We got our chocolate male last Saturday at 6 weeks and we are getting a chocolate female at the end of the month. We have a 12-year-old beagle who I can't walk without a prong collar. Anytime I try she yanks and pulls and if off the leash, she runs off. I did manage to teach/train her to sit, stay, lay, come and other basic commands and they work when she is not distracted.
We started potty training immediately. He seems to understand and has started going to the sliding door when he needs to go out. When he does his business outside he gets praised and a treat. I have been working with him on not biting. Anytime he bites I try to give him a toy or chewy to have. The biting seems to be a little less.
We don’t have a fenced in yard, so we wanted to get him able to stay near us without a leash. It seems to be working, so far in that he has stayed in the yard. But we have a small yard and live in the city. So, walks are a must. We started teaching him to walk on a leash on Sunday but I think I am screwing it up. I take him around the block. We can go 3-4 houses with him walking next to me but then he starts pulling, yanking, lunging. When he walks next to me I give him treats every few steps but he still leaves my side. I call him back, give a treat (his food) and try again but again he tries taking off.
My husband and I go hiking and camping in state parks every year and we can’t have him acting up. I am thinking I just need to wait until he starts falling asleep and try again. Any suggestions?
Also, is it normally for them to throw a “temper tantrum”? Last night he was playing/chewing a bush in front of the house. He would not come or leave the bush, so I picked him up. He was growling, fighting and trying to bite me. I said nothing (I was a little afraid). I just carried him back into the house and put him in his crate for a time out until he calmed down (about 2-3 minutes). Once he was calm and laying down I opened his crate. Tonight, he was trying to eat goose poo. I removed it from his mouth. He ran to another part of the yard and found more poo. Again, I removed it. This time he started the growling. I picked him up to take him in and he kept growling, started fighting to get down and biting. I repeated last night’s actions. I am wondering if this is normal behavior and how I should be handling it.
We are scheduled to start puppy training classes when he is 10 weeks at PetSmart. I am afraid/worried that I am screwing up or causing habits to form that will be difficult to break.
Thanks for any help/advice you can offer.