Puppy training - getting it right.
Discussion
Hi there,
This is Martha or as of 10 minutes ago maybe Mia, we have a month to decide!
Neither of us are novice dog owners but it is 20 years for me and even longer for the other half since we have had the pleasure and frustration of a puppy in our lives. Our last hounds were rescue dogs.
I would like folks to throw in their hints, tips and experiences. To crate or not to crate? Raw feed or not? Great books and videos. Obedience classes or not? When to socialise?
I know there is a wealth of dog ownership experience on here and from the looks of the photos thread a lot of new puppy arrivals!
Feel free to enhance with puppy pics but I would really like some solid advice alongside the gratuitous cuteness!
Thanks in advance.
This is Martha or as of 10 minutes ago maybe Mia, we have a month to decide!
Neither of us are novice dog owners but it is 20 years for me and even longer for the other half since we have had the pleasure and frustration of a puppy in our lives. Our last hounds were rescue dogs.
I would like folks to throw in their hints, tips and experiences. To crate or not to crate? Raw feed or not? Great books and videos. Obedience classes or not? When to socialise?
I know there is a wealth of dog ownership experience on here and from the looks of the photos thread a lot of new puppy arrivals!
Feel free to enhance with puppy pics but I would really like some solid advice alongside the gratuitous cuteness!
Thanks in advance.
1. Raw feed - this is a no brainer - do it.
2. Puppy classes - I am not a fan of these (unless you've visited them a few times and are happy with them, but some turn puppies loose and they get attacked and then fearful).
3. Socialisation - well, do this... Take her to shows (local fun shows), take her around the shops (we stand outside a supermarket and ask people to stroke/cuddle the dogs). That way she can get used to people and animals. We also have people come into the house a few times so they get used to that too.
4. Training, well, it tends not to be rocket science, they soon learn what you are asking for (and in the case of my dogs do whatever the feck they like)...
2. Puppy classes - I am not a fan of these (unless you've visited them a few times and are happy with them, but some turn puppies loose and they get attacked and then fearful).
3. Socialisation - well, do this... Take her to shows (local fun shows), take her around the shops (we stand outside a supermarket and ask people to stroke/cuddle the dogs). That way she can get used to people and animals. We also have people come into the house a few times so they get used to that too.
4. Training, well, it tends not to be rocket science, they soon learn what you are asking for (and in the case of my dogs do whatever the feck they like)...
If advising raw feed then please advise how they correctly feed a pup to ensure a balanced diet and avoid bone growth deformities (esp in larger breeds), something which is starting to occur again in pups and kits (we have seen it in our practice)fed a poor raw diet. And also how to avoid over supplementing with vits and mins. (I do think there should be caution with raw if any children in the house)
I am happy to give advice for full grown dogs re raw but not youngsters.
Cute pup
what breed?
Your vets should know good well run puppy classes though I haven't done these for our pup, he has just been well socialised. Had him off lead right from very first walk etc.
Your vets may also do puppy classes for before fully vaccs, these can fun should be np more than 4-5 pups to a group.
Crates can be useful. We didn't with our last dog but has been useful with Bryn. He was used to one with his Mum so easy transition. We'll prob discard it once Bryn is adult.
I am happy to give advice for full grown dogs re raw but not youngsters.
Cute pup
what breed?Your vets should know good well run puppy classes though I haven't done these for our pup, he has just been well socialised. Had him off lead right from very first walk etc.
Your vets may also do puppy classes for before fully vaccs, these can fun should be np more than 4-5 pups to a group.
Crates can be useful. We didn't with our last dog but has been useful with Bryn. He was used to one with his Mum so easy transition. We'll prob discard it once Bryn is adult.
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 8th June 15:28
Edited by bexVN on Sunday 8th June 15:48
Hello, congratulations on the new puppy. For what it's worth, I like the name Mia but our GSD is called Tia so perhaps a little bias creeping in lol.
