Seekings Moms Who Can Help with Puppy Traning

When the kids come home, have them take a few minutes to sit with her and give her some affection. She is excited because she missed them!!! Another thought may be to put the puppy in her crate or a gated off area until the children have had time to put their school stuff away and unwind a bit. Then when they are ready, they can have some play time with her!

Good luck!!

T.
Winston Salem, NC

Get Cesar Milan's book. "The Dog Whisperer".... it really works!!! My Shih Tzu was 1 and 1/2 when we broughtmy daughter home from the hospital... up until that point he had been a calm, well trained dog. He went crazy... very hyper. Cesar's calm assertive techniques REALLY worked.

Hounds need a job. Does your family hike or hunt of participate in any doggy sports? (agility Obedience etc.) I would get started with an obedience class or have the kids work her every day. Keep her on a leash in the house so you can correct her when she misbehaves. Also , have the kids ignore her when they come home. She does not get atention til she is calm (the leash helps there too..Step on the leash if she is jumping.) Always reward good behavior. Hope this helps. Check out the kennel clubs in the area. They are a great resource and offer obedience classes at a reasonable price. Your children are at a great age where they can participate and really get involved!

I have 2 daughter 4 years and 1 year. I have a 12 yr old lab/border collie, a 5 yr old rescue greyhound, and an 8 month old doberman.

S.,

Airborne! I'm an Army vet.

If you haven't already read up on coonhounds, you may want too. They are best outside dogs, but bark incessantly. I highly recommend crate training. I'm afraid you've got about 2 years of "puppydom" and 5-10 years before she settles down. We have a border collie who has to constantly stay busy, give the dog something to do like a bone, job, toys, etc.

I've lived all over the world and had animals all my life. We have 8 now. Worse case scenario, if the coonhound is not the right breed for your family, just find a good family for the dog. This is probably not the advice you desired.

Kat Volandt ____@____.com

Teach her to sit when she greets people & your kids. If all you say if "off" and "no" then she never learns what you do want, only what you don't want. Kinda frustrating. If my baby is coloring the fridge and I tell her no she just feels frustrated. If I say "here's some paper, color this" she knows what to do and can be confident and relaxed about it. Get it?
Also, there is a handy little command called "go to place". It means go to your bed, lie down, stay and relax and what you want will come your way. Let me know if you want to know how to teach it. My dogs go to place when the doorbell rings automatically. They know I am not opening the door until they do, so there's no arguing about it. It's a lifesaver for hyper dogs!
K.

Hi S..
We have trained many puppies so hopefully I can help you with some advice. However, each puppy (like children!) is different. When your children come home from school try having the puppy outside or crated. Give the puppy a chance to see that they are home and be excited and then let the children play with him. Outside works best. If puppy jumps simply say NO! DOWN! And take her paws off the person she is jumping on. Praise her when she does stay down. Aldso, sitting on the floor helps if you are inside or stooping down to the puppy's level will help with jumping. She obviously loves the children and that is great. She will calm down as well. Our latest pup drove us crazy the first year. It is amazing how much calmer she is now that she is one and a half years old. HTH!
M.
M.

Hi S., we have a new Siberian Husky puppy and we have her in her crate when we all come home but we have also put her on her leash and when she jumps we jerk her down with the leash and give treats when she sits calmly. Good Luck!!!

M.

Hi S.,

We have 4 dogs, all large. The biggest being 135 lbs.

With big breeds, you most certainly need to lay down the law (as it is) If you are having a problem with her jumping up on people, (not sure that's what you mean) have them turn their back to her when he is coming and say "No, down." in a firm (not yelling) voice.
You and every other person needs to get that dog to the point of seeing you as the alpha dog. That means no walking ahead of you on a leash. Making her sit before eating, getting treats, going out etc etc ANYTHING the dog may want. Make her sit and STAY for a little bit before allowing her to eat, go for a walk etc. It may sound mean but it is not and by doing so, you will have a well mannered GREAT to have around lifelong buddy! Good Luck!

I have a beagle mix so I know what you are going through. luckily hound dogs are very food motivated. At pet smart they have a bucket of liver treats get those dogs are very responsive to them especially ones that are food motivated. ( mind you only use them to teach tricks other wise the dog will not know you are teaching them something important.) first teach the go to sit by saying the command and then making him or her sit then give the dog the treat. soon the dog will do that no problem when they see your treat. then teach your dog to stay by comanding a sit and then place your hand in his face and command stay. make him stay for a while than give him a treat. than add leave it. to the tricks by making him stay while your kid play with some thing say no leave it every time your dog breaks the sit stay with out you saying it is ok.
one important thing to do right now is to know your dog is a dog not a human they need structure and strong command and ovious praise for a job well done. if you can not get your dog to do these in a months time you might want to invest in training you can either go to pet smart their training is surprisingly good or since you have older children try your local 4H it is a great way for your children to learn about all aspects of dog ownership.

First of all thank you for being an army wife. I know it is a hard job, and thanks to your husband for his service. It is greatly appreciated.
For your puppy I recommend that your kids ignore her when they get home. I know this sounds cold! haha. Really though we have a Jack Russell that is so sweet, and just so happy when we come home, and jumps like crazy for like 5 minutes straight. The best thing we have found is to not make the reunion a frenzied one, and not even acknowledge your puppy for about 5-10 minutes. Once they are home and have taken care of their things and just wandered around for a few minutes, they can greet the dog. She is looking forward to the excitement and hightened attention she may be receiving from their usual routine. Make sure your children know they are not being mean, but they are helping her to feel more secure that they will come home each day. Also, when they do greet her, using a low, slow voice will soothe her where a high pitched fast talking voice will excite her. Best wishes for your family.
Jennifer

Have your kids help with the training! My family bred terriers, and I learned so much growing up by training them. It takes a lot of patience, but is worth it in the end as it builds confidence and esteem. The dog also learns to listen to ALL members of the family- not just you and your husband.
My suggestion is to check out some books from the local library on dog obedience training. It is important to start now so that bad habits do not persist. Also, you can look into programs at petsmart where the trainer is on hand and works through exercises with you and the dog. Good luck!

I agree with Jen. The best thing to do is ignore the dog when you enter the house. Simply go to the crate, open it and then go about your business, making your way to the door to let the dog out to do business, of course! We have a 1.5 year old pound puppy we rescued in October and have seen a huge difference in his behavior since approaching coming home that way. The other thing is, since it has been so long since I have had a dog/puppy to train, I've been watching the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. Not all of the scenarios mesh what we are going through, but seeing how he deals with and handles the dogs has done wonders for my own confidence in dealing with ours and reminding myself that they do feed off their pack leader's energy! Good luck.

Hi S.,

I would suggest going to The Dog Whisperer web site. I know that he has very specific information on bringing a puppy into the "pack" of your famliy. I know that he would say to be sure that the dog is walked regularly to drain the energy that gets pent up in the house.
Hope he can help you!

R.