filled with the treat-of-the-day whenever we're off-leash, and I reward her EVERY time I call her. She will stop in her tracks and run toward me when she's called. Every time, no matter what she's doing. It may seem like *cheating*, but this is something too important to screw with.

You did good getting a young dog, hopefully he was with his mom and littermates for the first 8 weeks of his life. Puppies learn things from their dog families we could never teach them. Very important if you want a stable dog.

ob1

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2009 - 03:48pm PT

yes he was with his fellow pups (11 of them in all!) until 10 weeks, the only worry up until now has been he whines a little. it's probably a little stress being away from his first home, and we're making sure we ignore him when he does whine.

recall is going great so far, he seems really keen on running over when called, clever little guy.

looking forward to buying him his first "rucksack".. might wait a while though. in the meantime we will be going on our first cragging outing this week in the smoke bluffs (squamish) - we'll see how he does - we don't plan on leaving him alone at all during the outing.

thanks again for all the comments, all helpful.

Chaz

Trad climber

greater Boss Angeles area

Aug 19, 2009 - 06:22pm PT

Might not be what you want to hear, but to avoid joint problems down the line, don't exercise him too much until he's 18 months old. Let him run as much as he wants, but when he thinks it's time to quit, it's time to quit.

Short walks and light packs are fine, but long hikes may stress him too much.