Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

PUPPY CARE

How can I determine if my dog is just acting like a \"puppy\" or is too excitable or disobedient?

Many excitable and rowdy behaviors that we see in puppies will diminish with time and proper early training (see Principles of Teaching and Training Dogs). The unruly dog is one that continues to be difficult for the owner to manage past puppyhood, or 6 to 9 months. Up until this age, puppies may also be excitable, difficult to control, or hard to train, but this would likely not be considered excessive when one considers normal puppy behavioral development and the time required to adequately train. 

The excitable, unruly, or disobedient dog would be one that after sufficient attention to training, still does not respond to commands, will not walk nicely on a leash, jumps on people, continually barks for attention, steals things or generally wreaks havoc on the household. The problem is compounded in large dogs because of their size.

Do dogs get "attention deficit disorder" or can they be "hyperactive"?

While a hyperactivity disorder likely does exist in dogs, it is rare. Dogs that are hyperactive, also called hyperkinesis or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can be diagnosed by veterinary examination and testing. Dogs with a hyperactivity disorder are difficult to train, respond poorly to tranquilization, may exhibit repetitive behaviors such as incessant barking or circling, may have gastrointestinal disorders, and can be extremely resistant to restraint. If these dogs do have attention deficit disorder, they may respond paradoxically to amphetamine type drugs.

"Most cases however, are simply overly energetic dogs that may not be getting sufficient exercise and routine ..."

This means that instead of getting more excitable when given amphetamines, these dogs tend to calm down and become more focused for training. Most cases however, are simply overly energetic dogs that may not be getting sufficient exercise and routine to their day, or who are being accidentally rewarded when they act excitedly 

How can I prevent my puppy from becoming a disobedient dog?

Appropriate, frequent, and regularly scheduled exercise sessions, providing appropriate outlets for normal behaviors, along with an early start to training can go a long way to preventing most unruly behaviors. Waiting to train your puppy until it is 6 months of age can often let these disobedient behaviors take hold. With early training, excitable puppies can often have their behavior channeled in the correct direction. A puppy must consistently be taught the rules and expectations of the family. 

Asking the puppy to sit for things and teaching the puppy how to relax and settle in a safe location help the puppy learn the rules of the home and self-control. See Play and Exercise, Principles of Teaching and Training Dogs, House Training, Training – Sit, Down, Stand and Stay,  Training – “Come,” “Wait,” and “Follow”,   Learn to Earn – Predictable Rewards, Teaching Calm – Settle and Relaxation Training and Learning. By providing a daily routine with sufficient exercise, chewing outlets and training, and teaching the puppy the behaviors that will earn it rewards (learn to earn), most puppies will soon grow out of their problems.

I have tried training my dog without success. What went wrong?

• Many owners may have tried traditional obedience training without success. Your dog may still jump on people, bark incessantly and defy commands.
• In many cases, the issue is that the dog has not learned what you want him to do instead.

Attempting to reprimand all the misbehavior will be ineffective. When you remove a behavior from the animal's repertoire, it will be replaced with something else. In addition, punishment is intended to teach the dog what not to do, and may make the pet fearful which could lead to avoidance (flight), freezing, or aggression (fight). Instead your goal should be to train and reinforce the behavior that you want your dog to exhibit, or to prevent the undesirable behavior if you are unable to supervise and train. Therefore, the key to changing excitable and disobedient dogs into calmer, better-behaved pets is to reinforce calm, settled behavior rather than punishing what you don't want.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking