Raising a puppy (1st time dog owner)

dekaspace1

Update on progress, I joined the Facebook group, bought a device that basically is a plastic thing with a wee tray and comes with artificial grass/mat that goes over it, I steamed cleaned the other cushion, washed its cover and moved the sofa and found 2 pieces of dried old poop! I used carpet cleaner and with shampoo meant for carpets where pets go.

She had a hour long walk today through a county park and came back and was more relaxed, she didn't even bark when I used my vacumn cleaner and decided to have a nap.

This is the sort of energy I want her to have normally,

Though I love walks there must be an easier way, people keep saying toys, am I overthinking it or a toy that dispenses treats is somewhat bad as it means she eats a lot? But on other hand I won't have to use treats to control her so may balance out and even use less.

elsien

I'm pretty sure the FB group has a guide on brain training and mental exercise, Can't see it on my phone though, I think you need a laptop to access the guides. You don't have to give them huge treats though - when I reward mine, it's with very small pieces unless he's done something spectacular. Have a look at clicker training as well - I used it to train mine to pick up his toys and drop them in a box Not something bull terriers are generally noted for. 
Training is mental exercise. Even if it's only a short burst for a  few minutes. A few of those throughout the day, particularly with a clever dog all helps. Work to your dog's strengths. 

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but are you aware of licky mats - they are a good way to calm a dog down. Need supervising though so they don't eat the mat!

And a calm settle.
The Calm Settle - for dogs and puppies - YouTube

dekaspace1

I keep forgetting about licky mats, the most I have tried "settle" is when she lies beside me I drop treats every 30-60 seconds and say "settle" and "good girl"

About her crate, I set it up on the sofa which as a bonus works to block most of it and she keeps going into it for a second or two and backing out like curiosity.

I also realise I haven't really taught her wait or stay yet, I say "wait" when we are walking if someone walks near us but indoors I only did it a few times when I was teaching her to not bite feet i,e say wait when barefoot, walk a few steps and drop treat.

I normally use treats that are the size of a small pebble, or I use a piece of dog food. I have more rewarding treats but I just worry about overusing them when they say things like "give a puppy up to 4 a day" so even if I cut them into quarters thats still not a lot.

Savvy_Sue

dekaspace1 said:

I keep forgetting about licky mats, the most I have tried "settle" is when she lies beside me I drop treats every 30-60 seconds and say "settle" and "good girl"

I confess, I know nothing about dog training, but I did have children, and I do think there are SOME similarities. 

I'm pretty sure you want her to 'settle' for longer than 30-60 seconds at a time, and of course if you are dropping a treat that frequently you are going to get through a lot of treats, plus she's not really 'settled', she's waiting for her next treat! 

The suggestion though has been that you work out how much to feed her, and vary the way in which she receives it, so that some of it is at mealtimes and some of it is in kongs and some of it is as treats. 

dekaspace1

Savvy_Sue said:

dekaspace1 said:

I keep forgetting about licky mats, the most I have tried "settle" is when she lies beside me I drop treats every 30-60 seconds and say "settle" and "good girl"

I confess, I know nothing about dog training, but I did have children, and I do think there are SOME similarities. 

I'm pretty sure you want her to 'settle' for longer than 30-60 seconds at a time, and of course if you are dropping a treat that frequently you are going to get through a lot of treats, plus she's not really 'settled', she's waiting for her next treat! 

The suggestion though has been that you work out how much to feed her, and vary the way in which she receives it, so that some of it is at mealtimes and some of it is in kongs and some of it is as treats. 

What I heard is that you should start out at low times and increase the gap, problem is getting her to stay put for that long without doing something like barking or moving or jumping on me.

dekaspace1

Been good since Friday, no potty accidents indoors bar a tiny one when I put the new dog potty down which may of been her making her mark, she has had a few wee accidents though but its in a small spot on the potty mat so very easy to clean.

Not sure if thats also due to me taking her on long walks yesterday and today, she did squat on the mat earlier and I rushed her out but she did nothing, took her back in but as it was around tea time I cooked my food and ate it (she didn't bark to get some) and that was a few minutes before her own tea was due so I gave her frozen kong a few minutes early then took her out right after and she did her potty.

