New Puppy NEED help

[jimmyj]

I agree with Sigarms on all his points. Don't use a shock collar on wee puppies. There are collars that shoot out citronella spray instead of a shock too but collars are just part of a trianing program and not "magic" solutions.
The puppy has a behaviour that is probably learned not instinctive so you have to teach it a new behaviour with benefit while steering it away from the undesireable one.

Do google searches - you can do it.
Good luck.


NOTE: Larry, your comment was very un-helpful.

 

[jbooth]

Seems I opened a bit of a controversy when I suggested the shock collar. I have
had pointers, labs, all breeds of trail hounds, and now just a plain old pound rescue dog since I'm to old to hunt. I used a shock collar very little as they weren't available (at least to me) when I was young. My take on the shock collar was that they were less painful to me and my dogs than some of the other methods and 2-3 applications was all it took. If you have ever tried to train a wild a**ed pointer or a hard headed trail hound that likes to track coyotes and deer you would better understand my position. My experience with labs was the ate and chewed up everything they could find. I believe I would rather have a barker.

Painful??? reminds me of a joke.

Guy bought a used camel at a used camel lot.
Rode they camel to the 1st traffic light.
Light turned green and the camel would not go. Stalled!!!
The buyer was angry and walked back to the used camel lot.
The buyer angryly complained.
Camel salesman was calm and said "you just need a camel starter".
The salesman pick up 2 bricks and headed back down to the stalled camel.
He immediately went behind the the camel and whacked his testicles between the bricks.
The camel jumped to attention and was ready to was ready to go.
The buyer said "Boy that works good, but don't it hurt".
The salesman said " Not unless you get your thumbs between the bricks".

My point is; none of us advising you have our thumbs between the bricks.

 

[jlsmith]

Just want to say thanks to everyone and thier advice. Yes I got the puppies just for my daughters no other reason than to c the smile on thier face bcuz the last puppy we had died. They are smart puppies and are already house broke at 7 weeks old so i think they are pretty smart other than the one barking prob.

 

[Freds]

What if the camel was a female?
My point is, you can't train all camels the same way.

;^)

 

[Sigarms]

Seems I opened a bit of a controversy when I suggested the shock collar. I have
had pointers, labs, all breeds of trail hounds, and now just a plain old pound rescue dog since I'm to old to hunt. I used a shock collar very little as they weren't available (at least to me) when I was young. My take on the shock collar was that they were less painful to me and my dogs than some of the other methods and 2-3 applications was all it took. If you have ever tried to train a wild a**ed pointer or a hard headed trail hound that likes to track coyotes and deer you would better understand my position. My experience with labs was the ate and chewed up everything they could find. I believe I would rather have a barker.

Personally, I use training collars myself, mostly for recall issues with dogs I'm not certain about out in the back with the chance of some game coming by. The question IMO is at what age should you start using a training collar. And as previously mentioned, a training collar should never be a used instead of time and patience and actually trying to work with the animals behavior. Putting a training collar on a puppy (young age) is like hitting a child to stop his or her crying. Fact is, they are at such a young age, they don't know any better. One simple solution I've found for undesirable behavior with dogs is a small water/squirt bottle. Most dogs (not all) do have an aversion to water being sprayed on their snout. When the puppy is barking, trying spraying water on it's nose. Keep in mind, it's very important to take any course of ACTION during the unwanted behavior, as if you take action after the fact, anything you do will be for nothing. Currently, the only dog that the water bottle hasn't worked on is our aussie mix. Heck, you could spray her with a fire hose and she would just sit there with her mouth open trying to lick all the water LOL However, with all the other dogs if they "get out of hand" and get exciting for whatever reason, we pick up that little red squirt bottle and they all settle down pretty quickly.

 

[jimmyj]

Sorry Jbooth, I have nothing against the collars, just I think the pups are a bit young for them.

 

[dave1949]

That's what you get for buying junk dogs. Neither labs or goldens are barking breeds. The breeder probably ended up with puppies because he was too lazy or cheap to neuter his dogs, and has no idea who the female mated with. It sounds like the pups are from different sires. Your best bet at this point is just to cull the one that is the yapper. It will probably have more behavior problems as it gets older. Next time, go to a reputable breeder, so you know in advance what you are getting.

It's great to stick up for and support responsible breeders, way too many puppy mills and such out there - one would be too many. But, I think the constant barking is not a breeding issue as much as a compulsive behavior issue with this particular puppy. Either that, or the puppy is trying to tell us something and we don't know what it is; like a health problem or separation anxiety from the rest of the litter that has become compulsive. Compulsive behaviors aren't easy problems to address and it could well be this pup will always have that tendency. Could also be that with some work and patience, it will go away.

In either case, a good breeding line is not a guarantee that these problems won't show up.
Dave.

 

[/pine]

again...before treating a behavioral symptom...the animal should be thoruoughly checked for underlying physical ailments...

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I agree Sig. I have two Shepard/Lab mixes AKA mutts, as outside farm dogs and they are by far the best dogs I have ever owned. They guard my house and property with a fiecre loyalty that you can't teach. they are sharp as a tack and very gentle with my kids and will protect them with their life.

My $3,700 full blooded English Bulldog that is sired by a 3 time champion on the otherhand is as dumb as a box of rocks ( although we still love her) and is a flat out coward when it comes to guarding my home. She will run in her kennel anytime she hears something suspicious. She is great with the kids though.

You are pretty much making my point. Your bulldog is dumb as a box of rocks because that's what you wanted. You sure aren't surprised, because you bought show stock that's not bred for intelligence or function.

Your shepherd/lab mixes sound like they came out fine, but thousands of dogs just like them are destroyed every day because some ignorant slob was too lazy or cheap to neuter his dogs. Go volunteer at a Human Society sometime and help load 100 crossbred dogs a week into the crematorium. Almost all of them are mutts. It will really drop your opinion of back yard dog breeders.

 

[Sigarms]

again...before treating a behavioral symptom...the animal should be thoruoughly checked for underlying physical ailments...

That goes without saying, including all the proper shots and tags.

 

[dave1949]

Behavior problems with puppies? LOL Nah, no puppies will ever chew things they aren't suppose to.

According to rescue orgs and humane shelters, people not being able to deal with normal puppy behavior is a leading cause of abandoned dogs. The reality is harder than people anticipate and many are totally unequipped to deal with it and the time, patience and training needed.
Dave.

 

[/pine]

...That goes without saying...

unfortunately for some it does not...!

 

[scesnick]

You are pretty much making my point. Your bulldog is dumb as a box of rocks because that's what you wanted. You sure aren't surprised, because you bought show stock that's not bred for intelligence or function.

Your post insinuated that the orginal poster should have used reputable breeder and he wouldn't have any issues.
My point was that I DID use a reputable breeder and got a dog that isn't all that intelligent.
BTW- English Bulldog breed is not considered a super intelligent breed no matter who breeds them. (But they sure are a cool dog none the less)

 

[whistlepig]

I use training (shock collars) on dogs also. But not on puppies. The sole purpose of a shock collar is to stop a dog. Stop a dog from running in front of a car. Stop a dog from chasing a child. Stop a dog from catching a skunk. Stop a dog from spooking a horse with a rider on. They will not make the dog smart. That's the owner's responsibility. And there is no such thing as a junk dog. Just the owners that make them junk.

 

[automech]

Give the pup something to do besides bark. Give it some direction, teach it something like sit stay etc. Give it treats and praise for being quiet. Walk, walk, walk, with it with proper leash training. It may have some fear problems or other reasons for barking, but it is young and moldable, no culling needed.

 

[sodamo]

Most pups taken from their mom/litter before 8 weeks were done so just as they were beginning to undergo socialization and other behavioral training. This new void usually can be overcome with additional attention and training in the new home, but can be a challenge, mom was on the job 24/7. Somehow we have come to believe that weaning indicates timing for removal from the litter, but it is only part of the scenario.

I'd add another vote for complete vet check also.

 

[sacsr]

I believe you said one barks all the time.....at every thing?? all day or at certain times?

I am no dog professional but have competed with my sorry old pup in hunt test etc and have seen alot of types of dogs over the years...

Point is that every dog is different...and every dog has their issues....

Sounds like you have found out this pups current issue....

Do you crate your pups?

 

[RTII]

Make sure your daughter or yourself isn't petting, cuddling, or otherwise rewarding the dog to try and calm it. Years ago, I had a puppy that started out barking all the time. I would ignore it (in or out of it's crate) whenever it barked. If it started barking when I approached the cage, I would turn around and walk away. A couple of minutes after it would quiet, down I would give it plenty of love and praise. Less than a week it hardly barked at all. Ensure the puppy has sufficient breaks from the crate to eliminate and exercise. Plenty of exersise also helps calm a puppy or dog.

 

[jlsmith]

Make sure your daughter or yourself isn't petting, cuddling, or otherwise rewarding the dog to try and calm it. Years ago, I had a puppy that started out barking all the time. I would ignore it (in or out of it's crate) whenever it barked. If it started barking when I approached the cage, I would turn around and walk away. A couple of minutes after it would quiet, down I would give it plenty of love and praise. Less than a week it hardly barked at all. Ensure the puppy has sufficient breaks from the crate to eliminate and exercise. Plenty of exersise also helps calm a puppy or dog.

Thanks ill try this and see what happens.