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Hey!

I totally know where you’re coming from. we brought home our toy poodle 2 weeks ago (he’s 11 weeks today) and I am home with him during 9-5 hours while my boyfriend helps out evenings and weekends. The first week I genuinely considered returning him because I felt so overwhelmed despite doing an absurd amount of research and having had 2 other family dogs where I wasn’t the primary caretaker lol. The breeder had him potty trained and crate trained and said he was the first of his litter to run to the food bowl but the first week he came home with us he whined in his crate + playpen, pooped on the floor and became a finicky eater lol

I can say even though I’m still struggling with a few things (he’s a pretty shy pup who's not food motivated, hates his playpen, and doesn't understand kongs lol ) I’m feeling better and seeing sooo much progress in our little man since he first came home.

Here are some things that work for us:

Crate training: This will take time and will also require some patience and understanding on your end - there will likely be whining and the best thing you can do is IGNORE IT - this is of course as long as your puppies needs are met - before ever putting him into the crate make sure he’s peed and isn’t hungry/thirsty. The #1 thing you need to be aware of is that if you let him out while he’s whining he will associate whining = attention/freedom.

• Crate games Personally, we didn’t use crate games because when I tried I felt the same frustration lol. We have a T-shirts that smell like us in his crate + his favourite (safe) toy that he can only cuddle/play with while he’s in there to make it attractive place. Our dog isn’t food motivated either but we’ve discovered dehydrated raw treats are like crack to him lol. We use a high value treat (dehydrated raw beef liver) to lure him into the crate while saying “bedtime” and then we close the door. He’ll whine during the day sometimes when he’s overtired but never at night and actually goes in willingly on his own to relax.
  
• Nighttime: set alarms before he starts whining. In our case we sleep at 11pm and have alarms for 2am, 5am and 7:45am - you’ll need to monitor when he starts to whine and set your alarms for ~10-15 mins beforehand to avoid reinforcing whining. I also recommend sticking to night time crating rather than playpen to work off a dogs need for consistency.
  
• Enforced naps: these are a god send. Pups need to sleep roughly 18-20 hours a day. For every 45-1 hour that your puppy is awake lure him into his crate for a 1-2 hour nap. I use a wyze camera (https://www.amazon.ca/Wyze-Wireless-Camera-Android-Version/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3J0J18TA1JUKO&keywords=wyze&qid=1565737568&s=gateway&sprefix=wyze%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-3) to monitor any sounds/movements in his crate and make sure I get to him to let him out to pee before he has a chance to start whining on his own. (Currently typing this as he’s napping away lol). You will get some free time to do as you please + puppy will wake up refreshed and happy (note: less nipping, more attentive!)
  
• Note: even if you successfully lure him into the crate he will likely still whine at times - I G N O R E. I can’t stress this enough. The sooner he learns whining = no reaction, the sooner he’ll learn to settle and nap. First week our puppy whined ~5 minutes each time, now it’s ~30 seconds max and MUCH less frequent. Consistency is key.
  
  Routine: Like I said our pup is awake for ~1 hour intervals throughout the day. Because pups do better with set schedules, I follow the same routine every hour and he seems to be doing better with this routine. Essentially what we do is : Wake up, pee, Train (5-10 mins max with his kibble or toys - like your ours isn’t food motivated but enjoys WORKING for his food, other times he’s more willing to work for toys so that could also be worth a try), fetch (physical exercise indoors), Train (5-10 mins max), play, leash train (indoors), play, pee, nap.
  
