Total newbie struggling with the basics

[Stacie]

I am a first time goldendoodle owner. We have only had Bella since Wed night. She is 4 months old.  I am struggling.

 

First she won't pay attention to me. I call her and she is completly oblivous to her name. I have started  carying treets with me and when I call her name if she looks at me I give her a treat. If I'm not in the room and call her and she comes to find me I give her a treat.

Now I'm not looking for dedicated focus. I'm talking the basic I call your name you look at me. Once were training on sit/stay I don't mind if eye contact or attention is broken as long as the sit/stay is maintained.  

Is the treat method the best for this? Any other suggestions.

 

I'm ready for the challenge of this girl and the quarks that we will have since not having this girl from a little puppy. She is pretty head strong and I'm pretty certain that in her previous home she was never showed her place in the pack. (therfore telling her she was top dog) I have had to put her in a submissive pose several times when she was lunging at me barking because she didn't want to get off the couch.

 

I am not new to dog training but this girl has me feeling like I am.

 

Below picture is her with a sweatshirt on and kids socks before going outside to our mudd pit. All the snow melted and now we could hold a mud derby out back..

 

 

 

 

[Karina]

she is precious! so sweet. congratulations. when we got our Rosie, i learned to be a lot more patient than I realized I was before. she will be perfectly trained in no time, she is a doodle after all.

[Adina P]

I'm sorry you are struggling. But remember she just GOT to your house less than 1 week ago. In such a short time a puppy is not going to necessarily respond to you as planned. And knowing it's name is not a natural dog thing. She has to develop a relationship with you in order to CARE about what you say. And that takes time and training. I say sign up for an obedience class and start ASAP. But be patient. You may not be a 1st time dog owner but you are a first time Bella owner and Bella may just need a bit more time.

[Lauria Orr]

First off, she is so pretty!  (And very cute in her get-up!)  I agree about the obedience classes.  That will be helpful for her behavior and also for bonding.  Puppies are a lot of work!  We didn't get Melody until she was 5.5 months old and her prior environment was different than our home.  It does take adjustment!  Best of luck to you!  Keep us posted!

[Jennifer Tramell]

I think I understand where you are coming from.  When I got my first goldendoodle, Webster, I had 2 dogs, a golden/collie mix and a shepherd mix.  These dogs were very well behaved and I had really enjoyed training them.  I had been very successful training these dogs along with several other dogs.  When I started working with Webster, I felt like I had lost my "touch", and wondered if he would ever "get it" and respond the way my other 2 did.   I couldn't find anything that motivated or rewarded Webster, not food, not toys.  I was really discouraged.

The interesting thing is that I had known Webster since he was tiny - I visited him regularly at his breeder to watch all the puppies interact and grow.  Webster knew me.  It just took him a while to adjust to life at my house, to mature, to learn my communication style, for me to learn his communication style.  My advice is for you to hold off on offical training and just spend a few days to a week building a relationship with Bella.  Let her "do life" with you and recognize her new position in your family.  These dogs are very smart and I think that once the relationship is built, the training will be much easier.  It's kind of like kids, they have to trust and feel secure before they will follow and obey.  Often both dogs and kids will test their position until they build that relationship of trust and security.

Enjoy your new puppy, she'll be the dog you want in no time :-)

[Carol Brand]

Terri Arnold's books/videos have some great exercises to teach focus and attention.

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=A240&AffiliateID=4507...

[cheryl & oliver]

she has only been with you less then a week.  Take it easy with her, I think she needs to get used to her enviorment, and you and her surroundings.  She is sooo cute and I love her outfit.  Maybe she is confused with all this new stuff?  I would go very easy with her, and try not to get frustrated.  I amnot sure how old you said she was, but if she has come from another home with basically no real training, she is going to need time.  Maybe Obedience training might be a good start?...Just be patient and give her lots of loving and of course training, but I think she just needs some more time...Just my opinion of course...

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

sweet socked up baby....you are headstrong for sure.

I think she will be fine, you just keep on being firm.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What a cute puppy!  I agree that a puppy class would be a great start.  Remember, she's just a baby and everything is new to her now.  I know how I would feel if I was dropped off with people I didn't know and an environment that was totally foreign to me.  She's going to need a little time to feel like she's safe and "at home"....and to learn the house rules.  Right now she doesn't have a clue.  Her name is nothing more that a "sound" to her right now.  It has no meaning.  You can start by calmly sitting on the floor with a bunch of small treats.  Say her name and each time she looks at you...treat.  She'll start to associate that sound and you with good things.  If you do this a few times a day, I'll bet in no time she'll know her name.  I personally would not be putting any puppy (especially one in a whole new environment) in a submissive position.  I assume that she was lunging and barking when on the couch because she had no idea what you were asking her to do.  You can train "off" so she does put some meaning with the word, and that should prevent this behavior going forward.  She just needs to understand exactly what you are expecting her to do (and for now you'll probably have to show her).  Then when she does it, reward & praise.  She'll get it.  Good luck....new puppies can be a challenge, but worth every bit of it.

[Betty Smolinski]

Too stinking cute!!!  I know I'd never get socks on Oliver, much as I'd like to some times!!  The sweatshirt - no way with that either!!! 

[BG and Gavin]

She's just adorable.  Remember the first step is to make her feel secure and to allow her to bond with you.  I would make her go everywhere you go (even to the bathroom) for a while.  If you have to tether her to you, do so.  This will give her the message that she needs to pay attention to you and submit to your wishes.  Be patient; it's so early yet.  Have fun with her.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

4 months IS a little puppy. She is not going to learn to mind in a couple of days. No dog is.  You need to be much more patient.  Some things an individual dog 'catches on to' really quickly and some that same dog needs more practice with. Some dogs challenge authority and some don't.  Some are just so eager to please and some are more into themselves. My advice would be let her gently settle into your home and feel comfortable, to insist that she move when you want her to, make her wait as you put her food down, talk to her, and love her.

[Stacie]

I am being patient with her.. I know its gonna be a period of adjustment. I guess were both learning about each other. I just have never gotten an older puppy. So by this time with my other dogs we were at a different place. I will continue to give her some time to adjust to us. I like the idea of having her go with me everywhere to develop a relationship. I never would have thought of that. I guess I'm just projecting my prior experiences onto her and I need to let us develop at our own pace. I am just so excited to work with her because I know she is so smart. Thank you for your advice. It realy helped me put things into a different perspective. I was two close to the trees to to see the forrest.