# Expecting too much for a 10 week old?



## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

Bella has been getting bad about being off leash in our yard. She's becoming more and more curious and will not listen if she's got a stick, or some dirt on her mind. She won't come when called and will actually run from me! I haven't been giving into her little "chase" game, but it's frustrating. When on the leash, she refuses to use the bathroom! She will just bite the leash the entire time and pull away. She's weird and "needs her privacy" when she poops. She will run far away and hide behind a tree or something. I don't see her pooping outside while on the leash.. Should I start leashing her more so she learns to stay near? I just don't want it to be when she's off the leash, she goes insane because she's free.. That's why we have been letting her off leash. She's also shown some interest in cars and will run in their direction. This of course scares the crap out of me lol.. Is she just testing me? Am I teaching her wrong? Any advice would be great! :wild:


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Keep her on a long 20'-30' line....take her to higher vegatation to do her duty(it may carry over as she get in the habit, so less cleaning up after her, if she is in woods or fields) Reel her in as needed. I'm not a fan of flexi's but for a pup, they are fine.
Engage her so she isn't trying to chew her line, with a tug, or ball or treats. At 10 weeks she has no clue to come when called,yes you are expecting way to much for a baby!
What do you do for fun? A flirtpole with a rag on the end, a squeaky cuz ball or some furry tug will want her to be with you, not away. Some pups are not pack driven, and they are harder to train. Make YOU the best place to be, and don't ever, ever reprimand her when she does come to you(even after she blew you off).


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

your pup isn't being bad she's not being trained. what kind of
dirt would she possibly have on her mind? she doesn't come because
she's young and not trained. you have her in an area where she
can approach cars and you think it's funny. find a puppy class or
a trainer. start training and socializing.



dgray said:


> >>>Bella has been getting bad about being off leash in our yard. She's becoming more and more curious and will not listen if she's got a stick, or some dirt on her mind. <<<<
> 
> >>>> She won't come when called and will actually run from me!<<<<
> 
> ...


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## rooandtree (May 13, 2012)

a 10 week old is a baby..i always kept my pups on leashes while outside..just in case unless it was a fenced in area away from cars and other animals...but its also never to early to start training her! start with simple things like sit,down and come.some pups learn it real quick others take more time..just keep doing it over and over


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

doggiedad said:


> your pup isn't being bad she's not being trained. what kind of
> dirt would she possibly have on her mind? she doesn't come because
> she's young and not trained. you have her in an area where she
> can approach cars and you think it's funny. find a puppy class or
> a trainer. start training and socializing.



Wait what? I definitely don't think it's funny she likes cars. We live on a dead end so it's rare we have cars drive by. She doesn't full on sprint out in front of them, she's just interested and walks/ jogs their way. As far as training and socializing, what do you think I'm trying to do? She doesn't have all her shots, so classes are out of the picture for now. Why so hostile? You don't know what I do or don't do with my dog, so stop assuming things.


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## Caragirl (Sep 2, 2008)

doggiedad said:


> your pup isn't being bad she's not being trained. what kind of
> dirt would she possibly have on her mind? she doesn't come because
> she's young and not trained. you have her in an area where she
> can approach cars and you think it's funny. find a puppy class or
> a trainer. start training and socializing.


Whe did the poster say it was funny? The lol in the post didn't convey funny ha ha to me. You seem very condescending when you reply to posters. People come he for advice, not so much negativity.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Put her on a long line or a flexi at that age. 
Let her explore. Let her get away from you a bit. Let her sniff things. Teach her the names of things she encounters. (Hans will actually look up if you say, "Airplane" LOL.)

Then, time and again, start pulling her toward you, call, in a happy voice, "Come!" as she is already headed your way. Praise or give a yummy treat when she comes. 
Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Do not say come unless you are sure the dog actually will, so that you don't teach her that it is OK to disobey.

Keep her leashed at all times until her recall is 100% solid and she will come to you no matter what. This takes many months. Do NOT let her free where there are cars around.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i thought lol meant ha ha. there's nothing condescending in my post.
where's the negativity in my post?



Caragirl said:


> Whe did the poster say it was funny? The lol in the post didn't convey funny ha ha to me. You seem very condescending when you reply to posters. People come he for advice, not so much negativity.


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

Just to add...whenever she comes to you on her own, make sure you are giving her lots of praise or even treats. She will then learn to associate coming to you as a good thing. I'm working with a 9 wk old right now, and I have found that he responds just as well, if not more, to praise than treats.

Oh another thing. This is my 3rd GSD pup, but the first time I tried after reading it suggested here by another member. I use each meal time as training time. All of his food comes from my hand and we work on commands. I've had him 8 days and he knows sit, down, come, here, and look, just from short sessions at each feeding and I try to make it as fun as possible. He enjoys it so much that he won't eat out of the bowl even if I put it down for him, and using this method has made this the easiest training of my 3 by far.

