Thank You to the Humane Society of the US!
They have a really wonderful website: hsus.org.
If you click on "Pets", you get all these great articles like "Puppy Nipping and Rough Play" and "Basic Training Techniques". Thanks to those articles, Fred and I are well on the way to our HEA.
I wasn't sure how to handle his habit of jumping up on me (and anyone else who pets him). I knew it wasn't threatening behavior, just too much exuberance, so I didn't want to over correct. Thanks to that puppy nipping article, I now know to settle him down by crossing my arms and not giving him attention until he settles down. (Which, BTW, works for a whole host of other puppy behaviors, too.)
And the training article has gone a long way in building my confidence that we're on the right path. In fact, tonight we strengthened "sit" and learned how to hold that for a short count. We also learned "lie down" and "up". (Of course, we're still working on how to do that when he knows there isn't a treat hiding in my hand.)
I've been fretting about all the treats I've been giving Fred with his training lessons. Through reading the Humane Society articles, I've learned there is absolutely nothing wrong with using Fred's meal times for training - making him work for every kibble (until he gets tired, anyway). That was a huge relief - I had this vision of my 50lb-Thinks-He's-A-Lapdog turning into a 70lb-Thinks-He's-A-Lapdog.
And those tips about plenty of exercise being the best way to keep him out of trouble? Priceless. My shoes and clothes have been completely safe.
(Of course, there is that bit about Fred hijacking my laptop last night. I've now got dried doggy slobber all over the keyboard. Who taught him typing, anyway? He's faster than I am.)
If you click on "Pets", you get all these great articles like "Puppy Nipping and Rough Play" and "Basic Training Techniques". Thanks to those articles, Fred and I are well on the way to our HEA.
I wasn't sure how to handle his habit of jumping up on me (and anyone else who pets him). I knew it wasn't threatening behavior, just too much exuberance, so I didn't want to over correct. Thanks to that puppy nipping article, I now know to settle him down by crossing my arms and not giving him attention until he settles down. (Which, BTW, works for a whole host of other puppy behaviors, too.)
And the training article has gone a long way in building my confidence that we're on the right path. In fact, tonight we strengthened "sit" and learned how to hold that for a short count. We also learned "lie down" and "up". (Of course, we're still working on how to do that when he knows there isn't a treat hiding in my hand.)
I've been fretting about all the treats I've been giving Fred with his training lessons. Through reading the Humane Society articles, I've learned there is absolutely nothing wrong with using Fred's meal times for training - making him work for every kibble (until he gets tired, anyway). That was a huge relief - I had this vision of my 50lb-Thinks-He's-A-Lapdog turning into a 70lb-Thinks-He's-A-Lapdog.
And those tips about plenty of exercise being the best way to keep him out of trouble? Priceless. My shoes and clothes have been completely safe.
(Of course, there is that bit about Fred hijacking my laptop last night. I've now got dried doggy slobber all over the keyboard. Who taught him typing, anyway? He's faster than I am.)
posted by Cary at 10:12 PM
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