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Check out the r/dogtraining/wiki for ideas/resources on how to train tricks and other skills.

Biting is very normal for a puppy. You want to work on bite inhibition and also teach her what is and isn't acceptable to play with. HANDS (or people) should NEVER be a toy. Wrestle playing can encourage prolonged inappropriate biting in puppies if you are primarily using your hands and encouraging rough play with your person. Your puppy will have a hard time knowing with it is 'appropriate' to bite/play with your person (or other people) and when it is not if you let the be an acceptable way of play. Luckily, with proper bite inhibition training, your puppy will reduce the pressure of her bites, but encourage her to play with and seek out TOYS, not hands, clothing or people.

There is a fine line between working on bite inhibition (which allows your puppy to nom on your hands) and actively encouraging biting (e.g: wrestling, shoving your hands in your puppies face to encourage play biting, etc) - you can use your hands for training skills (taking treats nicely, controlling bite pressure, etc) my point is not to encourage her to use your hands as TOYS. There is a big difference there. Continue to stop play (any play) if she bites you inappropriately hard. Remember to redirect to the desired activity, not to punish with yelling, pushing, hitting, etc. If she bits too hard you may yelp like a puppy would (this may overly excite some puppies - so pay attention to how your pup reacts), put your hands in your armpits, turn away or get up and move. Avoid using a crate for punishment or moving your puppy to a 'time out' as you are PUNISHING your puppy, which is not exactly what you want. You want your puppy to know fun stops when she does 'x' behavior, not that she is punished - she may not make the connection between her action and you dropping her in her crate (more than likely, she will start to associate being picked up with being put in her crate more so than she bit you too hard 30 - 60 seconds ago). The redirection or 'ignoring' correction should happen immediately after an undesired behavior.

Find a different outlet for play - if she likes to wrestle, find other puppies in her age group to play wrestle with (assuming she has all of her shots, etc). Teach her different games with toys that she likes. You can play tug, fetch, chase the toy (using something like a 'flirt pole'), hide and seek with toys and/or impulse control games (such as waiting for her to retrieve toys on cue - you can even teach her the names of her toys!).

Wrestling is kind of a training gray area. Some people REALLY like to wrestle with their dogs, but you need to remember that you are encouraging behaviors that you would not want your dog to repeat around strangers (and she will likely not make that distinction). Practice how you WANT her to behave around everyone in play and training so she will be able to make the right choices with everyone at any given time. If you MUST wrestle with your puppy, consider using some kind of cue to start and end that type of behavior to show her when it is OK and being very strict about her engaging in these types of behaviors when not paired with the cue. You can see how that can quickly become messy and confusing to a puppy, but if it is something you cannot give up, that is one solution to the problem.

Almost forgot about jumping up - this is also a very VERY normal behavior for dogs. It is an instinctual impulse and takes a lot of work to 'correct' but can be done. Start off by not letting your puppy get away with that behavior with YOU. If you come home and she jumps all over you excitedly, do NOT engage her. Turn away from her and ignore her completely - no eye contact, no verbal cues, nothing. Cross your arms and stare at the ceiling and wait. She will, eventually calm down and wonder why you arent responding - she will either stand calmly or sit (or maybe even lay down) - when she does one of these behaviors, you may calmly turn around and offer her a treat at muzzle level and/or calm, reinforcing attention ("good girl", petting her on her chest or back, etc - no "OH GOSH! HI PUPPY! HELLO!" Excitement or you will just amp her up again). If she jumps up as you turn around, turn back around again and wait - you usually only have to make this 'double correction' a couple times before she will catch on.

To transfer this behavior to other people, prime guests to your house with this exercise (and treats). Start out by inviting over some friends willing to help you out and run through the drill with them entering and exiting through different doors and repeat over the course of several days/weeks/whatever. If she knows that she must greet you with 4 on the floor, it will take much less time for her to transfer that greeting to others. If you can get her to greet with 4-on-the-floor to a hand full of people that do not live with you, she will likely start to transfer that behavior to others.

There are exercises you can do if she is overly excited while meeting people on walks, too, which use a very similar premise of setting her up for success (planting her at a distance she will likely not react to people walking by) and rewarding 4 on the floor. You gradually decrease the distance between her and the stimulus/trigger and fade out rewards as she becomes proficient and successful at each 'level'. Eventually, you can have people walk up to greet her (willing participants who have been prepped to help you with training - asking people at pet supply stores during a slow day is a great way to do it, or trainers/trainees at a training club you belong to. You can get your friends and family to help you at this level, too).

Lots of things you can do for all behaviors mentioned. She is a puppy so everything is new to her. She is just acting instinctually and is relying on you to show her what behaviors you prefer out of her (by making them rewarding). It takes time, patience and consistency, but if you practice for 3-5 minutes 3-5 times a day, you will have a very obedient pup in no time!

The basics (food, leash, collar, dishes, crate) will probably already be taken care of. I'd focus on training and positive dog-kid interaction, because it will set the stage for their relationship. If they're working together then it's easier to commit long term and be responsible, because it's enjoyable.

