20 weeks old Male
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| Definitely crate training. Sadly, without it your puppy has developed all sorts of bad behaviors. It will be much harder to break him of them, best is to prevent them from ever happening (ie: crate training from the beginning!). Then when they are out in the house, you supervise and stop any undesired behavior right on the spot.  |
| Yes, use a crate. Winnie loves her crate and sleeps there every night. While she is well-past the wall and trim chewing, using the crate gives her a sense of security. It is not evil to use a crate at all! Young pups adapt quickly to them. Too, yours might need the added sleep - we found Winnie behaved best as a puppy when she got 12-16 hours of sleep PER DAY. |
| Crate Training is the only way!! Don't think of it as being mean, think at it as keeping him safe! |
| Hi, I'm going to play devil's advocate as I don't want to insult anyone either as many many very knowledable and dog savy people crate their dogs. I think it appears to be cultural as it's not as popular in Europe as in North America. There are proponents of both those that believe in crating and on the flip side those who don't. http://www.allaboutdogsnpuppies.com/Dog ... d_Cons.php I never crated my dogs but that is a personal choice for me. However, I have always PUPPY PROOFED my house and am absolutely sure they are 100% safe as that's a priority. When I no longer had small children in my home I still continued to use baby locks on doors - especially the one that contained the garbage. I can see why that is a main consideration of why people crate their pups. Just like toddlers those little tykes can get into many things due to curiousity. When Snoop was a very young pup he was kept in the family room where I had more control as to puppy proofing that room and he only had the run of the house when I was home. It did help that he had big brothers that kept him company and he learned the rules from them. Each situation is different and each home is different but I thought I'd post to show they may be other methods. However, the choice is yours as to what works for you. At this age - pup is full of energy and as most of us on this forum keep repeating....a tired dog is a good dog. They need to burn off energy but especially so in puppyhood. Even obedience training tires them out as they have to work hard (Just think how exhausted you felt after a difficult test where you really had to concentrate and pay attention). You may want to practise having pup always sit when people pet him. Yes I know he's probably like a wild child and super hyper and you may want to set up times (on purpose) and have different people walk in...place a leash on him to prevent the jumping and make him sit in order to get a pet from them or attention. A cookie held up over the nose immediately makes him sit...(you'll get the idea how far back over his face you hold it up so while he's looking up his bottom touches the ground/floor. Eventually he will "get it". Good behavior is rewarded. If he doesn't or continues to be an obnoxious little tyke and in persistant in trying to jump on the person...you have control of the leash ...do not allow him to jump on the person. You may walk him around and try again ...sit (with treat help) then person can pet him. Even if it's for a second...praise him. Try to increase the time each time. Always end on a good note. These guys love to bounce and jump...but they can be trained to only get pats from people when they are seated. I'm by no means an expert but just a little 100 pound person who happened to have 4 big male dogs and it was important for me that all were well trained or else I'd go crazy. (okay maybe It's already happened  ) I had to have control of them from early on. Even on walks when people want to pet my dog I tell them," okay but bare with me as first I have to make him sit for pats as I'm working on that for his training". People seem to like helping out and it helps reaffirm to the pup/dog that they again will get lots of attention and pats when they are well behaved. One of my dogs is a Pitbull ,the other 3 OES, and when we are out and about - it's easy for people to have pre-conceived ideas of how my dogs may behave. They always rushed the OES and asked to pet them but few ask about petting the Pitbull. However, he's the one that is the best trained and will immediately sit if I stand still and someone approaches. It's all about perception and I want people to see a well trained dog and I started his more extensive training at 4 months. He was also enrolled in a program where he was trained by a Inmate Prison program but that's another story. Overall, every single day and I continue to do it on a daily basis...we work on training. He's now 3 and I get compliments on his behavior but I work extra hard on him due to his breed. However, Merlin and Panda too always sit when I stand to speak to someone and will lay down if it goes on longer that 3 mins. Something they were trained to do early in life. Hey if stubborn obnoxious Merlin can do it....really you pup can too!!! There is hope!! Oh sheesh another long ramble from me but after having so many dogs, I have learned the following and now swear by it. What ever is cute and funny when they are young...may not be so cute and funny when they are 100 pounds. Keep telling yourself that! Whatever work you put in...no matter how tired you are or don't feel like it....will come back to you in the long run. What I mean is if you are really focused on training them when they are little ....you will have the pleasure of having a well behaved dog who is a pleasure to be around not only your family but your friends. Remember your pup will be with you for aprox another 10-12 years or more. I made mistakes ....like feeling sorry for Blue (one of my previous dogs) when he gave me sad puppy eyes if I was eating pizza or something and I folded and gave him a treat. Oh sigh ....that old guy lived to age 19. For 18 of those years I regretted that I started the habit of feeding him from the table. I didn't do that with any of my following dogs as I learned my lesson. Now I can sit anywhere and none of my guys ever bother me for food. Then again, I think you learn to be stricter when you have numerous dogs and it;s a lot harder to say no to one...and especially if that one is a cute pup. So just remember rule #1...you may not like it , nor your guest if he becomes a food begger at Christmas dinners or bar-b-ques.  Now saying all that I'm not a miracle worker either as none of my boys are 100% perfect , they still continue to test. However, it's the way I've survived having so many dogs. Good luck to you and pup. For what it's worth so many people are so willing to help on this forum and many of us may have different opinions as to what works or doesn't. You'll learn a lot and you may not "feel" one method is right for your situation. Follow your gut what works best for you , your pup and household. Feel free to ask lots of questions. Best wishes to you. Marianne |
| Crate training. It's the safest way until you are 1000% sure they can be trusted. Keeps them from getting into something and hurting themselves while you're gone. Plus, it comes in handy for lots of other activities if/when you ever want to take your dog with you on trips or be involved in dog sports. I crate train all my foster dogs, too. Remarkably, within a few days of their coming to the house, they're running right into their crates at bed time and turning around to get their treats. It is as if they've always done it. They end up enjoying them because it is like having their own room. Often I'll find them hanging out in the crate with the door open. Give them toys and things to chew and they'll be just fine, napping and playing until you get back.  You won't worry about them while you're gone and you'll come home to an undestroyed house and a puppy who is dying to play with you. Win/Win!!  |
| Crate... definitely. We crate train all puppies for the first 6-7 months... I would crate longer if a dog needed the limits it offers. Once they are dependable, I take the crate down. Dawn and I have the same view on this... It's so much easier to mold a puppy into acceptable behavior then to correct inappropriate behaviors once they're established. If you can't supervise so you can correct/redirect, crate. And don't feel guilty... you can make a crate a positive thing in a dog's eyes. |
| If you are adamently opposed to crat training, try using baby gates in maybe the kitchen area. A small area, with baby gates so he can't gety out. And try some Kong toys, chew toys he can;t get lodged in his throat or stuck in his belly... |
| Exercise exercise exercise and crate Drain the energy and boredom Control the damage until realiseation kicks in - it will But most importantly don't loose your temper with him, calm control is the ticket. |
| Never used a crate but we brought 2 pens & put then around the walls in a room with toys & a bed but she will steal things of the table but don't chew the walls. |
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