Finally got myself a dog!
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Thanks for all the compliments and the tips from santanman2000. I've since read two books reccomended here and found them to be absolutely ideal for me. Ben and his brother are doing great and growing at an unbeleivable rate.
Today I let them eat a whole wood pigeon after I'd plucked the chest feathers away. They loved it and completely stripped the carcass of meat, however I withdrew the bird as soon as they started to try and enter the chest cavity for fear they may eat a small bone. Is this something they may do? I like to think they wouldn't be stupid enough to eat a bone, but then again some of these bones are quite soft?? Drake, ben's brown brother was really aggressive when eating the bird and kept growling and lashing out at Ben even though he's half his size and poor ben simply wimpered away for a while then upon return would be greeted with the same behaviour, so I eventually stepped in and got Drake to sit by the carcass and watch Ben have his fair share. Should I of just left them to it?? Is it generally best to leave their dominance dynamics to play-out naturally?
They've been living on a completely raw diet of grass fed organ meats, grated carrot and boiled brown rice or Quinoa and are 100% fit and healthy. I've been teaching them the sit and wait command but it takes at least a dozen or two times of physically placing them in the sit position along with strong vocal commanding to make them obey. Also on walks, Ben is really digging his heels in and not moving when on the leash. What should I do to get him to walk on the leash?
Today I let them eat a whole wood pigeon after I'd plucked the chest feathers away. They loved it and completely stripped the carcass of meat, however I withdrew the bird as soon as they started to try and enter the chest cavity for fear they may eat a small bone. Is this something they may do? I like to think they wouldn't be stupid enough to eat a bone, but then again some of these bones are quite soft?? Drake, ben's brown brother was really aggressive when eating the bird and kept growling and lashing out at Ben even though he's half his size and poor ben simply wimpered away for a while then upon return would be greeted with the same behaviour, so I eventually stepped in and got Drake to sit by the carcass and watch Ben have his fair share. Should I of just left them to it?? Is it generally best to leave their dominance dynamics to play-out naturally?
They've been living on a completely raw diet of grass fed organ meats, grated carrot and boiled brown rice or Quinoa and are 100% fit and healthy. I've been teaching them the sit and wait command but it takes at least a dozen or two times of physically placing them in the sit position along with strong vocal commanding to make them obey. Also on walks, Ben is really digging his heels in and not moving when on the leash. What should I do to get him to walk on the leash?
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Perseverance... think training a vine, rather than I.T. training. A dozen times isn't too many or too few, what matters, really really matters is that you don't give in because it's difficult and that you get the desired result. Don't forget to reinforce positive behaviour with lots of praise (including treats can help, best not to let that be the over-riding reason for good behaviour though) it's just as important as patience and repetition.
Sounds like you're doing a cracking job to me - keep up the good work!
Of course they WILL eat bones. It was part of their natural diet before domestication. As to whether or not you should LET them eat bones, the debate is still on. Most modern veterinarians say NO while others amongus have fed bones to our dogs for decades with no ill effects. The consensus seems to be not to feed COOKED bones which are usually brittle and can be dificult for then to digest and may splinter and cause blockage or other damage in the intestinal tract. Raw bones are more debateable. Personally I've han no problems over the decades from the digestion standpoint; if however the dog is hurried eat (rather than a slow and careful eater) it may well try to swallow to big a piece of bone and choke on it.
As for getting him to walk on leash I can only advise patience. If you have another dog who is already leash trained, you might try coupling him to the trained dog for a while when on leash.
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As santaman2000 said cage training really is the best way to "house train" a dog, assuming you want it in the house. Dogs don't necessarily see a cage as a prison: one of my dogs will happily, and quite voluntarily, sit in the cage in the back of the car for hours - as going in the cage in the car means walkies (but sometimes the vet). And none of the dogs is ever in any way reluctant to get in the cage.
"Repetition and reward" is the way to get the remaining behaviour we like or want, the reward being generally either food or play: some dogs are whores for food; some for play; some for either; praise - at least initially - is a secondary reward.
A good recall and a distant "stay" are essential.
And all dogs are selectively deaf. You need to know when that's happening to avoid beating the corpse of a dead equine!
Ignore bad behaviour and reward good. Be consistent.
Make the dog part of YOUR pack, and not a pet, or a nuisance adjunct to the family.
But beware: when your dog dies it's generally worse than having a close family member die.
"Repetition and reward" is the way to get the remaining behaviour we like or want, the reward being generally either food or play: some dogs are whores for food; some for play; some for either; praise - at least initially - is a secondary reward.
A good recall and a distant "stay" are essential.
And all dogs are selectively deaf. You need to know when that's happening to avoid beating the corpse of a dead equine!
Ignore bad behaviour and reward good. Be consistent.
Make the dog part of YOUR pack, and not a pet, or a nuisance adjunct to the family.
But beware: when your dog dies it's generally worse than having a close family member die.
