# Need overall tips for training 11 weeks old Lab/Blue Heeler mix



## reenasaurusrex (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi, I just got my first puppy, her name is Morticia and she is a lab/blue heeler mix.
She's picked up on a lot of things fast, like to sit whenever she wants anything (a door opened, a toy, a treat, anything) and we're working on Get it/Leave it, which she's also picking up fast. Overall, she's a total joy and the sweetest, best companion I could ask for.
However...
She is a puppy, and I am a first time owner, so naturally I have about a million questions, and since most of my friends are either cat people or horrible dog owners I have no one to ask for advice. So here are some of my questions.

She BARKS like mad every time I place her in her crate! I've started crate training her in short time periods, like 1-2 hours at a time. The first few days, I placed her in her crate with lots of soft towels, a ticking clock, her empty food bowl (I feed her by placing the bowl in the back of the crate so she associates the crate with food and sleep, not poop and pee) and a couple of her favorite chew toys, then stayed in the room with her but ignored her while I watched tv, cooked dinner, etc. She whined, barked, and carried on for a good 15 minutes before settling down for a nap, then woke up while I was mid-shower with a hail of barking.
I live in an apartment building, so the barking has GOT to end before my neighbors kill me. So what can I do? I've yet to crate her over night because I'm scared of my neighbors hating me for her loud barking at night. 

More on the crate training - today, we went out for potty (she pooped! Yay!) and then it was up and into the crate. This time, though, I placed her crate in the bedroom, with the door firmly shut while I stayed in the living area. The barking and whining was MAD, simply insane!

Other problems I have seem to be diminishing (she's getting better every day at using the bathroom outside, I mean she's a really smart dog), and she's such a sweetie, but the barking is out of control! She now barks whenever someone comes into the apartment, and whenever she sees someone outside. I shush her and say "quiet" as sternly as possible, but it rarely works. 

How can I cure this barking problem?? Does she have separation issues, and am I making it worse by spending every minute with her? Should she be spending more time in her crate during the day? I usually only do two two hour crate sessions a day, should I up either the amount of time or the amount of sessions?

Right now I don't work, but in about a week I'm starting a new job where she'll be left on her own about 3 hours monday-friday. I don't want to come home to a messy crate and angry neighbors because of a yapping dog. 

Other than the barking issue, another I have is that I don't want to wait too long to start socializing her, but because she's so young and hasn't been through shots, the dog park is out of the question. I live downtown, and there aren't a lot of dog friendly places I can take her other than parks (and it's so cold right now!).

I dunno, I guess I could search for other posts dealing with the same issues, but I really wanted to ask for myself. Hopefully someone can help me!

Sorry this post is so long!


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## Nil (Oct 25, 2007)

First, welcome!
Now, take a deep breath and relax. This is basic puppy stuff and there are things to help. 

How old is she?

Leaving her in the crate 1-2 hours is too much starting off. Start very slow. What might help is, take her for a long walk. Maybe bring a toy or some treats and do some training sessions while on the walk (basic sit, lay down, loose leash walking, etc.) as this will get her mentally and physically tired. Go home and put her in the crate, give her a treat for going in the crate, close the crate door, wait for 20 seconds, now say "Good puppy!" and let her out. Later in the day repeat this, SLOWLY building up time (20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, did she bark? if so, 20 seconds, etc.), so that the crate is always a good place where she is treated. Since she is a little tired out, it may go very well. Next phase is the phase where you give her something to do. 

Is she food motivated? Get a Kong and fill it with kibbles and then on the opening smear peanut butter so the kibbles won't fall out. Now put it in the freezer for an hour or so. Once it is frozen take it out and let her check it out. If she wants it, tell her to "crate up!" or some similar command and lead her to the crate and put her inside. Give her the Kong, close the door, if all goes well she will want the Kong and spend 30-40 minutes working on it. 

So, I would very slowly reintroduce the crate as a good thing. Use lots of treats and praise and slowly build up time inside the crate. Give her a long walk before you do this training so she is already kind of tired. Use the kong and put different things inside to keep her motivated. She may come to love her crate time because she gets delicious Kongs. Stay consistent and keep working at it. 

You can always teach her a quiet command too. Using a clicker helps to mark the behavior but you can do without. When she is barking, make a loud, sudden noise and she should stop to look at you, this is when you say, "Good puppy!" And give her a treat for being quiet. However, if she is completely immersed in barking without paying attention, you just need to simply put a leash on her calmly and walk her away. Once she is quiet you reward with a treat.

For socializing, I would take her to the park to at least see other dogs and people. Otherwise you can find a friend or someone with a dog whose had all their shots and has no risk of infection to socialize your dog with.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Adding to Nil ...
1. Moisten the food in the Kong a little, then freeze it. 
2. I'm assuming that Moriticia is mostly Lab, so I expect that she loves to chew. The Kong will help.
3. Put together a Kong and let her smell it. Then put the Kong in the crate and close the door, with Morticia on the outside.
She will "freak out" trying to get into the crate to get at the Kong. When she 'gives up' and looks at you, let her in the crate and close the door. IN addition to the other advice, this will help.
4. You can probably teach her a new behavior every week (or every day), the training will help calm her.
5. As soon as you are allowed to walk her, a 30 min. walk will help tire her out.
6. Barking - She wants attention and has learned that barking gets it. Plus barking is loads of fun! Time to teach her to bark on cue and to be quiet on cue.
7. When you can anticipate that she will bark, say Bark! or Speak! And when she barks, praise and give a tiny treat.
Keep practicing until you can elicit a bark, reliably without other distractions.
8. Next, when she stops barking, say Quiet, then give her a treat. Tell her to Bark!, and as she stops, say Quiet and treat. Practice as much as possible.
9. Now, when she is barking, get a high value treat, such as boiled chicken, and use a small piece, the size of a dime, and Tell her Quiet, as she winds down. If she is quiet praise and treat. If not, shove the chicken under her nose. She can't sniff the treat and bark at the same time, praise and treat. Next time, say Quiet, then put the chicken under her nose, and when she stops praise and treat.
10. If she eats then barks, then say quiet and hold the treat under her nose for a few seconds. Praise when she stops, but treat after 2 seconds. Continue practicing, and increase the time that she is quiet before treating, always praising when she first stops barking.... May not completely solve the problems, but should help a little....


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Lab/heeler eh? My breed is heelers (also known as acd's & they aren't as easy as labs because they are bred to drive (not herd) headstrong cattle so they are tougher, stronger & more stubborn then the average dog.

You can go to www.acda.org for more info on one half of your puppy lol. Oh... & WE WANT PICS


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