Puppy acting funny

[Nico]

Hi all,
My puppy Cola has been with me for 8 days now. Today we were doing some basic, sit, down, Leave it. drop it, etc. She was biting me a bit every time she was taking the treat from my mouth so i feigned that it hurt me a little with an "ouch" but nothing alarming. Her reaction was as if I had severely scolded her! she started acting sort of sullen, giving me puppy dog eyes and walked away a few feet and slunk down to the floor to look at me with this what I believed to be faux remorseful look in her eyes. At that point I figured that she was just being a drama queen and sulking because she couldn't hav things her way or she was tired from training.
Subsequent to all this, and lunch we walked outside. She was difficult as ever but I didn't pull her. if she wouldn't come, sometimes I would just pick her up and walk her a hundred feet and put her down again. Outside she is generally aware of lots of things but never seems afraid. She does whining sometimes too but I assume it is just because she wants to go home or eat something off the ground. On our walk she encountered a very friendly 1 year old pitbull who said hello but I believe the encounter though friendly was a bit overwhelming for Cola.
later in the day Cola pulled on the bristles of a broom and managed to jar some ply wood that was leaned against the wall and over the broom. it fell over and though it didn't hurt her it scared the hell out of her and she has been acting super skittish.
I have been reflecting on today's events and it dawned on me that every time we play she rolls over on her back. Is this normal? I just want to hear what people have to say. I am thinking she needs to have her confidence built up? I have never even really yelled at her, except when she bites the cat or I am running to stop her from eating some poop. i can hardly imagine that this sort of panicked yell isnt heard by every puppy at some point. No major traumas have ever been visited upon her little sweet self in her 11 short weeks on this planet. So what is the deal? di she just have a hard day? i am sure being a puppy must be a tough gig. Is this something you would be worried about? thanks in advance and I know I still owe photos.
all the best

[Dutchringgirl]

Yeah......where are the photos???

Having her on a long line would be a good idea so you can get her out of trouble before she gets into it and gets hurt. Puppies will get into anything and everything so keep her close to help her learn. For the biting when taking treats, bloody hands go with the territory, the best thing is to position the treat in your hand for the least amount of hurt, I used to put the goodie in the palm of my hand and cover it so they would dig it out with their nose first, I never got after them for biting, I always made them dig or not let it go until they took it nice, now I dont have any bloody hands. The rolling on her back is a submissive pose, she is giving in to you.

On the walk, what was she doing that was difficult? Pulling, just running around sniffing? I never picked up the puppies unles they were stuck or something, they need to learn how to deal with things.

[Nico]

Hi Dutchgirl,
Thanks for the advice. I am not too bothered by the biting, it was just an experiment to see if i could get her to be a bit more gentle, and the difficulty on the walk has mostly to do with the fact that most times she just refuses to walk. The real concern of mine was how she was acting scared and submissive all day and I wondered if this was something I should worry about or not. Actually right after I posted my wife came home and Cola was back to her normal self, tail way up and wagging, kisses, nips, chasing the cat etc. lol. She does still lay on her back when we play a lot but maybe thats just puppy stuff.

[Nico]

actually Dutchgirl,
i want to ask you another question. probably more important. What did you do when the were puppies and didn't walk? Did you pull them, or lure them, or wait them out, whines and all? I def need a good solution for Cola's walking woes. She won't walk sometimes and just plops her butt down and stays put. I don't wanna drag her because I dont want her to associate outside and walking with unpleasantness and forever crap in my livingroom. perhaps i am going about it all wrong. Interested to hear what you have to say.

[Dutchringgirl]

what do you mean "Didnt walk?" Sadie was the one dragging me !!! It may have helped having Thalie lead the way and Sadie wanting to keep up with her. Make it fun and games, if she plops down, have a toy for her to chase, throw a stick, make it a good time. Does she sit after a bit? Maybe she is tired? ON our way back Sadie will just plop down, she has HD so I give her a break when she wants.

Is she in a crate at all? If you cant watch her she should be put up for a bit. When she is out she should be on a lead tied to you so you can keep an eye on her at all times. See how long it has been since her last bathroom break when you see she has gone in the house, I used to set a timer for every half hour then slowly increase it so they learn to wait.

[Nico]

Cola is only 11 weeks old right now and I think she must be overwhelmed because she doesn't want to leave the house and go outside a lot of the time. Could have to do with her getting used to the crappy weather in Ny vs Tn where she just was. Not sure. I was experimenting today and I drove her to about a mile from the house and then went for a walk and she was walking much better, with less resistance. My problem is the opposite i guess, she just won't move sometimes. At first i would snap her out of it by making noises, bringing her favorite squeaky toy and in the last day or so she has been being more obstinate than usual. I bring her out right after meals and whenever she starts to indicate that she needs to go by changing speeds and starting to move around a lot and sometimes even going towards the stairs. Her record this week has been pretty good with the majority of poops being taken outside. It is actually my wife who is less tuned into her signals who had a couple happen on her watch. I do crate her when I cant be with her. That also helps with the bathroom issues. However I work from home and am actually with her all day so crating has been at a minimum. I dont really have an issue with the bathroom stuff. i actually feel really fortunate that she knows which direction to move in and that I can see most of the time when she needs to go by her change in behavior/movement. I guess ny main issue, is the walking one, however it appears you never had this problem. I m confident we will get over and out of this. She is a super bright girl. btw i am uploading some pictures of her now to the photo section!

