"Nosy" & spastic New Pup!?
I have a couple of questions that puzzle me though- 1) when we go potty outside she SHOVES her nose down into spots on the grass like she is snorting up something! What the heck is she looking for or eating? My desire is to tell her 'no' but I don't want to confuse her with going potty. I should add that on walks she wants to eat everything she passes - bird poop, pebbles, etc. I really want to get her mouth off the ground altogether 2) This dog has started going absolutely bonkers in the evening. Even after a LONG walk and playing, she barks at us, nips, jump on furniture, chews the carpet - you name it. We walk away, give her chew toys, try playing fetch, fill her kong.. you name it. Sort of tried the can with coins to startle her but it only works for a second. What is she asking for??? There are some fabulous posts on this forum and I am looking forward to learning tons! |
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| Hi Marie, And congrats on your new baby! She sounds like a perfectly healthy and happy puppy! When my "boy" was that age, he ate everything too. In fact, he chewed on everything he could get his mouth on. They are just learning with their mouths. Its important to keep giving them something approprate to mouth, and she will get the hang of it. As for sticking her nose way down in the grass, they love smells! She's maybe smelling remains of another's dog's visit there. She's getting the clue that, Hmmmmm....he pee-peed here, maybe I should too..but wait, let me smell this some more. The Indy 500 that happens in the late afternoon/early evening is just their way of blowing off steam. And they need to do that! Its kinda like when a baby will just cry and cry for no apparent reason. It is a release for them. Try and take advantage of that time and teach her fetch or play tuggie with a tuggie toy. She'll love that. And remember, her first week there, she was probably alittle shy and scared. The way she is acting is a compliment to you. She feels safe and secure now. Good job  My Pirate is now 5 months (he's my 2nd sheepie), and he acted the same way. Its a phase...and it will pass. And when you think back, it will have lasted such a short time in the scheme of things. Enjoy your girl! |
| Congratulations!
Our trainer at puppy training taught us an excellent trick to use with Chelsea to keep her from picking up gross stuff along the walk. I agree with the previous poster that she's probably just being curious. But it can be a little scary when they try to pick up a dead thing or a chicken bone. I think you can start this one early on: Take a treat (milkbone type) and put it under your foot with a little bit sticking out to tempt her, when she sniffs or paws at it say 'leave it', she may continue to fuss at it, so keep repeating the command to 'leave it', when she looks up at you and forgets about it immediately give her a treat and praise her. Make sure the treat you give as a reward is different than the 'forbidden treat', maybe a soft chewy treat. Don't let her have the milkbone treat or the forbidden treat when you have finished with your training session, put it back in the jar for adifferent use. Repeat that A LOT with her in the safety of your home, then take it to the sidewalk in front of your home. In a few weeks you should be able to say 'Leave It!' when you are walking and she will. Of course then you praise her profusely! I would even carry treats on the walks for a while. Chelsea is still a pup - 10 months - so she responds to this about half the time, but she does 'leave' things alone when I give her the command. And I don;t carry treats anymore, just praise. We also employ the same technique for 'drop it' with about 50% success. That's not to say I haven't dug garbage out of her mouth recently - I have! But I had never used this technique before (nor even thought of it) and I've been pretty impressed with the success. Especially since you know with Sheepies that they know what all of the commands mean, it's more about motivating them to 'obey' them.  |
| Dancer is five months and still does that... the barking to get us to play... at least that's what it seems like. It's so funny, we'll sit down in the evening to finally relax a bit, but she wants it to be play time, she growls, but not being aggressive, it's like a talking growl. And pounces, brings us toys, and jumps up on the couch to get us to come play with her. I can't help but laugh, she is so cute about it, but my hubby is probably right that I should stop doing that because it encourages her. So I try to ignore her for a few seconds till she stops and then praise her for being quiet and play with her. That way, the moment she settles she is getting what she wants instead of being rewarded for being demanding. I want her to know I'm in charge, but I'm such a sucker for that cute little furball! |
| Oh my gosh, you guys could have been talking about MY life! It's amazing how we all have such similar experiences. My Maddy has been driving me crazy lately. She's almost 7 months old now and just full of energy. The worst part is that my fiance works nights, so when I get home after a long day at work, Maddy's ready to play and I'm left alone with her! Needless to say, I'm exhausted. The worst part is the nipping. She nips constantly! If I'm doing the dishes, she'll come up behind me and give me a little nip on the back of the leg, as if she's reminding me that she's there. But when we really get playing, she nips REALLY hard (I have the bruises to prove it)! We've really tried lots of things, "NO BITE", putting her in her crate when she gets really wound up, I've even been scruffing her lately when she really hurts me, but she doesn't seem to be getting the point. A friend recommended getting a water gun and giving her a squirt to distract her when she gets nipping! Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks, Jen and Maddy |
| Ohhhhhhhhhh.... as the Carley Simon song goes...[i]these are the good ol [/i[i]]days[/i]
These are the funniest dogs ! My Griffon ( 14 mos. male OES) was just like your baby. We enjoyed him but it does wear ya out. Your precious pup will go through many stages of development. I sayyyyyy "enjoy them all" It goes by too fast.
These guys are smarter than your average bears...catch on quick ! Ohhh.... and are intuitve as well. The kinds of things that have worked the best for us have been: the crate, time-out room ( our laundry room wher I set the timer for 10 minutes), "to-die-for" treats, car rides (help settle my sheepies down just like it does with little babies and kids), in severe cases... a muzzle, distraction toys/sounds, frisbee runs !!! Awwwwwwwww....please hug your sheepie baby for me !  |
| that sniffing and snorting out side is something my molly did as a pup (and still does sometimes)she was always looking and seeing things in the grass,hearing them aswell i think,little bugs,ants,stuff like that,she used to bring snails in doors,loads of them,UGH,
so maybe your pup is doing the same, as for eating i can not help as my one does not like food,she is very thin,she does love me throwing stones, going mad at night,TELL ME ABOUT IT,my vet says as she has so much go in her,not to worry about her being so thin,(i worry about her bones not being strong), i have a great tip to wear your dog out at night and you will not have to move out the chair, buy a lazer pen,a small one,of course DO NOT SHINE IN EYES, turn it on and let the dog chase it round the room,mad i know but it works,you may wear out your carpet!! as soon as i pick my pen up shes off chasing it even before i have turned it on,crazy dog, let me know if you try it and if it works, jacky |
| Jacki!!!!!! What a great idea about the laser pen!!!! I often do that sort of thing for my kitties, but never thought about doing that for Pirate. Woo hoo! Thanks!  |
| Thanks! Some great suggestions... She is doing much better at night, we get in a really late walk and try to play with neighbor dogs too. I love the milkbone under the foot idea - we are going to try that.
Kia started puppy school today and it wore her (actually both of us) out! We are also visiting the groomer for the first time so its a big week all around! I will definitely talk to you all on other subjects!! Marie - Kia's mom |
| Marie, Thats good news! When Pirate was in puppy headstart, he was the only laid back pooch in there. And every week, he'd fall asleep during class! Now he's in obediance, and I think cuz he's still so young, can only focus on class for about 50 minutes, then just lays down and watches! They are such clowns! |
| LOL about Pirate sleeping in class..... That's why I call them "shLEEpdogs"
Dancer can be the most mischeivious pup one second, and then, flop, she's out like a light. We can be outside working on various commands and she seems so alert, happy go lucky pup, wanting to please, obeying commands instantly, and then...hmmmm.... it's naptime. Flop. So funny! |
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