The Toothsome Menace

[Aislynn]

Halp!

@Gared and I got a puppy back in March. In all honesty, *I* got us a puppy. He's adorable, and energetic, and wiggly, and all the things puppies are supposed to be. And he's got teeth (much to everyone's perpetual agony and regret).

But I also asked/agreed to undertake the training of the puppy (because I'd always wanted "the puppy experience"). I'll admit, I thought there would be puppy-training classes at some nearby vet, or feeder store, or farm. Honestly, there might very well be, but they don't advertise in any way a current-century girl understands. Plus, we often find ourselves not in the mood to leave the house, and I want to be able to try a training session any time the puppy looks bored - a few times a day, hopefully.

Does anyone know of a good online series of dog training vidoes? I've tried looking at various puppy-training sites recommended by Google, but they're assuming knowledge I don't have. I need "Puppy-Training for Cat Lovers"-level instructions here, people.

~Aislynn

 

[LittleKagsin]

I’ve heard of a few people that have had success with Zak George’s videos on YouTube! He also has a book as well, but I think the videos should do you just fine.

https://www.youtube.com/user/zakgeorge21

He even has a playlist dedicated to puppies.

I don’t know the age of your puppy but if they’re a little older, it’s always good to find what they’re motivated by, if it’s food or playing with toys or whatever. It makes training a lot easier once you’ve figured that out.

Also, if there’s a Petsmart anywhere near you, they offer puppy/obedience training classes, so you could look into that.

Good luck!

 

[Aislynn]

Thank you! I'll give those a look.

Cody is about 19 weeks. We've convinced him that grabbing a toy instead of grabbing his brother's ears is good, and he seems very happy to grab a mouthful of squeaky duck and bounce it against Luca's forehead for a while (rather than trying to chew his face off). Definitely a win. Part of the problem right now is that Luca is turning out to be very jealous, so trying to spend some one-on-one time training Cody devolves into distracted romping.

The nearest Petsmart is about an hour away. Since we've mentioned going at least a dozen times but have yet to do it, I think trying the videos first, then doing the in-person classes if we're desperate is likely to get better results. We also don't know if cars will result in many lumpy yawns...

~Aislynn

 

[sixpackshaker]

Check out Lucky Dog. I think it is on CBS on Sunday mornings. It is likely streaming too. It is similar to The Dog Whisperer except he deals with dogs with minor behavioral issues, not full blow aggression.

A slice of hot dog was a real motivator when my recent dog was a puppy. I may need to go back to the reward system to reinforce some behaviors that I want out of him.

 

[GasBandit]

I have had good results from the Petsmart puppy training programs. I know an hour's a bit of a haul, though.