We've made a breakthrough! (bite inhibition)

By we, I mean we!

Not just Takara. Right from the start when the biting started getting bad, I knew it was partly my fault! I'm one of these people who pull away by shock rather than anything else. As soon as she went to bite, I pulled away.
I knew this wasn't the way to teach her because everything I've read says to let them bite to a certain extent but then tell them when they need to stop. I felt awful because I found it really difficult and 17 years of being careful to prevent pain has had an effect!

So, Takara seems to be getting better, and I've started letting her bite, I don't know how, just did, and she actually bit pretty hard before I actually did tell her off rather than me telling her off from shock.

So, despite having a bruise on my arm (the one she made before she went for timeout in the kitchen).

She does seem to be learning what she's doing wrong though and I'm really chuffed. She's so bright for 9 weeks!

I feel like we've bonded a bit more too over the last few days. I've been rushing back from college every free period so she's not alone, but nobody else has so it's been mostly the two of us.
Well today, I picked her up and she rested her head on my shoulders and looked at me with big puppy eyes! AWW! I nearly cried! It was a look as if to say 'love you mum'.

So, after her 3 minutes in the kitchen I went in and she was laid upside down in her bed hugging her teddy... hmm, don't think that was quite the idea, go for time out and end up louging around in bed!

She decided today that she was going to change her room around, and that her bed looked far more stylish out of the crate! lol
Then, she woke up, got out of bed (which was in the middle of the kitchen) and went to lay down in her crate but then realised, it wasn't as comfy as it used to be! Oops! No bed!

So she's back in the middle of the kitchen, she dragged it out! I'm not putting it back in! lol

Walkies time soon! Only 15 minutes max at a time, but walkies all the same! she'll be delighted, it'll be fab because it'll mean she can get used to traffic properly and we can take a walk to the post box at the top of our road, only 2 minutes.

We've got two parks down the road which are only a 5 minute walk away so she's going to be well chuffed!

Now, very quickly, these extending leads, which one would you recommend? I'm just having one while she's still small enough but has no recall so that she has some feeling of freedom at the park and in the garden!

Got so much news - there'll be another thread in a moment! lol

Lottie xx

Aww Lottie, sounds like you are doing great with her Well done

Its great to hear you are doing so well with her!

I used an extendi lead for Molo as a pup - and have regretted it ever since. It taught him that he was rewarded for pulling on the lead, and I have yet to successfully cure this

Some people advise letting the pup off lead straight away, but if your not brave enough (I wasn't) then a long-line - of light rope or nylon, can give a pup freedom without teaching them to pull

Yep a long line - like a horse's lunge line - is better than a flexi.

I taught Archie to walk on a short lead, and used a long line in the park. When he was trained to walk like a good boy i bought a flexi... don't train her on a flexi though, you will regret it!! lol

This may be the problem we had with Cassie, always had an extendable line, not anymore and between that and harness, much better behaved dog

Lottie that's good If you can teach bite inhibition rather that shocking a puppy into stoping biting at all you will find it extreamly useful in years to come. I will give you an example...there have been occasion when my dogs have been ill or in pain and I have needed to carry out proceedures like changing dressings or moving an injured limb's these are times when a dog will bite through fear or pain but those who have been taught 'bite inhibition' mouth and do not sink their teeth in ..it becomes instinctive if they are taught as puppies .
I don't like extending leads I think they offer too little control. I suppose they have a place in 'giving freedom' in a park but I would use an ordinary lead to walk to and from the park and the extending lead as a 'line' in the park for play purposes rather than as a lead.

as far as the lead goes - i'm only using it in our garden when she would be let off lead but the walls haven't been built and when we go to the park because she's too young to have learnt recall.

for general walking i use a normal lead, or if i've already got extending lead on, i just keep it short and don't let it extend. she's constantly being taught heel very gently without making it too much just whenever she's walking next to me i say heel and praise her and if she does pull too much i stop and wait for her to come to me. then say heel, praise and start again. the difficulty isn't really with pulling it's with refusing to follow - she sits there as if to say 'no i don't want to come - ****** off'. at this point, i return to her side say heel, and start again, is this right - if not what should i do...

but the lead is only extended when she would be let off until she's learnt her recall. i know that they can cause problems with pulling later on so i am being very careful how i use it. it's just so unfair to make her play in the garden on a short lead.

Yep I agree it's not much fun trying to play on a short lead

The flexi is good for that but if it extends a long way I would use it with a harness rather than a collar.... if she forgets it's there and runs off at full speed it will be a bit of a painful jerk on the neck

Lottie if you want I can send you Archie's old lunge line and harness, the harness may still fit takara though not for long, but it will save you having to buy a really small one and only using it for a couple of weeks

The only thing is, I will need the harness and lunge line posted back next year for puppy number 2 If you don't mind doing that, PM me your address and I'll stick them in the post tomorrow

tuti - thanks very much i have sent you a pm.