I think the worst of it is over in terms of her puppy phase, I know it lasts up to 2 years but she is listening more to "no" or "off" and her mouthing/pulling arm is with less force and when shes having her zoomies I can stop them by saying "off" or "down" even if its for a second, I was even able to go into bedroom earlier and make bed without her following me, she wanted to stay in the hall.

She has all but stopped biting my feet when I have no shoes on except in instances where she might be having a hyper moment and even then only the more severe ones so I can wear my good shoes around her again rather than the old glued together ones.

She even was able to not have a zoomie during a phone call today, she did have one at first so I put on speakerphone and placed it to her ear and let the person on other end who knows her speak to her for a minute and this calmed puppy down so much she then wagged her tail a lot then decided to sleep in my arms.

SensibleSarah

Use her normal food for the food enrichment activities - not extra treats - then you don't have to worry about overfeeding her. 
Is she on kibble or wet food? That can make a difference to the types of brain games to choose.
10 minutes of brain activity can definitely tire out as much as an hour's exercise. I also would not be taking her for an hour's walk yet at her age - that can be harmful and cause issues down the line. An hour outside with lots of stops to spend some time sniffing, some time playing without moving much, some time just sitting on a bench watching the world go by - all brilliant. She's about 6 months now right? So with the ratio of 5 minutes of formal exercise per month of age, she shouldn't be walked continually for longer than 30 minutes, up to twice a day max. If you want to take her out for an hour, make sure that you portion off the walk time into activities like the ones I mentioned so she's not overdoing it. 

The idea isn't to have a dog who is so exhausted that she can't misbehave. It's about having a dog whose needs you are meeting appropriately and who knows how to switch off is happy to have downtime in-between where she's not the centre of attention all the time. 

I said on a previous post that I can't claim to be a housetraining expert - but I do think you're giving her mixed messages about where it's OK to go - by providing her with a potty indoors as well as expecting her to go outdoors - I think she's probably a bit confused to be honest. 

dekaspace1

SensibleSarah said:

Use her normal food for the food enrichment activities - not extra treats - then you don't have to worry about overfeeding her. 
Is she on kibble or wet food? That can make a difference to the types of brain games to choose.
10 minutes of brain activity can definitely tire out as much as an hour's exercise. I also would not be taking her for an hour's walk yet at her age - that can be harmful and cause issues down the line. An hour outside with lots of stops to spend some time sniffing, some time playing without moving much, some time just sitting on a bench watching the world go by - all brilliant. She's about 6 months now right? So with the ratio of 5 minutes of formal exercise per month of age, she shouldn't be walked continually for longer than 30 minutes, up to twice a day max. If you want to take her out for an hour, make sure that you portion off the walk time into activities like the ones I mentioned so she's not overdoing it. 

The idea isn't to have a dog who is so exhausted that she can't misbehave. It's about having a dog whose needs you are meeting appropriately and who knows how to switch off is happy to have downtime in-between where she's not the centre of attention all the time. 

I said on a previous post that I can't claim to be a housetraining expert - but I do think you're giving her mixed messages about where it's OK to go - by providing her with a potty indoors as well as expecting her to go outdoors - I think she's probably a bit confused to be honest. 

I only have the indoor potty for emergencies since when I took the blankets away before even with washed cushions and covers (and washed with pet cleaner too so not just regular liquid)  she went on the sofa still but a blanket was on there, I only have this potty indoors to wean her off indoors totally, she rarely goes indoors now maybe once, twice a day at max which may be coincidence but when its bad weather outside.

The hour I take her out (more like 45-60 minutes) does include some stoppage time but not much and includes maybe 5-15 minutes in the garden and normally we see one or two dog walkers on the way and chat to them.

Shes getting better day by day but since Tuesday noticed she is biting furniture now and again, and also yesterday a baby tooth came out so I assume she is a bit sore from teething again, she also at bedtime has bit my feet again when excited after stopping it before (though more managable)

She is "maturing" it seems as getting calmer and listening to what I ask her more even without treats.

JGreenwood

The old school trick is to place newspaper over a large area of the floor and slowly reduce it to the area you want them to do their business

elsien

Just to show what you’re aiming for…
https://twitter.com/thund3rb0lt/status/1613558344933048320?s=46&t=a0n2WCfT6thTJS_aF8Uvbw