  
• Physical exercise: A tired pup is a happy pup - but keep in mind there’s a fine line between proper exercise for a puppy and overstimulation - we’ve been doing 5-10 minutes of indoor fetch every hour awake and it looks like the perfect balance for us - you’ll have to play with this figure a little to see what works best but I promise the whining is bound to decrease if he’s already sleepy before crate time
  
• Mental stimulation: poodles (and poodle crosses) are prone to getting bored without enough mental stimulation = excess whining. Mental stimulation includes feeder toys, puzzle games AND training. Our guy doesn’t really appreciate his kong lol but we have this (https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Treat-Dispensing-Exercise-Ottosson/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ZZNTTRIW62SD&keywords=nina+ottosson&qid=1565738495&s=gateway&sprefix=nina+ott%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-5) and we bring it out once or twice a day - sometimes he won’t even eat the food in the holes but he likes figuring out the puzzle lol
  
• Instilling independence: Okay so this is an area where I’ve noticed a BIG change since taking it seriously. The more you work on training commands, the more independence you’re installing in your pup. The more independent he feels, the more he can handle being alone, the outside world, scary interactions, etc. I’m not sure if you’ve done any puppy socialization classes or are looking into puppy training but I’d recommend finding a reputable one in your area and giving it a try. For training at home, we've had a lot of success with: https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
  
  Other tips:
  
  
• Bully Sticks: these things can be a god send if you need some time to yourself. The first time we gave our puppy one he went wild for it and left us alone for an hour. The second time, he held it in his mouth and whined his face off lol. We realized our mistake was making it available to him too frequently in a short period of time. Keep high-value items like this a special occasion treat to maintain it’s value.
  
• Toys: rotate toys. Have 2-3 toys out for a few days at a time, and learn which ones he gravitates to. You’ll discover which toys are high value + by rotating them he’ll get excited when his fav one from a certain batch is back in his turf. Take the high-value ones and make them crate only toys if they are safe to be played with unsupervised!
  
• Kong: I wish I could give you advice here because the Kong was a god send for our other dogs. The advice that’s been given to me is teach him how to use it. Youtube is good for this but at the end of the day, some dogs just don’t like the kong. If you do want to use this or other puzzle feeders/treat toys DON’T increase the value of the treat if he’s disinterested. He’ll learn that he can ignore his kibble/low-value treats and hold out for the better stuff and you’ll end up with a finicky eater.
  
• Daycare: Find a reputable one in your area bc it sounds like you need a little break and some socialization will be good for the little guy if you’re not looking into puppy classes or socialization classes.
  
  Hope this helps in some way shape or form, feel free to message me if you need to vent, compare puppy problems or ask any questions :)

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!

Deep breaths. But also, good on you. As bad as your anxiety is, it would be MUCH worse if you came into this unprepared. I see so many people on this reddit page who seem like they just woke up one morning and thought "I'm going to get a puppy" without doing any sort of preparation or realistic expectations. So you, my friend, are already ahead of the game and you're already a good puppy mom/dad.

The #1 thing that helped me? The realization that I can watch all these videos and read all these books, and that DID help a LOT . . . but there are also some things that are just unique to my puppy and that I'll have to make up on the fly.

If you potty train with a peepad, expect to use that peepad forever. Which is TOTALLY OKAY by the way. I work full time so it's better for me to leave a peepad out so that my dog doesn't have to hold her bladder for 8-10 hours a day (though she will pee outside when we go for walks; she just doesn't alert to pee). I use reuseable, washable ones (like this: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Solution-Washable-Absorbent-Controlling/dp/B0077HUORI) and a peepad tray (like this: https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Extra-Large-Training-Holder/dp/B0006ABVGQ?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1). The tray was VERY important for my puppy and really helped her figure out where the line between "bathroom" and "not bathroom" was (if her back paws are behind the rim and standing on plastic, she knows she's good to pee!).

Yes, it's definitely a good idea to only carry dog around outside until she's had her shots--but carry her around a LOT. And not just on walks. Take her on the metro, in cars, on trains--anything and everything she could conceivably ride on later in life. Lots of treats if she's not too scared to eat them!

If you put her on a puppy pad, that would be fine and she's not likely to pick up any illnesses that way. But good luck getting her to pee on the pad on command before trying to wander off the pad! I would just arrange outings to keep them short for the first month or so. Wait until she pees inside on the pad, then take her out for 15-30 min. She shouldn't have to pee in that short time frame (and I think she's very unlikely to pee on you. My dog never, ever peed in someone's arms when she was a puppy, nor would she ever pee on something she deemed a bed--crate, my bed, a carpet, etc. She only had accidents on the hardwood floor).

