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Tips and advice on raising Neo pup

Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Milton Meathead said:
Hector..I'm having problems with the recall. I think I need to get used to the idea of always having a good treat on hand for him when I call him. In house he usually listens well but outside he has a mind of his own..
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How are you practicing the recall? Do you play games? Does he respond to his name? Does he like food? What treats are you using? Have you tried using a leash, giving a bit of assistance with leash pressure?
 
Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Forgot to ask, how much distraction training have you done with recall? When you practice in the yard, wait for him to become bored or not distracted before you call him. That will give you a greater chance that he will come.
 
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Titan519

Well-Known Member
Kaz must be a monster :). Is there a rough avg 8 week old pups range and so on. 4,6,8, I understand weights vary but there should be some kind of avg
 
Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Milton Meathead

Milton Meathead

Well-Known Member
Thanks Hector. Those videos are helpful. Kaz is pretty good. He gets stubborn to recall when there are distractions like other dogs and people around. When he is in the backyard and he does not come...I'll say "cookies" and he comes running...I almost always forget treats when we go for walks and my 6 year old Boston Milton has the worst recall with age..he just goes off on his own wherever his nose takes him pretends he can't hear me! So frustrating! Mind you he goes less off his leash because if it.

Titan..I'm not sure about weight gain with this breed. I do know that kaz was 24lbs at 9 weeks....31lbs at 12 weeks and 44lbs at 16 weeks...then he had a big growth spurt and the next thing I know he's 70 lbs! Maybe I feed him to much..I dunno? All I know is that I used to worry a bit when I first got him....then by the time he hit 44lbs..I didn't worry so much cause he looked great and was gaining even better...I had to adjust his food along the way but as you can see from my earlier post is that I hadn't changed the amount that of food very much between 9 weeks and today...I think they naturally eat a little less anyway as they get older plus he now gets fed twice daily and he gets lots of treats also.
 
M

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
I use baked or boiled chicken/chicken livers (use these sparingly to prevent diarrhea) or baked chicken/chicken livers.

Mastiffs are generally allergic to chicken and grains in kibble and treats but they are generally ok with natural chicken.

Thank you for changing your mind about alpha training. :)

Consistency with training, LOTS of patience and do not let the pup feel your frustration. Frustration causes the pup to shut down and stop listening to you.

How did the crate sleeping go? Have you added towels or blanket and soft cuddly toys to his crate? Is the crate in your room? He will sleep better if the crate is in your room.
 
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Titan519

Well-Known Member
Well success ! Slept through the night with no accidents in his crate. I put this cushion inside his crate. Literally as soon as I got it in the crate it was like a light bulb went in his head, immediately climbed in to check it out and boom layed right down. So with out closing the crat I layed infront of it till he fell asleep. Light pushed back so I could close it.

The crate I'm using was what he was shipped in. I figured I would use this until he starts to get bigger at which point I'll upgrade.

Today after we had the mornin pee we came inside and he sat infront of me whining. I was baffled because he just ate and went outside. So I thought better go back out. Sure enough he had #2 and all was well.

Today I'm going to get up and walk away when he gets a little nippy And bitey. He likes to go for my sweater or wrists while playing. I yelp like a dog and he stops "temporarily" also while doing this if I push him back a little he lets out a light growl. Not sure if it's a play growl or not. Is this something I should b correcting and how.

I'm down to a few names but I think I may call him Otis lol.

Here is the little guy after he fell asleep.
image.jpg
 
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musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Congrats Otis for sleeping in your crate! Growling while playings is normal. Watch puppies playing together. They nip, bite, bark and growl at each other. Titan is 4 yrs old and growls and barks when he plays. It's all normal.

Once you learn your pup's body language to know when he means business, do not worry about growling while playing.
 
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Titan519

Well-Known Member
Ok great. Yea I know the yipping an nips are normal along with growling. Lol I've just read so many horror stories about the breed so I had to ask. I've had a few pit bulls and American bulldogs so I'm familiar with how they play and how rough.

I'm practing the look at me command. Should I use his name for this or use look? I seen a video and article suggestin I use his name or the "look at me" so when I call he stops and looks at me for next command. Any suggestions.

Also should I only work on 1 thing at a time in our training session and for how long. I've only been doing 10min intervals
 
M

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
With Titan, I just tell him, "Look at me." After he looks, I tell him "good look."

Normally at a young age, it's best to train for 5-10 minutes and teach one command at a time. As they learn the command and they are consistent in performing, then move onto another command while still doing the other command. Meaning, he'll eventually be learning a new command and keeping up on the older commands.

Use positive reinforcement and use rewards that motivate him. Once he becomes bored, he will stop listening. You'll know when he's bored.
 
M

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention another tip. When doing commands, tell him, "good whatever the command" so he continues to heard the command word. For example, he looks, "good look." Say it in a high-pitched, funny kinda way.

When he doesn't do what you want, tell in a calm voice, "no no no." Then tell him again what you want him to do.

The only time to use a firm, stern "NO!" without yelling is when they do something that is defcon.
 
Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Titan519 said:
Ok great. Yea I know the yipping an nips are normal along with growling. Lol I've just read so many horror stories about the breed so I had to ask. I've had a few pit bulls and American bulldogs so I'm familiar with how they play and how rough.

I'm practing the look at me command. Should I use his name for this or use look? I seen a video and article suggestin I use his name or the "look at me" so when I call he stops and looks at me for next command. Any suggestions.

Also should I only work on 1 thing at a time in our training session and for how long. I've only been doing 10min intervals
Click to expand...

I would train attention to name right away. In the beginning reward for ear flicks, head turns, any type of response. If he gives eye contact, great. From there you work up to the look command. When you give a command, make sure to use his name and then command. The name will grab the dog's attention and will prepare him to listen.
[video=youtube;F_JmCUlEz7M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_JmCUlEz7M[/video]
 
Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Keep training sessions short and fun. Make sure you end it on positive note. If he doesn't understand what you're trying to teach him and you are getting frustrated, give him a simple command like sit and end it there. End sessions before he gets bored and leave him wanting more.
 
Milton Meathead

Milton Meathead

Well-Known Member
Good going with the crate training. Kaz grew so fast out of his crate and I had to upgrade almost a month later. Your still looking at names?? Otis is ok but personally it reminds me of an ear infection like Otitis media or something like that...lol...maybe because I am a nurse and see this all the time. We names Kazmaier after Billy Kazmaier, one of the strongest men in the world back in the day. He was a big man with big joints and my hubby's idol growing up..lol...Anyway, my son who is only 9 has a nickname for Kazmaier. He calls him Opie or Ofie (as in you big oaf!) . He wanted to call him "Fred"?? go figure..lol..
 
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Titan519

Well-Known Member
Otis reminds me of a big lug lol. A lot of names I thought of apparently popular. Wanted to go with something original. Nothing is set in stone yet. ;)
 
T

Titan519

Well-Known Member
I'm amazed at how fast he has taken to the crate. He walks in to take a break from playing and a nap all on his own. I've never crate trained so I'm amazed by this. Is this something he will grow out of enjoying or since he seems to like it will he always enjoy having his own spot.
 
Hector

Hector

Well-Known Member
Titan519 said:
I'm amazed at how fast he has taken to the crate. He walks in to take a break from playing and a nap all on his own. I've never crate trained so I'm amazed by this. Is this something he will grow out of enjoying or since he seems to like it will he always enjoy having his own spot.
Click to expand...

I wish my dog would do this on his own :mad:
 
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