# New puppy blues...



## MNpurple (Mar 5, 2007)

Proud owner of my first hunting puppy, a female black lab. I did my homework, got her from good breeding, tried to the pick the right pup, not the wallflower or the dominant pup, but this is turning out to be the most frustrating endever I have ever undertaken! She is currently 9.5 weeks old, I picked her up at 7.5 weeks.

We go for walks every morning and evening and get some play time in between. Right now I am trying to teach her the sit, come, stay commands. Come works most of the time except for times when something else is way more interesting and she ignores me. I know for a fact that she knows sit. Before I feed her I tell her to sit and stay and she does both perfectly and there are times out for walks that she sits like a charm, and other times when I stop and tell her to sit, and she looks the other direction like she is purposely ignoring me and wont sit until I tap her rear. If she is not on a leash and no food involved, there is no hope that she will sit, in fact if I tell her to sit, and approach her, she knows I am going to tap her rear and she jumps in circles around me to avoid it. She loves to chase things, and I try to keep it fun always and only throw things 2 or 3 times for her to fetch. She always chases and fetches it but 25% of the time is all she will come back to me with it. I try getting all excited and sometimes she gets so esxcited she forgets to even pick it up and instead comes hurling back to me. I dont hit her, but if she is doing something she has been repeatedly told not to, I will grab her by the neck scruff and shake her and hold her on the floor and tell her no. It just seems that she is being so danged stubborn at times. She knows these commands but she pushes the limits and trys to get away with anything. I tell her to stay off the couch and when I say down she gets down, but as soon as I leave the room, I spy on her and up she goes again. My real pride is that there has been just two accidents in the house and she has even gone to the door a couple times to go out for potty.

Am I experiencing a typical puppy, or does she seem extremely stubborn? I'm having such a hard time keeping my cool around her sometimes, but I know I have to. I have read the 10 minute retriever, wolters, gould and another. Maybe I am expecting too much and should just let her be a puppy and forget commands for a couple weeks.

Anyone looking for a 9 week old lab :wink:


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## clu__82 (Jun 27, 2006)

Well I am no expert ....but I have a soon to be 9 month old black lab male and a soon to be 3 month old black lab female....and YES your story seems to be very similar to both of my pups....just keep doing what your doing with lots of repetition and praise and they will figure it out ....just make sure that youre consistent with what you do ....with my first pup it was my first dog ever ....and I must have changed commands 12312983 times ...after reading books and DVDs etc etc ...so that was tough on hm because I wasnt being consistent ...but with my second pup..my fiancee and I have tried to be as consistent as we could .....YOur pup is still young .....so jsut keep working hard and dont get discouraged ....

Good Luck

Clu__82


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## jkolson (Mar 22, 2006)

Typical puppy. Everything is new and interesting and zero attention span. I probably had my now 10 mo. old yellow lab for two months before I started basic obedience making sure she understood her name and NO.

I let mine be a pup and enjoy walks in the field so she could get used to all the sights, sounds and smells so when it came time to train she would be less distracted by the surroundings. I can't count how many times I've thought I must have gotten the most stubborn pup in the state and quit a training session because she wouldn't listen and I got frustrated. Repetition, consistency and ALWAYS end a training session on a good note (usually a short easy retrieve).

Just keep at it, you won't regret it.


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## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

> Maybe I am expecting too much and should just let her be a puppy and forget commands for a couple weeks.
> 
> Anyone looking for a 9 week old lab


I'm going to say this as politely as I can...she's ONLY 9.5 weeks old. Let her enjoy being a puppy. You're expectations are way too high for this young pup. Most pro trainers I know don't begin OB until 6 months or so. Just keep simple commands of "no" when she exhibits an undesirable behavior. Please DO NOT get caught up with Wolters' timelines that your pup should be doing this command at "X" weeks old. Pups are like kids...each learns at its own pace and in its own way.

To put things in perspective, what your asking of a 9.5 week pup is liking asking a 6month old baby to be potty-trained. Does that make sense?

I made the same mistakes. Keep asking questions and you'll just be fine.

Good luck!

Mike


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## jgat (Oct 27, 2006)

Taddy hit the nail on the head! She is a baby. The best book that I have found on raising a pup is "How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With." It goes over the different stages a puppy goes through when it is growing up, and what type of behavior you can expect during those times. It is a great read and I would recommend it to everyone who is thinking about buying a pup for the first time.


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## Goosehunterdog (Jun 12, 2005)

I must agree by saying let the puppy have FUN FUN FUN !!!!! I would also suggest starting her on a training program such as Smartworks,SmartFetch or Sound Beginnings by Jackie Mertens.Congrats on the new hunting partner and family member!!!!


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## Lucky Lab (Apr 28, 2006)

Did your pup come with instructions. I bet not. Let here be your buddy first have you tried small rewards such as a small piece of hot dog when she does things right. Remember you were also a baby at one time. bond with your pup first the rest will come This pup will become your best friend on days when you need one. But you have done the right thing seeking help at your pups early age Good Luck and keep hunting the best. Labs


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## BIRDSHOOTER (Jul 18, 2005)

Mnpurple.....SLOOOOOW DOWN !! I think most of us are sincere when we say back off on the obedience. she is the equivalent of a human infant. You are going to have to keep your emotions in check or you could have worse problems. She is not going to have the attention span for all of that now. Most likely not till she is 5-6 months. Right now you should be mainly concerned with having fun, teaching her name, and "no". Everything else should be socialization and experiencing the world. This is a special time with her, bond with her and you will reap the rewards later.

Enjoy!

Wolter's... bad choice. :roll: uke:


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Make yourself a20-25 foot long lightweight check cord out of nylon braided cord similar to the diameter of the cord used on window blinds. During your walks let her drag it, never call her unless you are able to reach that cord and gently reel her in if she doesn't come first time you say "come".

Only say it once if she ignores you reel her in and praise her when she gets to you then hold her collar for a second touch her head and release her with the comand "OK".

Repetion of this will make her learn to come all the way to you the first time you call and wait to be released by you.

Everytime you give a dog a command you can't enforce you are teaching the dog to ignore that command.

Keep it gentle, no rough stuff and lots of praise when she does right


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## tatonka (Sep 1, 2006)

Ditto the above, and throw Wolters book in the garbage can.......


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