Dutch Shepherd Forum

His ears are still floppy at the tips but occasionally stand up for a minute or so. But he's huge, so he has to be a mix, I think. He's nineteen pounds and I don't think he's older than 10 weeks or so. But we won't know for sure until his teeth change again.

http://youtu.be/TdRFLI6J7rc

Kid is still learning how not to be a chew toy. Video was ended for intervention. LOL. Pup is being taught that kids are not chew toys.

Bitter apple spray worked very well for pepper. Sprayed in her mouth every time she tried to nip or chew something she wasn't supposed to. I love how he's passed out on the floor right by his bed

That sleeping picture you posted............Print it out and post it on your refrigerator so you can look at how peaceful he is, cherish it because they will be few and far between.

"Leave it" is a great great command. What your kids can do, and you, is when he is biting put your hand around his muzzle [gently] and say NO, and gently push him off the bit. You can teach him "stop" or a command that tells him you are done playing. also, Like kids Pups cannot just shift from super play to stop, they need to wind down. I would also highly recommend a collar and leash on him at all times, so when he gets into trouble, you can get to him.

Mom dogs will take the pups mouth in their mouth as a way of saying "stop" Thalie does it to Sadie all of the time.

I know exactly what you mean about not being able to shift gears. Also I just brought home the bitter spray yesterday for his naughty chewing.

I've been doing "leave it" for the cats and having him sit. I will say "no bark" when he barks at them, and I stroke his muzzle and say "quiet" when he stops, and then I stuff his face with treats when he remains .

I got a clicker. Holy crap this dude is responsive.

Yes, they are very responsive. Mine can go from a full run to a down in a second. Its way cool. But then there are times when they dont "hear" you

I'm not against clickers...I prefer marker training. Highly effective and you don't need a damn clicker.

Marker training? 'Splain please?

Sort of like clicker training except you use a marker word (yes, okay, pineapple, etc) of your choosing as the marker. So if you told Mobil "sit" and he did, instead of using a click you'd say "yes" or whatever your marker word is. Sharon can correct me if I'm wrong. Also, side note, on clickers, you can click you tongue… or cluck… or whatever… and as long as he knows that is like his clicker marker it works. Great for when you forget your clicker!

Bitter spray is the BEST. I sprayed down all the furniture with it when H was little and it took him like four tries before he ultimately gave up. If he got really riled up and started biting me I'd give him a toy. So it would be "no" for biting, pause 3-4 seconds when he stopped, and give him a toy to chew/bite. He started getting up and getting his toy when he wanted to nom on me or getting it when I would say "no, where's your toy?"

As another side note, you can get a puppy dragline if the leash is too heavy and he's starting to chew it - it's lighter and doesn't have the handle at the end. If he won't quit chewing the dragline after multiple bitter spray applications, look into a biothane one. H is a notorious nylon/cotton chewer and nothing stopped him (not even bitter in the mouth) until we got all biothane leashes. Guess it doesn't carry the scent like cotton/nylon does. Best part? He can poo or pee on them and I get to wipe them try with (a lot of) lysol wipes!

The only thing I would add to Kira's explanation about marker training:

Timing is important. No more than three-seconds between mark and reward. As he gets older, you can wait the whole three-seconds...and as he gets even older, you can wait up to six-seconds, but no one suggests going over six-seconds.

I'd stay away from using "good boy" as a mark. First, we say "good boy" without thinking when we're not training, so it gets diluted as well as confusing. I use "Yes!" Quick, calm but upbeat...different than you'd otherwise say the word.

Treats
>>Use treats that won't crumble. You want him to focus on you, not on the floor trying to gobble up crumbs.
>>Switch up how the treats are delivered so he isn't always looking at your right hand after you mark. Use both hands, hands from behind the back, etc. Probably not for a puppy, but I shoot treats (like a small, solid chunk of chicken) from my mouth, too. (It's pretty funny the first time; they sure weren't expecting it. Good for learning "watch." And they learn to catch reeeeeaaaaalllll fast. Just take care about the distance between your face and the dog's until he gets the hang of it. In the event he gets a bit rambunctious and anticipatory and jumps up, don't treat. Start again.)

Just my two for now.

I am so guilty of the good girl marker for pepper and I don't realize it sometimes but I prefer the verbal reward or play over food. Plus she responds to play better than food but it really depends on the dog and what drives them the best

deadrabbits wrote:but I prefer the verbal reward or play over food. Plus she responds to play better than food but it really depends on the dog and what drives them the best

Absolutely. I didn't get in to the toys (or tug) since I use them differently than when I use food, but you're right...it all depends on what the dog responds to better and/or what the handler is comfortable doing.

My guy is gung-ho over any medium, but the tug (and something else I can't think of right now) really engages him best.

It seems like now the only good pics I can get of him are when he's asleep because he never stops moving!

I should upload some baby pics of Mr. H I found recently… all blurry! Only time I could get a good picture he was laying down or chewing!

Oh yeah, he knows "yes" "okay" "good boy" "yeah" "free" and "bon chien" for markers (though "okay" is his release cue for around the house and "good boy" hasn't really been used as a marker but a bridge to the marker). He takes his pick some days - if we're walking and I praise him "good boy" he takes that as a release.

My mom does marker training with Xander. Against my wishes she has taught him to come. When he comes she says coooookieeeeeee. And gives him a vanilla cookie from the pantry. Not exactly what I had in mind but it works....every time.

Oh yes, In my parents house Cooookiieeeeee is a common word. Sadie knows how to open the pantry door to get to them.