We purchased a Norwegian Elkhound puppy 8 months ago from a breeder. The dog is testing me to the point of putting it down or getting rid of it. The main issues are jumping up on my wife and daughters and digging. Other than that it is a pretty good dog. We tried taking him to a training school but being around other dogs kept him all spun up and was a waste of money. His last hope is getting him neutered in hopes it calms him down. He at least stopped eating his poop from what we can tell but these other two issues are deal breakers for me. Anyone have some input on how to break these habits?
What do your wife and daughters do when he jumps up? How do you react to the situation? To be honest these are quite normal behaviours for an 8 month old adolescent, but annoying none the less
He does not do it to me any longer as I have wracked him with a rolled newspaper. No, not beating him just establishing what is not acceptable behavior. They just push him off and say no so he does not learn it is not ok. When the wife tried the paper it was a light pat so he ignores it and thinks it’s play time. I know the testosterone is flowing in a young male which fixing him hopefully stops but I am hoping for some magic step that makes it better. As pack animals when one steps out of line the other(s) eventually bite which sets the boundaries.
Wow. Please find a rescue who can give this dog the time and attention it needs, you obviously don’t have the patience or understanding if you are thinking of having him put down for common puppy behaviors. A rolled up newspaper is not a training device. There are no magic steps in dog training. Please give this puppy to a rescue before you damage him. PLEASE!!!!
Neutering your Elkhound is not going to have any effect on his behaviour. To have even considered having this puppy put to sleep, it is clear that you have no love for him, so I suggest that you contact his breeder and see if she will take him back. This is a puppy, and he needs to be socialised and trained in order to become the dog you would like him to be. Unfortunately puppies do not come in the finished version. If you do want to keep this dog, do your homework, and be prepared to put a little more effort into his education. If not, let him go to someone who is prepared to do so. You could start by reading some books about understanding your dog, and positive training methods. A good start is, The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson. J&K Books.
Puppies are exhausting and everyone in the house has to all have the same attitude, patience & sensitivity Pups do not respond well to anything other than time, patience & leadership Is you house actually ready for a puppy ? Either get some professional help or let the pup go to someone else It does not need to be put to sleep, that is a ridiculous attitude I am so worried for your pup
You wracked him with a rolled newspaper. Growing up, this is how I saw adults "train" dogs, as well. Definitely not ideal. My dog used to jump up all the time as well. He even knocked over a few small children, and they weren't my children! He is 100+ lbs and this is not acceptable. It helped my dude to reinforce his "sit" command before people approached. Basically his "sit" command needs to be 100% so it's something we focused on. Being in a sit helps calm him and keeps him from being in the standing position where he can get the urge to jump up. After a bit... He learned it well. Even when I get home sometimes and he starts bouncing around and acting like he's going to jump up on me, a sharp "Nigredo, SIT" takes care of the issue. At least that way I don't have to be armed with a newspaper when I approach my dog. Dogs aren't usually total idiots and with enough repetition, they can learn a lot. I see some typical over reactions in some of the replies, which is expected... But I agree that before you have the dog PUT DOWN, it would be better to just get rid of the dog. Breeders don't always take dogs back and owners don't always keep in touch with breeders, but he's young and there's no need to put him down. Smacking him with a newspaper very well might work... but it isn't the best way. You want your dog to be obedient, but you don't want him to be afraid of you or have to worry about being hit. This can backfire down the line, as well.
It looks as if we all wasted our efforts replying to this thread. The OP has not been seen since his reply to @ChrisB, timed Tuesday at 5.35pm. Elkhounds are not a common breed, and I really hope that he has found a home, or some sympathetic help for this bouncy misunderstood boy.
