Help with pup *GSP* (new question 3 12/3/10)

[ekoog82]

I appreciate all the information about the kennel and thought I would just start another post to help along the way with questions I may have so that I do not have to start new threads each time.

The first question is how do you stop the jumping? we have two children (3 and 1) and the pup always jumps on them and knocks them down. He also jumps on us as he seems excited. I dont mind it now as he is a pup but want to make sure this does not continue as he gets older. I typically will help him down and tell him "off". Any suggestions?

Also how long can I expect him to continue the barking in kennel? he does it just a few minutes after we have put him in there.

[Greg Jennings]

I appreciate all the information about the kennel and thought I would just start another post to help along the way with questions I may have so that I do not have to start new threads each time.

The first question is how do you stop the jumping? we have two children (3 and 1) and the pup always jumps on them and knocks them down. He also jumps on us as he seems excited. I dont mind it now as he is a pup but want to make sure this does not continue as he gets older. I typically will help him down and tell him "off". Any suggestions?

Also how long can I expect him to continue the barking in kennel? he does it just a few minutes after we have put him in there.

Ignore the dog when they jump, give them attention when they approach with "four on the floor". Two other things:
1. Ignore the pup, but also use one foot to sweep one of the pup's rear feet out to the side till they fall over.
2. When the pup is big enough, when the pup jumps up, hold a paw in each hand and do so till pup wants down...then keep holding till pup is really not liking it.

So, basically, reward the desirable behavior and make the bad behavior unrewarding.

Greg J

[ekoog82]

Ok, so I have been working on some of the basic commands and so far he has a good understanding for the most part of come and sit. The issue I am having is that he will not listen all the time. This is mainly with the sit. What can I do to have him do this even when we are not using the food when he trains?

[snips]

Go back and read archives on teaching pointing dogs Sit.....You can encourage pups to stay down without sitting:)

[ekoog82]

Is my pup to young to teach stay? I tried a little tonight and he just seemed to want the treat and not focus on the command he was learning.

He will be 12 weeks this Thursday.

[anb]

GSP's are really smart, but I think the hardest commands with them will be stay and heel. 12 weeks is pretty young, so don't overdo it. They are always a million miles an hour, sometimes it even seems like they are trying to go slower, but physiclly cant.
Andrea

[ezzy333]

Your puppy has the mental development of a year old child. We don't really start teaching a child to drive till he is a teenager. Work on whatever you want to teach as far as manners go and wait til next summer to woryy about the hunt training other than take the pup for walk and let it explore the fields and get to know how to act around other people. Remember, your pup is just a pup right now and it will be a little while before the pup starts learning it is a hunting dog. Your job is simply to provide an opportunity for the pup to learn.

Ezzy

[Tall Boy]

Forget about sit and stay, you don't want that. At this age the number one most important thing is taking him for long walks in the woods. This is the time when you bond with him, so that as he gets older he'll hunt for you and not himself. At this age he doesn't want to be away from you for too long, and it's the perfect time to get him to change directions with you, quarter and stay to the front. Once he gets moving pretty good turn your walking 45 degrees and give him a "hup", he should haul A$$ to get back around to you, keep doing this throughout your walks. You're accomplishing a lot with these walks at this age, and your pup will probably never learn as much as he does during these outings.

Sit and stay is worthless for a pointer so stop teaching it or you'll have a dog that wants to sit when it's shy. You'll need to teach whoa, but that comes later...just enjoy your pup while he's a pup.

[Sprig]

Go back and read archives on teaching pointing dogs Sit.....You can encourage pups to stay down without sitting:)

+1
i usually recommend the sitting technique except for pointing dogs, that can make it harder to teach whoa down the road.

[Chukar12]

My .02 on the most effective “jumping on folks” deterrent is the chain gang. Put pup on it...when you approach and the dog jumps, you step away. Never let the dog off until it stands up and stands still...have the kids and wife "play" this game with the dog on the lawn and it will be no time until the pup realizes that jumping begets a negative response, and you never have to touch the dog or say a word.

[ekoog82]

appreciate the feed back and have given up on the sit and whoa for now. At what age should I start to work with him as I dont want to wait until its to late?

I am still working on this potty training, he can go almost all night while we sleep and not potty but we go to bed late (11p) and get up pretty early (4a) but as soon as we get up and go down the steps he pees and cant wait till we get to the door. We can also take him out and have him potty and come back in for about 30 min and bam, he pees. What can I do or is it just going to take more time? I feel like I am failing as a gun dog puppy owner.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!!!

[Tall Boy]

You could start some basic operant type stuff now, when he's stops moving say "whoa...good boy". No corrections for now, all your doing is starting the process of him associating "whoa" with being still. You're not telling him to "whoa", just telling him that being still is "whoa"...if that makes sense.

[anb]

I agreee with Tall Boy about basic conditioning. Just making connections between what he is doing and what you say is a great foundation. Don't feel like you are failing!!! One of the hardest things for me to learn whe I got my pup was not to expect too much of her, or for her to preform every time after she had done something a few times. Patience is the key. They will figure it out, and best not to be too hard on them as younsters, worry about bonding right now. Once you establish a good bond, you will be able to read eachother and communicate with eachother better.

Potty training tip: what worked for me was to tie a bell to the door handle so the dog can reach it. Ring the bell each time you open the dooor. Pup will associate bell ringing with going out to pee. Show him how to ring the bell with his nose or paw, then he can ring it when he wants to go out. If he has to go out during the night it might even wake you up in time to avoid an accident. It worked great for me. Although once she got older, we had to take the bell down since she would just ring ring ring whenever we were not paying attention to her. They catch on pretty quick!
Andrea

[ekoog82]

Ok, a couple of new questions..... 1. when should the pup be fully potty trained? He has come a long way, but still have times where he gives no sign and will just go. 2. How do I stop him from HUMPING?? He only tries to hump our lab/retriever mix (who is also a male). 3. What tips do you have to keep him off the table and cabinets?? Huge deal when he sneaks food from my kids plate.

[ultracarry]

Fully potty trained is depending on how much you keep him in the house. Mine was at about 3-4 months.

Mine is a female and she was humping all of her toys for 9 -10 months.

As for counter surfing good luck. I haven't stopped that. I'm just lucky she has not learned how to open the fridge. I think the best thing to do is kennel them out during the day and they learn to pee there.