I guess it depends how much money are you looking to spend.

In the upper ranges, you could pay for a puppy kindergarten class (great for socialization, great for everyone involved).

Or maybe, a manners minder, a very effective training tool.

In the less expensive categories,

What about puzzle toys? They'll keep the puppy mentally stimulated, keep him quiet(er) when left alone, and give your family some peaceful breaks from the chaos. People need to destress too, in order to interact with dogs successfully.

• kong is a classic. Smear some peanut butter on the inside and it's like a puppy pacifier. Or, stuff it with mushy dog food and freeze it for an even longer lasting activity.
  
• JW treat ball is more active and will tire a puppy out. Treat balls are good for feeding kibble at mealtimes (no need to use dishes at every meal!).
  
  Maybe a portable dog water bottle/bowl for long walks? Something like this: gulpy water. That would encourage the idea of exercise and getting out and about, and also the idea that the puppy's well being and safety need to be accounted for.
  
  Books are a good idea too. It depends what his reading level is, and how much he enjoys reading. I wouldn't want to make puppy care tedious or a chore. There's a good training booklist here http://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/books. If you think those would be a bit too heavy for him, maybe a book of dog trick ideas would be fun.
  
  The sooner kids interact positively with a puppy, the better it will go in the long run. On that note, like flibbertygiblet said, a clicker, treat bag, and a bag of tiny stinky treats would be a great idea. If you go the clicker route, I'd recommend starting with a quiet one, so the puppy doesn't get startled at first. Kids and puppies can be a bit unpredictable, so better safe than sorry. I like the iClick model.
  
  
  

Wow aha. This sounds like my corgi puppy (female) a few weeks ago to a tee. She is now 15 weeks old.

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I know you already know what I am going to say, but the little habits will fall away pretty quickly as he gets used to his new surroundings! At least it happened that way for me!

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For the zero chill, I started forced nap times every 2 hours. She mellowed out pretty hard after that. They don't know how to self-regulate their sleep and a lot of the bratty behaviour is because they're overtired and overstimulated!

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The eating of everything seems to be a common tread as well.. unfortunately that one hasn't gone away for me yet - I hold her leash REALLY tight (or even her collar) while I pick up her poo to make sure she doesn't eat it - gross. Apparently they grow out of this .. still waiting. Also, snails have become the new best thing to eat.. ugh.

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As for the nipping, I found that yelling "OW!" really shrill and sharp, then storming away and closing the door behind me was super effective (and honestly kind of fun). My corgi is an attention fiend, so she learned pretty quick that nipping results in a loss of attention and play time.

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Lastly, my corgi pup did the EXACT same thing with her kibble.. I tried soaking it in broth, even that got boring. So, I got her a treat dispensing toy and I load up her entire meal into it, she now LOVES her kibble. Corgis love a challenge, they're smart dogs. Maybe give that a try? It's a $10 investment on Amazon (https://www.amazon.ca/Omega-Paw-Tricky-Treat-Orange/dp/B0002DK26M/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=omega%2Bpaw%2Bball&qid=1552483475&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1)

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Best of luck! And don't hesitate to message me with any corgi puppy problems!

> Can you suggest a puzzle feeder that works well?

I have had good luck with wobbler toys like the one the other user suggested. I got this ball which is super cheap and takes forever to get the food out of. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DK26M/ The downside of the ball is that it goes everywhere. The upside is that it holds a ton of food and is genuinely difficult to get kibble out of, even for me.

> Also, how do you freeze liquid in it? I tried to stuff the hole last night with PB and dry food and poor stock in there and it just drained right out

personally, I've never tried this. Off the top of my head, I might put some peanut butter in the bottom of a coffee mug, plug the small hole of the kong from the inside with about a tablespoon of peanut butter, put the small side of the kong into the peanut butter inside the coffee mug. In my mind this makes the kong stand up straight and makes a plug for the stock. Maybe freeze the peanut butter plug for an hour or so to help give it a good seal? Sounds difficult, but I can definitely see the appeal for a low-calorie long lasting treat.

> Also, how do I feed him for good behaviors? Anytime I get up he follows me so if he were playing by himself he would stop as soon as I moved, so would he still associate it with the good behavior?

this is where a clicker really comes in handy. first you "charge your clicker" by clicking and treating and clicking and treating until when he hears a click he expects a treat. Then you train with the clicker so you click as close to the moment that the dog takes a desired action as possible. So, for sit, right when the butt touches the ground. This helps to "mark" a behavior. Always give a treat for a click, but the click abstracts the marking of the behavior from the reward for the behavior. Once that is all well ingrained, being able to click for playing alone becomes way more possible.

> And if I had the food just sitting by me he wouldn't leave me alone because he knows it's there.

The clicker is great here too. Click for when he starts to ignore you, and then toss the food somewhere else (maybe his mat/towel that you are working on "go to mat" with?). Over time, he learns that ignoring you gets him good stuff too. This is hard for the human, to be both inattentive and giving attention, but it pays off like crazy.

Hope this helps. If you're interested in the clicker stuff, this is a good video to get started with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPDOrEEsAJ8&t=1m55s As a final piece of information, my first trainer was certified with the Karen Pryor academy, and I learned a ton from her. Good luck!

Hopping on here, I have a 5 mo Goldendoodle who did not do well with crate training at first. The woman we got him from suggested that many people had great success using Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Toy and it was an absolute game changer for us. Ollie has slept through the night (minus nights with belly aches), every night since. I would also recommend keeping the crate in your room with you, as others have suggested.

I also highly recommend Zak George’s videos on dog training, I read his book too, but the YouTube videos are extremely informational and worked really well for me when I needed help training Ollie.

For the puppy energy I took Ollie for lots of short walks, I live in Florida so the heat was a definite issue and I didn’t want to keep him out for too long, however, once he was walked he would nap for hours.

Apart from that, just give your puppy lots of love and patience and know it does get easier with time. I was pulling my hair out for the first month, almost two months with Ollie, but now, at month three, it’s like a switch has flipped. I can tell what he needs much more quickly than the first month and he’s much better about trying to communicate what he needs. Good luck OP!

Hello, I’ve got a golden too!! This is the link of the crate I’ve bought, the measures are in cm. It’s still perfect now he’s got 1 y old, we use it for long travels/holidays... my pup was very comfy in it and he didn’t complain once during our first travel together, it was 3 hours by car.

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B00QAVNWSK/ref=pe_3310731_185740161_TE_item_image

For Goldens fur I don’t advise you the furminator, breeder and groomer both told me that it ruins the undercoat. So I’d suggest you to buy just a comb and a cardator rake.
If you wash him by yourself search a good shampoo, and don’t buy the first one you find (my mistake) but better ask your groomer or breeder.
Goldens love to nip a lot, invest in good safe chews!!! My golden doesn’t care about chews that don’t smell, and didn’t care about plastic ones (but well every golden is different).
One last thing, subscribe to
r/goldenretriever and post there some cute pictures please!

It will get better soon! Trust me! I felt the same way you did 3 months ago. My pug puppy is 5 months old now and she is so much easier to handle than before!

I found that feeding my girl out of a treat ball was a great way for her to get physical exercise and also mental exercise. This is the one I got for her in the 3 inch option. There's a middle white portion that makes it harder to get kibble/treats out but I removed that until she got the hang of using it. It's so much fun to watch her bat the ball around the house and get her food out.

Keep up the training and be consistent. They say pugs are hard to potty train but if you keep up a routine it will really help! My girl lets me know when she needs to go now because she knows she will get a yummy high value treat when she potties outside.

I can't tell you how many times I almost gave up and regretted getting her. Now I feel so guilty for thinking that way because she truly makes me happy every single day. Good luck!

Sure!

The Buster Cube (I have this) is an awesome puzzle toy (this is the "large" version, be sure to check sizes). This is a little bit more difficult to use, as the hole that spits out the food is pretty small, and as the kibble gets to be lesser and lesser inside of the Cube, it's harder to get it out. It's cube-shaped (obviously), so pushing it around isn't all that easy, and your dog needs to be firm with it in order to get the food out. This isn't a good toy for linoleum, or hardwood - it's really only good on carpet.

The IQ Ball is awesome too! It is adjustable, which is cool, so you can make it easy at first, and more challenging as your pup gets better and better at it. This is probably a better choice for tile, linoleum, hardwood, etc.

The Bob-A-Lot is another good one. It's more challenging than the Kong Wobbler (again, check the size, I believe this one is a "large").

I also have this Busy Buddy toy for my dog. It's really really challenging for her. The rope has to go inside of it, and then the dog has to pull it out in order to get the food out. This one takes a bit of effort on your part, unless you think your pup can figure out how to push the rope in and then pull it out again.

There are also plenty of food dispensing toys like this one that force your dog to move "puzzle" pieces around to get the food underneath them!

Lots of options!

We got a snuggle puppy for our 11 week puppy and it has been a life saver!! You can find them on Amazon - Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C9YHFS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_AYGyybQW2BN5X

Has a heart beat in it and heating pad that will make him feel like he's with his litter mates. We used the heating pads at first but found them unnecessary and expensive to use on a daily basis since you would have to buy replacements often but may be good for such a young puppy to have the heat aspect as well. Recommend watching him with it first because there is velcro at the bottom to get where the fake heart it is so just make sure he can't chew it. Our puppy treat his like his littermate and loves it.

Learning about dogs and animal behaviour has moved on a lot since the 1970s. Unfortunately the Monks of New Skete have not moved on one iota. Please bury that book and get one of these, for instance:

• Puppy Start Right by Kenneth and Debbie Martin (Kindle Edition)
  
• Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy off Right by Dr Sophia Yin
  
• The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey
  
  I totally agree that building a good relationship with the dog is important, but then the MoNS recommend forms of physically punishing ('correcting') your dog or manipulating him to do stuff with the leash which would definitely undermine that good relationship.
  