[Choochi]

It is possible she was having a bad day, that does happen. Pups will also go through phases, one day they're bold extroverts, another day they don't want to have any thing to do with any thing or any one. They can also go through fear phases. I would continue to socialize her and get her used to various environmental stimuli, but do it at her pace and don't be afraid to back off.

Ripp did the refuse to walk thing. It could be that the puppy is tired. Don't forget they're still babies at that age. Or she possibly just wants to sit there and take in the world, why does she have to walk? When Ripp did these to me, I would just stop and let her do her thing. She usually just wanted to sit and sniff for a bit or look around and listen to things, or watch some thing that grabbed her interest. Then when she was done she would just get up and come running to me and we'd keep going. If she did it at an inconvenient time or place, like the middle of the road while crossing, I would just scoop her up and put her in the closest safe place and she would either sit or would have forgotten about it and would keep walking. If you have a sit and watch puppy, what I like to do with those is to just go to a park bench or a coffee shop patio, get yourself a drink and just sit there with them taking in the world. Have fun with that in December! Petsmart is great for that, or any pet friendly store or mall.

[Sugars Mom]

Sugar did the refusing to walk thing. We would get to the end of the driveway and she would put the brakes on. I just walked until the leash got tight and then waited. I didn't look at her, or say anything, just waited until she started to follow again. Up til the end of the block (one house away) this would be repeated one or two more times. Once we got to the corner and turned, she wouldn't do it again for the rest of the wald. Next walk, same thing. As she got older (I got her at 9 weeks) she did it less and less. It really didn't take too long for her to get over that. It was a fear based thing for her. Now, at 2 years old, she will put on the brakes only when she sees something up ahead that concerns her (could be a large or excited dog, or decorations that appeared on someones's lawn that weren't there the day before, etc). I just did not react to her fear or nervousness, but made it clear we were doing what I wanted (walking) with out discussion or extra attention. Not sure if how I handled it was the "right" thing to do, but seemed to work for us.

[Nico]

hey everyone, thanks for all the advice and shared experience. I think Cola is really coming around. the weather is great today and she had no problem walking outside, she was bolder, did her biz like clockwork, is developing her favorite spots. she is also walking with her tail practically at a 90 degree angle today, even when a car drives by with loud ass music spilling out the windows she was undaunted. very cool!

[Dutchringgirl]

Thats great !!! Give her time to be a pup.

[Christie M]

Just a thought too, maybe walk her on a long line - a 30 foot one. Keep it short when she is moving with you, but if she stops and sits, just keep walking and let the line out as you go. Knowing her, she won't be left behind very long. If you get to the end of the 30 feet, then just wait for her to decide to catch up. When she does, reward her and the start moving again on the shorter leash again.

[Choochi]

Just a thought too, maybe walk her on a long line - a 30 foot one. Keep it short when she is moving with you, but if she stops and sits, just keep walking and let the line out as you go. Knowing her, she won't be left behind very long. If you get to the end of the 30 feet, then just wait for her to decide to catch up. When she does, reward her and the start moving again on the shorter leash again.

Oh yeah good thinking! I did some thing like that with Ripp with a flexi so not quite as long (I think 10-15').

[feraloup]

I have a 20 ft. Light cotton training lead that I dug out from storage. (Haven't needed it in a long while,). I also put knots in it every few feet, for added grip and/or easy to stomp on if need be.

Moko did the same thing, really unsure at first, (he's about a month older than Cola) hesitant to leave his comfort zone of the familiar yard. I did what others have mentioned and I didn't pull on him, but allowed juuuust a little tension on the lead, I then stayed still, if he gave ground and came a step or two toward me I praised him and we'd continue. If he pulled away I didn't pull back, but didn't move. No response, just silent and immoveable. He came toward me, praise and happy sounds. Then, on the way back, knowing he's heading home, he'd be dragging at the leash in his eagerness, so I do similar. Stop, wait, the moment he looked at me, or came a step or turned his body enough to let the tension go slack, we'd start forward again. He starts pulling I stop again, he allows the lead to loosen, praise and continue on. Sometimes a short walk can take a long time what with stopping and waiting every few paces, but he's getting so much better and walks are becoming more relaxed and confident. I alternate between dual-walks with Maiyou, my elder dog, to give him confidence and someone to follow... And one-on-one walks with just he and I where I focus more on the leash-manners. And again, she is just a baby and is still getting used to her new surroundings! I've been starting to see much more of the "gremlin" side of Mokume starting to emerge now that he's been here a few weeks and settled in.

[Nico]

thanks again everyone, I havent got her a longer leash yet but may pick one up today, just to have it in the tool box. She has ben walking a lot better. A plastic bag filled with wind came floating down the sidewalk today and she didn't like that too much! Besides that her walking has improved vastly. I do wait for her, let her explore so now the sights and sounds of the immediate outside are becoming more familiar, less scary. Christie, as you suggested when I picked her up i have been going with her to investigate things that are a little frightening to her and speaking to her with positive tones as we look together.
-Feraloup, what you said about the walk home occurs with me as well, I may add the reciprocal "stop and wait" when she runs if she has been doing it. Hopefully she is over it now.
-on a side note she and my cat Francis are becoming good friends. They can now play with one another and I even caught them eating out of the same bowl (Cola's) yesterday.
-I am astounded by how quickly Cola is learning new things. She jumps up on the couch pretty gracefully now, sits, downs, her leave it's and drop-its have some work yet but she is a stellar pup! so smart!!!
also enrolled her in an intro to agility course.
have a wonderful day all,