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  1. #1
    Puppy MysticFallout's Avatar
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    13wk Old 3 nipping/potty/chewing

    For starters I DO know that nipping and chewing are very normal, I just wanted to state that before I get to my 3 questions or little bit of bg info. I bought my 13wk old Chocolate English/American cross 1 week ago today. And like all labs he appears to be very intelligent and stubborn already. My wife has NEVER really had any pets in her life until she met me and until now a puppy. We have a 12yr old rescue Minpin/Corgi (for 9yrs now, she was 2yrs at adoption) and two rescue cats (2yrs and 10mths respectively).

    On to Ashe, my lab. He is a little ball of 300 Gremlins lol. My last puppy was 34yrs ago and I did most of the training with him except potty because he was an outside dog (different times). He has been doing AWESOME for a puppy until this cold snap hit Iowa again. I put his leash on and he sits and I'll say "Come on Ashe, lets potty!" in a happy voice and he doesn't move. I pull on the leash and his neck stretches. I try and entice with a treat and looks at me like I'm an idiot. If I DO get him out he might pee a bit and drags me back in. And will hide and poop anywhere from 5 - 30 minutes later. Advice?

    Nipping/"biting"/gnawing on hands and arms. Absolutely normal I know! Distraction is with a toy is NOT working, playing with his toys is not working and his kennel, well, I think I wasted $80 on it. I've tried all the advice and he wont go near it. He lived all his 12wks before us "open range" in a heated barn with his mom and litter mates. Treats, food bowl, wont even go near it. Try a treat and drops it to go back to the hand or arm.

    Chewing on things the toy works for maybe 5 minutes and he goes right back to it. He is losing some baby teeth and I believe what he is chewing on feels much better than the Kong or rope toy. He is chewing only on the corners of plastic totes (which we MUST have where they are, not possible to move them right now). I found and washed a big soft ball last night and he likes it though it is just a temp distraction from his tote. lol.

    We don't regret getting Ashe at all, not in the least, I am just amazed at just 13wks how active he is. I don't remember my Dominoe being like this. lol

    Any advice is appreciated and I'm very honored to be among fellow lab lovers. My first favorite breed of dog, I've wanted another for so long!!
    Last edited by MysticFallout; 01-12-2018 at 09:34 AM.

  2. #2
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    A lab is a lab, so there is no need to refer to the dog as an English/American cross.
    You may want to consider puppy obedience classes. The dog is at the right age to start learning and a more structured environment will help both of you.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Second puppy classes. He's the right age for Puppy K or STAR Puppy.

    Labs are not stubborn. If they were they could not be the top service dogs, bomb sniffing dogs, SAR doge, obedience dogs, etc. that they are and the working dogs that they always have been. He's just a puppy. You don't have much of a relationship yet and it sounds like he might not be all that food motivated, which is strange for a Lab, but happens.

    For the pottying, maybe he hates the cold right now. My understanding is that at that age they don't regulate body temp very well. It'll probably change in the future as Labs typically run a little warm and seem to enjoy cooler weather. Any thoughts on whether or not cold or salt is hurting his feet? Can you pick him up and carry him outside? If so, just do that. He's not leash trained; he doesn't really know what it means. No stubbornness, just lack of understanding.

    Have you tried food puzzles and toys like frozen Kongs? Bully sticks? Anything that most puppies find very enticing? It sounds like you need to go back to the crate training. Have you tried crate games (Susan Garrett)? You can also do an ex-pen on tile/linoleum. Frankly, as much as I am big into positive reinforcement, unless my puppy were having a serious meltdown where he is hurting himself or crating is causing mental damage, I'm not above just sticking them in a crate whether they like it or not. However, I would always put something in there that they like and of course, I would build up time in there, etc.. But if your pup refuses Kongs and bully sticks, that's a problem. As far as the chewing, you've got to either find something that the puppy likes or find a way to keep him away from the things he is chewing.

    So, I'm thinking that you could use the help of a trainer to find out what motivates the puppy. You can create motivators, though it's not as easy as a puppy that comes motivated by food or balls or moving toys. Have you tried taking a toy and moving it along the floor, like how cats like to play? Most puppies -- and dogs for that matter -- cannot resist a flirt pole (the large version of the cat toy that looks like a fishing pole). Is he motivated by praise? Pats? What do you think is his motivator? If it's not food you'll have to figure out another tool and strengthen it.

