New Dog owner with questions

[KevinK]

Hi there, we are the proud owners of a new dog. Well 1 month now. He is a 8 month old Male Yorkie and we love him. However we didn't realize the work involved, but he means too much to the family now and we're willing to fix things to make us happier.

First thing is in regards to his trainings, so much conflicting advise we've recieved. How ever crate training we feel went well. He complains when he's ready and holds it over night until we take him outside, or in bad weather he goes on the pee pad (with the exception of pooping which he does right beside the pad).

However the major concern is his Separation Anxiety. We leave in our big upper floor tiled bathroom with his crate (so he feels more secure), toys, water etc. However he does poop all over the place when we do leave. When we get home, he just goes crazy and runs around all over the house but calms down after.

Then there are the other area's we struggle with, He jumps on people when he see's them. He never bites or barks though just overly excited to see people and he loves our 2 kids, but gets very excited with them. Secondly is he does chew or tries to chew at a lot of things that are not his toys or crumbs. We keep him leashed though as we heard it's the right thing to calm him down. However we don't feel it's right and can't get the right answer, we'd love for him to be free and walk around the house with out destroying things.

Last is walking him. When on his leash, he is a very aggressive puller and no idea how to control it. A few times he has even ran off playing games for us to catch him when the leash accidently slips (we are more cautious now). The good thing thoughis he enjoys the backyard. Plays perfectly in the back yard without a leash.

After all of this though we'd like some assistance in his training, but too many choices in Brampton.

What is everyones views on the places for the training we require?
1. Petsmart (I don't trust them)
2. Brampton Obedience school
3. Bark Busters
4. Twopawsabove (currently has 50% off a 10 week program $300)

Also he is not fixed yet. Would you recommend him being neutered before his training?

Thanks again,

[ownedbycats]

Can't help with all your questions (I'm still working on convincing my dog not to pull) but I can help with some.
The whole "don't eat my stuff" takes some work, and remember at 8 months your dog is still a puppy, so you can't expect him to act completely like an adult yet. Puppy= short attention span, lots of energy, short memory,etc. You can probably let him off the leash as long as you are supervising him, and that means watching every move. If he grabs something he shouldn't, take it away and replace it with one of his toys. Dogs need to be taught what toys are theirs and what aren't. Puppies go through a teething stage, so part of the problem may be he needs to chew, but doesn't know which are appropriate chew toys.
Jumping: Stop letting people give him attention when he jumps. If he jumps up, say "Off!", turn your back and ignore him until all four paws are on the ground. The minute all paws are on the ground fuss over him. Paws off the ground, turn back around and ignore him. Reward him with attention when he is standing, and remove the attention when he jumps. You have to be consistent though, and have everyone follow the same rules. If one person lets him jump up and others don't, he will become confused about when jumping is allowed and when it isn't. It takes patience but it does work. It can be hard though with smaller dogs, because everyone lets them get away with it because they are small and cute.
You can teach him lots of things yourselves at home (though a good training class is excellent.) www.dogstardaily.com/training/pup has some good information.
Oh, and if your dog gets loose again (it happens to everyone occasionally) either crouch down (sounds silly but curiosity frequently coaxes them to come see what you found) or run away calling him, making it a game of chase the owner. When he catches up, you fuss over him and slip the leash back on.

[KevinK]

Thanks for the tips. All things we do. I guess we just need to be more consistent and perhaps stock up on more chew toys as he does get bored very easily of them.

[Marty11]

Puppies are a lot of work, I've had two pups at once, that was tough. Just keep working on it, go to doggie school, keep using the crate.....things will get better. I will warn ya though teenage dogs can be worse..... If this dog is good with kids you have a great start......

[dashn'us]

Hey there

Our 1 1/2 year old Miniature Schanuzer has ALWAYS been a little crazy. We were not successful with crate training because his barking upset the neighbours but being consistent definitely improved his bathroom skills. He rarely goes in the house anymore.
He is a jumper as well. He is the most friendly dog in the world but he is very excitable and it does scare some people (although he would never do any hard). Do you have a harness for him? We found it has made a world of difference.
He is only a puppy and it definitely takes time for everything to set it.
Good luck (Y)

[renegaderuby]

Seperation anxiety is something I experience...and while fortunatly I dont have to deal with the pooping while gone. i have the yelping, barking, chewing and omg im going to die when you leave, and OH GOD your home, your home, im so happy your home , i almost died while you were gone dance (when we leave, and come home).

Tips I was taught, that HAVE helped.

When leaving, DO NOT make a big show or deal of leaving (saying goodbye, showing dog affection, telling him he will be alright all that kinda stuff. dont do that). Its actually best to IGNORE dog when leaving . If you can manage it (not always feasable..but if you can)...place dog in "away" spot 15, 20 mins BEFORE you actually leave, and at random times a day while you are actually still there. so it kinda desensitizes the "away" spot.
Also... when you come home, you check the answering machine, check your email, put the grocierys away..pet the cat (just examples)THEN go let pup out. Dont pet him at first...just kinda...walk around..make no big deal. WAIT till he settles down. THEN give him attention...it helps him not "focus" on oh boy, oh boy thier home, thier home, OMG i almost died while they were gone.


Its not an exact science, because seperation anxiety is actually a mental condition that cannot be "cured", its only "managed".

Our dach has to be the most "vocal" seperation anxiety dogs i've ever heard. He will literally yelp, bark, holler, scream, whine, and whatever for 30 mins or more if he cannot PHYSICALLY SEE YOU at all times. He especially throws a fit when you leave him in his kennel and leave the house. But if you leave him out, he destroys stuff, and if you try to put him in the bed with you at night, he wants to play, or wakes up in the middle of the night and because you are not interacting with him will jump down and go tear up your shoes. But if you put him in his kennel in your room..he hollers ALL NIGHT. so our solution was to put him, BY HIMSELF in HIS OWN ROOM , IN HIS KENNEL AT NIGHT. lol...he hollers for about 30 mins..then FINALLY shuts up and goes to sleep.
Its was our last step BEFORE medication. Thank god it worked. We didnt want to have to medicate him.
He's doing fine now.
He has his tantrum..then he's good.
I call him my tanny baby.
Ok..that was so about me..and not about you. Sorry!
Good luck!