Author Topic: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever  (Read 17582 times)

Offline Pyr Heaven

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I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« on: September 18, 2007, 08:16:17 pm »
Miles is SO bad. haha There's never a moment when he's into something he shouldn't be! And I thought I had the place puppy proofed!

He chews on EVERYTHING. I redirect him with his toys. I put bitter apple on places he really shouldnt be chewing...like the carpet, walls, coffe table. Yeah, it doesn't work. He could care less if it tastes weird!

He's so stubborn. He will only listen when he wants to listen. He knows sit, down, come, paw, off. And the only one he does whether he wants to or not is sit(and sometimes it takes me telling him 3 times and pushing his butt down to do it. Then he'll whine like I'm killing him for sitting! haha) hahaha Will he ever do the other commands when I want him to (not when it's just convenient for him!?)

And boy is he persistent. On walks, if I want to go a different direction than him, he'll sit his little butt down, face the direction he wants to go, and will not budge! Pretty soon I won't be able to get him to move!

I feel like I'll just be wasting my time at a puppy class. I don't think they'll teach me anything I don't already know. I don't know if they will have experience with especially stubborn puppies like Miles. He's not that easily motivated. What do you think. Maybe I should get a personal trainer?

My question is for you pyr owners. What advice do you have for me? I have a feeling the stubborness will only get worse as time goes on. Is there any way to change this behavior or should I just learn to live with it now? hahaha :D

P.S. The thing that made me start this thread...is the fact that I went to the bathroom...was gone for maybe 30 seconds...I come back...and Miles is STANDING on the coffee table! He is seriously nuts!
*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

Offline Pyr Heaven

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2007, 08:28:37 pm »
Here's some pics of Miles at the park today. And he looks so innocent.




*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

bigdogs@5501

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2007, 08:50:51 pm »
I probably wont be the only one saying this, but well, he is a Pyr. And I think that he is probably very smart. So in additional to being a Pyr and smart, he gets bored. Puppy classes wouldnt hurt. And it will help with socialization and he will probably be in class with other puppies which might help.
Tug is finally getting past that chewing stage, but we have gone thru a couch and a love seat and so many pairs of shoes.
Positive re-enforcement is the main thing to remember, my Pyrs seem to respond better to when I am positive (and sometimes this is way hard to do with Bella)

And he is sooooo cute... I know... that doesnt help.

Offline Pyr Heaven

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2007, 09:09:58 pm »
hahaha. Yes. At this point I'm attributing his behavior to the fact that he's a pyr. But I still have hope!

I agree they are very intelligent and get bored easily. I just don't know how many toys I can get him! haha The place has toys all over! And he chooses things he should not have! For example, he loves my pantyhose! Biting and pantyhose do not mix! so I took a holey pair (because of him) tied it in knots and made a toy for him. Does he want it now? NO! Because I'm allowing him to have it! hahaha


He loves all dogs. Big, Small, and everything in between. We live in a condo....and tons of people have dogs. So there's always at least one dog we pass in and out of the place. And of course we have to stop and play. Also, there are play groups every sunday at the local humane society i was thinking of taking him to for additional socialization. I just dont see the point in spending 150 dollars for 1 day a week for 6 weeks of socialization ya know? I just feel like he and I won't get anything else out of a puppy class. I will eventually be taking him to an obedience class though. Once he's 6 months I'm going to get him in with the big dogs! haha That way I know he'll be learning more than just basic commands and such.

It's nice to know they (sort of) get better as they get older. hahaha :D
*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

bigdogs@5501

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2007, 09:18:44 pm »
Well I have been bad- Tuggles is not really socialized at all, I have got to start working on that and soon. Its just hard, we live out in the country and he has a country dog life. He gets to run and play in the woods and the creek and he has Bella and Zoey and his family. And we really never have drop in visitors. He totally freaked out on the refrigerator repairman on Tuesday. He had never even been on a leash until he was 7 months old. I should have video taped it, he was like a 70 pound fish out of water. But we always carried him when we went to the vet.

A postive for Tugs is that he has had Bella and Zoey teaching him how to be a big dog. They have done a great job and even took him on his first coyote run last week (no I did not preapprove this lesson) So he has learned from them the finer art to guarding and protecting and how to patrol.

He is also a really laid back little guy most of the time and he is still insisting on "hold me" time in the evenings. I started this when he was a baby and it is a requirement every nite. He crawls in my lap in the recliner and I just hold him and give him kisses. I have no idea what we are going to do when he is even bigger.

Pyrs are wonderful companions and they just want to have fun, Miles will grow out of it.

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2007, 10:56:37 pm »
Ohh, I don't even know where to start...

Pyrs are stubborn and very hard to train BUT it is possible and you have to really go out of your way to come up with the approach  :D

We started puppy classes when Lily was only 9 weeks. She was absolutely wonderful besides heeling. I had to drag her around for almost 3 months before she actually started pulling, which I thought was a great sign. I still have to drag her when she chooses her own direction and there is nothing I can do about it...I have tried everything. Sometimes you could find me standing in the middle of the street crying because my nerves couldn't handle a pyr. Now, 12 months later we do Rally, Obedience and Agility and the instructors are so proud of her.