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  5. #4
    Puppy MysticFallout's Avatar
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    Sorry JenC, until I found Ashe I didn't know anthing about the English and American (I just knew LAB) and the minor differences in the two, to me, they are still labs.

    Unfortunately for me I have no trainers/classes of any kind within logical reach of me. There is one that will come to me once a week, 45 minutes a session, for one on one for a min of six weeks at $300 a week. But hell, that's way more than I've put into the dog so far. But I am still looking, I was just hoping that some here had some advice on the owner side of a trainer/class. I am trying clicker train him, he seems to be responsive to it.

    And he loves his treats and does like his food (he would rather graze than gobble it at once) he just doesn't want to get in his crate to eat it. The dog food said 2c for his age, 3 times a day. He still had breakfast at supper. So I cut it to 1c and he just gets 3 meals in. He see's the vet for next shots the 22nd so I'll talk to him about the grazing and see if his weight is okay.

    Thank you Labradorks for your help also. I am absolutely just going to keep plugging along with him.

  6. #5
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    You can try an online class. They are not limited to competition dogs. You can often follow along relatively inexpensively or you can participate with trainer feedback, but you have to be diligent about videoing and communicating to get your money's worth. For example, I personally enjoy the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy. There are people just getting into dog sports in these classes all the way up to people working on their OTCh or higher levels of any sport with their B dog (not their first competition dog). There are a lot of classes that appeal to pet owners with sporting dogs or dogs that need a job as well. Many of the Academy's students train other people to train their own dogs (both pets and competition) and take classes for continuing education.

    Here is the February list of classes (sign up February 1). Reading and watching is $65 for six weeks and you also get to follow along with the dogs participating at the higher level, which is a couple hundred. For a pet person with a puppy, I would recommend Hound About Town - Lifestyle Skills and Manners Training for Our Urban Dogs, Get Focused (focus in training - more for puppies and the trainer is pretty academic so depends on your learning style and preferences), and Calling All Dogs (recall). For the next term in April, Baby Genius is a good one for puppies and Loose Leash Walkers Anonymous is excellent for dogs that pull on walks or teaching your puppy to walk on leash BEFORE he becomes a puller.

    There are other online dog training schools, but this is the only one I have done and can recommend based on training philosophy and the quality of trainers they hire and the materials they provide.

  7. #6
    Senior Dog
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    Quote Originally Posted by MysticFallout View Post
    I am absolutely just going to keep plugging along with him.
    A lot of what you're struggling with is just about plugging along with him. There's a sticky at the top of this portion of the forum: Puppy biting!

    Started by me. The big takeaway I have from Kimber's terrible, horrible, bitey phase is that nothing 'worked.' We just had to keep redirecting over and over and over, and making sure she got enough exercise AND naps, until she lost her baby teeth at around 16 weeks. Think of it as laying the foundation so mouth inhibition will eventually 'click' with him, rather than hoping for quick improvement.

    Same with the crate. Kimber *hated* her crate but because we wanted her to be crate trained, we persisted. She'd scream bloody murder, even though we did like you and tried to make it a happy and fun place. Just by chance we discovered that she'd sleep in it at night quietly when we moved the crate into our bedroom. During the day, we practiced best crate rules- never let her out when she was barking, mostly. By the time she was 6 months old, she knew to be quiet in the crate, but it was never her favorite place.

    Since you don't have access to a puppy class, I'd find some simple puppy exercises online and just work with him each day. Make sure your wife is involved in the training too; it's easy to get intimidated by a lab puppy's wildness, and it would be a shame for her not to bond with Ashe!

    Look forward to hearing more about your and Ashe's adventures. At this point, it's all about consistency and patience!
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  8. #7
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    the biting has been covered, check out kimbersmom's link.
    This video can help too How to stop your puppy jumping up! - YouTube

    for the crate training, if the dog won't go in there for food, you need to back up. food in front of the door. ensure to keep body pressure off (don't hover). use higher valu food. this is a good guide. at this point can you use an xpen and slowly desentize to the crate overt time

    Crate Training 101 : The Humane Society of the United States

  9. #8
    Puppy babs75's Avatar
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    LOL. Makes me laugh. Libby was the worst biter EVER. She was relentless and had me in tears soooo many times. It was bad! She had obedience classes but she just wouldn't quit. We did everything we read online and finally she started to get better at 5 months. She is now 18 months and is just now starting to calm down. She has turned into a beautiful girl and got her 'soft mouth' a long time ago. She is much more fun to play with now! I was told over and over that it would get better and it did.

 



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