We have found the various Caesar Milan videos on You Tube to be very useful as first time dog owners. I'm not saying that everything he does is the right or best way but a lot of his techniques gave us a better understanding of dog psychology and how to interact with our dog whilst remaining assertive.
Start getting the pup into your car if you drive. Don't go anywhere at first, just pop her in the back seat with lots of praise and treats - you want her to associate the car with happy things and fun. Then start the engine and again, praise and treats etc. until you can build it up to going on journeys.
As a puppy, we put Tia in her create next to our bed which a lot of people said was wrong and advised us to locate her sleeping area downstairs. We chose not to as Tia's basket is now in our room which is the way we always wanted it. I think her extreme crying on the first night put us off locating her bed elsewhere but we don't regret our decision.
With regard to crating during the day, I personally think it's cruel to keep a dog locked in a cage. We set Tia's crate up in our hall with acccess to half the hall itself and to the kitchen for water. We leave the radio on for her, give her a kong (details below) and a dog walker comes in eah day to take her out for a couple of hours. Get your pup used to you leaving the house regularly to avoid any stress. Step outside the door for a minute, return and praise and build it up, much like the car idea.
Food-wise, we feed Tia Arden Grange which I believe is considered to be one of the better dry foods. A lot of people have told me that the likes of pedigree etc. aren't really all that good. Instead, we cut back on the amount of dry food in Tia's meals and add a little tinned chappie which our vet recommends. Other than that, Tia has a frozen kong filled with chopped veg each day which is topped with a little chappie or cheap sandwich spread.
I can't comment on the raw diet to be honest - even if my dad does have a butcher shop! lol
We tried the puppy socialisation classes for a while and they served their purpose. Tia was far from the most obedient dog there but it built upon her exposure to other dogs during the day with the dog walker.
Ultimately, we have found that exposing Tia to as many different environments as possible has resulted in a pretty well-rounded dog. Loud noises, other animals, cars, lorries, crowds etc.
We wish we had exposed her to more children as she is sometimes a bit wary - hopefully that will improve if we have kids of our own one day.
Best of luck with things - they grow up too quickly!
Martin
We have found the various Caesar Milan videos on You Tube to be very useful as first time dog owners. I'm not saying that everything he does is the right or best way but a lot of his techniques gave us a better understanding of dog psychology and how to interact with our dog whilst remaining assertive.
Start getting the pup into your car if you drive. Don't go anywhere at first, just pop her in the back seat with lots of praise and treats - you want her to associate the car with happy things and fun. Then start the engine and again, praise and treats etc. until you can build it up to going on journeys.
As a puppy, we put Tia in her create next to our bed which a lot of people said was wrong and advised us to locate her sleeping area downstairs. We chose not to as Tia's basket is now in our room which is the way we always wanted it. I think her extreme crying on the first night put us off locating her bed elsewhere but we don't regret our decision.
With regard to crating during the day, I personally think it's cruel to keep a dog locked in a cage. We set Tia's crate up in our hall with acccess to half the hall itself and to the kitchen for water. We leave the radio on for her, give her a kong (details below) and a dog walker comes in eah day to take her out for a couple of hours. Get your pup used to you leaving the house regularly to avoid any stress. Step outside the door for a minute, return and praise and build it up, much like the car idea.
Food-wise, we feed Tia Arden Grange which I believe is considered to be one of the better dry foods. A lot of people have told me that the likes of pedigree etc. aren't really all that good. Instead, we cut back on the amount of dry food in Tia's meals and add a little tinned chappie which our vet recommends. Other than that, Tia has a frozen kong filled with chopped veg each day which is topped with a little chappie or cheap sandwich spread.
I can't comment on the raw diet to be honest - even if my dad does have a butcher shop! lol
We tried the puppy socialisation classes for a while and they served their purpose. Tia was far from the most obedient dog there but it built upon her exposure to other dogs during the day with the dog walker.
