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Old May 25th, 2010, 11:02 PM
Tanlaithial Tanlaithial is offline
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7 month old Wheaten Terrier puppy won't listen to instruction

We are completely new at Wheaten Terriers; our last dog was an Akita mix we got from a rescue place (similar to Dumb Friends League), who was found in a box with his siblings on the side of a highway. Most of our dogs have been rescues like this, and so were somewhat mellow when we got them. My last dog was especially willing to listen and work with us, and, despite never having any real training, was not a problem to control, even though he was 125 pounds.
We know they were mellowed because they had had a rather tough beginning, and were probably just grateful to have a loving, safe and warm home.

Our new dog, Rosie, however, is 7 months old, and a purebred Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier (I don't know if that specific breed makes a difference in training or behavior), and has not had a single hard day in her life. Needless to say, she is NOT a mellow dog.
She stubbornly fights us whenever we try to make her do something she doesn't want to do, is ALWAYS going after all of our clothes, our trash bins, and going onto our shelves to find new things to chew on (she manages to stand literally upright like a meerkat, so we've mostly cleared everything from a 2-foot range from the floor up).
We have tried I don't know how many times to discipline her against these habits, but as soon as she's loose she will go after them again. She understands that she is not supposed to (she is very smart), but does so anyway. I know for a fact that it is not just to get our attention; she often wanders to another room to cause this havoc, and we have to chase her down to get back the sock or the dirty kleenex she has.

We have been able to train her to sit, have her (mostly) paper trained to go in the kitchen on newspaper we put down (because we have coyote in the area), and she is a very loving, sweet dog. I know that she is more than capable of being trained, and wants to do right by us. But we can't train her until she's willing to listen; that much is more and more obvious.

How do you convince a Wheaten Terrier that you are the one in control, not them? How do you get them to listen to you? As I stated, we are completely new with Terriers in general (we had no idea what we were getting into when we read that they were "high energy;" my mother needed a Wheaten Terrier due to her allergies), and I've never had to train a purebred; only a rescue, which clearly makes quite a difference. We've looked online, but nothing tells us how to just make her listen; we can do the training once she understands how she ranks to us.

Any and all help and information is much appreciated!
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Old May 26th, 2010, 05:06 AM
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LavenderRott LavenderRott is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tanlaithial View Post
She stubbornly fights us whenever we try to make her do something she doesn't want to do, is ALWAYS going after all of our clothes, our trash bins, and going onto our shelves to find new things to chew on (she manages to stand literally upright like a meerkat, so we've mostly cleared everything from a 2-foot range from the floor up).
We have tried I don't know how many times to discipline her against these habits, but as soon as she's loose she will go after them again. She understands that she is not supposed to (she is very smart), but does so anyway. I know for a fact that it is not just to get our attention; she often wanders to another room to cause this havoc, and we have to chase her down to get back the sock or the dirty kleenex she has.

We have been able to train her to sit, have her (mostly) paper trained to go in the kitchen on newspaper we put down (because we have coyote in the area), and she is a very loving, sweet dog. I know that she is more than capable of being trained, and wants to do right by us. But we can't train her until she's willing to listen; that much is more and more obvious.

How do you convince a Wheaten Terrier that you are the one in control, not them? How do you get them to listen to you? As I stated, we are completely new with Terriers in general (we had no idea what we were getting into when we read that they were "high energy;" my mother needed a Wheaten Terrier due to her allergies), and I've never had to train a purebred; only a rescue, which clearly makes quite a difference. We've looked online, but nothing tells us how to just make her listen; we can do the training once she understands how she ranks to us.

Any and all help and information is much appreciated!
There really is no difference in training a purebred as compared to a rescue - this is kind of a breed thing. Well, not breed - Terrier. Terriers are tenacious. High energy is dog speak for Energizer Bunny.

First - STOP giving this girl run of your house!! She should be in your sight at all times and if you can't watch her, she should be crated. This will keep her safe and your stuff safe. Ideally, tethering her to you so that she is always at your side would be the way to go at this point. This will also help with housebreaking. You really need to teach her to go outside and get rid of the newspaper. Wheatens are not little dogs and cleaning up those papers is probably getting rather unpleasant. You should take her out for 2 or three good walks a day - for potty purposes and to burn off some of that energy.

Stock up on little treats - those little cat treats that come in the little canister are perfect - you need to show her that good behaviour gets her a treat and bad behaviour gets her....nothin'. Also, you need several little stuffies. If she chews on a pantleg - give her a stuffie to chew on. If she has something she shouldn't have and you want it - DO NOT CHASE HER! There is no better game in the world to a dog then chase! Grab a stuffie with a squeaky in it, squeak it like crazy and run the other way!

There's more and I am sure others will chime in with suggestions but I have to go to work. Will post more when I get home.
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Old May 26th, 2010, 08:38 AM
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diandpat diandpat is offline
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ah, wheaten terrors!!! Seven years ago I rescued a wheaten mix after spending two years with the most chilled rescued golden you could ever meet. I had NO IDEA WTH was going on!!! I found and joined the yahoo group below and it was the best thing I could have done Had plenty of training advice as well as drawing my attention to potential food allergies (Hobo has them) and health risks (PLN/PLE).


Good luck...they are little characters but you really need to be firm and consistent.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/S...dWheatens/join
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