  Tugging on the leash and barking at other dogs are indicators that your dog is stressed on the leash, and this is a common side effect of using the leash to control the dog (pops on the leash, pulling the dog with the leash into position, etc.). To have a pleasant experience of walking the dog, you want the leash to be relaxed at all times. Start by teaching off leash heeling at home, then in a quiet area such as a back yard, then go out into the street. My dog walks much nicer on a harness than on the collar, just an anecdotal tip. See r/dogtraining wiki for loose leash walking training step by step.
  
  Giving your dog lots of time to be comfortable around another dog at a distance is a good way to help with interactions. Keep both dogs on leash and walk in parallel for a bit, say 10 m apart, encouraging them both to sniff around rather than staring at each other. Then walk a bit closer, then a bit closer still, and move apart again and release them both about 10 m apart.

Ha! You triggered all three auto mod replies. That might be a record. :)

You are very very very much like I was. I spent nearly every free minute researching and reading and poring over forums and preparing and worrying I was missing something. The books and printouts I had were full of highlights and I had pages of notes.

Five months into puppy ownership, and I'm glad I did the research. We've had a few issues crop up here and there that I wasn't prepared for, but overall, I felt pretty confident and I think one of the reasons I didn't get puppy blues is because I expected all the difficulties (and knew how to manage the puppy's environment). I was prepared for no sleep and had a plan set up to sleep in the living room with the puppy so the lack of sleep wasn't too bad (if you can alternate with your fiance, you'll both be much happier).

If you want more reading check out Before and After Getting Your Puppy. I found it complimented "Perfect Puppy" really well (although note he has some overly dramatic warnings like 'if your puppy doesn't learn bite inhibition by 12 weeks it's all over' when in reality most puppies are working on that for much longer - don't stress about timelines too much, with the exception of the socialization timeline).

The best advice I can give you is KEEP UP WITH THE PROTOCOL. We read all the books and had the "dog is either crated, in the x-pen, or leashed to us" thing going, but stopped it way too early (got lazy, honestly) and we're having to backwards a little now. Remember, if a dog never learns to chew on furniture because he never has a chance, it's much more likely that he never will. If he never learns to bark at passing dogs, it's more likely he never will. If he's used to being crated or separated from you, it's more likely he'll never develop separation anxiety. Literally everything you do is teaching your puppy something - make sure it's what you want him to learn. And it's far easier to teach the right behavior than to UNLEARN the wrong behavior and THEN teach the right behavior.

Every dog is different! This is just a rough list, but hopefully some of these things will entertain your puppy:

• A good tug toy. Either a rope or something long and durable (we use braided sheepskin) that your puppy can get ahold of without putting your hands at risk for chomps.
  
  
• A couple tennis balls and a chucker. 99% of dogs love tennis balls.
  
  
• A soft stuffing-free plush toy for them to carry around and cuddle. Stuffing-free so you don't have to worry about them swallowing anything. Bonus if it has a squeaker.
  
  
• A couple puzzle toys. I personally like Starmark's puzzle toys, in particular the Pickle Pocket and the [Bob-a-lot] (https://www.amazon.com/StarMark-Bob-Lot-Interactive-Large/dp/B001JQLNB4/ref=pd_sim_199_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GGKBW1XCD9KTGNVHJRHB).
  
  
• A chew. They sell puppy-safe plastic chews that are probably best for dogs under 5-6 months. Once he is old enough you could try him on bully sticks or twizzies.
  
  
• Bonus toy that provides a different texture/movement/challenge for your dog. Maybe one of those really tough toys made out of firehose material, or a wood burl, or ?? Some dogs just like empty water bottles.
  
  

My 8 week old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (closely related to Goldens) was not a fan of the crate at all. We'd put her in there, even if she was tired, and she'd start whining up to a half hour.

I read about the Snuggle Puppy and the reviews on Amazon seemed too good to be true, but I wanted her to have an easier time and $30 seemed worth a shot. So, we got her this and honestly, it helps so much. The newer model comes with a heart that has an 8 hour setting, a continuous setting (runs until battery dies) and off.

So, what we do now is throw in some Freeze Dried Beef Liver Treats (the Ferrari of dog treats) in her Kong, top it off with some peanut butter and put that in the crate with her Snuggle Puppy. She'll go in there, work on her Kong and lay down. Once she lays down we cover the front of her cage with a blanket or towel to reduce some of the light and she goes to sleep with nary a whimper. It's been working day or night. It definitely comforts her. I highly recommend it.

Not sure if this allowed couldn’t find anything in about section that prohibits sharing links but here ya go!