Ultimately, we have found that exposing Tia to as many different environments as possible has resulted in a pretty well-rounded dog. Loud noises, other animals, cars, lorries, crowds etc.
We wish we had exposed her to more children as she is sometimes a bit wary - hopefully that will improve if we have kids of our own one day.
Best of luck with things - they grow up too quickly!
Martin
Thanks for the replies, very helpful.
She's a Samoyed and the name is settled, Mia.
I'm keen on raw diet as our yorkies were on kibble and could s
t for Britain. Plus we have a spare fridge in the garage for storage.
Nextdoor are breaking in a puppy a few weeks ahead of us and we still have one of the yorkies that will show her the ropes so she'll be well socialised.
Keep the tips coming
She's a Samoyed and the name is settled, Mia.
I'm keen on raw diet as our yorkies were on kibble and could s
t for Britain. Plus we have a spare fridge in the garage for storage.Nextdoor are breaking in a puppy a few weeks ahead of us and we still have one of the yorkies that will show her the ropes so she'll be well socialised.
Keep the tips coming
The one bit of training that really matters is recall. Start early and make it fun, call, when she comes back give her a treat, let her go again. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Once in a while you'll call and put her on a lead but still treat first, bit of a fuss then lead. Keep doing it a stupid amount of times until it's absolutely first instinct.
I'm grateful every day ours come back on first call but that day we met a flock of sheep we weren't expecting to see them set off at full speed and then turn to me on command and run to me was so special!
I'm grateful every day ours come back on first call but that day we met a flock of sheep we weren't expecting to see them set off at full speed and then turn to me on command and run to me was so special!
Bit of a Unit said:
Thanks for the replies, very helpful.
She's a Samoyed and the name is settled, Mia.
I'm keen on raw diet as our yorkies were on kibble and could st for Britain. Plus we have a spare fridge in the garage for storage.
Nextdoor are breaking in a puppy a few weeks ahead of us and we still have one of the yorkies that will show her the ropes so she'll be well socialised.
Keep the tips coming
Raw meat should be frozen then defrosted when needed I believe. This kills off some nasty life threatening bugs found in raw. You may need to change your fridge to a freezer She's a Samoyed and the name is settled, Mia.
I'm keen on raw diet as our yorkies were on kibble and could s
t for Britain. Plus we have a spare fridge in the garage for storage.Nextdoor are breaking in a puppy a few weeks ahead of us and we still have one of the yorkies that will show her the ropes so she'll be well socialised.
Keep the tips coming
bexVN said:
Raw meat should be frozen then defrosted when needed I believe. This kills off some nasty life threatening bugs found in raw. You may need to change your fridge to a freezer
Great detail thanks, it is a fridge freezer so we are covered. The food suppliers we've looked at so far tend to supply frozen. 
I'm hoping you have someone about all day for the first few weeks to help with toilet training. We let ours out every couple of hours, used a command word (go pee iirc 
) and gave huge praise when she did. We got her at 7 weeks and she was basically fully house trained by 8 weeks, which I still find incredible but was extremely grateful she picked up that command so quickly!
As for other training well ... took us about 3 years to get proper recall so I'll not advise on that! Except lead training ... on no accounts allow Mia to drag you about! She's going to be a big dog so needs to learn who is in charge.
We took Sula to puppy socialisation classes for a few weeks but tbh there were too many pups and it was a bit of a rabble. However it was useful while waiting for her vaccinations.
Make sure once Mia's out and about she gets lots of different experiences, going in the car, over bridges, walking in town, water etc etc. We made the mistake of not taking Sula into towns/ high st and she still gets over excited and forgets all her lead manners which is a bit embarrassing because anywhere less busy and she's perfect.
I'd expect the breeder will recommend her diet as it will be what she's used to. I'm not up on the raw diet but it just seems a bit harsh for a puppy's digestion although I could be wrong.