Most importantly: HAVE FUN. Your dog will have fun if you have fun. Find the joy in her puppyhood. Don't let it be too clouded by anxiety. She's going to grow up safe and happy and well-adjusted, because her parent is well-prepared and thinks about everything. Plenty of dogs grow up safe and happy and well-adjusted with terrible pet parents who don't even consider any of the things you are. You're setting her up for a good life, I promise it'll be okay!

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.

​

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!

>Clearly he doesn’t see me as a “pack leader” and I need some help to teach him that I’m the boss.

The first thing to do is to completely put this mentality out of your head. Dogs do not see humans as "pack leaders" - you do not need to teach him "respect". That model for dog/human interactions stems from old school dominance theory hooey that has long been debunked.

The second thing to do is reframe how you're characterizing your interactions with your dog. Your dog is not "fighting" with you or in a spat with you. Remember that dogs are not actually cheeky, or spiteful, nor do they "hate" in the sense that we do - we can joke about anthropomorphizing them, but when it gets down to training, we have to remember that dogs don't think like humans. Projecting human emotions and intentions onto your puppy is a recipe for frustration.

When it comes down to it, dogs think in terms of what is rewarding and what is not rewarding. What I see in your post is a typical puppy - he gets excited at times, he gets frustrated at times, and he enacts behaviours that get him attention (i.e., a reward!) - even if, in your mind, it's negative attention.

Remember that every interaction is an equation to your puppy - when you ask him to do something, he weighs how rewarding that behaviour is against all his other options. He will pick the most rewarding behaviour, every time. Thus, the way to get him to do what you want is simple enough - reward, reward, reward. If he is especially reluctant about something, even if you're offering a very high value reward, make a note in your mind. Something about the behaviour you're requesting has a significant downside for him. For example, when my guy was a puppy, I could offer him all the steak in the world and he would not come near me if he thought I was about to clean his ears. He feared ear cleaning more than he loved steak. It's simple math.

In terms of managing behaviours you don't like - make sure the foundations for a happy dog are there. A safe, puppy-proof environment, adequate mental/physical exercise, and lots of positive reinforcement of desired behaviours. Then, with all that covered, you can tackle undesired behaviours.

Negative punishment (removing the ability to receive rewards) is the only type of "punishment" we endorse in the sub. This usually means removing your dog's access to you/your attention for a brief period of time (30-60 seconds). This is one way to address undesired behaviours like barking, nipping, etc.

Another way is redirection - if your dog is doing something you don't like, help him build new habits by redirecting him to a desired behaviour and heavily/frequently rewarding that behaviour. For example, my guy loved to put his paws up on the counter while we were eating. Teaching him "off" was part of addressing that, but this was reactionary training. I was reacting to his behaviour rather than setting him up for success by giving him a more rewarding alternative from the get-go. So, whenever we sat down to eat, I asked him to go lie down on his mat and I regularly rewarded him as long as he stayed there during the meal. Now, his instinctive behaviour when we eat is to go lie down. I didn't need to get him to "respect" me or show him I was the boss - I just needed to give him an alternative.

>Does not like to be told no

I typically recommend that people never use "no" when training their dogs - this isn't because I think dogs shouldn't have boundaries. It's because the word "no" is essentially meaningless and not helpful feedback for your dog. It's doing training the hard way. People often use "no" in every single situation where they want their dog to change their behaviour, ignoring the fact that dogs struggle to generalize. So, when their dog gets confused or doesn't respond to the "no" in the way they expect, they assume the dog is simply being stubborn and they lean into it, by using intimidating body language, or raising their voice. This is not training. This is not teaching your dog what "no" means. It's much more effective to teach (and reward!!) specific commands like "off", "hush", "leave it", "drop it", etc.

You're using a lot of loaded language in your post - your puppy is a "fighter", you put him in his kennel when he's being "bad", etc. I think this is really souring your relationship with him. Remember, he's an animal. He has no sense of right/wrong. He will, however, pick up on your frustration, or anger, and respond to that. He will be more anxious, or on edge, or excitable around you. The behaviours you stack up to misbehaving or acting out sound like pretty typical signs of heightened stress. I would highly recommend checking out this book on canine body language - it might help you pick up on some signals from your dog that you're missing.