Here I go  ::)
1. Never repeat a command, EVER and never give a command if you know he will not do. If you gave him a command and something unexpected came up, try anything to get his attention BUT make him do it.
2. Pyrs are not food motivated...No tice the time of the day when he is super active and don't feed him 5-6 hours before that.
3. Don't train him at the same time. When you see him happy and playful, take advantage of it.
4. Use 3-4 different treats and don't praise 1 treat for 1 command! One time give him 5, another 1, then 3 and so on.
5. Be creative and play "hide and seek" or "find a treat" games. When he finds you give him a whole hot dog or something super cool  ;D

When he learns that you are a super duper cool mom and can do so many things he will pay attention to you and listen more than you could ever imagine

Good luck


"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Offline Pyr Heaven

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2007, 11:07:59 pm »
Here I go  ::)
1. Never repeat a command, EVER and never give a command if you know he will not do. If you gave him a command and something unexpected came up, try anything to get his attention BUT make him do it.
2. Pyrs are not food motivated...No tice the time of the day when he is super active and don't feed him 5-6 hours before that.
3. Don't train him at the same time. When you see him happy and playful, take advantage of it.
4. Use 3-4 different treats and don't praise 1 treat for 1 command! One time give him 5, another 1, then 3 and so on.
5. Be creative and play "hide and seek" or "find a treat" games. When he finds you give him a whole hot dog or something super cool  ;D

When he learns that you are a super duper cool mom and can do so many things he will pay attention to you and listen more than you could ever imagine

Wow, great advice. I will definitely have to work on MY skills to get him to respond well. I mean, I've raised puppies before, but once again, this is a pyr we're talking about. He needs something special to get him to fly through hoops for me ;)

Thanks for all your support everyone. I'm sure he'll get it eventually. I think I might enroll him in a class before he is 6 months considering that is 3 months away still. With distractions, he doesn't listen at all (except for sit). haha
*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2007, 11:08:10 pm »
I forgot to add that my hubby calls me a retard when I train Lily...Coz I make all these weird sounds, jump around, stand on my head, etc. just to impress her, LOL  ;D ...after all that I see these very dark, serious eyes looking at me and saying "god, mom, you are a retard!" LMAO
« Last Edit: September 18, 2007, 11:09:36 pm by People Whisperer »
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Offline patrick

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2007, 11:42:21 pm »
Me I breed Pyrs and I don't expect them to be obedience dogs.  My dogs are beautifully behaved, very social, and a child could walk them on a lead.  However they are not bred to do repetitive commands and they are not bred to do something just because you said so- 2000 years of genetics.  So you might want to temper your expectations a little so you are not disappointed in him.  Much of what he is doing is just puppy stuff and I would try to find more activities out of the house for him to try to burn off some of that puppy energy.  Any training that is given should be very positive and fun - that's the only way with this breed  You can't force them and you can't bribe them they have to want to do it  They can be a real challenge but if you understand the breed then you will not feel like you are failing and won't feel that the dog is deliberately disobeying.

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2007, 11:49:57 pm »
Yes...about not forcing  :D We had a class tonight and the instructor doesn't recommend the use of treats. She says we have to be leaders, give corrections and dogs will listen. Yea, right, she should try it with Pyrs... I did! Ones! I gave a correction and Lily looked at me like "OK, one more and I will really NOT do a thing!" So funny! With Pyrs you can actually see how their brains work just by looking at their eyes  :)
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Offline Pyr Heaven

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2007, 12:19:01 am »
oh man. I love pyrs. :D They crack me up. I'm pretty sure they're more intelligent than we are. haha

I do understand what pyrs were bred for and their strong independence. I also know it is possible to train a pyr to listen and have good manners.

I dont ever expect him to be some big obedience competition dog trying to show off his latest trick. I would've gotten a different breed for sure! haha

I do understand alot of this is puppy behavior. (at least I hope!)

Thanks for all your advice guys!!!

Oh! Also....
How long did it take lily to get TDI certified?
*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2007, 12:25:40 am »
The dog suppose to be a year old to get certified. Most of the people wait until their dogs 2-3. Pyrs are very calm so it is easy. Just make sure do not reinforce jumping and licking. Also, I highly recommend using restrained recall for "come". It makes a huge difference  :D Group classes should help him to behave around other dogs  ;)
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Offline Pyr Heaven

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2007, 12:36:29 am »
So was Lily only a year old when certified!? That is quite impressive if so. I think their disposition definitely makes them one of the best breeds for therapy work. They're so gentle! No jumping or licking. Got it. I think I'll start working on those two now. Also, we should probably get his mouthing under control too. hahaha :D

And good recommendation for the restrained recall. I think I will start him in a group training program soon. The one I wanted him to be in starts October 22nd but I think he'll be too old by then for the class!

I will have to start him in the next level up which I think will be fine for him. He already knows quite a bit for only being 3 months old. At least I'm pretty impressed with him. I just need to become more interesting, like you suggested!
*~*~Samantha~*~*
Milwaukee, Wi

----Miles----
Great Pyrenees

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2007, 12:45:17 am »
Yep, she was 1 year, and 10 days...I sure couldn't wait, LOL!

About classes, "the slower, the faster" works for us. After our puppy class where Lily took the 1st place at the graduation being the youngest pup (4 months) we stayed at the next level for 6 months and I swear, I saw no hope for a while  ::) but she impressed me yet again  ;D 
This breed definitely makes you "humble"  :D
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)


Offline People Whisperer

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Re: I swear, I have the most difficult puppy ever
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2007, 12:52:35 am »

I dont ever expect him to be some big obedience competition dog trying to show off his latest trick. I would've gotten a different breed for sure! haha


There is nothing wrong with showing off Pyrs doing obedience routine...it is a routine (very boring) and not a latest trick. You could have done it with a Golden and judges see them all the time but when you enter the ring with a Pyr the entire building goes silent and all the attention on you...so cool and embarrassing at times when your lovely Pyr decides not to listen  ;D   

"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
Mary W. Crane

I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it :)