Just try to remember to keep it fun!


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

Lakl said:


> Just to add...whenever she comes to you on her own, make sure you are giving her lots of praise or even treats. She will then learn to associate coming to you as a good thing. I'm working with a 9 wk old right now, and I have found that he responds just as well, if not more, to praise than treats.
> 
> Oh another thing. This is my 3rd GSD pup, but the first time I tried after reading it suggested here by another member. I use each meal time as training time. All of his food comes from my hand and we work on commands. I've had him 8 days and he knows sit, down, come, here, and look, just from short sessions at each feeding and I try to make it as fun as possible. He enjoys it so much that he won't eat out of the bowl even if I put it down for him, and using this method has made this the easiest training of my 3 by far.
> 
> Just try to remember to keep it fun!


Bella is VERY food and toy motivated lol. If you have her sit, she wants her treat in the next 10 seconds. Otherwise, she will bark and jump up for one. We need to work on her patience.. She knows sit pretty well but only when she's looking at you. She will also come from in front of you, make a turn at your side and then sit. Not sure what that's called. Shes VERY smart, but she's super independent. I'll try the food training though! Thanks for the tips!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Lakl said:


> Just to add...whenever she comes to you on her own, make sure you are giving her lots of praise or even treats. She will then learn to associate coming to you as a good thing. I'm working with a 9 wk old right now, and I have found that he responds just as well, if not more, to praise than treats.
> 
> Oh another thing. This is my 3rd GSD pup, but the first time I tried after reading it suggested here by another member. I use each meal time as training time. All of his food comes from my hand and we work on commands. I've had him 8 days and he knows sit, down, come, here, and look, just from short sessions at each feeding and I try to make it as fun as possible. He enjoys it so much that he won't eat out of the bowl even if I put it down for him, and using this method has made this the easiest training of my 3 by far.
> 
> Just try to remember to keep it fun!


I agree, keep building confidence and using all meals for training is a great thing. So much sponginess at this age....it is the stage of most learning. Teach rear end awareness, and restrained recalls. Have fun and enjoy this age, it goes by waay too fast! Pic's are a must!!!!


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## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

My puppy comes when called all the time (9 weeks). I'm sure I look like a weirdo...I get down on his level and tell him to come and pat my legs. He can't resist.

Though if I was near a road I would never have him off leash. I also work with him every day on comes with a 30' leash.


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## Ishmail (Jul 17, 2011)

Lakl said:


> Just to add...whenever she comes to you on her own, make sure you are giving her lots of praise or even treats. She will then learn to associate coming to you as a good thing. I'm working with a 9 wk old right now, and I have found that he responds just as well, if not more, to praise than treats.
> 
> Oh another thing. This is my 3rd GSD pup, but the first time I tried after reading it suggested here by another member. I use each meal time as training time. All of his food comes from my hand and we work on commands. I've had him 8 days and he knows sit, down, come, here, and look, just from short sessions at each feeding and I try to make it as fun as possible. He enjoys it so much that he won't eat out of the bowl even if I put it down for him, and using this method has made this the easiest training of my 3 by far.
> 
> Just try to remember to keep it fun!



Absolutely on the money. That's exactly how I'm training Storm and I have had great success.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Sounds like normal, curious 10 week old puppy to me.

If your yard isn't fenced, put her on a long line and let her have her privacy.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Is there anywhere you can *safely* go with her offleash so she doesn't start to associate offleash = gee I'm free to do what I want? I mean, just to enforce the bond that she does not want to be away from you? Hope that makes sense.

I didn't need a leash until around 8 months. Then his curiousity did get the better of him with all the critters in our area. Prior to that, we did tons of offleash stuff all over.

If you can't trust, go with the long lead, I think. Better safe than sorry.

An offleash dog OFF property will be a very different dog than ON property. At least in my humble and limited experience.


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## Ishmail (Jul 17, 2011)

I think you need to practice heel work with lots treats and alongside a long wall. your puppy can only move forward if you correct properly and should eagerly follow your hand for teats. Also ask for a sit every time you stop moving forward. Soon you won't have to ask for the sit when you stop and they learn that pretty quick. I keep teats on me every time we step out the house and reward for good behavior and when Storm Stays right beside me on walks she gets lots of praise. My breeder sent me a DVD that demonstrated this method and it worked, just use the wall to keep your puppy right next to you and use the leash to prevent the puppy stepping out in front of you. All focus should be on what's in your hand, cheese, hotdogs, or training treats are what I use. I'd let the pup get hungry before training as well and then you can train them to do anything.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

there was a misinterpretation of your original post.
that led me to believe that you were taking
your pups actions lightly so i made assumptions. sorry.
i wasn't being hostile.



dgray said:


> Wait what? I definitely don't think it's funny she likes cars. We live on a dead end so it's rare we have cars drive by. She doesn't full on sprint out in front of them, she's just interested and walks/ jogs their way. As far as training and socializing, what do you think I'm trying to do? She doesn't have all her shots, so classes are out of the picture for now. Why so hostile? You don't know what I do or don't do with my dog, so stop assuming things.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm all for training, we enrolled in our first class 12-14 weeks (which I recommend and great for bonding). Basics can be taught at this age, alot of redirecting vs corrections.