We had a cage in the kitchen, we put blankets over the top and made a cosy bed inside and although she liked to sleep there she seemed a bit freaked if we closed the door. In the end we left the door open but she still slept there so that was fine by us. We also had a stairgate as we were told it wasn't good for developing joints to be running up and down stairs.
I've probably rambled on enough ...
Last thing when you pick her up take an old towel to rub over the Mum to get her scent. On the first night wrap it around a warm hot water bottle to help her settle. Tip from our breeder there and we had no whimpers on the first night so maybe it worked.
Good luck! Puppies are hard work but so worth it!
) and gave huge praise when she did. We got her at 7 weeks and she was basically fully house trained by 8 weeks, which I still find incredible but was extremely grateful she picked up that command so quickly!As for other training well ... took us about 3 years to get proper recall so I'll not advise on that! Except lead training ... on no accounts allow Mia to drag you about! She's going to be a big dog so needs to learn who is in charge.
We took Sula to puppy socialisation classes for a few weeks but tbh there were too many pups and it was a bit of a rabble. However it was useful while waiting for her vaccinations.
Make sure once Mia's out and about she gets lots of different experiences, going in the car, over bridges, walking in town, water etc etc. We made the mistake of not taking Sula into towns/ high st and she still gets over excited and forgets all her lead manners which is a bit embarrassing because anywhere less busy and she's perfect.
I'd expect the breeder will recommend her diet as it will be what she's used to. I'm not up on the raw diet but it just seems a bit harsh for a puppy's digestion although I could be wrong.
We had a cage in the kitchen, we put blankets over the top and made a cosy bed inside and although she liked to sleep there she seemed a bit freaked if we closed the door. In the end we left the door open but she still slept there so that was fine by us. We also had a stairgate as we were told it wasn't good for developing joints to be running up and down stairs.
I've probably rambled on enough ...
Last thing when you pick her up take an old towel to rub over the Mum to get her scent. On the first night wrap it around a warm hot water bottle to help her settle. Tip from our breeder there and we had no whimpers on the first night so maybe it worked.
Good luck! Puppies are hard work but so worth it!
Fed our pup raw right from the get go. We just gave the pup more bone content than the older dog. Vet says she is very healthy and bang on weight for her size and a super fit dog as well.
As for socializing, take it everywhere, as many places as you can. Walks round quiteish towns are good, pubs, parks, everywhere. Just remember puppies are small and humans are big so to a pup a human can look like a big scary monster.
Get the basics of recall and sit. A sit means stay as well (if your sat down your not moving are you?) so don't use two words which mean the same thing. For recall just run round calling its name and praise like a mad thing when she comes to you.-
And finally, bond with her and have lots of fun play times. Puppies are hard work but the devotion and love they give is worth it all the end. Oh, and don't stay mad at her if she is naughty, its just a gap in her education that's missing.
As for socializing, take it everywhere, as many places as you can. Walks round quiteish towns are good, pubs, parks, everywhere. Just remember puppies are small and humans are big so to a pup a human can look like a big scary monster.
Get the basics of recall and sit. A sit means stay as well (if your sat down your not moving are you?) so don't use two words which mean the same thing. For recall just run round calling its name and praise like a mad thing when she comes to you.-
And finally, bond with her and have lots of fun play times. Puppies are hard work but the devotion and love they give is worth it all the end. Oh, and don't stay mad at her if she is naughty, its just a gap in her education that's missing.
Our vet, who is happy with raw feeding in general (and had in the past suggested it for our cats), is not happy with it for large breed puppies, and dissuaded us from trying it. He is concerned about the risk of getting the calcium : phosphorous ratio wrong and causing skeletal deformities in fast growing puppies. With joint issues always a concern with GSDs, it's not an experiment I was willing to perform on my puppy. I know there are resources on the web giving advice on getting this right, but they also champion homeopathy which, as far as I am concerned, is instant zero credibility.
otolith said:
Our vet, who is happy with raw feeding in general (and had in the past suggested it for our cats), is not happy with it for large breed puppies, and dissuaded us from trying it. He is concerned about the risk of getting the calcium : phosphorous ratio wrong and causing skeletal deformities in fast growing puppies. With joint issues always a concern with GSDs, it's not an experiment I was willing to perform on my puppy. I know there are resources on the web giving advice on getting this right, but they also champion homeopathy which, as far as I am concerned, is instant zero credibility.
