Four month old

[Lots]

Hi. I have a four month old little girl. Sindee, she knows sit and we are working on the rest. The problem I am having is she will only sit when she knows I have a treat for her. Also if she is misbehaving and I tell her to sit she will look at me like I am crazy and then jump at me and start barking. Does she just need more training? I plan to start basic classes with her after she is spayed. My vet recommended waiting until two weeks after her surgery. Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but this is my first Boxer and my first inside animal. I just want her to be well behaved, because I have small children and we have a lot of their friends come and visit. I know Sindee is not being aggressive but her bark does frighten the kiddos.

Thanks

 

[sanchasmom]

Little Monsters!!

My little girl used to d that too! She's six months now and slightly better behaived, but when she was three and four months she would "talk back" all of the time! She still whines a little bit (like a little kid) when I tell her to do something she doesn't want to do, but she minds me as she's whining! It just takes consistant training on a daily basis with these little ones!

One thing I used to do with her (when I wasn't running short on time) was put her outside in her run and play with her for a few minutes, then I would stop playing and tell her to sit. If she didn't sit, the game stopped and I went inside and ignored her. When she would bark to come inside, I went out to get her and told her to sit before I let her inside. If she didn't want to listen, I turned around and walked right back inside and ignored her again. After a while, she caught on that "sit = getting what she wants", whether it is a treat, or attention, or getting to go inside. Oh - and when she finally listened, I acted like she was the best baby in the whole world and gave her tons of pets and cuddles!

I really think that this method helped her understand that treats aren't the only reward for being a good puppy. I think you will probably learn more about positive reinforcement in obedience class. Hope this helps a little!

 

[lovemygracie]

I wouldn't worry--she's so young!! If you just be sure to do a few minutes of obedience every day and make it fun/rewarding for her I am sure she'll get there. You can phase the treats out later (decrease their frequency/predictability) but I think right now she's young enough to need the lures. She's too young to have formed a habit of sitting when you say sit, esp. when there are fun distractions like getting into stuff she's not supposed to get into.