Don't forget to enjoy this age and explore & play into her curiousity at times. They are funny little goofballs at this age. Good luck!


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Every dog is different, I didn't trust mine off leash until he was well over a year old. Some dogs just don't care enough about their handlers and want to explore and he was one of them. He loves dogs and would go towards any dog he saw, so we didn't get off leash until I knew that his recall was 100%. I wouldn't say any dog is 100% recall before they're about 8-12 months old, especially because many of them have growing up to do at that age so they start showing different sides of their personality. When mine was a puppy at 8 weeks old, he loved to come, he was also using me for protection since he was small, but as soon as he hit 6 months of age, he realized he was a grown dog and decided to do whatever he wanted.

I learned about the "train for food" method after mine was too old to start it but I wish I would've done that with him. Depending on what you want to do with your dog, its a great way to train, but if you don't really need a super obedient dog, that much time for training might not be for you. I'm also a little with doggy dad on the whole car thing...although you're on a culdesac, I'd still not allow her off leash anywhere near a road. Right now, she can't run that fast (still doesn't know how to use her legs), but in a few weeks she'll be able to easily outrun you and all it takes is one time for her to run out onto the road at the wrong time.


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

martemchik said:


> Every dog is different, I didn't trust mine off leash until he was well over a year old. Some dogs just don't care enough about their handlers and want to explore and he was one of them. He loves dogs and would go towards any dog he saw, so we didn't get off leash until I knew that his recall was 100%. I wouldn't say any dog is 100% recall before they're about 8-12 months old, especially because many of them have growing up to do at that age so they start showing different sides of their personality. When mine was a puppy at 8 weeks old, he loved to come, he was also using me for protection since he was small, but as soon as he hit 6 months of age, he realized he was a grown dog and decided to do whatever he wanted.
> 
> I learned about the "train for food" method after mine was too old to start it but I wish I would've done that with him. Depending on what you want to do with your dog, its a great way to train, but if you don't really need a super obedient dog, that much time for training might not be for you. I'm also a little with doggy dad on the whole car thing...although you're on a culdesac, I'd still not allow her off leash anywhere near a road. Right now, she can't run that fast (still doesn't know how to use her legs), but in a few weeks she'll be able to easily outrun you and all it takes is one time for her to run out onto the road at the wrong time.



I ordered a long line today, so I'm excited to be using that soon. Bella is very curious, and since we live in the sticks sort of, there are a lot of distractions outside. She's in love with dirt, sticks, chasing bugs, pulling up grass, etc. She also thinks everything is a game. Such as, she knows you want her to come by you, so she walks away when you come near. I don't give into the chasing thing, but sometimes it's necessary. Hopefully, the long lead will help with her recall. She does come when called mostly. It's just when she's exploring or when she wants you to chase her. She is learning the basics though. She will heel ( sort of ), sit, and we are working on her down too. I know the car situation is worrisome, but we stay mostly around the back of the house away from the road. We live on an acre or so, so the road isn't right in the immediate area per say. Again, I'm excited for the long leash to arrive this week. I'll feel a lot better knowing she isn't going to want me to chase her, and her end up in the road, etc. 


Thanks for the tips everyone! I'll be sure to update in the future how she's coming along.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

break the pattern Lakl --- He enjoys it so much that he won't eat out of the bowl even if I put it down for him, and using this method has made this the easiest training of my 3 by far.----- put that bowl of food down and go away .

It is not the method -- the difference is the genetics of the dog -- wants to work with you.

The OP has a super independant dog . This could indicate some dynamic in the socializing process , or be basic to the dog . At this age much can be done . The first thing is less freedom , for this dog , so that it can not go around amusing itself -- and then along comes y o u , who cuts into the fun . Life should be boring without you 
to the sound track of the Usher song "
can't win, I can't reign_I will never win this game_Without you, without youI am lost, I am vain,_I will never be the same_Without you, without you
I won't run, I won't flyI will never make it byWithout you, without youI can't rest, I can't fightAll I need is you and IWithout you
Without youOh, oh, oh!You! You! You!WithoutYou! You! You!Without you
_Can't erase, so I'll take blame__But I can't accept that we're estranged_[ From: DAVID GUETTA - WITHOUT YOU LYRICS ]Without you, without you_I can't quit now, this can't be right_I can't take one more sleepless nightWithout you, without you
I won't soar, I won't climbIf you're not here, I'm paralyzedWithout you, without youI can't look, I'm so blind_I lost my heart, I lost my mind_Without you
Without youOh, oh, oh!You! You! You!WithoutYou! You! You!Without you
I am lost, I am vain,I will never be the sameWithout you, without youWithout you

Read more: DAVID GUETTA - WITHOUT YOU LYRICS DAVID GUETTA - WITHOUT YOU LYRICS
Copied from MetroLyrics.com 

Can't win , can't reign ---- without you. 

