Puppy issues

[BMJ]

Hey Everyone:
I just joined this forum and was hoping to get some advice and help when it comes to my puppy pomeranian Ginger. Ginger is 8 months old and we have had her for 4.5 months. I'm not going to list all the issues in one post, so don't worry :)
First issue: Ginger is scared of everything and sometimes scared of my husband and I. Every time we go outside to do her business, we pick up her poop in a bag and walk to the dumpster to throw it out. The issue here is when we go near the dumpster (about 6-8 ft away) she will stop and we end up having to drag her all the way to the dumpster to throw the bag out. This has been an issue since we first got her. Any suggestions? I tried fooling her by walking to another dumpster in the apt complex but any dumpster she stops and walks pass it as if it is going to attack her. We also tried the treats things but alluring her go near the dumpster..still doesn't help.
Second issue: She seems to be very stubborn and does not listen to us. She knows some commands, but does not want to do the ones that she knows. When we tell her to sit, it takes us 3 or more times before she does it, and she will just stare at us when we tell her to sit but doesn't. I know she can hear us. When we tell her to "come here" she runs away or hides under the table. Any suggestions???

There are many more issues I have with Ginger but like I said I am not going to mention all in one post.
Thanks in advance

BMJ

[skraus75]

Which one of you -- you or your husband -- is the alpha "dog?' "They" say that dogs need one master and need to know that person is in charge and the alpha of their relationship. That person is the primary trainer (at least according to what I have read). I've had my dog since April and tried to let her know I'm the alpha right away (she's a huge omega though!). I also stopped playing with her if she bit me, because I read that teachs them not to bite.

What is Ginger's history? It seems weird that she is afraid of so much. I would have both of you go out with her and have one person walk to the dumpster and hang out. (Sounds like such a fun time I know.) Then, Ginger can see that nothing bad is happening and may eventually walk over to you.

Can you take doggie training at a Petco or Petsmart with her? You might get some good tips for one of the instructors for getting her to listen better. (Oh, rosy can be stubborn sometimes too!)

Good luck and hope you get some additional (and better) advice! :)

[jesvet]

Welcome to the boards!

Your dog needs to learn you are the boss, and that she needs to trust you. The single best thing you can do for her and for you is to take a training class with a good instructor. They will be able to help with everything you mentioned. Good luck!

[schmeevee]

welcome!

for the first issue, i'd suggest obedience training as well, if you haven't done so already. perhaps a private session, so that she learns to trust you. how much time do you and your husband spend with her during the day? as far as the dumpster goes, i'd say pick her up and be near it, feeding her some treats while you're there to make it an enjoyable experience for her. when coming near it, try to make it as fun as possible. she'll then learn to see that it's alright. if she exhibits any signs of fear, take her as far as she'll go, and then the next day go closer until you're finally there. hopefully, this will instill confidence and trust.

for the second issue, she's still very young and puppies have short attention spans. how long is each training session? praise her wildly when she does do it right and leave sessions short. for the "come", i still have that same problem too and my puppy is 9 months. one trick i do is get down on the floor, on my knees and hold out a treat while saying something other than "come" to get her to come. in our case, we use "oooooh!! loooooook it!" it peaks his curiousity and he will come. i've learned that it's easier to try to train dogs with new words than it is to force a word... so if "come" isn't working, perhaps use another word?

i don't know too much about poms, but i know that some breeds are more "stubborn" than others. but with lots of praise, praise, praise, (and treats!), patience, and consistency, she'll get it!

good luck!

[lawphil]

Two things that have helped tremendously with our puppy is training and making him work for everything.

We do a few minutes of training in the morning and then a few more at night.

he has to sit, go down...whatever we choose...before he can go in the family room, go out for a walk, get a petting. When it comes to food time we make him sit across the room and wait until we say ok before he can go eat. We started with just sitting until we got over to where the food goes - now we are working on walking back to him and then doing a lap around the kitchen before he is allowed to eat.

Now he is a lab...so food is his top priority and he really responds to food.

Also, one of the most important things I have heard is only say things one time. If you say sit ten times the dog will learn that it can sit whenever it wants to sit not when you tell it to sit.

I have a very alpha dog so I have had to do a ton of work but it has really been such a great experience because now I can truly enjoy my dog rather than being worn out and overwhelmed!

I highly recommend this book, Good Owners Great Dogs - I think that is the name the good and great may be mixed up.

Good luck!

[BMJ]

Thanks for all your advice:)
Well I think I would consider myself the "alpha" since I stay at home all day while my husband is at work. So I am the one who feeds her and walks her and my husband will play with her in the evening.
When we got her the first month we did the picking her up and walking to the dumpster, but we don't want her to think that she is some little princess who needs to be picked up for everything so now we drag her. There were many times that I tried walking to the dumpster with treats in my hand and she will come but with hestiation. But she seems not to be learning anything and could get frustrating.
Every evening my husband and I take her out together and she will see one of us walking to the dumpster to throw out the bags. So while my husband or I is walking together to the dumpster, Ginger will stop at a particular point knowing that we are going to the dumpster. So she see's one of us going there EVERYDAY!!!! I will try tonight with the one of us calling her over with a treat and making it "fun" :)
When it comes to telling her commands, she will do all the commands with us telling her one time, IF she knows that we have treats in our hands. IF she knows we do not have treats that is when we have to tell her many times to do something. In the beginning we did everything and praised her with treats all the time. But then recently I stopped slowly because I did not want her to get use to doing things, JUST because we have treats in our hands.
I don't know much of her history. I know that we got her from a breeder who had many many dogs of different breeds. We saw her parents and brother. They seemed to be in good health, nothing seemed to be wrong.
We were planning on taking her to some training class, but there was this lady who lived next to us that had a Pom once and said that she went to the training class, and once she brought her Pom home, she didn't listen to anything to her even though it was taught to her. So we were scared to send her there and her still wanting to listen to us.
I know this is confusing, but it is crazy having a puppy that won't listen to its owner.
Again, thanks everyone for your help!