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Santanman2000 I know dogs are supposed to eat bones but I tohught chicken bones were a little too small and easily swallowed unintentionally. Ben is still stubborn on the leash refusing to walk however I think that's becuase of the traffic becuase when were in the park he is much more willing to heel, but he will always follow me as I walk away, lol.
bearbait thanks for the tips, I was about to get a cage but realised there really is not enough room in the house for one downstairs which is a shame becuase it does seem to be the quickest way of potty training them. We lock them in the kitchen at night and let them in the garden in the day so they are contained in two areas at most times which makes cleaning up a breeze.
I can't wait to get him trained on distant stay commands. What age do you think he should be picking up the advanced commands? The both know their names perfectly, and the sit command is second nature to them now, but I'm having trouble with the stay command at the moment.
Also to my horror I read that keeping two pups of the same litter is a very bad idea, so I'm definately taking Ben away from Drake to live with me while Drake lives with my sister when their 3 months old in 3 weeks time.
Here's Ben and Drake eating their dinner of grass fed organic slow reared Ox heart...
bearbait thanks for the tips, I was about to get a cage but realised there really is not enough room in the house for one downstairs which is a shame becuase it does seem to be the quickest way of potty training them. We lock them in the kitchen at night and let them in the garden in the day so they are contained in two areas at most times which makes cleaning up a breeze.
I can't wait to get him trained on distant stay commands. What age do you think he should be picking up the advanced commands? The both know their names perfectly, and the sit command is second nature to them now, but I'm having trouble with the stay command at the moment.
Also to my horror I read that keeping two pups of the same litter is a very bad idea, so I'm definately taking Ben away from Drake to live with me while Drake lives with my sister when their 3 months old in 3 weeks time.
Here's Ben and Drake eating their dinner of grass fed organic slow reared Ox heart...
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
On the subject of bones, avoid any cooked bird. Any uncooked bones are okay. Listen to a dog eating the bone from a cooked pork chop and eating a bone from an UNcooked one and you can almost hear the splintering from the cooked one!
My springer is mostly fed on part cooked mince and complete food (BARF would be a nightmare as we regularly go away in a motorhome), but she enjoys fresh offal, bones, game etc but she was totally thrown by deer legs. She didn't want them at all until I exposed the marrow. She's quite keen on pigeon and rabbit.
My springer is mostly fed on part cooked mince and complete food (BARF would be a nightmare as we regularly go away in a motorhome), but she enjoys fresh offal, bones, game etc but she was totally thrown by deer legs. She didn't want them at all until I exposed the marrow. She's quite keen on pigeon and rabbit.
Here they are at nearly 14 weeks old.
Can't believe I've only had them for two months, it feels like the've been here for much longer!
Doing great on raw diet and bones. THey sit, stay, heel, come, recall and even hi-five really well!
t...I can't wait to get him trained on distant stay commands. What age do you think he should be picking up the advanced commands? The both know their names perfectly, and the sit command is second nature to them now, but I'm having trouble with the stay command at the moment.
Also to my horror I read that keeping two pups of the same litter is a very bad idea, so I'm definately taking Ben away from Drake to live with me while Drake lives with my sister when their 3 months old in 3 weeks time...
I'd say you can begin any advanced training as soo as their attention span allows. just realize that you might have to go back to practice basic commands again occassionaly. As to keeping a pair of littermates; I'm not aware of any reason it's a bad idea per se. If you intended to breed them obviously there MIGHT be a problem healthwise but if they're both male that won't be an issue. Dominance issues between them might arise but that's not related to theier being littermates.
Nice looking fellas. Sounds like you've been putting the time in with them - sterling effort. You can reinforce the training by using some of the commands as part of a game, e.g. doing a stay before throwing the ball they fetch when you release them. Everything becomes fun, and you're continuing to show dominance as pack leader. One game I play is to make them do a stay, then I go and hide somewhere in the house and call them; they get a treat when they find me and do a sit. Repeat as necessary (until you run out of treats). They think it's a great game, tearing round the house like a fly with a blue posterior. One fun game reinforces a stay, a recall and sit.
Enjoy your dawgies...
Enjoy your dawgies...
Scots_Charles_River
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Wee cuties. How tall will they be fully grown ? Our fist lab was a big lad but the second was a lot smaller.
My nephew has a two year old GSP, mad dog full of beans, never really tires, but will fetch and retrieve without speaking to him all day.
The Dog Whisperer is a great programme, after you watch a few episodes it does make sense. Especially the body language, space and respect stuff.
My nephew has a two year old GSP, mad dog full of beans, never really tires, but will fetch and retrieve without speaking to him all day.
The Dog Whisperer is a great programme, after you watch a few episodes it does make sense. Especially the body language, space and respect stuff.
Keep him tight on his food drive and he will do anything for a treat ,I trained mine for 15 mins in the morni.g with his first meal as treats , iv two labs and two American bulldogs will post pickys one day but a Springer will go on and on and on good luck.
As retrievers they need advance training such as being able to make a blind retrieve (retrieve an object they don't know exactly where it's located) by taking verbal or visual commands from you directing them to it AFTER they've enterd the water to seek it.