So dog in crate, kennel . Along comes y o u , and the dog interacts with you , because you have the dogs attention and association which you are developing that all sorts of good things come from you . Even here you can have the dog on a long lead -- but have the dog responding to you . Play stick? Don't throw it away for the dog to fetch , be a part of the play , dog on line , action within a 3 or 4 foot range of movement . Hold the line so that you move to dog , but dog can't move away . Interact , but don't take the stick . Praise the dog . See if he will move toward you . Don't pull him to you. Enter his zone --and move out . Soon the dog should be pushing the stick into you to engage you. This is what the dog needs to figure out . You are stressing about why the dog won't participate in your plans. The dog should be doing the back flips trying to get your attention.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Sunflowers said:


> Put her on a long line or a flexi at that age.
> Let her explore. Let her get away from you a bit. Let her sniff things. Teach her the names of things she encounters. (Hans will actually look up if you say, "Airplane" LOL.)
> 
> Then, time and again, start pulling her toward you, call, in a happy voice, "Come!" as she is already headed your way. Praise or give a yummy treat when she comes.
> ...


Those are all great recommendations.

Plus, one of the many reasons we are all recommending 'take your dog out of the area to SOCIALIZE' is because once they know the yard then they no longer care as much about the humans. Because they know how to get home, and mainly the humans are the boring FUN SUCKERS who make them go back into the house.

So... ignore the FUN SUCKER and continue to sniff/eat/bite/play in the yard. Or listen to the FUN SUCKER and get taken back into the boring house.

Hm... my intelligent pups tend to ignore the FUN SUCKER (that would be me :wild: )

BUT when I am in a new and unfamiliar place, then it's all about WHERE ARE YOU MOM and my pups love to be with me and follow me and listen to me!

So I take my pups out and about 3 or 4 times a week so they learn to listen/look/pay attention to me. If I only had them in my yard they would learn to Ignore The FunSucker which isn't what I want at all.





 
The other way to help with this is real work that most people are too busy and impatient to work on. That is to become less of a FunSucker and, well, frankly... more a FunLover. So if when my puppy 'comes' we have a rousing game of chase, they come more. Or if they come and we play tug, they come more. Or if they come and I give them a treat, they come. All of those need to NOT be immediately followed by going into the house and being boring (BTW, we usually run into the house and head IMMEDIATELY to the treat jar, so the house is a bit of fun too).


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> Glory B (11 wks) and Bretta Lee (5 yrs) Wildhaus Hiking at Toms Ck (PA) - YouTube


She is carrying a LOG! :rofl:


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

BTW, I forgot to add....

you were right that 10 weeks old IS very young and you shouldn't have extremely high expectations for 'obedience'.

MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, and what we do NOT do, is the VITAL socialization that has stages and phases that we miss out on if we fail to work on this from the day they hit the house. So many dogs end up in rescues/shelters/isolated in the home for their lives due to a failure on our part to socialize them outside the home from the start.

Puppies are babies and the most important thing they need from us is love, and security and an introduction to the world that will make them happy, confident puppies becoming confident and calm adults. 

A puppy like that, and an adult like that will have the ability to learn ANYTHING from us as they grow. Because all the fear or aggression issues will never crop up to muddy and complicate all training.

OBEDIENCE should not be the goal with a young puppy. Course we can train and they can learn, but it MUST be fun and the puppies MUST want to be with us and learn from us.

Frankly, I'm not about using a leash at all for puppy 'training'. I use it for their safety. But if I have to 'make' a 10 week old puppy listen, then I'm already on a slippery slope.

My main training goal with a puppy has nothing to do with an end behavior (sit? down?) but instead I want them to WANT to be with me, WANT to engage with me, WANT to learn and be with me. NO LEASH needed!

*So my real training goal with a puppy is to train ME! *What can I do to get/keep my puppies attention? What can I use as a great toy? How can I act? My voice? My body? Standing/sitting/running away?????

When I get the 'engagement' I don't need a leash with a puppy to FORCE them to be with me. I have done MY JOB and they want to be with me. And then, oh how they learn....

I know it help take the pressure off if I train 'tricks' because ---> Teaching a trick is the least important part of teaching a trick

THIS is what a training session and pup in the yard should look like! She is using a clicker, but I'm sure you've been working with that too http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...0-intro-clicker-training-perfect-puppies.html


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