Puppy aptitude testing

[M. and Mila]

Did you have your puppy temperament tested before adopting him/her ? Fast forward now,how do you think that helped and did your dog grow 'true' to it ?

Would love to hear your stories !

[Tammy and Violet]

Oh Mila ...Violet was like that and worse ! By the help of everyone here I knre it would come to a end and by 1yrs old it was... I can not tell you what worked with her...because it was all hit or miss... I would listen to trainers, vets...friends that have pups..let me know if you want to chat further... HANG IN THERE IT DOES GET BETTER !!!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Deborah has excellent advice. Lucy was our 'spirited' puppy and she had a very regimented daily routine of 5-10 min. of training, followed by 30 min. of play, and beginning and ending with a potty break. Then into her crate for a 1 to 1-1/2 hr. nap. Then repeat as time permits. We had that schedule for several weeks, and it went a long way in keeping her from getting too wild. She did mellow out eventually, most apparent after 1-1/2yrs. (and lots and lots of training). She's still more highly 'strung' than our mellow Oscar and she's more sensitive and headstrong. But she's a wonderful dog and we wouldn't have her any other way.

[M. and Mila]

I agree,it's a great idea,whether the pup is mellow or high strung,it is good for everyone in the house.

How's Lucy doing on the wait command? How were the beginnings? We started a few days ago with "sit" and "down" but she can barely wait,she's so excited and agitated in anticipating the reward..is that called high prey drive,I am not sure.. She's very mouthy,anything has to be checked,mouthed or if I approach my hand and try to pet her she turns her head and mouths/nips/air snaps..depending on the energy level at the moment.

[BG and Gavin]

I did not dare pet Gavin until I put something in his mouth to occupy it.  I used a white cotton tube sock knotted up.  I would also dampen it and put it in the freezer.  Great for teething puppies.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Lucy knows all her obedience commands very well, now, at 4 yrs old. As a young pup it took a lot of repetition and consistency with all the obedience commands before she could reliably do them. Your pup has been with you just over a week? Its early days yet, with you. She's young and you just need to be consistent, with lots of repetition. I like the idea of keeping her tethered to you at times throughout the day. When you move, she has to follow. Have her sit or lie down when you sit. Have her wait at thresholds throughout the house and give her a release word, like 'okay'. Rather than showing her the treats when you give commands, stash a number of treats in baggies around the house and only treat after she completes a command . It sounds like she's getting too worked up over the anticipation of a treat.

Lucy wasn't very food motivated, she was much more play motivated (still is), so I rewarded her often with short play sessions. I used treats too, but it took a while to find one she would actually eat.

As far as nipping, Lucy turned my hands bloody when I'd wipe her feet after going outside. I took to wearing heavy gloves for a while. She saw everything as a game and reprimands to her were challenges to play harder. I must have tried everything to get the biting under control. Turned out it was just a phase and that behavior simply disappeared one day (she now lifts each foot individually for me to wipe!). I think it was many weeks in, though.

We were lucky in that we had never had a puppy or dog before, so didn't have any expectations of what a puppy should be like. We didn't know how difficult Lucy was at the time. We thought all puppies were spirited and headstrong. Not until Oscar's arrive did we get a newfound perspective on what a 'mellow' puppy was like.

My biggest advice would be not to have too high of expectations too soon. Take it all in stride and know that it will get easier and better with time. Don't be afraid of the crate (it was my biggest friend and ally in those early puppy weeks :). Also, you should know that you most probably have an exceptionally smart puppy on your hands. It seems the difficult ones are very bright and perceptive.

Good luck!

[BG and Gavin]

Check out this discussion - it contains my best puppy advice :)

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/everything-i-ever-needed-t...