Meet Baby Franklin --
Most of the problems we've been having seem to occur only when he's especially excited, like when friends come over. He's so friendly he wants to meet every single person and every single dog he ever sees. I'm happy with this in that it shows he has a positive view of people and hasn't been fearful or aggressive at all. We tried to crate train him, but he grew out of the crate so fast he never got a chance to like it much in there. I bought a baby gate for the kitchen and that's where I leave him when I'm in class or at work. Sometimes when he gets too hyper or nippy, when I have company or I just need to concentrate on homework I'll put him there. He'll bark for a minute or two and then quiet down - usually. Anyway, I have two behavioral issues to address here: 1. Barking for attention -- For the first week or so that we had him, he barely barked at all. At first we thought there was something wrong with him! But he's definitely grown out of that phase. He was potty trained within two weeks, and that is about when he started with the barking. At first it was only when we were asleep or preoccupied and he needed to go outside - very efficient and direct. Like, HEY TAKE ME OUT PLEASE! But recently he's been barking so much I can't tell when he needs to go out or if he just wants my attention. Is there another reason he could be barking? Usually if I've just taken him out, I'll ignore him and he'll quiet down in a few minutes and take a nap or play with one of his toys. Other times he'll just bark and bark and bark, especially when we have company! What is the best way to address this? Can I teach him another way to tell me when he needs to go out? 2. Running -- He's been doing great with leash training, we used the clicker and he seems to understand that pulling isn't going to get him anywhere. He walks right next to me for almost the whole walk. Until he sees a person or another dog, that is! Then he'll almost choke himself trying to go up to them. I usually stop and make him sit before he gets attention from people. He's been responding pretty well to this. Anyway, sometimes he has so much energy I run with him for a block or so. When I do this, he will do one of two things: Either wait for me to pass him, then trip me trying to chase me, OR he will run up ahead of me, turn around, and start growling/barking and trying to bite my hands. When we run without the leash, in my dad's yard, it's even worse! He just tries to attack me. Is this expected behavior for this age? How do I teach him to run beside me, just like he has been walking? Also, although I've said that he has never shown any aggressive behavior, I wanted to clarify that occasionally he gets particularly excited and does bark/growl/bite at us, but it seems to me like he just wants to play/wants something to chew on (usually my arm). Is this normal also for his age? And just a question of preference, do you guys feel it is bad manners to let your dog on the furniture? We like him to be close to us and generally don't mind it when he's on the couch, but when I take him to my friend's houses he runs around like he owns the place! Sorry that it's so long, just wanted to be thorough here. xD Thanks! Sommer |
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These are probably questions you should address to your breeder as they would know more about the background (pedigree) temperaments of your pup's ancestors & be able to give you some hints of what has worked for them in the past with their dogs. Other than that, remember he is a herding dog. So what he is doing when you are running with him is instinct. He his trying to keep you "contained". It is his "job" to know where his "flock" is at all times, that they are all accounted for & that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. I myself would not be runing too much with a young pup. The amount of running they do just in everyday, normal play is plenty until their joints & growth plates mature. Also remember having a herding dog means you have a dog that can "reason". They generally like to have a job to do even if it is so unimportant as to be making sure you are putting the toilet paper on the roll correctly.  |
 Franklin is adorable. Your description of him sounds like both of my sheepdogs when they were puppies.  It sounds to me like you have a really good handle on the situation, with the "gating system". Sometimes, dogs just need a time out. A couple of additional thoughts: 1. The barking. So irritating! When I trained Quincy and Oscar, I started with the basic premise of rewarding good behavior and not rewarding bad behavior. This is exactly what you do when you ignore the barking, so Franklin decides he's not getting the attention he wants and lays down. If you are concerned about his bark as an alert that he needs to go potty, you might want to hang a cowbell within his reach by the door you exit, and hit it every time you take him out to do his business. If you are successful and he starts ringing the bell, then it eliminates the confusion about when he needs to go and when he is just being a little stinker. I used the barking to teach "speak" and "quiet". When Oscar was barking, I would say "speak" and give him a treat. When he stopped barking, even if just for a few seconds, I would give the "quiet" command, and immediately treat. When I knew he