Puppy trouble?

Question

My puppy is six months old and she wont listen.. Over and over she does that same thing. Ill tell her no and she keeps doing it.. Its it because shes still young??

Answer 1

Having a dog is like having a 2 year old for the next 10-16+ years depending on the breed. Welcome to Toddlertown!

try the "shaker bottle" method. Empty vitamin bottle (plastic, etc), put 2 pennies in there, close it up tight. When she does something you dont want her to do, HOLLER "NO" and Shake the bottle LOUDLY!!! And you can even QUICKLY THROW the shaker bottle AT HER (Dont hit her, hit the ground next to her), and ThAT will show HER that YOU MEAN BIZNIZ!!!
And pretty soon, the "no" will suffice and then she wont do it at all....My dog is 10 and sometimes when he's barking nonstop at a squirrel, etc. I just have to shake it twice and he looks at me like "um, oops, sorry"

Answer 2

Your puppy is really into the age where she is considered to be a toddler, and if you have dealt with a two year old child; you know how willful they can be. You have to have tons of patience with her at this stage. The shaker bottle method does work well. If she is doing things she shouldn't be such as chewing on furniture and other non-toy items, use a small plastic container or even an empty soda can filled with a few pennies. When she is doing something you are trying to stop her from doing- shake the can and loudly say no at the same time. After a few repetitions of this reaction, you will no longer have to say no; just the shake of the can will be enough to stop the activity. As she ages, eventually you will generally have to only reach for the shaker can and she will cease the behavior. I used this technique with a Lab-husky cross which I had the joy of owning for seventeen years, and once we got her past the puppy-Dom stage, she was absolutely great and a perfect listener. Be careful that you do not let your anger and upset get the best of you and yell at the puppy, you do not want to make her fearful of you. A slight rise in the voice with the shake of the can will suffice. I have used a similar technique with my new pet family of four cats and one Pom and all I have to say now, if one or more of them is misbehaving is spray bottle (for the spray bottle of water I keep on hand) and peace will ensue immediately. I never have had to actually discipline the dog, she just overreacts to the kitties acting like whirlwinds and barks and yips... The kitties stop in their tracks and she lies down as soon as I even say spray bottle. If I was still having difficulty with the puppy after you have tried the shaker can for a week or so; you may want to consider taking her (and you along with her) to a trainer; sometimes having another less emotionally involved person helping will break the bad behavior pattern. Best of luck with your fur baby. She will be worth all the work thousands of times over. Have a good night!

Answer 3

A big part of it is because she is only 6 months old. Really still a baby/toddler. Be consistent because if you aren't, she will notice and be confused. Like a typical toddler, "if I can do it sometimes, I can do it anytime!"

It sounds gross - but spit in your dog's food each time you feed her. Dogs are pack animals and when you spit in her food, she smells that and believes you always get things first so you must be the leader of the pack. ALWAYS be the leader --- and lead with love and respect.

Many owners complain that their dogs are "stubborn", and that they "refuse to listen" when given a command. Before blaming the dog when he doesn't respond to a command, one must determine whether or not: a) the dog knows what the owner wants, b) he knows how to comply, c) he is not simply being unresponsive due to fear, stress or confusion.

Start training your puppy early on. While old dogs can be taught new tricks, what's learned earliest, is often learned quickest and easiest. Moreover, the older the dog, the more bad habits will likely need to be "un-learned".

Train your dog gently and humanely, and whenever possible, teach him using positive, motivational methods. Keep obedience sessions upbeat so that the training process is enjoyable for all parties involved.

Avoid giving your dog commands that you know you cannot enforce. Every time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional.

One command should equal one response, so give your dog only one command (twice max!), then gently enforce it. Repeating commands tunes your dog out (as does nagging) and teaches your dog that the first several commands are a "bluff '.

Avoid giving your dog combined commands which are incompatible. Combined commands such as "sit-down" can confuse your dog.

Whenever possible, use your dog's name positively, rather than using it in conjunction to reprimands, warnings or punishment. Your dog should trust that when it hears its name or is called to you, good things happen.

