Concentration

[Joshymate99]

Hi all, my GSD pup just turned 9 weeks old. He can already sit, but only when he is focused on myself. Usually he is more interested in other things. How do I teach him to concentrate better? Or does it just come in time?

Also he picked up sitting very very quickly. He never once cried at night by himself either, but he is having trouble with biting and laying down. He can't quite learn that, so any tips would be great. And also he loves to chew anything that isn't his toy! The couch, his bed, the blinds, our feet/arms/neck etc. He has heaps of toys but doesn't seem focused on them either. We gave him some dental bone things that he did enjoy but am unsure what to do.

Thanks a lot.

[ayoitzrimz]

Hey, this is all normal for a 9 week old puppy. Although these issues all need to be addressed, right now your focus should be on socialization - introduce him to all different types of people, have some visitors come in and try to get him to greet nicely (but don't overwhelm him, just one visitor a day is fine I think), take him out and show him all sorts of environments - grates, sand, grass. You can also try to take him over to the local playground during off hours and have him climb a few steps and back down all while luring with food - just be careful not to hurt him and not to let him jump down. Just keep one rule in mind: all positive for now. Every experience during this time should be fun for him and not intimidating in any way - use lots of treats during this time to make things that would otherwise be unpleasant (standing in a crowded intersection for example) be comfortable and pleasant for him.

As far as the biting - for now just redirect him to something else. So for example if he knows sit and you (should) have treats on you at all times you can lure him into a sit as soon as he starts to bite and then reward. Another thing you can do is keep toys handy and when he bites you (by the way this is all very normal for a 9 week old pup) just tell him no in a calm stern voice and tease him with the toy and let him get it right away. When he starts to chew on the toy praise him again. Also to get him more interested in his own toys you can tease him with them and make him chase them around. Because they are just laying on the floor he doesn't really know how they are different than the furniture so you're just playing the odds that he'll randomly pick his toy rather than a curtain or your body (which is interesting because it's warm and moves around a lot)

Hope this helps! Sorry, but there's only so much I can say in one post - there's a reason so many books have been written about raising puppies and that's because there is a lot to it. But it sounds like you're doing all the right things and are on the right track.

Good luck!!

[Stosh]

He's just a baby! Keep training sessions short and fun, lots of praise and treats. I know a trainer who takes a bite of cheese and when the pup looks at her she spits it out so the pup can catch it- in no time the pup is focusing on her face to see when more cheese is going to fly out.