Edit: typo.

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!

> Is it better to train the puppy to use the bathroom outside or inside on the pee pee pads?

Outside of course, no one likes the smell. Check out House-training Your Puppy from the ASPCA.

> What are the best types of foods to buy a puppy? I've been reading up that a lot of brand name dog foods contain fillers and certain foods that any dog should not be generally eating as it messes up their digestion

A lot of the information about dog food on the internet is total garbage. There are so many websites full of information that "sounds right" but is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo that Sally McNaturalFood conjured up because "chemicals are bad" or "I don't understand nutrition" or "my anecdotal observation caused a placebo effect".

Check out the following links for help on choosing a dog food. These are all from expert sources. People that have been thoroughly educated (not brainwashed as the internet would have you believe) on nutrition for our pets. Hint: most websites that warn of dog food "fillers" tend to not be very good sources of factual information.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association

• The Savvy Dog Owner’s Guide: Nutrition on the Internet
  
• Recommendations on Selecting Pet Foods
  
  Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
  
  
• FAQ's on Pet Nutrition
  
  The Bark Magazine article written by a nutritionist (MSc)
  
  
• Dog Food Logic (I HIGHLY recommend reading the full book)
  
  > Is it better to train using treats as positive reinforcement or is there something better?
  
  Use your dog's kibble as a treat when you can. That way you don't have to adjust their daily intake. Use meal times as training opportunities rather than feeding out of a bowl.
  
  One of the BEST things you can do for yourself is read a puppy book. Even if you've owned a dog before, I can almost guarantee you will learn something new and it will make your time with your pup much easier for the both of you.
  
  Recommended Books:
  
  
• BEFORE & AFTER Getting Your Puppy by Dr Ian Dunbar (free on his website w/ registration)
  
• The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell, PhD
  
• Perfect Puppy in 7 Days by Dr Sophia Yin

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.

I have a mini Aussie so I feel you. I try to be as inventive as possible with my budget but I suggest most interactive/treat dispensing toys. I make large ice cubes that are half chicken/beef broth with a jerky or bone sticking out only a little. Then because it’s a mini and she’s not a huge chewer I can make these inside a talenti gelato container. So basically inside a Tupperware (which plastic isn’t ideal because they can swallow it but mine doesn’t and focuses on the bone) there is the half and half broth with a bone and an easy treat to get. She also doesn’t eat paper/cardboard so I can put a bone or treat inside a tissue box or empty pasta box or whatever and she’ll rip it apart to get to it. Once again, I can only do it because I’m watching and I know she does not ingest this.

Here are some toys I suggest that are proven safer:

Lumo Ball

Snuffle Mat I really like the snuffle mat because you can feed all your meals in this and bring it with you if you want to keep your dog busy wherever you are.

OSPet Interactive Feeder
Trixie Puzzle

Ottosson Puzzle I really like most toys Outward Hound makes.

My dog’s favorite kong I find I can put just a biscuit or fill it full of kibble and pb and she’ll spend quite a bit of time getting it out.

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.

[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 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.
  Please report this comment if it is not relevant to your post. After it hits a certain report threshold, it will be automatically removed.
  
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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.

my puppy has one toy that he really loves, its a long grey raccoon that squeaks and makes other noises. whether he's in the crate or out, that toy keeps him busy while he wrestles with it. it also helps that we pull the toy up and he jumps up for it, so he's getting excited for it. I would try to find a toy that he really enjoys OR one of those treat dispensing puzzles https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0711Y9XTF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought that for my puppy, haven't tried it out yet.

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.

Definitely speak to management and provide direct quotes. Ask to use the other trainer, or your money back immediately so you can go elsewhere.

Look up kikopup on YouTube for some good positive training videos.

I am also a huge fan of Culture Clash by Jean Donaldaon. If looking for some good info and perspective.

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.

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.