[ejs]

You definitely should go to training classes. Sorry, but your neighbor doesn't seem to be the most informed dog owner in the world.

Obedience classes teach you how to handle your dog.

We adopted one of our dogs when he was four months old. It's obvious things happened to him as a puppy because certain things frighten him. He has gotten better with time, but we choose not to force the issue on some things. If he wants to be scared of buses forever, that's fine. I'm not going to force him to go near a bus.

Your dog needs to learn that praise is as good as a treat.

Not that this has anything to do with the situation, but it sounds like you got your dog from a BYB. Many reputable breeders focus on one specific breed of dog, instead of many.

[TazLuv]

Obedience classes teach you how to handle your dog.


Yes, obedience class is for YOU, not the dog, really. :)

[jesvet]

Your neighbor probably wasn't consistent in what she did with her dog. It takes time and commitment but it can be done. Has nothing to do with the breed- some are more naturally eager to please, but any dog (and any owner) can benefit from training.

[BMJ]

what is BYB??? i will talk it over with my husband about the training classes. being scared of a bus and being scared of a dumpster that never moves is two different things, this is something that she sees multiple times a day. i feel as though people are looking at me differently when they seem me pulling the leash towards the dumpster with my puppies nails scraping on the ground :(

[ejs]

what is BYB??? i will talk it over with my husband about the training classes. being scared of a bus and being scared of a dumpster that never moves is two different things, this is something that she sees multiple times a day. i feel as though people are looking at me differently when they seem me pulling the leash towards the dumpster with my puppies nails scraping on the ground :(

BYB= backyard breeder

If you'd like, I can list everything my dog is scared of besides buses. Maybe these relate more to your situation: fire hydrants and statues. We see them at least twice a day on our walks. We've been walking by them for almost five years.

I think if you really want to address these issues, training classes are a must. If you aren't willing to take that step, then I doubt that things will change.

[BMJ]

Thanks for the clarification. It was funny in the beginning when she was scared of things that don't move, but now it seems pathetic. i use to have a boxer and then went to a pomeranian and wow how different these two breeds are. everything that i experience with ginger, i never experienced with the boxer. i guess it is all about time and patience.
i have a question...when should we take her to be spayed/neutered? this past june we went away for the weekend and decided to have ginger sent to the vet and be fixed during that time, but then at the least min the vet said that she is not mature enough to be fixed and have to wait for her baby teeth to grow out. is there a certain period in which her baby teeth should be out?

[Lanapoo]

You should take her in as soon as possible to be spayed. If she's 8 months then you're lucky she hasn't gone into her first heat cycle yet. Ick, believe me, you don't want to be dealing with that :p . Her baby teeth are long gone at this point.

And I totally agree with all the other posters about going to obediance classes. They can only help you and be great socialization for your dog. Dogs really need to get out and get used to other people and other dogs and this will be a good opportunity to do that.

[jajacobsen]

I depends by breed but my understanding is that with females, you can have them spayed between 4-6 months. Our female weim was done at 5 mos. For male dogs, because the testosterone that occurs in sexual development also aids in bone and muscle development, you should wait until 9-12 months at the earliest. We plan to have our male weim neutered at 18 mos. Again, this is just my understanding.

[jesvet]

If you get it done before her first heat cycle you reduce the risk of mammary (breast) cancer by about 75%. If you do it before her second heat cycle it's a 50% reduction. After that, no reduction in risk. I recommend spaying between 4-6 months, so get it done asap! Baby teeth should be gone by now.

[skraus75]

My baby is going to be spayed on September 1st. She will be 6 months on August 21st and they advised waiting until after the 6 month mark. However, she is less than 12 pounds, so I'm sure that is part of the reason. She started losing teeth about a month ago....

You'll have to post a picture of Ginger if you can! :)

[jajacobsen]

As to the original issue, I think your puppy has done a very good job of training YOU!. I don't mean this unkindly at all - all animals will tarin you to their likes or dislikes. From what you say, she knows the commands and knows what you want her to do, but at times, simply refuses to obey. Then there appears to be an irrational fear thing going on with the dumpster.

If you really want to nip this in the bud, I can highly recommend dog obedience lessons. Our two are not perfect at all now, but the lessons taught US how to go about teaching and reinforcing teaching in a structured manner. It REALLY helped with basic commands.

At this point, there is a pattern of refusal, which may be difficult to break. I would suggest a small class or possibly a few lessons with a trainer and then a small class.

[BMJ]

Thanks for all your help. I figured that Ginger has trained me...since she does not do anything that we tell her. She just looks like us like "um, yeah like I'm going to sit when you tell me to." I can see that in her eyes!
Anyway, as far as the spaying goes, I called the vet today and scheduled an appt for her to spayed on Wednesday.