Is my 10-week-old trainable?

[blkdog]

I think I am finding that most of the objectionable behavior comes in the 40 minutes before Leelu takes a nap. I think this is the "overstimulated toddler" syndrome. I know it with kids. Does this sound familiar with puppies?

[Tanya]

yep, a cranky "needs a nap" puppy can be a pain in the butt - same as with kids sometimes it is ok to put them in their crate to force a nap (as long as it is done patiently and with a happy voice, maybe with a treat)

[coley235]

That article is a joke. ALL dogs are trainable, especially pups. Exercise, consistancy and firm discpline are the keys. Stick with it.

[blkdog]

I just want to report an update. Leelu is doing much better. Her biting has gone away, though she occasionally still bites clothing (that's what happens when we take advice to just turn and walk away if she starts biting-- she wants attention and gets it by biting the back of your sweater!-- but even this is rare now). She knows "off" and doesn't jump up on the dining room chairs to get to the table anymore. She knows "sit", "stay" to some extent, "come", and almost has "lie down" and "drop it", though whether she will do all of these things still depends on how distracted she is and whether she thinks there might be a treat available. She will start puppy kindergarten with us at the Humane Society in 2 weeks. She is definitely much harder to train than any of my other labradors, but she is getting there, and as she progresses she also is getting sweeter and sweeter. As of mid-November she has enough shots and has been taking walks in the neighborhood with us and playing with some other dogs. She plays well with others. She pulls terribly on the leash, and the "stop when she pulls and don't go unless she stops pulling" method doesn't seem to work. Pretty much nothing that works with other dogs works with Leelu. But we bought an "Easy Walk" harness with a martingale loop in front and that really works with her without any pain. We will see whether it trains her well enough that she remembers when we go back to a regular leash. But puppy kindergarten will hopefully help also. Finally, I am finding that she has very little interest in retrieving. She will retrieve something maybe 3 times, with minimal enthusiasm, and then she loses interest. This is really disappointing, because it takes away an exercise method that is usually so much fun for a labrador. So if anyone has comments on that, I'm very interested. Anyway, we are doing much better, and support and info from this forum was crucial. Thanks very much!!

[kassabella]

She is still a baby so hang in there. I use treats until the behaviour is learned. Sometimes I use high value treats at first or if something isn't working.

Any dog can be trained. Some will retain it or choose to do it better than others, but keeping at it you will have a great dog.

I adopted Erns at 3.5 and he wasn't even house trained. Took ages as he had been left to do as he pleased, but today he is a great dog. Still has moments, but nothing like the dog he was.

Tess is 5 and no training and again not house trained. She is getting it, but stubborn so I use a treat to reinforce it.
Hang in there. Patience, being consistent and take one day at a time.
Some like to retrieve some don't. Kassa loved it. Erns doesn't I have tried treating, but don't think he is interested.

[deidra]

I will admitt I cringed at this sentence- We will see whether it trains her well enough that she remembers when we go back to a regular leash. The harness NEVER trains the dog YOU train the dog. It is just there to give a little help. One thing I have used it when she pulls one way you go the other way. It took a long time but hey it worked. Another thing to do is teaching her how to heel on the leash.

[Baloo317]

Baloo didn't have a reliable retrieve until he was probably 7 months old. I think it helped to have him around other dogs that were really "into" retrieving, but sometimes I think a switch just flicked on in his brain at that age, lol.

If she doesn't "naturally" develop it, you can teach it which works well also. Dogs are so very trainable when you take into account that we control their entire lives. You can teach a dog what is rewarding and what is not, we have that power. Kinda scary, actually. :P