This is the best, easiest and most effective time to correct your dog: before he's misbehaved (while he's thinking about jumping up to get the food).

Keep a lid on your anger. Never train your dog when you're feeling grouchy or impatient. Earning your dog's respect is never accomplished by yelling, hitting, or handling your dog in a harsh manner. Moreover, studies have shown that fear and stress inhibit the learning process.

Answer 4

In training Puppies, the first six months should be the sole purpose for that , depending on the way you have interacted with your new canine, she may not be taking you serious. You really should find a good Trainer that will allow you to train with them.
Your Vet should be able to help you find a trainer.

It doesn't sound like she is having a command problem, but a behavior problem, she is young, give her a chance, you have plenty of fun filled years ahead of you.

Call your Vet. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Puppy's of course wont answer to just the word no without physical action, they intemperate things differ ant than human beings, shes perception these things as play full action, and wont do anything till you get a bit physical. Form your hand in a claw like motion to resemble a mouth (as apposed to the parent or older sibling, someone who is dominant) *ex: like grabbing an invisible sphere* tap your puppy firmly on the ear, and say sternly NO. you'll do this a couple of times, for she is a puppy. I encourage you deeply not to offer her food or swat her for that would be rewarding her for her actions, or she will intemperate as playing, but after you tell her no, and she calms down immediately, in courage that behavior by saying "very good girl", or vigorous petting.

Answer 6

I think that treats are a big help with puppies. Have plenty of chew toys and reward them when they're good. If you have to ignore them, do it and see what happens. If they get a reaction out of you they seem to take advantage of it. Just walk away and if you need to, shut them out. But you really need to watch puppies so if you need to lock them in the kitchen or etc... I don't want to tell you to crate them, cause a crate is not suppost to be a bad place.

Answer 7

No. It's because she doesn't speak English. She will do what is reinforced. So, if you pay attention to her when she does bad stuff (knock her down, say no, etc) she will repeat those behaviors. When she's just sitting quietly and chewing on a bone, do you praise her greatly? Probably not. I wouldn't keep chewing on my bone if the only time I got attention was when I jumped on the table. Try ignoring bad behaviors, only give her attention when she does something good. My Golden wasn't jumping on people by 8 weeks when we used this technique.

Answer 8

It's so funny, when I took a class with my male chihuahua at Petsmart, the trainer had a rolled up towel rubberbanded up like a roll of newspaper. As soon as a dog started to whine or go into mischief she would toss it quickly on the floor in that direction, it startled the pup and he immediately stopped. I have a small chihuahua so throwing anything at him is pointless... it wont be such a good idea with small breeds. It'll scare them sh*tless. I usually just slap my hand into my palm as tho you were hitting a child's hand, only your own. I only do it when they're into mischief and i lower myself closer to them before doing so, so that they know i'm being serious.

Answer 9

Yes..It takes alot of patiences to take care of a puppy. Watch the whisper show or anyshow on animal planet...They have great information.Good luck. I see stuff people are saying a hmmm...What u need to do is give her a treat and praise her everytime she does something right.

Answer 10

http://www.k9electronics.com/product/DTA6-E2040/Ultrae2040DogTrainingCollar.aspx

Get your dog one of these and have him wear it for several weeks. Every time you give a command and she doesn't listen, use the button on her. Use low level stimulation to begin and heavier if she is stubborn. After awhile, she will learnt to obey you without the collar.

The collar is a very powerful tool for both operant conditioning (punishing bad behavior) and for asserting dominance over your dog. This is very important. Dogs are pack animals and your dog will be anxious, out of control and engage in bad behavior (maybe even aggressive behavior) without a clear dominance hierachy with you at the top. In nature, mother dogs nip their puppies to teach them to behave and to let them know they are the adult and the puppy is the child (in other words, they are being taken care of by a powerful adult....which is very important for animals). The collar does much the same thing for you. It teaches your puppy that you are mommy and that she has to listen to you.