# Misguided or totally confused...Puppy Help Needed on a few issues! First dog



## IrishThunder22 (Jun 1, 2009)

Hi, 

We got our little guys champ about a week ago, but we are getting probably more confused than he is! My wife and I agreed to just bond with him the first couple of days; let him explore and get used to us. He is just a baby, still at 8/9 weeks. We read several books and I have been reading the boards here, but can't seem to get a consistent grasp on some of the concepts...So I was hoping for some advise? 

Discipline:
Is it too early to start? 
Most books said Shaker Can for biting things, misbehaving, bathroom indoors...but the same book said this type of thing can startle Goldens temperament. Thoughts? We want a happy and excited puppy/dog!

Biting People:
He is starting to get strong in the jaws and teeth are getting sharper already. We have noticed a trend to start biting, nibbling which is leaving marks. I understand a squirt bottle works for this approach, but...is it too early? Or is there a "nicer" way to do it? 

Eating Mulch:
We have a mulched bed and he constantly is running there after going outside to try and eat some. We are constantly opening his little mouth to pull out mulch. Any suggestions on stopping this...I don't mind sticks, but mulch bothers me since it is smaller and have heard some horror stories. 

Potty Training:
We are Crate training him, but allow him outside when we are on the first floor. We don't really like the idea, but have heard it works fast. However, he keeps having pee accidents...or will go on the deck as soon as he is outside (Better than inside!) Any tips or suggestions on moving the potty training along? We pulled up all the rugs since he likes to go on them!

Digging:
He is starting to paw into the corners or walls? Any thoughts? 

Collar:
Is it too early to get him used to this? 

Fleas, etc.:
We of course let him outside and always check for bugs/fleas, but he is too young for the treatments and we don't like chemicals around us or the dog...any suggestions? 

Jumping: 
He is starting to jump up a bit more...any way to nip this sooner to prevent a bad habit? 

Stairs:
He loves going up and climbing, but going down isn't so good. Anything we can do to help him learn to go down for potty purposes? I was thinking about using a plant of wood like a ramp for a while? 

Much thanks to anyone's advice! Sorry this is a long thread, but the books are all contradictory and I was thinking those most familiar with Golden's and their personality would be best. We don't want to do anything to make him fear us, bear nervous, or start to soon in messing with his "tail wagging, smiling face when he sees us for right now" However he is also going to get big fast and we need him to find his place in the "pack" 

Much thanks!

JT


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Welcome and congratulations on your little Champ,

1. Discipline- I would tell him "No" when you dont want him to do anything like biting. As far as the shaking can, I didnt use it because mine thought it was a game. Same with the squirt gun. When you see him start to pee, startle him and then take him outside. Nothing else works. Once he is outside and does his business, give him lots of praise like a cheerleader. Your neighbors might think you are crazy but your puppy will think you are the greatest. He will pick it up pretty fast. 

2. Biting--put something in his mouth to redirect his biting and some say using a high pitched squel like "OWWW" will work. As little puppies that is how they play with each other with their mouths and we become their playmates when seperated from their littermates. 

3. As far as the crate. That is the best and fastest way to potty train him. The best thing to do is to follow the rule of taking him outside after he eats, drinks, wakes and during playtime. About every 20 minutes during playtime. The crate can be made a fun place with feeding him and giving him treats while he is in there. And it will keep him safe while you are gone. 

4. Outside you can put a leash on him to help keep him out of the mulch and when he puts something in his mouth, take it away but dont chase him if he runs. That turns it into a game for them. When they are young, I kept treats out on the counter to easily get to when he does good and praising him and to trade when he grabs something you dont want him to have. And make sure you do NOT buy the cocoa mulch, it is toxic for dogs. 

5. Being young, there are flea treatmenst he can have, just check with your vet. I recommend you getting it from them. If you want stuff for the yard that is earth/pet friendly try the dirtworks website. http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html That works good for getting rid of them. 

6. collar-- get him one now so he can start getting used to it. And you can also keep the leash on him while inside so he gets used to that too and when he needs to go outside you can lead him out. And it will help you control and stop the jumping. Step on the leash and then he cant jump up. 

7. The stairs are new to him so it is something to learn and in time he will be charging down the steps and you will wish he went slow again. It will take time. 

My last suggestion would to be is to get him into a puppy kindergarden and move up to obedience classes. You both will learn so much and it will help with his socialization with other dogs. And relax we all look back and think we would do this or that different. A good book that alot like is "golden retrievers for dummies". You can find it at book stores or places like petsmart.

