>Be me, work at amusement park>Closed for the season, go to visit parents>Stay for a month>ffw Monday (yesterday)>Normal day>Vegging out at parents house>Dad comes through door>Says “Hey Anon” in a singsongy voice>Look up>He has a puppy>He says it’s my puppy>I didn’t ask for a puppy>”I think this could be good for you, you’ll have someone to keep yourself occupied with and to look forward to coming home to.”>”If you can provide for a dog, you can provide for a family”I've lived in a family that had a shared dog but I've never owned a dog myself, what do>I have already trained the dog to climb and descend stairs, he sort of knows how to sit on command, and I’ve been able to get him outside to shit 9/10 times before he could do it inside.>He can fetch short distances but he doesn’t really understand or comprehend his name. I’ve tried calling his name and reinforcing it with treats but he still doesn’t get it>I’m taking him home to my apartment tomorrow but I’m woefully unprepared and have no idea what I’m doing.>I feel so bad for the little guy, I never realized how fucked up it is that we just take puppies away from their families>Poor bastard was born 8 weeks ago and will never see his mom or siblings ever again>I had to get some college work done and so I put him in the kennel for like 15 minutes so that I could complete my assignments, he just cried and cried >I gave him his favorite toy and some water, I sat beside him on the other side of the kennel, he fell asleep after a while>I take him outside every 45 minutes or soI have no idea what I’m doing and I’m woefully unprepared. Any advice appreciated! He’s an 8 week-old boxer heeler. I really want to do right by this dog so that I can prove to myself that I’m capable of putting others’ needs before my own. I didn’t want a dog, I didn’t ask for a dog, but lo and behold I have a dog now and I intend to do the best that I can to raise him.
>>5100180>Hey son, I went out and got you a 15 year daily commitment. I think it will be good for you.8 weeks is still very young to expect much from a puppy commands-wise, but it is always good to get started with simple and fun things. Keep sessions short and sweet.Carry him up and down the stsirs to avoid damaging joints. All floors should have some traction as well, or it can make your dog become cow hocked. Wood or other slipper floors are bad for puppy.Get all the shots and stuff necessary and then socialize the dog in a structured way. Do not spay/neuter until ATLEAST 1+ years old. 7 or 8 is actually better if you don't mind having an intact dog. Keep exercise/structured leash time to 5 minutes per month of age twice a day.Lots of good info online or you can buy a book. If you get the basics down early it will set you up for an easy dog once it gets older. Remember to keep it fun for yourself and the dog!
>>5100183So how long should I be carrying him up and down the stairs for? I didn't realize that could damage his joints
>>5100180Oh yeah another thing. Bad habits are formed through repeated behavior, so if your dog is doing something that may become one make it impossible for them to do the thing. Dog chewing a cord? Dont want it to become a habit? Remove all cords so it cannot chew them. Apply the same idea to any and all behaviors you don't want them to habitualize.
>>5100185Probably another couple months at least. If the stairs are steep maybe 3
>>5100187will there be any lasting damage from the stairs he's already climbed? I got him yesterday and since then he's climbed up and down stairs a lot.I really hope I didn't fuck him up
>>5100183>All floors should have some traction as well, or it can make your dog become cow hocked. Wood or other slipper floors are bad for puppy.That's gonna be a problem, my apartment is vinyl floor...
>>5100188Not from a day, but over time it will. I got some cheap rugs on amazon and put them down where my pup walked around most. Ideally youll want to keep them until his growth plates fuse, which is size dependent. Make your dad pay for them lol
>>5100180Return the death machine you didn't ask for
>>5100188YOU BROKE HIM ALREADY HE'S RUINED
your dad is right about the family thing, dogs are a great way to get used to taking care of a child. if you can take care of a dog well, you can do a kid too!For his name just say it then give some kibble. Take like 1/2 of the kibble from his meals and use it to behavior shape. It's great you are crate training, that's so important especially if you are single and taking care of a dog alone. Do not give attention when he is crying in the crate, only let him out when he's quite. Don't fuss when doing so, be boring both in and out. Randomly toss treats inside the crate during the day for him to find.
kek american dog people are such freaks
>>5101186literally the best part of america is the dog culture
>>5101182Decent advice, but I will add that when name training you should wait to give treat until dog makes eye contact with you. It's really good to work on this while the dog is distracted or playing so it practices breaking attention to focus on you.
>>5101219Yeah nice addition, I should have mentioned that. Also use a marker word like "yes" or "good" and then treat AFTER that. It's behavior -> "yes" -> treat. Pause after the yes before the treat. Will have to be fast at first but start to fade in some time.I'm going to miss something but I feel every dog should learn:>come (recall in general, imo the most important command)>sit>down>stay (standing stay, I teach dogs sit and down are implied stays)>heel (street heel on left side)>watch me (eyes on me)>place (go to a place and wait until released)>break (a release command)>crate (go to crate)..and questionable but I always train it:>wait (temporary stay, I like this for public access temporary stops, or if I throw a toy to wait until I say break)>stop (I use this in a heel rather than sit, it's to stop but be in a focused heel sit looking at me)...can also teach a vocal and quiet command, I use "talk shit" and "quiet", useful if a dog is vocal to be able to moderate it.
