Over the next few weeks I’m going to write posts about all the training issues I’m having with my weimaraner Remy. He’s almost 11 months so still very much a puppy.
The main reason for these posts is to help others. If I’m having these issues, you can bet thousands of others are having similar problems! Remy is not all that unique (sorry, Bud!).
Second, I want to show you I am not perfect. My dog has his quirks and I’ve made mistakes.
Third, I’d love your advice!
And fourth, writing about our problems forces me to admit I have problems, write them down and come up with a real plan. Ignoring problems usually makes them worse.
So here are our issues. I’ll probably write about these in this rough order, starting with what I believe is the most serious.
Training issues with my weimaraner:
- Coming when called (he doesn’t)
- Possessiveness of certain toys like squeaky toys and soft toys. He’s not aggressive but he holds onto them with a death grip and becomes totally fixated.
- Aggression when other pets walk by his kennel. (Update: This one went away on its own!)
- Possessiveness of his food bowl with people and pets.
- Nipping at me when I try to put him in his kennel. He bites at my wrist. (Update: we stopped this! I’ll write about it soon)
- Humping me! Also humping Ace’s dog bed and blankets. (Update: The humping stopped when he was neutered)
- General protest barking in his crate.
- Jumping and biting at people out of excitement during greetings. (Immature puppy biting, not aggression).
- Pulling on the leash.
Remy is not a bad dog. He’s normal. These are all common issues but obviously not behaviors I want to reinforce. Most of these are mild problems at the moment, but could become more serious.
If you are having similar troubles with your dog, often the best thing you can do is block or prevent the problem. If you simply prevent a dog from doing an unwanted behavior, it is no longer reinforced.
For example, Remy barks aggressively if my cats walk by his kennel so I moved his kennel to a quiet corner and I encourage my cats not to walk in that area.
As another example, Remy becomes very obsessive over soft squeaky toys so we simply don’t give him those types of toys.
I’ll go over all of these issues in more details over the next few weeks.
Now … onto YOU. What are your most serious training problems at the moment? Do any of mine sound familiar? Are there any training problems you’d like to see addressed on the blog?
Thank you for your feedback and talk soon!
-Lindsay
Shelley
Friday 20th of January 2017
I have a 5 month old Weimaraner and he seems to have a lot of the same issues as Remy. Biting is a big one. You will look at him and all of a sudden he comes right at your face. My 11 year old is scared of him but he just wants to play. He doesn't sleep through the night. He gets up twice and wants to go outside. He's very clingy. He follows you everywhere and wants to sit with you. I heard that's a Weimaraner thing. He jumps on you and scratches you. He still isn't completely potty trained. I know he's only 5 months old. My labs were never this hard.
Lindsay Stordahl
Friday 20th of January 2017
I hear ya, Shelley! Here are some links to my posts on potty training Remy and biting/pawing:
https://www.thatmutt.com/2016/06/13/how-long-potty-train-puppy/
https://www.thatmutt.com/2016/09/14/how-do-i-stop-my-dog-from-pawing-at-me/
John J
Saturday 7th of January 2017
Love the blog! So real and full of great information. We have 2 pooches: ~12 year old minature Dacshund, Willy Wonka and 6 month old Weimaraner, Ziggy! They get along like oil and water. I have started Ziggy in obedience training classes and we are just now starting the "advanced class". The end goal is for him to go to work with me at the hospital as a therapy dog. I enjoy the stories of Remy! They serve as a reminder that I'm not alone and give me a taste of what is yet to come in this journey of puppyhood. Weim-crimes are a real thing! Keep the stories coming!!
Lindsay Stordahl
Saturday 7th of January 2017
Thank you John!
Judy Weikum
Friday 6th of January 2017
Lefty was given to me when he was 4 months. They told me he was a good dog. Wrong. He wasn't house trained and didn't even know sit. House training was simple but his obedience doesn't work all the time. I wanted to teach him simple things but fostering another dog and pet sitting two other dogs caused bad behaviors to develop. I now have time to work with him. I'm hoping simple behaviors like sit , down, and stay will take away the bad behaviors.
Marlene
Thursday 5th of January 2017
Milo is an 8 month old black lab/border collie cross. He pulls like crazy on walks, likes to dismantle all toys and will swallow anything, including whole socks (many times) and in the recent cold weather has discovered "poopsicles" - DISGUSTING!! We have tried a pinch collar with him, but at the slightest bit of pressure he screams like I am cutting off his neck and I worry about the neighbours calling the police for abuse! He also jumps at visitors at the door and is killing my hardwood floors trying to get to them! I love the hear about Remy, it makes me feel more normal!
Lindsay Stordahl
Thursday 5th of January 2017
Haha! Thanks for making me feel more normal too.
Guatlian
Thursday 5th of January 2017
Joey, our beagle-mix, is turning two this Feb and has shredded just about every blanket/cover he can get his teeth on! His nightly ritual before bedding down is to spend a good 15 minutes doing this. I can only guess that this has something to do with stress-relief since massaging him, esp. at the base of his tail, seems to be the only way I can get him to stop.