4 month old toy pom puppy - advice please!

Hi all! New here...but I think I need a bit of advice on something. We have a 2 year old toy pom and now a new toy pom puppy. We have had the puppy for the past month and a half. He is wonderful and very playful. My problem is...unless I keep him with a harness an leash on during the day he is a little firecracker and LOVES to play keep away from me - thinks its a game! He knows that if I catch him I am going to put on his harness and lead. When I do that, he changes automatically to a more docile nature and much easier to handle...plus, he won't obey me at all unless he has his harness on. The only time I take it off is when I put him in his crate at night to sleep. I had to start doing this cause he wouldn't come to me and was a little devil to catch! Any help on this? He really is a great little dog with LOADS of character and I think got an overdose of personality! We love him to bits...and is such a cuddle bug when he has his harness on - just playful! I do let him outside to run and romp with my other toy pom for a bit...then bring them both in for naps and treats. But when I call Tigger (the older one) they both come - although if Koda (the Pup) is by himself...he won't come. The only time he comes is if he is on his lead...and he stops at the door and won't let me pick him up (barking playfully) cause he knows if he follows Tigger into the house I am going to put a lead on him to watch him and be able to catch him. ADVISE PLEASE!

 

I have not dealt with this. But it seems to me, your little guy thinks its ok to play like a madman with his gear on. Maybe try louring him with treats. How many months is he. Oh we want to see pictures too. There are alot of people here with pups so maybe they can help.
Welcome. :y_the_best:

 

Molly (16 weeks) sometimes does the same thing, runs from me when I go to pick her up, thinking it's a game.
I've started training her to come to me, by getting down on one knee, calling her....and if she comes she gets a treat. It seems to be working so far...

 

WELCOME, toykeeper, good to have you here!!!

You hit it right on the dot when you said it has turned into a game...that's precisely what happened, unfortunately! Fear not, though, this happens quite often in people who are unaware of the consequences of chasing, the problem is reversible and the dog can be re-trained!!! :y_the_best:

A few tips in correcting this behavior:

- First and foremost, don't chase after him anymore (it's a common mistake, so don't feel bad)! He's associated two things with the chasing, 1) The harness will come on once mommy gets a hold of me, and 2) Her chasing after me is just too much fun, why stop now?

- If you put a harness and leash on him just so he'll calm down, there are better methods to use in order to do that. However, puppies are naturally active, so, some of the hyper activity you'll just have to "deal" with for the time being. When the hyper activity is excessive, it is best to simply ignore him (no petting him, talking to him, anything) during those times. Chasing after him, yelling at him, etc. will only provoke him to continue, but once he realizes that he is receiving NO attention for such behavior, he won't find it as entertaining, and will more than likely stop.

- If you put a harness and lead on to keep him from wondering off and causing mischief within your household, simply gate him off in whatever room you are in, or in another safe puppy-proofed room if you can not watch him.

- When you have some time on your hands, confine him to the same room you are in, and COMPLETELY ignore him. If he comes to you, give him a *small* treat and verbally praise him. Anytime he does this, small treat and verbal praise. Doing so will cause him to associate coming to you with something good.

- When you absolutely must have the harness on him, make sure you make an association of something good/positive when putting the harness on. In addition, due to your situation, I would only put the harness on him when taking him outside for a walk, to the vet (basically any place outside of your home where it is wise to have your dog leashed - in other words, no more putting it on inside your house).

- For the time being (until you have him re-trained), when you do need to get him for some important reason, and he won't come to you, very slowly and nonchalantly "stalk" him...literally! Just slowly walk around following him, not looking at him directly, not talking to him, and show no signs of being uptight (arms down to your side, calm and relaxed posture - dogs pick up on very subtle clues), and after some time (every dog is different) he'll realize that you're not playing (thus, the fun for him will no longer be there, and he won't want to participate anymore), and he'll give up out of boredom. Once you get to that point, gently, slowly, and without a word, pick him up. Once you have him in your arms, quietly praise him and give a small treat.

- Teach him the "come" command (this will eliminate the chasing after him when you need him, and not to mention, such a wonderful command, believe me :wink: )

- Be sure he is receiving PLENTY of exercise and mental stimulation...it is VITALLY important for numerous reasons!!!

- And lastly, LOTS of patience, persistence, and positive attitude on your part...that's key in any sort of training!

Just my two cents on the issue, keep us posted on your situation!!!

Best wishes!