understood what I was asking, I added "good boy" after the "quiet" command if he stopped barking, and then treat. If he kept barking after "quiet", he got a sharp "NO!" and an additional "quiet", and if he kept it up, I started with "sit" and then "down", etc. If he did the command and stopped barking, he got a treat. (I did discover that Oscar does not like to bark when he's laying down. ) Many times, these extra commands served to refocus his attention on something other than barking, and gave me an opportunity to reinforce obedience training.2. Running - what you describe sounds like the herding instinct/motion reactivity kicking into high gear. Fun, isn't it? Oscar has caused me to nearly face-plant about a thousand times. Oscar is ESPECIALLY reactive to movement (while Quincy was not) causing him to try and chase leaves blowing down the street, cars, small animals, bikers, etc. Whenever I tried to run with him, he did exactly as you describe with Franklin, nipping, growling, cutting in front of me, whirling around on the leash like a Tasmanian Devil. To combat the motion reactivity, I did extensive leash training and really emphasized "heel". I know trainers always tell you to train with distractions, but because of the reactivity and other issues (Oscar is deaf), I found it easier to train WITHOUT distractions, until I knew he had the commands down cold. Then it was much easier to redirect his focus to me and my pocket full of treats, rather than whatever was out there moving. (BTW, I always keep treats in my left pocket, closest to his nose , and closest to where I wanted him to be when I want a "heel".) I also started to read his body language a little better, so I could see when his focus and anxiety was starting to ramp up, and I would mitigate it by giving commands, and rewarding him with treats. Are you seeing a pattern here? Lots of treats for good behavior!!!Ahhhhh, the growling and nipping and biting. Those were the good old days. Again, Franklin sounds like Quincy and Oscar as puppies. Oscar was waaaaaay worse though. We didn't call him Gator Boy and Pirhana Pup for nothing!!!! He was terrible. If he did it when we were playing, we stopped and he got a puppy time out. If he initiated contact with us this way, we ignored him. If he tried to do it while grooming, we merely said "No" and moved his face away. Over and over again. Thousands of times. Calmly and consistently. After saying all that, I still can't run with him. He's gotten better with training, age, and maturity, but there are times when he's still a Tasmanian Devil. I just never worked on it all that much because I am a walker, not a runner. Does Franklin have any favorite toys? Maybe you could take one along to keep in your left pocket, with treats of course, to redirect his focus.As far as dogs on the furniture, there are varying opinions. Our dogs have never been allowed on the furniture, because of their sheer size. (Oscar has ranged from 100 - 115 lbs, and Quincy was 115 lbs.) I just never wanted to compete with Oscar for a spot on my bed or couch, as he is the size of some of my family members. When we puppy sat for our neighbors Lhasa Apso, we let her on the furniture, as it was more like having a cat than a dog. If you allow Franklin on your furniture, it might make it confusing when you take him to other people's homes. But that does not mean he can't learn the difference. Dogs can learn by situation. This couch is okay but not that one. This bed is okay but not that one. You simply have to teach him "off" as the command for getting down when he is up somewhere he shouldn't be. Over and over again. A thousand times. Calmly and consistently.If you stay on top of the training, the puppy brain eventually matures, and these behaviors diminish considerably. So when you want to strangle that cute little pup, remember, this too shall pass! Laurie and Oscar |
Oscar's Mom wrote: :hearts: Franklin is adorable. Your description of him sounds like both of my sheepdogs when they were puppies. It sounds to me like you have a really good handle on the situation, with the "gating system". Sometimes, dogs just need a time out. A couple of additional thoughts: 1. The barking. So irritating! When I trained Quincy and Oscar, I started with the basic premise of rewarding good behavior and not rewarding bad behavior. This is exactly what you do when you ignore the barking, so Franklin decides he's not getting the attention he wants and lays down. If you are concerned about his bark as an alert that he needs to go potty, you might want to hang a cowbell within his reach by the door you exit, and hit it every time you take him out to do his business. If you are successful and he starts ringing the bell, then it eliminates the confusion about when he needs to go and when he is just being a little stinker. I used the barking to teach "speak" and "quiet". When Oscar was barking, I would say "speak" and give him a treat. When he stopped barking, even if just for a few seconds, I would give the "quiet" command, and immediately treat. When I knew he understood what I was asking, I added "good boy" after the "quiet" command if he stopped barking, and then treat. If he kept barking after "quiet", he got a sharp "NO!" and an additional "quiet", and if he kept it up, I started with "sit" and then "down", etc. If he did the command and stopped barking, he got a