Constantly trying to eat dog poo, horse poo, cow poo, any kind of poo! They have another whippet so it's difficult to pick up poo in the garden before whippet #2 gets to it
Control and Management is the best way to deal with this. You will get lots of people telling you to but pineapple etc in the dogs food and they will stop eating it – they wont!
Let first whippet out to wee and poo then clean up and then go out with 2nd whippet.
Also teach a Positive interrupter
What is a Positive Interrupter? It is a sound that when your dog hears it it will stop what it is doing and run straight to you because good times are about to start.
From the owners viewpoint a positive interrupter is a happy noise that you make to get your dogs attention and allow you to direct them to appropriate behaviour
Benefits of Using a Positive Interrupter?
The dog will stop what it is doing
There is no frustration for the dog the Positive Interrupter is a clear cue
You do not have to use punishment which can frighten dogs and ruin your relationship
It works 😊
Dogs love the game
It is fun and easy to train
When would I use a Positive Interrupter?
If your dog is about to chew the furniture, pick up something that is dangerous make your positive interrupter sound and the dog will leave what is was about to do and bound to you. This then gives you the chance of offer a more suitable behaviour.
How to train the Positive Interrupter
Decide what sound you like to use. A kissy kissy sound with your lips, of a happy clicking of your teeth, a happy word “yayhay”. Use what is more natural to you.
- Have your dog close to you
- Make the Positive Interrupter (PI) sound and immediately give your dog the best treat ever.
- Do this often throughout the day in different locations
- Very very soon you will see your dog look to you for the treat the minute they hear the PI sound
Constantly pulling on the lead. They have a figure of eight lead now, which is the only way to keep him from pulling
There are many ways to teach a dog to walk on a lead correctly. But this has to be taught in low arousal areas, eg indoors to start with, then the garden, then in a boring outdoor location etc and build and be consistent. I can give detailed notes if you need them.
No recall at all. Can't be let off the lead For some sight hounds and dogs this is not unusual. Can they find secure dog walking areas near them to hire to let him have a good blast. Again there are lots of exercises to do with recall. Most starting in the home and then gradually being introduced in the outside.
Toilet trained but randomly wees in the house sometimes. Always wees in excitement when he sees someone he knows
Some dogs do wee with excitement the best things is to make sure he greets those people outside and no fuss be made. Often dogs grow out of it if there is no stress or punishment attached to it.
If he is still weeing indoors they need to go back to rewarding ALL wees outside and making sure they are with him when he does ALL wees outside. This will help clear up any confusion he may still have. Also very important to make sure he has loads of opportunities to go outside and not make him wait to have to ask to go outside
The usual chewing and destroying everything which is probably quite typical for his age
Why does my Puppy Chew?
Teething
Exploration and Learning about their environment
Teething hurts! Puppies have 42 teeth to erupt and this is not pleasant for the puppy.
Chewing helps the puppy as it stops the pain of the pressure of the teeth erupting and also helps to expel the baby teeth.
Chewing also releases loads of relaxing endorphins which helps to chill out the puppies and lessen the pain.
Puppies find out about their environment by chewing they do not have hands to use so use their mouths instead.
Control and Management to Prevent Chewing
Don’t leave the puppy unattended unless in their den
Make sure they have appropriate chew toys – see below
Acknowlege that puppies need to chew
Make sure the puppy is given some stimulation and a balance of sleep throughout the day
Check the puppy is not stressed or upset as chewing is a stress reliever
What can I do to help my puppy and prevent chewing inappropriate items?
We need to let our puppies chew BUT if we give them things they can chew then they are much less likely to chew things we do not want them to.
On a simple level keep items they should not chew out of reach of puppies. Put them in a safe location or close the door to the room they are in.
You could use a puppy pen when you can not supervise the puppy 100% of the time and in here put items they can chew.
Make sure they have appropriate chew toys – see below
Acknowlege that puppies need to chew
Make sure the puppy is given some stimulation and a balance of sleep throughout the day
Check the puppy is not stressed or upset as chewing is a stress reliever
Good Chewing Items
Kong stuffed with food
Knotted rope toys
Nylabones
Frozen carrots
T towel tied into knots
Remember this is giving pain relief and is a stress relief to the puppy
Sorrry went on a bit 