Abby, at the beginning, didn’t know or understand that once we were home she was not allowed to run like crazy, nip people, grab things off of the floor as toys, etc. Well, time went by, 9 weeks, and she is starting to understand that certain things are expected of her if she wants to help Cynthia cook.
I like to have Abby in the kitchen when Cynthia is cooking because this is the perfect time to work on behavior. How? Well, for one, she is not allowed to jump while Cynthia cooks; for two, she is to keep those beautiful teeth away from nipping or biting; and lastly, she is not to frantically pace back and forth. This is not basic training but rather behavior modification.
I also like Abby to be in the kitchen because I want her to get used to the different sounds and smells that are typical in a kitchen. Abby, so far, has been the hardest puppy I’ve ever had to train and work on behavior modification with, but also the most adorable. Why am I sharing this with you? Because I want you to understand and know that dogs are individuals and as such they learn at their own pace.
Alex, our pit bull mix, was very easy to train. She got all her obedience cues and behavior, behavior always being the most difficult to achieve, pretty fast and because of that I joined the legions, yes legions, of pet parents that told me that female dogs are smarter than male dogs. By the way, I no longer thing so. Why? Abby proved all those pet parents wrong. If you got a puppy or dog recently, please work with a trainer and/or behaviorist in order to start your canine companion on the right path. Many of the dogs I see in shelters are there because of behavioral problems. Don’t give up on your dog, and find the help of a professional to guide you and teach you how to properly communicate with your dog.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
The key training ingredient with ANY puppy, female or otherwise, is patience. And lots of it. Good luck as you get through the various puppy stages. 😉
You are 100% right. Patience, lots and lots of it. Thanks:-)
Dewey Dude is slowly but surely comprehending “house behavior”. No, he may NOT wildly chase the cats all over the house, or race around barking like a madman, and he absolutely may NOT ever steal food. Actually he’s been very good about the food. He rarely even begs and seems to understand what’s “his” food, and what’s “our” food. And when I do give the dogs leftovers (always healthy stuff, of course 😉 ) I put it in their bowls first. He’s getting better about chasing the cats too. They’re actually training the puppy how to behave: if Dewey Dude wants to see the kitties he has to stay calm. When he’s calm they’ll hang out with him and even let him get in a few sloppy kisses (they really do like him), but the minute he starts getting wild they run away and hide. It’s so funny to watch him laying there trying to be as still as possible while one of the cats sniffs him. Dewey can hold everything except his tail still- he can’t help but wag that in happiness at being near the kitties 🙂
Lol. Your Dewey Dude is certainly a character. By the way, your kitties are teaching him how to behave. That’s awesome. With your help and your kitties help, Dewey Dude is well on his way to being a balanced dog. Good job:-)
Yup, Calcifer and Ginko (the Kitties) are the best dog trainers ever 😉 And they’re very non-aggressive: even when one of the dogs corners them they don’t lash out, they just huddle up in a little furry ball and don’t move, so the dogs have nothing to chase and no reason to get aggressive. They get bored with the cats very quickly. Of course I’m right there ready to rescue the kitties if necessary. We have a very happy household though and all the critters get along well 🙂 And my little Dude is just the sweetest, happiest pup ever!
I am so glad. My grandmother used to have dogs and cats living peacefully with each other and I never saw them fighting. But then that was in Ecuador where walking your dog using a leash was pretty foreign.
great post. When I adopted my lovable, Laila, two years ago, it was clear that she had not received much training. This weekend we went to our first Rally match. She did so well, I decided to go for a title. Also working on Agility. She’s a natural and we are both having a blast.
Wow! You are really keeping Laila busy. Great.
She looks like such a sweetheart! I can definitely empathize with you for training the lady pups…oh my goodness…my Kaleigh was a Border Collie…super smart dogs right?? Ok, any command she got down right away, as well as routines such as time to go to work. Going potty outside?, NOPE!!! Hahaha, she was such a little bugger, it just didn’t make sense to her. Oh dogs, gotta love ’em! Best of luck with Abby!!
She is:-) Border Collies are amazingly smart dogs. I think you are right, maybe going outside to potty didn’t make sense to Kaleigh:-) Our dogs and their quirks.
One thing she doesn’t have to learn is fashion sense – that cape looks great!
Lol. Thanks Will, I will Abby know about it. Let’s hope it doesn’t go to her head:-)
thank you for your posts they are always informative
Thank you for stopping by:-)