 

Thank you, all...I will definately impliment your kind advice and let you know what happens. As for pictures, I am not sure how to get one on here to let you see my baby. Any help there would also be appreciated!

 

Toykeeper~

I had a pom for sixteen years, just short of his seventeenth birthday when he passed away. He was a firecracker most of his life - and his fav game was "run away". He used to do that just as I was leaving for work and would sneak out the door. There I would be, chasing him all over the neighborhood with my "career clothes"!! What a picture!

I can't give you any advice obviously, but just to let you know that poms are great dogs, and are generally very long-lived. So I guess it's important to train them right, from the start (not like me!!).

Enjoy~~

 

We went through that same thing with Bailey in the veryyyyy beginning. It took aLOT of work.... which pretty much was us ignoring him! He was so hard! Especially if we were trying to get him inside for a reason.... argh. It was soooo aggravating. He eventually came around... but believe me, it was a pain. The rule was to ignore the behavior... at least with us, that worked.

GOOD LUCK!! Share pics of your baby (well, both babies!) if you can! WELCOME TO THE BOARD

 

yes...I am trying the ignoring part...and I have taken his leash and harness off today and gated him in the kitchen. I have also stocked up on treats (doggie liver - he loves!) and went out and bought both my toy pom's their very own kong and filled them up with cheese bits, liver bits and peanut butter. Boy did THAT settle my little Koda down! He sat for a full hour today working on that kong in my kitchen! He also loved not having his harness on and played very hard with Tigger for another hour or so. They also seem to love the new treats I got them and he responds well to those already...all I have to do is shake the Yip Yap tin and he comes running so fast he almost rolls over himself! It is quite comical!

The ignoring part has worked too even in just today...by this afternoon he was following me around and tapping my ankles - hoping for a doggie liver or Yip Yap. So, I think I really got his attention! Thanks all...

As for the pictures...can I copy and paste on one on this board? I have loads of pictures in my pictures file on my computer...how can I share them here?

Keeping you updated...

:y_the_best:

 

um, never mind about the pictures...with a bit of research I figured it out..as you can all see...let me introduce my 4 1/2 month old toy pom...Koda! As you can see....he is a little "Bear" - but such a love!

 

He's a cutie. You can upload pictures at photobucket.com then highlight and copy the url with surounding it. come here and paste it into your post.

We want more pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok...here is my other toy pom...Tigger. He was a rescue from a breeding farm. Sweetest little guy you could ever meet...he is 2 years old.

 

they are so cute my son really wants a pom

 

aww what gorgeous dogs you have!
it's good to hear that the little guy is already improving.

 

What cuties! Welcome to the board!

 

All I gott'a say...AWWWWWW!!! :wink:

Your Poms look like absolute dolls...great pics of them!!! :y_the_best:

It's amazing how much the simple act of ignoring can make such a difference! Dogs feed off of their owners/family's emotions and actions. When a dog realizes that he's not receiving any sort of attention (even if it's negative attention - i.e. yelling, chasing, etc.), he/she won't be interested in continuing on with whatever behavior they are eliciting (in your case, the hyper activity - although, as I mentioned earlier, reasonable amounts are expected).

It's not always easy, but you have to think on a different level, you can't treat a dog like you would a child. Yelling, chasing, "shhhhh'ing," etc. will only encourage the unwanted behavior. (Obviously, certain dog behaviors such as biting, growling, etc. must not go unaddressed, those require appropriate attention and correction.)

Always try and analyze your behavior toward the dog, "Is what I am doing encouraging or discouraging the dog's actions." Unknowingly to many, a lot of human actions encourage negative dog behavior!

Just a recap, during times when your dog's hyper activity is unreasonable, it's real easy, simply ignore them...as you can see, it is very effective, and dog's usually catch on very quickly!!! (Obviously, during times when: it's playtime between you and your dog, your two Poms are playing together, etc. it's not reasonable to expect them to be quiet...some people want to their puppies to be quiet and calm ALL the time, and that just isn't going to happen. You have to provide PLENTY of outlets for them to use up all their energy! :y_the_best: )

Aren't Kongs wonderful!?!? If packed strategically (so they can't empty out the Kong in less than a minute), it'll last *most* dogs a fairly long time! You've obviously discovered all that! :wink:

Thanks for the update, I look forward to more!

 

Toykeeper~

OHMIGOD~~ They are just precious!! What fantastic pictures...