Nina Ottoson Outward Hound Dog Brick Treat Puzzle Dog Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711Y9XTF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dzNPDbQ0N6AW1


PAW5: Wooly Snuffle Mat - Feeding Mat for Dogs (12" x 18") - Encourages Natural Foraging Skills - Easy to Fill - Fun to Use Design - Durable and Machine Washable - Perfect for Any Breed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1FV55I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dANPDbB4NDWAG

The last thing we did was get tennis balls and a muffin tin, filled a few with treats and covered the muffin slots with the balls to have her sniff them out.

And the easiest is to hide treats and have her sniff them out throughout the house.

Here's my list:

Kong - you can stuff it with peanut butter or canned dog food (and even freeze it!) to give to your pup. Super helpful for crate training and just for keeping the pup busy for a couple minutes.

Kibble ball like this one - keeps the pup from scarfing down it's whole meal in 20 seconds. Also - you can enjoy your coffee in the morning without worrying what the pup is getting up to.

Training treats (eg Zuke's) are great for clicker training - they're small so your pup doesn't get too many calories from training sessions

Harness and long lead (30 feet or so) - really handy for tiring the pup out. You can walk through a park/field or whatever, and the pup can zoom around and get some of their puppy fuss out.

Nature's Miracle for accidents - it's an enzymatic cleaner and works really well for getting the smell out of the carpet (and keeping them from viewing that spot as a bathroom next time!)

For the toys - it's really helpful to split them into 2-3 groups, and rotate which group is out every week or so. Otherwise they can get bored of all their toys

*This article is my go-to for crate training. It has lots of ideas for games to build up a positive association with the crate, and helps you work up to leaving the pup alone.

Along with what everyone else has said, I would recommend this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C9YHFS/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_s_awd_d_YawFxb1PW070M

It's a stuffed animal that has a fake heart inside which vibrates like a heart beat. My puppy loved this! It gave her a little "friend" to snuggle with in her crate. It even comes with a hand warmer you can shove inside too, to simulate a warm puppy to snuggle with. That and treats, a toy, anything to make it a happy place! Try to feed meals in the crate too. Start with the door open, as the pup goes inside further and is more comfortable you can shut the door and let him out when he's finished eating.

I think Kongs are a good start.

I think with young puppies though, depending on their food drive and motivations, they may or may not take to puzzle toys early, so don't feel badly if it's too much for them.

We actually didn't start our dog on puzzle feeders for any "intelligence" benefit - she had super high food drive and kept eating quickly without chewing, vomiting out her meal, then eating her vomit, so we bought a slow feeder bowl which was perfect for her at 4 months old. We fed her out of frozen-solid Kongs in the morning starting when she was 5 months old to help curb her separation anxiety, and then eventually bought a Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble. Even on the easiest settings, she struggled quite a bit as a puppy so we cut down the stoppers to make the flow easier. When she got better at the game, we re-bought the toy and made it substantially more difficult.

My younger dog, a Samoyed, actually doesn't eat out of toys. He has a lesser food drive and while he'll occasionally eat out of a toy, he prefers to just eat his food and work for better snacks (i.e. training for high value treats), so figuring out what your future dog's preferences are is definitely going to be something you'll have to do as your dog grows up. This dog did not eat out of Kongs until he was about 6 months old, either. He's just as smart, just not as insanely food driven as my first dog!

Start as soon as possible! :) We started with his name. When we said his name if he looked at us, he got a treat. Then, sit was very easy to teach. Hold a piece of kibble in front of his face, then put it towards his head but above his head. If he backs up instead of sitting down, gently nudge his butt towards the ground with your other hand. We taught our pup to sit in less than a week with that method, and he was around the same age as yours. Just be diligent, and very consistent. Make him sit for everything, you will thank yourself later.

The book my husband and I read, which helped a LOT with training is called Before and After Getting Your Puppy. I HIGHLY recommend it!! Worth more than any other dog/puppy book I have ever read.

I want to second Sophia Yin's book Perfect puppy in 7 days.

About the chewing. You have lots of toys for her which is awesome. If you're not doing this now you may want to try rotating the toys in and out so she doesn't get bored with any of them and continue to redirect like you're doing already. Also, a nice thing for a teething puppy to chew on are frozen things - my pup likes frozen carrots, I think it feels good on their gums. I've also heard about freezing a washcloth and letting them chew on it, that might feel good too. Keep it up, it sounds like you're doing great!

Kongs are the simplest and its really easy to "level up". Start by just putting in dry kibble, then wet kibble, then freeze the wet kibble and seal up the big hole with yogurt or peanut butter. Then you can layer it so its frozen wet kibble, cheese, kibble, yogurt, kibble, peanut butter etc. It'll start taking longer and longer to get everything out. My pup loves the Kong Wobbler too! Not only does it tire him out, but it spreads out his meal so he doesn't eat it as fast. Same with the IQ ball. The puzzle board was great for awhile but then got too easy for him. Snuffle mats are pretty easy to DIY too if you don't want to fork over the money to buy a real one.

SO and I keep our pup in an open area and just keep tabs on him, which inevitably results in a lot of us saying "stop chewing on the chair, stop chewing on the plant." So I feel you there.

