[aussiemom!]

hi!!! new to this page and looking for some tips. I have about a 10wk old aussie that is just relentless sometimes. he is a very smart boy and loves learning tricks. in a week he is almost potty trained and has learned sit, down, and leave it. I take him on multiple walks a day but nothing seems to tire him out. he loves to nip and bite things he shouldn’t . I try to redirect with toys and treats but he just isn’t getting it. I have a time out pin as well but he just barks his head off. he doesn’t understand no. looking for any tips! sincerely a tired mama

 

[Jhon Stuart]

hi!!! new to this page and looking for some tips. I have about a 10wk old aussie that is just relentless sometimes. he is a very smart boy and loves learning tricks. in a week he is almost potty trained and has learned sit, down, and leave it. I take him on multiple walks a day but nothing seems to tire him out. he loves to nip and bite things he shouldn’t . I try to redirect with toys and treats but he just isn’t getting it. I have a time out pin as well but he just barks his head off. he doesn’t understand no. looking for any tips! sincerely a tired mama

First of all welcome and congratulations for your new puppy! Aussies are really beautiful dogs and smart ones as well, this breed‘s original purpose was herding which means TONS of Energy and a tendencies to bark, you know to sheep.... But worry not, nature vs nurture will play quite the role here. Generally puppies crave attention good or bad, don’t scold him or praise him for doing things you despise, that’s attention, instead ignore him, or if you have some time throw him a chewing toy and praise him a lot AFTER he chews it. That way you will establish in his mind that chewing toys is much better than chewing house property. If he has already that bad habit it is better take action and be patient. Another way to solve this issue is just to turn around and ignore him, if you want him to leave the object he chews or what he barks, turn around, don’t look at him at no cost and after a while throw an object he likes somewhere else on the floor, so he won’t understand you are giving him attention. Keep in mind as well that he might bark and be overactive because he has not enough mental stimulation, start to advance his training, walk with loose leash or off leash, lay, turn over, say hello with your paws or even stand in your two feet, those will keep him both active and mentally stimulated, also revise what he learned, revision is the mother of knowledge they say. That’s all the little I have to say, I would like to say now that I am not a dog trainer or owner, though I am planning to be the latter, this advise is coming from books I’ve read mostly and internet sites. Hope I didn’t bore you and that these pieces of advise will come in handy and work. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[JoanneF]

Puppies explore things with their mouths, much like children. And the reason telling him ”no” isn't helpful is simply because to him, it is just another noise. And importantly, ”no” doesn't tell him what you do want him to do instead.

If he is chewing something he shouldn't, a lot of that is down to management - shoes, books etc should all be out of reach. If it is something like furniture, keep doing what you are doing and redirect him on to something he can chew.

The time-out pen - it's fine to pop him into a pen to keep him safe and to keep your belongings safe from him but try not to think of it as a punishment. You want it to be a fun happy place for him while you are taking a shower or whatever, not an unhappy place.

You might find this link helpful.

New puppy?

I came across this article and think it holds some pretty valuable advice. Raising a new puppy is one of the most challenging times for us, but if we take a moment and try to 'see through our dog's (especially our puppy's) eyes', we can make things a bit easier for them and for ourselves...

www.dogforum.com

 

[CachetheBC]

When my border collie was a puppy who was a very busy boy, I focused on watching for and rewarding, said 'Thank you' (gentle praise, a tiny treat or a few) him for any behaviors he offered me that I wanted him to repeat (I still do, and he is almost 3 yrs. old, to maintain those 'good' behaviors he learned as a pup). Those behaviors included behaviors such as approaching me, chewing appropriate toys, a sit, a down, laying on his bed, not jumping up - keeping four on the floor, not biting/nipping me, settling in his crate. It wasn't long before he was offering plenty of 'good' stuff!

I also worked on giving him things to do that would help to focus, relax and 'slow' him down, for example- his meals were fed from stuffed Kongs, snuffle mats, 'find it' - tossing a short distance away, to 'settle' - or go to a mat and settle there, helping him learn to engage his 'off' switch, when I asked him to, teaching new skills or tricks, short walks on a long leash, allowing him the freedom to use his nose and his brain - sniff and explore the world - all help to create a calmer pup.

Keep in mind that 'ignoring' misbehavior is only a small part of the learning equation for our dogs, and doing so will often result in a 'pause' in that behavior, we need to 'capture' the moment, and reward them for not doing it. For example: if the puppy is jumping up, ignoring it will often result in a pause, and the pup will offer a sit, or stand (four on the floor) and we need to be prepared to say 'Thank you' and reward them for the sit or stand- getting it right (not jumping up). Ideally we want to work with our pup, learn to anticipate when a 'misbehavior' (jumping up) might occur, try to 'stay ahead' of them and reward appropriate behavior (four on the floor) before they have a chance to practice the 'misbehavior'.