I had noticed he hadn’t been back too. If he didn’t like @Chris B’s response he sure wouldn’t have liked the rest of ours... I used to have a neighbor who had a Norwegian Elk Hound and he was a very nice dog. This family had obviously just not put in the time, nor had the patience, to deal with this breed. I think so many people get a dog because they are attracted to its look but have no idea how to deal with their dogs inherent behaviors. It’s a part of the reason so many dogs end up in rescues and shelters. It’s why I try and respond to the people with Akita questions who appear to want to educate themselves and do their research. I do hope this pup finds a new loving and caring home where he will be giving the instruction he needs
It’s a shame when you invest your time giving advice & then people just ‘ disappear ‘ I’m often left wondering what’s happened and in this particular case more than some others
He replied to Chris, who was nice about the situation and didn't judge the owner and tried to address the situation. I suspect had she replied and tried to offer some help, he would have further reciprocated here... But that isn't what happened... He left after the next reply... Which was beyond dramatic and definitely not helpful. And then the next reply compounded upon that one... Basically saying the same thing but adding the word "ridiculous". Coincidence that he never returned after that? I don't think so! When people come here frustrated at their dogs behavior and are at their wits end, it doesn't help them to hear... OMG GET RID OF THE DOG BEFORE YOU DAMAGE IT... TO CONSIDER PUTTING IT DOWN IS RIDICULOUS. I'M SO WORRIED ABOUT THE DOG!! These comments show no care for the owner, they only show concern for the dog. Obviously the OP doesn't have the sort of love you guys have for dogs, and neither do I... So that attitude is definitely not going to appeal to him as it has not appealed to me either... But there is much good advice here anyway. If you truly care about the dog, it is wiser to not attack the owner like that. It won't help the dog. Show some concern for the owner. I get it... Smacking with newspaper isn't a good way to train. Wanting to put down a puppy because it's being bad is absurd as well, but the OP will only understand his errors if you sympathize with his emotions and GENTLY try to offer advice. Shouting at him or barking out demands such as.... EITHER DO THIS OR THAT won't be received well by OP and won't help the dog. They'll just leave and do what they think is best for the dog... Which usually isn't good.
@mjfromga - Myra, the OP left after his reply to @Chris B on Tuesday at 5.35pm, therefore he could not have seen any posts after that. It would have shown had he still been around as it is registered as "last seen wherever he was". That is how it can be known exactly where and when he was when last logged into Breedia
@mjfromga, IMO a person like that who is swatting their dog with a newspaper and says they are thinking of putting it down for a common puppy behavior probably shouldn’t have a dog. You don’t like what most of us have to say usually. As @Malka pointed out the OP never returned after @Chris B’s reply. Read a little further before you try scolding others
I read properly. I also read your replies BEFORE I signed in to say anything. If I were the OP and read those replies and was not the type to argue against what is likely to be a group of people, I would just move on. I wouldn't sign in to speak. So just because you hadn't SEEN the user since then, does not mean they did not read your comments... Because in actuality it is higly likely they did. And you are the first person to scold someone without being objective, so not sure you should be making comments like that at all ANYWAY.
Yikes, I do feel a little bit told off, but, I would say what I said again I didn’t mean to sound awful, I just feel desperately worried for the dog
Please do not worry Philippa. It frequently happens. Someone posts a question and if they do not get the answer they get... they leave. And I think most of us were more concerned about the dog. Exactly the same as if they get a the answer whey want... and leave, never to come back. As an example, recently someone requested advice about a dog allergic to various things and asked for where to get a fish based food. I gave all the information, and where to buy what, as much as I could. And the poster was delighted, said so, but after being very happy and satisfied... never came back.
If you felt told off by me... How do you think someone who read those posts would have felt? I think they would definitely feel told off as well. People were telling them to get rid of their dog and that they would damage the dog rather than trying to help with the issue when this is supposed to be a dog forum. The dog is a puppy. He doesn't need to put the dog down. He doesn't need to rehome it. He doesn't need to hire a "professional" who will cost probably thousands of dollars. He doesn't need newspaper. He doesn't need any of that. All he needs is patience and guidance. Raising a puppy isn't that hard. It doesn't take a rocket scientist. It doesn't take someone with a degree. It doesn't take a genius. While the guy said if you smack a dog with newspaper you probably shouldn't own a dog, I say that if you need "professional" help to raise a puppy, you probably shouldn't own a dog due to your monumental incompetence. You literally just have to be patient. Most dogs aren't idiots and they usually learn things very quickly in my experience. You just have to show them enough times for them to get it. Some dogs take longer to learn than others but still all that is required is patience. Advanced training such as drug detection etc does require you have more knowledge as a trainer... But just rearing a decently behaved family pet from a puppy is very easy if you are patient.