If we need time where we can't watch him constantly (folding laundry, for example) we'll put him in his enclosed space, usually with something to chew on. Sometimes he barks at us or lays on top of the couch and stares at us like, "uh, guys? You forgot to let me out..." It's definitely not his favorite but sometimes it's necessary. If we really need him to be occupied we give him a bully stick; we might as well not exist when he has one of those.

As for toys, my dog loves his frizbee, his Chuck-it! ball (we can't give him regular tennis balls because he eats the fuzz off, but the Chuck it balls are pretty sturdy), and rope toys, which he can only have if we're around. Currently we have a Flossy rope toy and the Kong Tugga Wubba. He also has a few rubber chewy bones, which have held up to his chewing so far. Amazon seems to have better prices for toys than anywhere else I've found. The Flossy rope toy is huge and it cost me like $3, I think?

Another thing that keeps him occupied is a wobbling food dispenser, which another poster suggested and I also highly recommend. It makes dinner time a little more interesting for him and lets you do your own thing for a bit. We have one of these. You can adjust how difficult it is by adjusting the two openings in the toy.

Do you rotate toys out? If I introduce a new toy I always put one away and don't bring it out again for a few weeks; he goes nuts for ones he hasn't had in awhile.

[This food toy ](StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Pet Toy, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JQLNB4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9lN9ybXY00DZT) I love everything about it: pup learned how to use it quickly, it's easy to clean, holds enough food for each meal.

I can change how fast it dispenses the food depending on kibble size and how difficult I want to make it. Keeps my pup entertained for about 20 minutes which is great in the morning while I get ready for my day. I've recommended it to many friends and have never had a complaint.

Fetch, like others have mentioned and basically just letting him chase me or my bf around. The biggest help we've had is giving him his food in a ball (I'm on mobile, hope that worked.) We give his entire meal at night in one and it can make a HUGE difference.

Edit: We also have been doing a lot of training with him, which definitely keeps his brain engaged and focused.

Hey man two weeks ago I was in the exact same situation you are. My GSD is a male and 14 weeks now. Since two weeks ago his mouth has gotten extremely softer. He still has an outburst here and there and I do lose my temper sometimes, but if its one thing this little guy has taught me, it's patience. I was at the end of my rope just like you guys and figured I would give it just a little more time and I have seen a huge difference in him in those two weeks. They don't call German Shepherd puppies land sharks for no reason. Now potty training is another thing....

Also, he does try to assert his dominance over me but thats become less frequent as well. He just wants to be a leader, you can tell. He used to hump me, got his first red rocket at 10 weeks, started marking at 12ish weeks (doesn't even lift his leg yet), so I can tell that if I'm not confident and assertive that he's just going to be a hassle to not only myself but others. You have to show him that those are your children and are more important that he is. One nice thing though is that he rarely barks and when he does I remove him from the situation.

Oh and I don't exercise him every day because of those damn hips, but I do play with him a lot. It helps that I currently stay at home all day but that's not going to last for too much longer so we'll see what happens afterwards.

Anyways, this turned out into a bit of a rant but if you want to talk just shoot me a PM or something.


Edit: Get her one of these! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042I5G2I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's like the best thing in the world to him. I'm also using it to teach him drop it so it works out. Only thing is he loves to chew on the chew toy and the rope so be careful with that or it'll come apart. Nothing some duck tape won't fix though, I hope.

I mean, it could be a great option inside and out. It's really going to be personal preference when it boils down to it. Pads look and feel too much like blankets and carpets, so it might be harder to keep the puppy from having a tinkle on those items. I love the grass pad, it was far, far easier to train him to use. My last dog used pads in his pen, since he was a Pomeranian and needed frequent walks (I worked 10 hours a day at that point.) The only thing with the grass is that it does smell after a couple uses, the grass can be removed and the tray and other parts can be cleaned (if you opt for that one). The grass is what really really stinks - I have been thinking of buying a second one so I could soak the grass and clean it while I have the extra out.

If it helps, the item is -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ICVHY5I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I found some of the comments useful in my decision to use the grass pad.

I think what will help is if your husband does a little reading so he knows what to expect moving forward, and how best to behave so your little pup grows into a well-adjusted adult dog. Here are two book recommendations:

Ian Dunbar's After You Get Your Puppy (available online for free!)

Sophia Yin's Perfect Puppy in 7 Days

You can also pick up any other book by these two stellar dog trainers. They are force-free dog trainers and I would trust everything they say.

Bonus: Here's a socialization checklist that you can use to make sure you're exposing the puppy to everything necessary before the socialization window closes in a few weeks. If your puppy hasn't already met 100+ new dogs and humans, you need to get on that asap.

I don't know about switching to adult food for large breed dogs but we just bought a puzzle treat dispenser for our 12 wk old corgi that we use to feed him dinner and we love it!

It has different difficulties to control how much work the dog has to do to get kibble out and it keeps our puppy engaged and focused mealtimes for 30 minutes or so.

Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Inches-Colors/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469584755&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+iq+toys

I bought a 4 inch one and it fits a little under a cup of kibble.

We see you may be posting about Resource Guarding. This is when dogs vocalize (growling, barking), or use more physical means (biting, air snaps, lunging and so forth) to convince us or other dogs to stay far away from their valuable resource. The resource could be a mere piece of kibble, a bully stick or chew, a chair, a piece of trash, a bed, a toy, a person, or any object the dog deems of high value. All dogs may guard to an extent, since they innately do not know how to share. They view all resources mentally as "Mine, mine and only mine!". Resource Guarding is a rather common behavior that dog owners face to one extent or another. We wanted to supply you with some wonderful resources on this topic, but be aware that management and proactive learning will be needed.

• Patricia McConnell Other End of the Leash blog, Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention
  
• Whole Dog Journal, Key term search Resource Guarding
  
• Mine!: A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding by Jean Donaldson
  Should the issue stay the same or worsen despite your best attempts, please do not hesitate to contact a professional, reputable, positive reinforcement trainer, or better yet, a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist (US Directory here), you are absolutely not alone in dealing with resource guarding.
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I have an 8 month Yorkie is pretty high energy but not as a high as a husky mix. First thing I’d suggest is mental stimulation games. Our trainer in class last week taught us a very simple one where you can use Amazon box and put them down and place treats inside. It teaches them to sniff them out. We also gave our boy a treat puzzle ball, which has been a GOD. SEND.

However, the best thing for physical exercise to wear them out is this Tail Tease toy. We can’t use it with our boy right now (just got fixed 3 days ago) but, last weekend when it was stupid hot outside and we couldn’t do longer walks, this thing wore his butt out within 10 minutes. I can’t recommend it enough.

I hope it works for you! And always be sure to wait for a period of time (at least 2-3 minutes of quiet has been my rule) after he stops making noise entirely before you let him out. There needs to be a long enough period of quiet so he understands that being quiet is what is getting him out, not making noise.

Another thing that might help is covering the crate with a sheet to keep the puppy covered up. Seeing a big open room around himself while he is alone might scare him. He might feel a bit safer if he is "hidden" in a smaller space.

I actually tried it for the first time this morning when my pup started crying when I re-crated her after her bathroom break at 5am. She stopped crying after probably less than a minute of being covered and she was dead silent until I got up for work at 7:30am. I wish I had tried it sooner, and I hope it continues to be successful tonight...

At the very least, it should help prevent her from seeing my cats walking around free in the middle of the night and start crying as a result.

One more thing I will be trying once it arrives tomorrow from Amazon is a snuggle puppy... It is a bit on the expensive side, but I am thinking it might help for my puppy. She really prefers to cuddle up in peoples laps to go to bed instead of in her crate or the floor, so I am hoping that having something in the crate with her that is warm and has a "heartbeat" will help soothe her.

I have a 7 week old Goldendoodle and bought a SmartPet Suggle Puppy (Smart Pet Love Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Brown Mutt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000C9YHFS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LDuExb6FDJ7J1). They have a heartbeat and a place for a warming pack, really helped my little guy I think. He snuggles with it every night and seems to love it. It was expensive, but I feel it was worth the splurge!

I did towels in the crate since I worried about potty training, but my guy has been awesome and had no accidents. Just make sure to take them out often (I do every hour when he's awake!) and take away food/water at least an hour before bed.

Good luck!! Stay patient with crate training, it's been my biggest obstacle so far.

> Your weekend ignore training regime, was that again in an x pen? Where you frequently went in/out of the room but not pen?
>
>

My puppy is a 16 week old Indian pariah mix that we've had since she was 12 weeks (though separated from her mother at <6 weeks, since that's the age the fosters found her at as a lost stray). The breed is known for its social playing, intelligence, but is also not big on cuddling.

I don't have an X-pen, but we do have a puppy gate: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089HDZYY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that has been a lifesaver.
Cords have been moved behind big furniture, like the couch, where she can't reach them.

My dog has a lot of food-toys and chews.

Food ball: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKU0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bob-a-lot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YHB8EI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

"Wood" stick we use to lure her away from tempting wooden furniture legs:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0754P3NSC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Solo-playing works best with toys that make a noise or move on their own (at least for my puppy). We've found a hard golf ball that noisily rolls across the floor (debatable whether this is a good idea; right now our puppy is too small to fit it fully in her mouth, let alone choke on it, but it's definitely hard enough that I worry she might break a tooth. But no signs of aggressive chewing yet), but she also likes other balls and stuffed toys (which she just takes in her mouth and shakes about wildly).

IMO, the food-dispensing toys are a must-have.

We also leave her dog bed and crate available in this space, and a blanket on the floor, that she likes to sit on while she chews.

Weekend training regime is the same as anything else. Dog in the living room, living room closed off with puppy gate so she can't follow us out, and is in a relatively puppy-proofed space, and toys and chews left strewn about.

