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  1. #1
    Puppy Debbie C.'s Avatar
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    This is so hard!!

    I am really discouraged today.. We've had Butters now for almost 3 weeks and he doesn't seem to be making steady progress. Some days are much better then others. He still won't walk on a leash without our other dog there, which makes it difficult to take him places, I'm afraid I'm going to lose him if he gets out of it, he bucks and tries to get out of the harness. He's afraid of almost everything. He still cries constantly in his crate, he doesn't like it at all. I've tried to sign him up for puppy classes but it seems were in the middle of them in progress, we should be in by the end of the month, I'm just afraid it's too late, our vet said we lost our "window" of opportunity for proper socialization. We have a little Papillion who is 2 and never had this much trouble, but all dogs are different i guess. Petsmart offers Puppy Play time for an hour, we're going to try this on Sunday, so far no one else signed up so it may be canceled.
    ... sorry I'm rambling.. It's hard to give him the proper exercise when he won't walk on the leash and he
    won't chase a ball,, I throw it and I end up running after it, he just looks at me funny. Any suggestions???

  2. #2
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Not the best at puppy information.

    Breath deep and hang in there. Do get into the class when it starts up again. How about working with Butters in the back yard or in the house on the leash. Tons of treats. Put one right in front of her nose and move slowly forward. Praise, praise and praise some more. Little ones have the attention span of a gnat so make sessions short, 10-15 minutes.

    It's a big world out there, so many things never encountered. Start, again, in the back yard or even in the house, introducing new stuff. This can include new surfaces to walk on, a blanket, newspaper, crinkley plastic. Introduce new sounds, new objects. Archie, at 5 years old, was not socialized much with the outside world and some things still bother him. With slow, gentle introduction, he is doing great. He actually met his first motorcycle a few weeks ago and did excellent. I don't agree with your vet in that Butters can't be properly socialized. You need to be aware of something new and approach it with confidence; that confidence goes right down the leash. Don't push it or rush a situation.

    Hope this helps some.

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    Debbie C. (06-12-2014)

  4. #3
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    you did not loose the window of opportunity . i got rex when he was 21/2 and he was in a class and earned his CGC award, so…..

    and 3 weeks, does not make for steady progress with every dog.
    i've had labs for 30+ years and for some unknown reason just got a french bulldog puppy (yet). and boy, are they different. treats, schmeats. he looks at me and says " F U" if he doesn't want to do what i ask, which could be as simple as "come, eli, come".

    be patient, get in a class and just know it takes time, and practice and patience.

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    kelsyg (06-12-2014)

  6. #4
    Senior Dog kelsyg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bett View Post
    i've had labs for 30+ years and for some unknown reason just got a french bulldog puppy (yet). and boy, are they different. treats, schmeats. he looks at me and says " F U" if he doesn't want to do what i ask, which could be as simple as "come, eli, come".
    You are so funny!
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  7. #5
    Real Retriever KenZ71's Avatar
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    We found cheap walmart hot dogs to be great treats. Cut them up in pieces the size of a peanut and hand out for rewards.

    As soon as ours see a bag of hot dogs or food go in my pocket they are quite eager to listen. This took a bit of learning.

    If hot dogs are too slimy for you pepperoni slices work well too.

    Much like human kids, it takes awhile to train fur kids.
    -- Ken, owned by:

    Max - Black Lab mix gotcha 4/23/2012 Born 12/2011
    Scarlett - Yellow Lab gotcha 4/19/2013 Born 2008? 2007?
    Lizzy - Terrier mix gotcha 6/29/2014 Born 2006?
    Zeus - Papillon mix gotcha 1/30/2015 Born 3/26/2014

    Avatar: Ziggy, my kitty who crossed the bridge a few years ago.
    He slept in the sink for years, silly boy.
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  8. #6
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    Just take it one step at a time, one day at a time.

    For the crate - I would just make this fun. Start with the door open and throw treats and favorite toys in there to get him to go in on his own. Start feeding him his meals and high value chews in there, place them at the far end of the crate so he has to have his back to the door, after a few days push it closed put don't lock it on the first try. Eventually you want to build up to licking him in and waiting a couple minutes after he's done before you let him out. Another thing we did that really helped was we used to put Daisy in her crate 10-15 minutes before we planned to leave. Our crate was set up on the opposite wall of the sofa right next to the TV so we would put her in there and just sit on the couch where she could see us for a couple minutes before walking out the door. We'd also put her in there randomly when we were watching TV, cooking, or cleaning the apartment. It really helped reinforce the idea that crate time didn't always mean we were going to leave.

    I feel you on the stubborn walking. My little dachshund was and still is a little pain in the butt about walking especially when it's not what she wants to do. She's small so I don't like to yank her around but when no amount of coaxing or treats will get her to go where I want to go I will pick her up, not in a coddling type way - no eye contact, and place her where I need her to go. For a lab, treats might work or you could give a gentle tug. If he tries to throw a tantrum, I'd give him my back for a couple seconds until he stops (no eye contact, no attention) and then resume.

    I know it's tough and it's very frustrating but hang in there. It does eventually click for them and it will get better. You didn't miss key socialization time, we got Daisy at 12 weeks and before we got her all she had ever experienced in the world was a dirty barn. Yes, something's took longer than others, we had to work hard creating positive experiences to make up for the lost time but overall she turned out to be a great dog. Training classes help immensely. So just know that it will get better.

    Btw, I love his name! Is he named after Butters from South Park cause that would be awesome!

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    Debbie C. (06-12-2014)

  10. #7
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bett View Post
    you did not loose the window of opportunity . i got rex when he was 21/2 and he was in a class and earned his CGC award, so….. and 3 weeks, does not make for steady progress with every dog. i've had labs for 30+ years and for some unknown reason just got a french bulldog puppy (yet). and boy, are they different. treats, schmeats. he looks at me and says " F U" if he doesn't want to do what i ask, which could be as simple as "come, eli, come". be patient, get in a class and just know it takes time, and practice and patience.
    Bahahahaha! That's the same look my dachshund gives me. She feigns incompetence but she's a master manipulator.

  11. #8
    Puppy Debbie C.'s Avatar
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    Yep,, Butters from South Park.. our son has a chocolate lab (he doesn't live with us) name Randy from South Park too.

  12. #9
    Senior Dog Sue-Ram's Avatar
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    I'm sorry that you feel discouraged with your progress with Butters. You could maybe do one or two sessions with a private trainer until the classes start to help with the current issues.
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  13. #10
    House Broken
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    [QUOTE=bett;11661]and for some unknown reason just got a french bulldog puppy (yet). and boy, are they different. treats, schmeats. he looks at me and says " F U" if he doesn't want to do what i ask, which could be as simple as "come, eli, come".
    [QUOTE]

    FWIW, I love hearing Eli stories. Over the weekend, my DH and I saw a woman with a blonde french bulldog. I told him how you said it took until about a year for the lightbulb to go on and that right now, Eli's pretty much just a stubborn, concrete bowling ball with teeth. Heeeeeeeeee!

 



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