First puppy Post #178 Has Awesome Training Info!

[Salodin]

Dogs cant tell from wrong or right.

That's not true. How many YouTube videos have you seen where there's a guilty as fuck dog cowering in shame because he knows he's done wrong. Dogs can't think critically like humans do, but with training they can be taught that x is OK, but y will get you locked in your kennel for 15min.

[Abandon]

the vid of the guity-as-fuck lab comes to mind, that shit is funny as hell

[Abandon]

that being said, they don't sit and think "i'm gonna fuck this up, see how like he likes THIS", so no, they're not evil in that regard. but they do know when they do something that doesn't please you, if there has been training

[Brill Weave]

The only time my dog has ever given me the guilty look is if he has an accident in the house. He knows he's not supposed to go until he's outside. It may be more shame, than guilt. Dogs are smart, they pick up on people's emotions/feelings/body language.

[Kohan]

That's not true. How many YouTube videos have you seen where there's a guilty as fuck dog cowering in shame because he knows he's done wrong. Dogs can't think critically like humans do, but with training they can be taught that x is OK, but y will get you locked in your kennel for 15min.

They can definitely be trained, that's correct. They absolutely should be, too, and crating is a good way of going about it. What he said about needing to catch them in the act is absolutely true, though. That, and fifteen minutes may be too long, especially if they are a puppy.

This is an article that dispels the "dogs can be guilty" myth:

http://dogtime.com/the-guilty-look.html

As a related aside, another thing to consider about how you punish your dogs is the aforementioned positive feedback approach. For example, recently, my own puppy peed on a bed for the first time ever. Many households don't allow their dogs on beds, but some do. In reaction, my roommates started saying that she was bad for wanting to get on the bed. When I went home, I told them that we shouldn't call her a "bad dog" when we command her to get off, and then she does—we should praise her because she listened to us. As a result, she's shown an immediate improvement in listening about getting onto things she shouldn't, and most of the time, she will whine at something she wants to get onto instead of just doing it.

Naturally, we don't want her whining all the time, but that will be worked on. You can obviously tell that her "asking" to do something she's not allowed to is better than her just doing it, and it also demonstrates how dogs will not do bad things to receive praise (as in, her thought process does not follow "if I jump on the bed, and then get off when I am told, I will get praised").

[Tajin]

That's not true. How many YouTube videos have you seen where there's a guilty as fuck dog cowering in shame because he knows he's done wrong. Dogs can't think critically like humans do, but with training they can be taught that x is OK, but y will get you locked in your kennel for 15min.

Training =/= dog knows right from wrong.

[Salodin]

Training =/= dog knows right from wrong.

No, but it actively seeks approval. And if doing things we consider good gives it approval, then that's close enough for me. That's like...the laymen of what Kohan just wrote lol.

[BaneTheBrawler]

yes but a dog will still murder someone (or another dog) for a treat, and other dogs will just beg for a treat, and maybe even pick up the trick and go make their own kill. dogs understand that doing X is good and Y is bad, but they can't understand if it's right or not. The difference between the two is that the former is merely a reaction to stimuli; do X, get treat. do Y, get scolded. The latter is a value judgement: is that treat worth taking a life? whole different mode of consciousness required for that.

[Tokitoki]

I was looking for a new puppy for myself and the girlfriend recently as well. We're looking at adopting one of these two little guys.
Australian Kelpie/Cattle Dog Mix


Rottie/Shepard Mix


I really like Rotties. I have not owned one before, but the ones I have met that friends/family have owned were incredibly smart and well-behaved (they were well trained). My reservation about the Rottie puppy is the label it is given. I don't want my neighbors to start complaining that we have a Rottie because they know nothing of the breed. My cousin almost had to put down her pitbull because a guy in the neighborhood felt threatened by a "vicious dog" when he went to get his mail and she was looking at him wagging her tail. They called the cops on my cousin and the cop said that he thought he may have had to shoot the dog.

That dog is the biggest mush. She just wants to be your pillow and cuddle with you.

[Kaslo]

D'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Brill Weave]

I'd go with puppy #1. Though they are both adorable.

[Tajin]

I'm neutral to either, other than GSD I'm not much into guard dog breeds, but since it will not be my dog, either seem like fine specimens.

[Tokitoki]

I'd go with puppy #1. Though they are both adorable.

I like puppy #1 as well. He'll also be a slightly smaller dog and isn't a Rottie which will make insurance and neighbors feel better. The other advantage is that he's a herding dog naturally and my girlfriend's family has sheep. They have two other Australian Shepard/Cattle Dogs in the family too that they "use" on the farm. Might be fun for the puppy to eventually play around on the farm.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Don't tell your neighbors he's part rottie. Just say he's a shepard mix. People who make a fuss about that shit won't know the difference. if they do ask, be vague. "something with a short snout, i think"


you'd have to tell the insurance though. that shit has legal ramifications.

[Aylee]

I had to get renters insurance when we rented the house. Do I need to tell them we got the puppy? They didn't ask anything about pets when I got it

[Acevalefor]

I had to get renters insurance when we rented the house. Do I need to tell them we got the puppy? They didn't ask anything about pets when I got it

Our renter's insurance has absolutely nothing to do with pets. The policy doesn't even mention it. So I guess it depends on the insurer/policy?

As far as Rottweiler mix goes, "I don't know" is a great answer. He is a mixed breed and you don't know (all) the breeds.

[Abandon]

rottie

[Odin'sLaw]

that rottie mix reminds me of a dog my grandad had when i was little, Rufus you was a kick ass dog

[Aylee]

Definitely number 2

[Aylee]

So brought my cat the the new place today and introduced him to he puppy... He could give to shits about the puppy but she is barking like mad... I picked the cat up and brought him to the puppy and she was fine... sniffed him and after a sec he got pissed and growled at her.... now she's scared to death of the cat