New puppy owner-some questions

Hello everyone.

I brought home my 10 week old Australian Shepherd puppy, Kenzie, 5 days ago.

I have a few questions I was hoping people could help me with.

-She is a very good dog. She doesn't bark when she hears other dogs barking, she goes into her crate, and stays there all night (except when I take her out to potty) without crying or whining, she loves cuddles and acts pretty well around my cats. She also wears her collar well, doesn't lunge out of her crate when I open it, and eats like a young lady. Will any of these behaviors change?

-I am training Kenzie to not go on the couch. She has been pretty good about this. But I do find myself picking her up and putting her in my lap. I assume these actions are different, but am I ruining my training? Should I not even allow her to be in my lap, even if I initiate the pickup? (I hope it's ok, because there is something so amazing about a warm puppy)

-Kenzie is currently on a bland diet. I can't feed her treats yet. Is there another effective way I can train her without the use of food ?

- After I feed her I put her in the crate and wait 20 or so minutes before I take her out to go potty. Sometimes she falls asleep before I can take her out. Should I change something?

The only dogs I didn't allow on the furniture or beds (not even allowed upstairs) were my GSDs.

As much as I would have loved to cuddle them I didn't have them on laps either.

I came home one time to find one of them stretched out on top of the babysitter and reminded her dog not allowed on furniture - she said 'she's not on the furniture - she's on me!' lol!

I don't think the dog can differentiate! You can always get down on the rug and cuddle up. I used to often sit on the floor with my back against the sofa so I could cuddle the dog! (Better for your back than squashy sofas are!)

When I moved to a house with a big kitchen, I had a big old wooden armed couch in there and dog was allowed on that - it was in fact the dog's couch and bed. Not sure if that would have worked if it was in the living room with the other soft seats.

Mmmmm I think dogs differentiate a lot! My dogs are allowed anywhere downstairs. Tonks isn't allowed upstairs because of a dust mite allergy but Remus is allowed upstairs but only on the bed by invitation. Neither of them are allowed on the sofas at my partners mum's....and don't try. It's quite normal for them to want to be on sofas as its warmer up there than on the floor...even if they have a nice cosy bed. I suppose the one thing to remember is that is going to be hard for you to pick your pup up and have them on you lap as they get bigger...so you might be wanting them to jump or climb up instead.

You can use tiny bits of cheese or chicken or fish for treats for tiny pups or just do some training before their food and use pieces of that.

She sounds lovely, great about the training...but be prepared for that to change...ten weeks is very little and I think it would be more unusual for h to bark in return to other dogs barks at this young age.

Ditto, we have the same here, only its not an old couch its a new Laura Ashley one , which replaced her old one

I should really add that, if I had a BIG DOG now - like my teeny dog it would be allowed EVERYWHERE! I live on my own and don't have to consider anyone else but me and my dawg and if I don't want to face the cleaning - I get someone else to do it.

I had my reasons back in the day. I had two very small toddlers (kids drive the dog nuts dog makes the kids worse lol!) and GSDs and their 'shedding' well! Vacuuming twice a day didn't solve it. Vacuuming the dog didn't solve it!

I had ENOUGH to do as it was. Raising two small kids and working from home. Walking the dog etc. She was perfectly happy in her 'bed' - her bed was the big square turning stair partway up the 3 turn staircase in the middle of the big square hall. She could keep one eye on the front door and be between that and 'us upstairs' and away from draughts too. She LOVED that stair. She had an old army sleeping bag on it for her bed and every time I got the hoover out she would drag that sleeping bag out to the backyard to keep it safe until I'd finished!

She made her nest there every night so diligently she wore holes in the carpet there! We'd say 'on yer bed Sal' and off she'd go to her big stair!

Crafty as hell - anytime she thought I wasn't around she'd sneak up coz the boys called her and be back down on that stair before I came out of the bathroom and looking like she'd never moved from the spot!

Still miss that lovely old GSD bitch and miss her mum that I had before her too.

Hi and welcome Congratulations of getting your new family member.

I think it is OK for you to 'invite' the puppy on to your lap, just not allow it to lie/sit on the settee/chair. When you sit down if your pup comes over assuming it can climb up, I'd put her into a 'sit' for a while and then get her up. I also wouldn't always invite her up - it has to be on your grounds and you instigating it. My dogs don't automatically jump on to a chair/settee only if I say 'OK - up'.

Hi and welcome.

I'd be inclined to take puppy out for a pee immediately after eating, rather than 20 mins later.

Yes I agree, I made that mistake with my pup, I was always too late then just got into the habit of waiting while he finished eating and then immediately taking him outside. He got the association very quickly after that.

We set the rules about where he can and can't go early on, that way he doesn't get confused if you later decide somewhere is out of bounds. We don't allow him on chairs at all. He is trained to go to his bed in a down position to eat treats and now as soon as I go for his biscuits he runs to his bed and drops down. Quite funny to see his "wheel spins" in his eagerness to get there.

Start as you mean to go on, then you won't have bad habits to change later.
Enjoy your puppy.

We invite our dogs up on our say so. It works better this way, as when visitors are around I wouldn't want my dog leaping up onto furniture and onto visitors. Accidents with brews springs to mind been in peoples homes where dogs jump all over you and it isn't fun.
Jasper comes up for 'bedtime cuddles' and sometimes during day if I am reading etc.
neither of our dogs climb on furniture uninvited.

It is fine todo as long as you invite her up and never let her get up on her terms, my dog is always on my lap but although he asks by coming and putting his front feet up he won't get on unless given permission