Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when i call her name or tell her to come or something, she won't even look at me. i heard about establishing a connection with her that you are the "alpha"? how do i do this?!

>>when i call her name or tell her to come or something, she won't even look at me. i heard about establishing a connection with her that you are the "alpha"? how do i do this?!

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You don't! She's a baby. And the Alpha theory is being seriously questioned now. Dogs come because we motivate them to want to come. You do that by making it fun and rewarding for the dog and lots of enjoyable practice. A puppy kindergarten class would help you. The articles at the link below my signature can help, too. Read "Eye Contact," "Alpha or Leader?", "Come when Called", and you'll find lots of others, too.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

how long should i wait to train her then if shes still a baby?

Oh, I believe in treats. Find something she really likes, Natural Balance sausage type food works great because you can cut it into tiny pieces and they like it. Every time you call her, give her the treat. Only give her this treat when she comes. She will soon come to her name.
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Dee and Ayla

hmm my puppy doesn't eat a lot though. when i try to give her treats she only takes it sometimes. either she does not like it or she is full. not sure which one .

I agree: treats! You can train your dog with positive methods (treats, praise, affection) at any age. I never ask my dog to "come" if I want her to do something she doesn't want to do. In emergencies, I actually use the word "cheese!" to get her to come (and I give her treats as soon as I can after using the emergency "come."

>>how long should i wait to train her then if shes still a baby?

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You don't wait at all to train. Your dog starts learning the minute you meet, whether learning the right things or the wrong things, so it's wise to shape the dog's experiences to the right things. But a puppy isn't going to be reliable on ANY trained behavior for quite some time to come. She needs to be learning, but she's too young to have it all together and be able to master things quickly.

A puppy training class will help you get a lot better idea of how puppies learn, and also how to use treats and other incentives that help learning. Dogs only learn if it is fun for them. They do not learn through punishment, other than the very sad lesson that humans cannot be trusted.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

she's too wild and just runs around when i try to teach her. she just sniffs around and looks at other things. earlier though, for a bit, she was listening to me and coming when i called her. i followed each time she came to me with praise a treat which i gave to her in between our eyes so she could give me eye contact.