If you want to know about Raw Feeding GSDs, speak to this ladyhttp://dogsdinner2.webs.com/
She's got I think 3/4 gens of raw fed dogs now.
Jasandjules said:
If you want to know about Raw Feeding GSDs, speak to this lady
http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/
She's got I think 3/4 gens of raw fed dogs now.
Hmm. Not sure about that. Some points very much put me off.http://dogsdinner2.webs.com/
She's got I think 3/4 gens of raw fed dogs now.
1) An argument from authority which I hate but it's true... Vets are trained to dispense evidence based medicine and advice. This woman evidently from her website is not. Vets are wrong sometimes granted, but if my choice is to trust in a well trained and experienced individual, or someone who feeds her dog meat and that is the sum of her evidence, I know who I am most inclined to trust.
2) She makes the massive assumption that after 15,000 years of selective breeding and advancements in nutrition they were better off prior to this.
3) The diet she provides suggests, namely premium raw meat, is nothing like what dogs would have eaten even if they did benefit from this diet. Which again I invite her to prove.
It seems to me you're effectively exchanging one artificial but rigorously tested diet, for another artificial diet which lacks an evidence base but you believe is superior simply because it is less processed.
Raw meat has been around for hundreds/thousands of years, processed dog food 60 years. Tell me which one dogs should be more used to?
This is from a "top of the range" well known dog food. Think it costs about £49 per 5 kg pack. Very natural don't you think.
Ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, corn, brewers rice, wheat gluten, natural flavors, dried beet pulp, fish oil, vegetable oil, sodium silico aluminate, coprah oil, psyllium seed husk, rice hulls, potassium chloride, fructooligosaccharides, salt, hydrolyzed yeast, taurine, choline chloride, dl-methionine, monosodium phosphate, glucosamine hydrochloride, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta l.), l-lysine, vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, niacin supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate), l-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
This is whats in my dogs dinner this week.
1.5KG Lamb ribs,
1.5 Kg lamb shoulder (boneless).
3 whole chickens, necks and feet.
4 ox hearts.
1kg beef
4 tins of sardnines in tomato sauce,
500g beef mince.
2 packs of beef and tripe (Raw food).
Apart from the sardines I would say a raw fed dog eats a more natural diet than a dog on processed food.
This is from a "top of the range" well known dog food. Think it costs about £49 per 5 kg pack. Very natural don't you think.
Ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, chicken fat, corn, brewers rice, wheat gluten, natural flavors, dried beet pulp, fish oil, vegetable oil, sodium silico aluminate, coprah oil, psyllium seed husk, rice hulls, potassium chloride, fructooligosaccharides, salt, hydrolyzed yeast, taurine, choline chloride, dl-methionine, monosodium phosphate, glucosamine hydrochloride, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta l.), l-lysine, vitamins [dl-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, niacin supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement], trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate), l-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
This is whats in my dogs dinner this week.
1.5KG Lamb ribs,
1.5 Kg lamb shoulder (boneless).
3 whole chickens, necks and feet.
4 ox hearts.
1kg beef
4 tins of sardnines in tomato sauce,
500g beef mince.
2 packs of beef and tripe (Raw food).
Apart from the sardines I would say a raw fed dog eats a more natural diet than a dog on processed food.
Edited by Sexual Chocolate on Tuesday 10th June 15:09
Edited by Sexual Chocolate on Tuesday 10th June 15:10
Edited by Sexual Chocolate on Tuesday 10th June 15:11
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