treat. (I did discover that Oscar does not like to bark when he's laying down. ) Many times, these extra commands served to refocus his attention on something other than barking, and gave me an opportunity to reinforce obedience training.2. Running - what you describe sounds like the herding instinct/motion reactivity kicking into high gear. Fun, isn't it? Oscar has caused me to nearly face-plant about a thousand times. Oscar is ESPECIALLY reactive to movement (while Quincy was not) causing him to try and chase leaves blowing down the street, cars, small animals, bikers, etc. Whenever I tried to run with him, he did exactly as you describe with Franklin, nipping, growling, cutting in front of me, whirling around on the leash like a Tasmanian Devil. To combat the motion reactivity, I did extensive leash training and really emphasized "heel". I know trainers always tell you to train with distractions, but because of the reactivity and other issues (Oscar is deaf), I found it easier to train WITHOUT distractions, until I knew he had the commands down cold. Then it was much easier to redirect his focus to me and my pocket full of treats, rather than whatever was out there moving. (BTW, I always keep treats in my left pocket, closest to his nose , and closest to where I wanted him to be when I want a "heel".) I also started to read his body language a little better, so I could see when his focus and anxiety was starting to ramp up, and I would mitigate it by giving commands, and rewarding him with treats. Are you seeing a pattern here? Lots of treats for good behavior!!!Ahhhhh, the growling and nipping and biting. Those were the good old days. Again, Franklin sounds like Quincy and Oscar as puppies. Oscar was waaaaaay worse though. We didn't call him Gator Boy and Pirhana Pup for nothing!!!! He was terrible. If he did it when we were playing, we stopped and he got a puppy time out. If he initiated contact with us this way, we ignored him. If he tried to do it while grooming, we merely said "No" and moved his face away. Over and over again. Thousands of times. Calmly and consistently. After saying all that, I still can't run with him. He's gotten better with training, age, and maturity, but there are times when he's still a Tasmanian Devil. I just never worked on it all that much because I am a walker, not a runner. Does Franklin have any favorite toys? Maybe you could take one along to keep in your left pocket, with treats of course, to redirect his focus.As far as dogs on the furniture, there are varying opinions. Our dogs have never been allowed on the furniture, because of their sheer size. (Oscar has ranged from 100 - 115 lbs, and Quincy was 115 lbs.) I just never wanted to compete with Oscar for a spot on my bed or couch, as he is the size of some of my family members. When we puppy sat for our neighbors Lhasa Apso, we let her on the furniture, as it was more like having a cat than a dog. If you allow Franklin on your furniture, it might make it confusing when you take him to other people's homes. But that does not mean he can't learn the difference. Dogs can learn by situation. This couch is okay but not that one. This bed is okay but not that one. You simply have to teach him "off" as the command for getting down when he is up somewhere he shouldn't be. Over and over again. A thousand times. Calmly and consistently.If you stay on top of the training, the puppy brain eventually matures, and these behaviors diminish considerably. So when you want to strangle that cute little pup, remember, this too shall pass! Laurie and Oscar Thanks Laurie! Very helpful to me as well, as we work through some of these puppy hiccups with Tucker.  |
| So glad that this is helping with Tucker too. Oscar is 9, so it's fairly easy to forget his TERRIBLE puppy months. He was SO BAD! Every photo I have of him under a year old involves him holding something inappropriate in his mouth. He once tried to bite our glass table top!  And he used to dig ferociously at the knots in our sanded, polished oak floor....still have no idea what was going on in that tiny brain.Laurie and Oscar, the Poster Child for Bad Pups who Grow Up to be Good Boys  |
| When Domino was about 4-6 months old he would steal things off the counter, everything he shouldn't have. sharp Knives, spatulas, a whole pound of butter.. The list goes on and on... Thank heavens those days are over with and very rarely gets anything anymore (only yummy things when he does). they are so silly at that age... |
| We actually got Franklin from a rescued litter out of Juarez - a friend found them and knew I was familiar with large dogs and looking for a puppy. I grew up with a Great Pyrenees. Anyway, because of this in particular I want to make sure I'm doing what I need to in terms of training. I've never had a dog at such a young age (all of our family dogs were adopted after a year old or so) so it's hard for me to tell what I can expect of him and what type of behaviors are appropriate. I've been talking to a dog trainer and that has helped so much! Regardless, the only thing we know about his life before we got him was that he had never been inside before. He seems appreciative that we spoil him so much and I'm not too worried about his background. He really is such a good pup! Thank so much Laurie, that was very helpful! |
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