Good luck and you will survive puppyhood.


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## yvettelovesgoldens (Mar 30, 2009)

BeauShel- Well said! I will have to keep you in mind when I bring my little "Willow" home in 5 weeks. Its been 11 years since we trained a pup. So many things I have forgotten
Great advice!
Yvette


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Only can help with collar issue. Max has been wearing one his whole life and when we got him, that didn't change. I've started with the leash thing and at a week and a half (how long he's been here) he has a pretty solid concept of how it works. He started by always cutting in front of me, but he seems to know better now. And I don't ever really have to tug on him, he knows to go where the person holding the leash goes.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I strongly suggest the "ultimate puppy kit" by premiere. It's an excellent set of booklets that addresses all of those issues in a clear, positive way.
And keep in mind, they grow SO fast, this will all be a distant memory in no time!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I recommend _Puppy's First Steps_ by Dodman et al., since a book is probably a wise idea at this point.

BeauShel gave you some terrific advice, but I'll add my two cents:

Discipline: If by "discipline," you mean punishment, then yes, it's too early, and it's very wise to be incredibly sparing with any kind of negative stimulus, including a loud or angry voice. There's also no reason _ever_ to physically discipline a puppy (including slapping on the butt or scruff shaking). The only negative I'd do at this point is a loud noise when you catch him peeing inside, and the point there is not to intimidate him, just to surprise him so he stops peeing (or pooping) so you can scoop him up and take him outside with enough left in there that he immediately pees in the right place and can be praised. 

Biting: The best, gentlest method I know with puppy biting is to use redirection. If you try to make biting unpleasant for him, you'll be working against a natural instinct. You'll end up punishing your puppy a lot and meeting only minor success. If, however, you teach him to take out that mouthiness on something appropriate (like a Nylabone), you'll have a swifter, gentler transition. It still takes a couple of weeks, so be prepared to deal with a puppy land shark. When the puppy bites skin or clothes, freeze. He's biting in order to play, so teach him that biting makes you boring. Wiggle the toy. When he goes for it, become animated and praise him. Teach him that taking his mouthiness out on a toy starts a fun game, but taking it out on people or clothing stops playtime.

Potty Training: You can't allow him to successfully pee on the floor uninterrupted. If you miss it, it's over, since you can't drag a dog back to a mistake to scold him (he won't understand). You have to catch him in the act, interrupt him with a loud noise, and then carry him to the spot you want him to use for a bathroom. When he pees in the right spot, throw a little praise party. If you want the deck to be off limits for peeing, treat it like the house and interrupt him if he pees there, carry him to his spot, and praise when he does his business. At this stage, if you can't directly supervise him, he can't have free roam of a room. Every successful accident in the house will delay housebreaking longer and longer.

Jumping: This is similar to biting. He wants to play and engage. You want to teach him how to express that urge. Teach him that jumping makes you very boring. When he jumps, turn your back, fold your arms, and ignore him. He'll jump a whole lot for a minute. Then he'll try something different, like a sit (if he's been taught and praised for it before) or at least standing there and looking at you. That brings you back to life. Play with him while he's got all four paws on the ground, and ignore him when he doesn't. You can't allow anyone to let him jump up on them, even if they like it, at least during the training period. It's very confusing. One other thing: don't say "down" when he jumps. If you feel you need to say something when you're ignoring, say "off." Since "down" is also the command to lie down, it can be very confusing.

Eating stuff: keep him on a leash in the back yard if you can't otherwise control him. Teach "drop" at a very early age. When he's holding a toy, whip out a treat. He'll probably drop the toy. Say "drop" and give him the treat and some praise. He should get the hang of it after a while so you won't need the treat.

Definitely, definitely, definitely take a puppy kindergarten class. It's a blast and you'll learn a ton about working with your pup. A well trained dog is an amazing life companion. An untrained or maladjusted dog can be a source of stress for life.


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## FishinBuddy (Nov 20, 2008)

I agree with all of the above. I would like to add that I really enjoyed clicker training with my puppies....when they are young they love the clicker. There are many good books on clicker training. I still use it about a year later to shape certain behaviors. 

One thing I would def. do now at a young age is getting the pup to walk politely on lead so you won't have problems in the future. You can do this very easily with a clicker. Everytime he is walking in heel position click and treat. If he pulls or walks away from you just stop walking. When he turns back to you and makes motion towards you click and treat. After a while he will get the hang of it. (and yes I know I just made loose leash walking sound very simple but a lot of times it's not that easy). Good luck and post some pics.


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