If you are lucky enough to get an eight week old puppy then you have the perfect best friend providing mum has taken care of things in a safe environment.
Continue what mum has started which was to show instruction, your puppy will love instruction. Your puppy will be aware that teeth must be used cautiously so do not indicate that chewing your fingers is fun. It may be for you but for your puppy it’s a green light when mum has said no. As soon as your puppy’s teeth touch your skin stop whatever it is that you are doing. Your puppy will quickly learn not to bite for fun and affection to continue.
Exercise and supervision are absolutely necessary and if you give your puppy something else to chew EVERY time your puppy chews something, with no words, your puppy will gladly accept what’s allowed to be chewed. For me it took forty eight hours and for others will vary but I haven’t chewed very much I shouldn’t and I’m talking paper worst case scenario and a few crayons once, and it was his fault, it’s exciting when the grand kids are here.
He can leave anything that is his on the floor and I will leave it, but that doesn’t go for anything that I think he doesn’t know about so control the environment.
Now that I’m a bit older he can leave me alone in our house cos I continue my normal behaviour at home and I don’t chew anything I shouldn’t. The only clue I left him was that I dragged my blanket upstairs for a nap other than that nothing has happened when I am alone.
Reward good behaviour and only good behaviour with affection and treats. How you want your dog to behave is up to you but for me it is to be sociable, friendly, calm and know how to behave with family and friends. If you want a calm dog then always be very calm, your puppy will copy your way of being so if you want a jumpy excited dog then be exciting and jumpy.
Enjoy the journey …chew the human…
Ted you make it sound easy but like all puppies you forget a lot. I used the clicker to teach you that you can “leave it” which stops you getting obsessed with things and can give them up quickly. It’s magic for your walking and we can walk without tugging on both sides.
I used a crate when you were small but slowly I learned to trust you and you learned to trust yourself. I spent a lot of time ignoring you and only when you were happy to go to another room to go to sleep did I think you were ready.
I trained you to let me leave a room with the clicker and from there on I let you see me leave the front door to put rubbish out and the day you weren’t bothered and didn’t come to the door did I think you were ready and you knew and were confident I would come back.
So today I exercised you then left you for nearly two hours and nothing was disturbed. I’m guessing you may have barked but I could tell you were sleeping upstairs because I unlocked and got halfway through the door before you ran down to meet me. You had access to the balcony for water and toilet, living room, hall and stairs to upstairs and down and my guitar was left on the couch with a pile of washing and none of it was touched.
You never cease to amaze me Ted