Some puppy questions

[Rene']

We have a 12 week old puppy, Bailey, that we've had since she was 3 weeks old. That's her in my avatar at 5 weeks. Her mother ran off after a raccoon and was never found and never returned so we bottle fed her. She is a mutt - a mix of chihuahua and what we think is a dachshund/beagle mix, possibly. She's a very good dog for the most part, she has learned to sit and I require her to sit before feeding her and letting her out of her crate or letting her outside.

 

She is still a puppy though and there are just some things that I'm wondering if they will stop as she grows or will it always be this way?

 

For one, she licks too much - especially my husband's feet and legs, which he can't stand. He adores the dog and lets her give his cheek one lick (which he calls a kiss) but he doesn't want her licking his feet when he's lounging and watching TV. Can we stop this or will it get better when she's older?

 

Also, barking at people. She is part Chihuahua - is that something that is just part of her breed or can I train her out of it? I was giving her treats whenever she saw someone so she would associate people with something good and that worked for a couple of weeks but doesn't anymore. She also barks at anything out of the ordinary.

 

And lastly (for now anyway :001_smile:) - chewing on certain things. We have provided plenty of toys and chew things and she is watched almost every minute that she is awake. But there are certain things - like my bathroom rug and the end-table in my living room, that she keeps going for. I re-direct her to her toys and she looses interest for a while, but she won't just stay away from them.

 

Thanks for any help and advice!

[redsnapper]

Here's my quick answer

 

1. The licking may be a dietary need, like for salt. I'd ask the vet about that one.

2. The barking is a dog thing and may never get better. Try a puppy obedience class. That might help.

3. The viewing is definitely a puppy thing. Its like babies putting things in their mouths. Partly to discover, partly to sooth the teething. As long as you don't let bad habits develop and keep focusing the pup on acceptable chew toys then she will grow out of it once her adult teeth are in.

 

Overall I'd say a visit to your vet is in order, for a check up. Then ask all these questions there for a professional opinion.

 

Melissa

[Acorn Island]

You might want to try bitter apple spray on the rug and table that you don't want the dog to bite on!

[kroe1]

A good trainer from 8 weeks on is a must at our house. Especially since we are so lousy at puppy training.

 

The licking of ankles should be stopped immediately. She's not going to distinguish between licking a cheek and licking ankles so your DH must give up those kisses. A firm "no" every time she starts should stop the behavior.

 

If she's finding rugs and table legs, she may need some more crate training at her young age. The trainer explained that having free run of a home is like being at Disneyland to a dog. She needs lots of crate time with several toys in her crate. Change out the toys multiple times during the day to keep her interested. The crate should be where she has her most fun, not the bathroom while chewing on a rug. You can move the crate into the room where the family is so she still feels she's with her pack.

 

In regards to barking, our trainer didn't do much for that because our breed is a non-barking breed. But, if you yell "no" or "stop" at her every time she barks, then she just thinks you are barking, too. Try pulling her away from what she is barking at and you get in front of her establishing your position as the alpha dog. Don't look at her as you do this because she thinks you are looking to her for instruction.

 

And I am definitely not a trainer. I'm just regurgitating what our trainer has told us.

 

:)

[bnrmom]

In my experience, the chewing will get better. After about a year our puppy knew not to chew anything in the house other than her toys. Stuff left in the backyard, however, is still a problem.

 

The licking is tough. Our dog is a licker, and I don't like it either. I've been told by a trainer that it's a tough one to break. You can teach a dog "off" but licking is a personality issue. She even had someone return a dog to the shelter because they couldn't handle the licking.

 

Barking I don't know about.

[Ellie]

Licking is an obsession. It won't get better on its own.

 

Do you walk her? Even a puppy so young would benefit from The Walk (a Dog Whisperer thing--a purposeful, determined, no-stopping-to-sniff-at-things walk). Sometimes obessions such as licking clear up when dogs go on regular Walks.

 

Have you thought about crate training? Any time she isn't being directly cared for by a human, she should be in her crate. That will effectively eliminate her chewing on things she shouldn't. :-) Also, give her yummy chewie things. :-)

[Rene']

Thanks everyone!

 

My husband had a dog when he was a boy that his dad trained and it would only give licks when invited to "give a kiss". It was a miniature collie though, perhaps that's a non-licking breed?

 

We do try to take her on a daily walk, but it hasn't been as "purposeful" as I'd like.

 

We use a crate at night and when we leave, but we haven't been using it during the day. I've put up blockades so that she only has access to the living room and kitchen, which is an open area, and when she is awake we are constantly with her and watching her. I *would* like to have some times during the day when I could put her in the crate for a break. Right now she whines when she goes in the crate unless it's bedtime. How do you handle that? Just keep doing it and ignore the whining?

 

One last thing - do you think running free with other puppies nearly daily would cause her to have bad behavior? Nearly every day she plays with her brother and another puppy who is a couple of months older - they both belong to my next-door neighbor. We have her on a leash when we take her out, but my neighbor does not leash her dogs, and when our kids play together we have been letting the dogs just play and run around. But as they've gotten older they've started venturing off more and more and I'm thinking it's time to put an end to the free play time. Bailey goes nuts every time she sees her brother and she whines like a brat when I bring her in and don't let them play.:glare:

Edited June 5, 2012 by Rene'

[swellmomma]

I can not help with the licking that is minimal here with our pups. Chewing is a fun one. Delilah is a chewer. What I have been doing is making sure she has a huge selection of chew toys in her toy box. If I see her about to chew something that is not hers I give a firm "leave it" and then give her one of her chew things. It has greatly improved since we brought her home. If she is chewing on furniture or rugs and just will not stiop get that spray they sell for that. Yoy spray it on the items that the dog prefers to chew and it is supposed to deter them. I have not used it before so I can't attest to how well it works.

 

Barking. Barking is good. To a point. I never want to train my dogs not to bark, I want to train them to obey "enough" when it is time to stop. Barking is a form of communication. So there may be the playful yap, painful yip or the I'm gonna rip your face off if you cmoe near my house again leaf/grass/bird/person kwim. Delilah seldom barks, Onyx loves to bark and howl right now. What I have done is when dog barks I go see what they are barking at, then command "enough" while patting their side. They usually stop for a second to see what I want, and I praise immediately for stopping. As it stands right now, they still bark when someone or something goes by the house, but we can go out in public with no barking, we can walk by houses with dogs barking and they will ignore etc. Delilah will sometimes switch to a chuff or growl when told enough if it is a person walking by. I still praise for that. The barking has stopped, but she is still warning/protecting. I *want* that behaviour.

 

The barking is not a chihuahua thing, it is a dog thing, a very goo dog thing imo.

 

 

Puppy play time would not teach her bad behaviours as long as you are there to correct them. We let Delilah play off leash in the neighbors backyard with their puppy that is 6 weeks older than her. THe dogs are best friends and have a great time. They train differently than me, and their dog is mostly left to it's own devices in the backyard everyday while they are are school/work. Delilah has not picked up bad behaviours because we are there to redirect her if needed etc.