Member Ed
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Oh, I miss read the post. At 8-weeks I would have no expectation that the puppy goes through a door or knows to pee a few feet away from it. I would pick her up from the crate, walk to the door, open the door, walk to exactly where I want her to do it and lower her down in that spot. Always the same exit, always the same spot. No talking, no playing till she does her business then party and a little play. Then pick her up and bring her inside the home where I want her.
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Peeing out of excitement is involuntary. She has zero control over it so it is not something you can teach her not to do, so the focus is on change her mental state. Submission peeing is also something that you can not correct the dog for. So the “fix” for both is to manipulate her metal state until it whatever is triggering it becomes part of her normal. For excitement peeing you can make the situation less exciting (keep her in a crate and when you return home do not interact with her till she has calmed down). Remain calm and pass that state of mind to her. Greet her in an area that peeing is not a big deal, like in the kitchen. For the submissive peeing I would do 2-3 obedience tricks to get her confidence up (high five, paw, etc) and then try to use that state of mind to go through the threshold she is having trouble with. Likewise anything that gets her drive up, like a ball, may help. Momentum may also help. Play a couple of times and when she is amped up try and go through the threshold. All voluntary and fun, no coercion. I hope it helps!
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Robert just released a YouTube/Podacast interview with Will Chesney the handler of Cairo, the dog of Bin Laden fame and also the author of the “No Ordinary Dog” book/audiobook that I had mentioned earlier. Towards the end of the interview they mention a couple of charities focused on veteran dog needs. I just put in a monthly donation via PayPal to https://warriordogfoundation.org — I think from a pragmatic perspective this is one of the best things a normal person can do to manage the issue and improve the life of former combat dogs.
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It is sad situation all around. Abandoning is the worst, and like Robert says, there should be a special place in hell for those people. I remember listening to “No Ordinary Dog” on Audible. I’m not sure what the right solution is.
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There is a lot of material on the site. What I found most helpful was to dive in and listen to dozens, perhaps over 100, chats, Q&As, etc. It kind of reshapes the way you think about it. On being the alpha… perhaps another perspective is being his/her rock, everything may be going to all sort of extremes and he/she knows that you are there as solid as can be. You provide him/her with leadership, protection, development, the skills to succeed in a human world, and the primary motivation for your actions are in his/her best interest. I had the same weird feeling about the first good 1-on-1 trainer we hired — he pitched a 5-session package, etc. Turns out he was what I needed at that time. I think most of the dog training that goes on are for the easy dogs. So perhaps you can ask for references where he/she has addressed similar issues with high drive dogs. It is awkward to call references up ourselves, but if these are the best he/she can come up with and they are not very happy to take your call, that in itself would be valuable info.
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It could be resource guarding. I think there is a lesson on it, or perhaps it is a video. If it is resource guarding, according to Robert, the only fix is for you to raise your status with the pup, primarily through obedience training, so that he stops seeing you as a resource. According to Robert, dogs do not get jealous per se. Meaning the would be jealousy goes away once he stops seeing you as a resource. Assuming it is resource guarding, it can get serious and out of control very quickly.
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Check out this video… is that the mouthing you are seeing? https://youtu.be/4HicIEayBdY
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Have a similar issue. I switched all dogs to frozen raw and I have a stockpile of regular dog food to deal with. It is a lot, like $400-$500. I may try to sell it on Craigslist
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That is cool. Perhaps other owners will jump in. From the description it seems that the behavior is normal. If I put my face in front of my puppy he will take little nips at it. He will chew up my hands, clothing, everything. It is a 11-week rottie. The approach I’m taking for mouthing is to bear it and/or redirect by offering an alternate toy, rag , or bone. No corrections other than redirection as I want a confident puppy and eventually a confident dog. You are everything you puppy has, and he is trying to engage with you in the only way he knows. Knowing that it is normal takes away the pain and the frustration.
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My suggestion would be to check out her channel https://youtube.com/c/MaligatorMom to get a better idea of what is ahead. She is also on this site. That behavior is within the range of what you expect for a mal, meaning there may be easier dogs, but quite likely there is nothing wrong with the one you got. You could watch the videos in her channel that deal with the more challenging parts, as opposed to just the accomplishments… I think she has 4 of these dogs, so obviously she is not a normal person. Being that she is only 9 weeks you have a decision ahead of you, do you return the puppy or do you gear up for what is ahead.