[pmj932]

My puppy, Marley is 3 1/2 mths old and I've only had him about ten days. Sometimes when I tell him "no", (normally it has to do with food, or coming inside the house) he lowers his chest and paws to the ground and barks at me. All the while slightly jumping in the air, lowering himself to the ground again and barking more. It is kind of funny, but concerning too. he seems to have alot of character and a good thinking process. Also, my puppy constantly wonders back and forth around the house not paying attention to anyone. He is very healthy.

I also have an 5 yr old boxer female (Marley, my puppy, is a male) whom he is very distracted by. Is all this normal?

 

[soulmindfist]

sure sounds normal, good character and checking out his new crib..

 

[Tatyana]

He is just being a normal puppy. Puppies don't have a very long attention span and are distracted probably by anything and everything. As far as his play bowing, again, he's just being a puppy.

Can you elaborate on how you use "no" to deal with food or when he's coming inside the house? If you want him to come inside the house, you might want to let him drag a line in your yard, so if he does not obey your command (which he probably won't because he's still a puppy), you can reel him in (in a gentle way of course).

You might try to find some training classes in your area. It's a lot of fun to learn together with your puppy and will help your puppy to grow into a wonderful and obedient family pet.

 

[pmj932]

i started out with a commanding "no", but read somwhere that that way was contraindicated, so changed it to a more long and drawn out "noooooooo" with less commanding authority. Also i point my finger to him, which also he understands to be a signal that he's done something wrong. Doing this makes him start that funny behavior i was writing about. Thanks for your help, it is more than appreciated.

 

[JacksAndLabs]

Yep both normal.

It sounds like he has no idea what "no" means. So...your "barking" at him and he's responding I use "ahhht" instead of "no" with puppies to interupt them doing something I don't want them to do. As soon as they look at you, tell them what you DO want them to to and praise them like crazy! In my case, I usually will stop a behavior (digging for example) with an "ahht". Once Bono looks at me, I call him to me. As soon as he makes a movement in my direction, I'll say "Good boy, Come....Yay Good puppy!!" Sure I look a little crazy, but I have an 11 wk old puppy that will stop doing pretty much anything and turn and run at me when called

I have older dogs too and yes, they're very distracting for puppies. You need to spend a lot of one on one time with your pup so he doesn't become too dependant on your older dog. Do all of your training seperate in the beginning. Once the pup has a good handle on it, you can begin using that command around your other dog.

I second the idea of getting your pup in a puppy obedience/kindergarten class as soon as you can.

 

[Bob Pr.]

I agree with those who suggest that your "NO!" is being taken as a bark by him and that his "....he lowers his chest and paws to the ground and barks at me. All the while slightly jumping in the air, lowering himself to the ground again and barking more" is his play bow response to you -- as if saying, "Great idea! Let's play something."

 

[WeHeartLabs]

The play bowing is normal...he wants you to get on the ground and go at it with him!

I like Tatyana's idea of the long lead. We got one in a tack shop...a long, horse lead made of nylon..very cheap..and used that.
We would say "come" and give the dog 2-3 seconds to start heading in or they got reeled in (like she said very gently but consistently)

Of course the best way to teach come is to wait for them to be running towards you and THEN yell come!!! and reward them

 

[soulmindfist]

Get a empty can (beer/soda) put about 6 penny's in it, seal the open end with duck tape, when he doesn't mind you, shake it like there is no tomorrow, this should stun him,(they hate loud erratic noises!) follow that with your "no" command and see what happen's. Thinking back a year or so Jager did the same as well and I only needed the can for about a week before he realized what I was conveying to him.

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[goldnchocolate]

Before the puppy can do what you want of him, you'll need to teach him what you want him to do. He's just a little guy and he still speaks "Doglish" since he hasn't learned "English" yet. If you want him to respond to your command you'll need to work with him and not assume that he'll know what you are asking of him.