Treats and barking

[Miami754]

Two questions:

1) what kind of quality treats for puppies would people recommend? We are getting our 8 week female pry from the breeder next week and I will start training her then. I'd like to use some quality treats and am not sure what everyone else uses.

2) What has been your most effective way to train them to limit their barking? I have read a ton of articles on the importance of training them not to bark as much (ours will be an inside dog), but there seems to be a hundred different ways to actually train the dog to do this. Any recommendations?

Thanks for the help! My family is very excited for our first pry.

[mstricer]

That sounds really young for a pyr to be away from its mother. For the barking, I have nothing, you have to be right on top of it. My Zoe barks mostly at night or if our other dogs bark. We just tell her no bark, and I take her to investigate the situation, tell her it is okay give her a treat and tell her good guard. They are going to bark, if off lease be prepared when they bark they are going to gallop off to see what is going on. Congrates on your new puppy.

[mstricer]

Oh I forgot the treats we have tried a few, some soft treats, but what I found was just plain dog bones broke in smaller pieces was easier for Zoe, she couldn't figure out the soft treats I think they were getting stuck in her lips.

[Jewel]

Originally Posted by mstricer

That sounds really young for a pyr to be away from its mother.

Based on studies 8 weeks is a reasonable age for a pup to transition to a new home. It is releasing a pup at earlier than 8 weeks that is not recommended. Most responsible breeders will not release a pup until it is 8 weeks old. From 8 weeks to 16 weeks is when the new owners must do intense socialization under safe conditions.

Miami, you might want to consider using the treats from the same manufacturer as the kibble you have chosen. Just like kibbles, try to stay away from treats that contain artificial coloring and enhancements. Soft or hard treats will depend some on the pup's preference.

[BC19]

I actually make my own treats, Siege is very picky when it comes to treats and out of all the store kind I have tried he was only semi interested in one but even that one was walked away from after a minute or so. I make him peanut butter, bacon, carrot, and yogurt flavored biscuits right now and he absolutely loves them. I even went and bought some dog biscuit shaped cookie cutters lol.

As for barking, I think I got lucky with Siege. He did bark there for a minute around 6 months old but now he has laid off it for a while. He will bark when he wants something, but it is a quiet bark.

[Miami754]

I thought 8 weeks was okay from what I had read. The breeder would not release her from her mom before then which I had read was a good sign as well. Hopefully that will be okay although now I am a little worried.

Thank you for the advice so far. I really appreciate it. I realize that pyrs will bark, but I just didn't want it to be constant. That is what I was worried about.

Thanks!!!

[TexasKat]

Most reputable breeders will release pups at 8-9 weeks. Earlier than that, and you may have socialization issues such as increased nipping. Older pups (8-9 weeks) have more opportunity to learn some social skills from their siblings.

Nine (9) weeks is (I believe) actually the time for the pups to get their second round of shots/vaccinations so some breeders won't let pups go till then.

[Maggie's mom]

As long as you don't feed any treats from China, you should be good (esp chicken jerky or sweet potato treats from China.) Read labels carefully because there are companies (Waggin' Tails for one) which is based in SC, but their chicken jerky comes from China and there have been MANY reports of those particular treats making dogs VERY sick (kidney failure) I (well...my pups) always liked Wellness treats...but as Jewel said, any reputable dog food company will usually have decent treats. I also liked dehydrated liver, but you may want to reserve those as "high value" treats because you don't want to give too many of those per day. My puppies seem to like soft treats for training purposes...string cheese is a favorite and SMALL pieces of hot dog (pea sized) work well. Again, I reserved those as high value treats for potty training, etc.because I don't like to give an excessive amount of hot dog, but if you cut it into tiny pieces, most dogs go crazy for it...important for the all important potty training or recall training!!
Maggie or Arlo (my two pyrs, Arlo is the current puppy) didn't really bark excessively as young pups. Maggie didn't really start barking much until she was 6-7 mos old. It seemed to be a stage which lasted a few months, then she got more discriminating at what she barks at. As others have suggested, I acknowledge what she is barking at (whether I can see/hear it or not), tell her it's okay, and to "settle". I didn't have much luck "correcting" her for barking, but if I acknowledged she was doing her job well, and it was time to settle down, she normally does...unless there *really* is some reason to bark, which I usually discover eventually. Arlo rarely barks...but when he does, it's really cute!! He has a fairly gruff bark for a little guy.
I can't wait to see pics of your new puppy!!! I bet you're soooo excited!!

[kimierose]

I feed Bella bone marrow treats and milk bones she loves both she also gets yogurt.As for barking I guess I got really lucky with Bella, she only barks when she hears a new or strange noise. She will continue to bark untill I or DH goes and looks and make sure all is ok then we tell her its ok good girl you can hush now and she will Bella will sit on command and is getting good at staying will lay down when told to and sometimes she will fetch only when its good for her tho on the fetching part lol. Good luck with your new fluffy love and dont forget pic's when you get them.

[Espinay]

Originally Posted by Miami754

Two questions:

1) what kind of quality treats for puppies would people recommend? We are getting our 8 week female pry from the breeder next week and I will start training her then. I'd like to use some quality treats and am not sure what everyone else uses.

2) What has been your most effective way to train them to limit their barking? I have read a ton of articles on the importance of training them not to bark as much (ours will be an inside dog), but there seems to be a hundred different ways to actually train the dog to do this. Any recommendations?

Thanks for the help! My family is very excited for our first pry.

Congrats on getting your new puppiy. Exciting times!

For training treats I use roast chicken, small pieces of cheese, little bits of chicken roll, sausage, roast meat etc etc. Anything that is soft, small, not crumbly, smells good and is 'gobbled and gone' Of course when it comes to training and using rewards, remember that a 'reward' is not what we think the dog should find rewarding, but what the dog actually DOES find rewarding. So try a few things until you find what pushes your pups buttons.

Note that reacreational treats are different to tranining treats. For recreational treats take a look at the Kong Company website which has some great ideas for stuffing Kong toys: http://www.kongcompany.com/recipes/
I also give a meaty bone every day (when I leave for work, the pup goes in its run with a meaty bone to keep it busy). I use things like beef brisket bones, lamb necks and large turkey necks for the most part.

For barking, step one is to 'socialise' your pup well by getting it used to a wide range of sights and sounds both on and off the property. This helps your dog to recognise and discriminate between what is 'normal' and ok, and what isn't.

Step two is to ensure you work on your leadership skills so your dog knows you are you are in charge. Read some things such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Leader-Pack-An.../dp/189176702X

Then what I do is when the dog barks, I go out, see what they are barking at, and act accordingly. If it is something they SHOULD be barking at I go into action as appropriate (so they know through my actions that it was the right thing to bark at). If it is something that is ok, I tell them calmly they are good, but they can stop barking now as I have seen and all is ok. I might lead them away from the area as well (eg walk back in the house together and distract them by getting them to do something else). I have found praise actually works better than telling them off when it comes to moderating Pyr barking. It is just a matter of teaching them what is worth barking at and what isn't.

Note that 8 weeks is considered the ideal age for a pup to go to its new home from a socilisation perspective. Earlier than this and the pup can miss out on important socialisation skills with the litter. Later and sometimes they become too focussed on the other dogs/littermates and less on their owners (another reason why it is not recommended to get two puppies from the same litter). 8 weeks also allows enough time for the pup to have first vaccinations and for it to be weaned and comfortably eating solid foods for a couple of weeks (so the breeder can ensure that it is eating well before going to its new home).