She mostly sleeps through the day, now, knowing we won't engage with her playing. If she's being too noisy or needy, I'll leave her alone in the puppy-gated living room and work in another room.

I hope this helps!

The Resource Guarding Bot didn't trigger so I will link it to you below:

> Hello, we see you may be posting about Resource Guarding. This is when dogs vocalize (growling, barking), or use more physical means (biting, air snaps, lunging and so forth) to convince us or other dogs to stay far away from their valuable resource. The resource could be a mere piece of kibble, a bully stick or chew, a chair, a piece of trash, a bed, a toy, a person, or any object the dog deems of high value. All dogs may guard to an extent, since they innately do not know how to share. They view all resources mentally as "Mine, mine and only mine!". Resource Guarding is a rather common behavior that dog owners face to one extent or another. We wanted to supply you with some wonderful resources on this topic, but be aware that management and proactive learning will be needed.

Patricia McConnell Other End of the Leash blog, Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention

Whole Dog Journal, Key term search Resource Guarding

Mine!: A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding by Jean Donaldson

Should the issue stay the same or worsen despite your best attempts, please do not hesitate to contact a professional, reputable, positive reinforcement trainer, or better yet, a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist (US Directory here), you are absolutely not alone in dealing with resource guarding.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Anyways, discipline is NOT to way to go and will prolong and worsen the issue.

Aw man! That stinks! A great way to tire out your dog is mentally as well, with puzzle toys. So kongs are great, also this toy: https://www.amazon.com/OurPets-Smarter-Interactive-Treal-Colors/dp/B003ARUKU0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486501019&sr=8-3&keywords=puppy+puzzle+toys and also practicing tricks and training with them can make them wiped.

As for the biting, I suggest setting up a play pen in an area with no toys or anything inside it. It's puppy jail! And the second they bite you, they go in puppy jail, and you don't acknowledge them for 15 seconds. Then take them back out. Bite you? Back in puppy jail. It's exhausting, but they will soon understand that biting = puppy jail time and no play time.

Good luck!!

Good news is the more food-motivated a dog is, often the easier they are to train.

In addition to making sure your dog does whatever "calm" behavior you want before giving the food (sit, lay down, go to a special place) - I'd strongly consider feeding her via a Bobble, Kong, or puzzle toy.

This will slow down her eating process, help digestion (so she's not scarfing food down in a single gulp, and if she's super-active may provide mental stimulation akin to a long walk or session of fetch.

When my dog was a puppy we used the Bobble and puzzle toys on rainy days when he couldn't get a lot of exercise outside and they worked wonders on exhausting him without physical exercise.

How old is your pup? If the dog has adult teeth, try getting a deer antler. They are a renewable, non-staining, long-lasting chew toy and my Papillon loves them. She also loves her kong stuffed with peanut butter or dog food or cheese and any of the prior combinations but she won't really chew on anything aside from the antler. If she doesn't have one or can't find hers for a couple days, I find that anything in the house becomes at risk for chewing and she's 2+ years old. You could also try this with some food or hard treats inside just to keep the pup busy. Hope that helps! EDIT: If you find that keeping the dog in sight is an issue, leashing the pup and keeping them tethered to you with a carabiner to a belt loop helps a ton!

My puppy loves this one and the difficulty is adjustable. Easy to clean too!

OurPets Smarter Toys Interactive IQ Treat Ball Dog Toy (Colors may vary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ARUKTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ZQvmybAZCEFXN

Hey there,
So your dog sounds like someone who would really love puzzle toys. They are toys that can keep dogs occupied for a while since the way the toy administers treats really varies so the dog will keep at it. A good one that isn't too expensive that my dog loves is this one from amazon. It has an adjustable hole so you can control how often food/treats will come out of the ball. Just keep in mind it's made out of a hard plastic so it may make noise when it gets knocked into things. If this concerns you, another toy I would suggest is this one which is also on amazon. It's a little more expensive but it does the same thing as the first one I listed and it has rubber bumpers around it so it won't make as much noise. Hope this helps!

• xpen/baby gates
  
  
• mushers secret
  
  
• comb/brush/demat comb depending on the breed
  
  
• puppy shampoo + conditioner
  
  
• poop bags and dispenser
  
  
• paper towels
  
  
• an extra crate bed for when one gets dirty
  
  
• blankets to cover the crate
  
  
• If your pup is nervous the first couple nights Snuggle Puppy Heartbeat toy
  
  
• bitter apple spray
  
  
• child outlet plug protectors + stuff to protect your cords (like tubing)
  
  
• outside coat if it's cold
  
  
• nail clippers (we initially bought a dremel, but the pliers style works much better for us)
  
  
• dog tooth brush and toothpaste
  
  
• crash tested crate or harness
  
  
• pet insurance
  
  
• chew toys like bully sticks/Honest Kitchen Beams/pig ears/antlers
  
  
• pee cleaner (Anti Icky Poo works better than Nature's Miracle, IMO)
  
  
• ID tag
  
  
• Flea/worms/tick meds --> talk to you vet about these