First-time Akita owner: How to raise a balanced puppy with kids?

I recommend to do a lot of reading about owning a submissive dog, positive reinforcement training techniques and REALLY focus on socialization. Grizzley is in a crucial socialization time period and if since he is so timid, he REALLY needs to build his confidence. Without proper socialization, puppies can grow into fear biters and other negative behaviors. https://www.petcoach.co/article/socialization-of-your-puppy/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/dog-behavior-tips-for-social-situations/ Due to his age and his breed (A fear biting Akita would be much more damaging than a fear biting Chihuahua), I strongly recommend to work with a canine behaviorist (not just a trainer). You need to learn ways to build his confidence and work on positive training techniques. There is a well known dog trainer named Victoria Stilwell who has written several books and I recommend to pick some up and do some reading. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Congratulations on your new pup! You can visit the following link for training tips and how to deal with common behaviour issues http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=1 also try Adaptil, a calming pheromone that can help reduce anxiety in puppies and dogs www.adaptil.com . Training is still needed with all puppies and dogs, and enrolling Sitka in a puppy training class is a good way to help socialize him correctly in a safe environment. You can also find a trainer who can do sessions with you at home if scheduling is an issue for training classes. Neutering is also a good idea to help reduce roaming, marking behaviour, humping and aggression. Good luck.

Hello. It is never too early to start some very basic training & advocating for good manners in a puppy. Discourage any chewing or rough play using hands or feet. Gentle reminders & plenty or other things to chew on are the key. If your pup is already on a solid, but soft diet, then do not let her charge over & eat her food in seconds. Make her sit as quiet as possible for 10-15 seconds before allowing her to eat. Begin some basic obedience with her. Sit, stay, shake a paw are all possible for her to begin to understand at this age. While you can not take her out to associate with others, as soon as she has had all of her puppy shots, begin to socialize her with other pets & people ( as long as it is safe to do so with this pandemic ). If you treat her well, with a firm kindness, she should respond well to you. We will just have to wait & see how things progress with this virus, but the more professional training help you can get, the better a canine citizen your pup will be. Chances are she will do just fine. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It can be easy to get caught up in the new puppy cuteness, while forgetting that your job as a new pet owner is to raise your little bundle of fluff into a well-mannered, properly socialized and trained adult dog. Good for you for being ahead of the game! The first thing to remember is to set boundaries now by only allowing your puppy to do things now that you also want them to do as an adult. For example, if you don’t want to have your dog on the couch as an adult, don’t allow them on the couch as a puppy. Teaching basic leash skills and focusing on crate training will also be important to start from the very beginning. The key to having a well-adjusted dog is to socialize them from an early age. Once finishing your puppy’s vaccine series, be sure to expose them to a variety of different people, other dogs, noises and environments. Puppy classes can be a useful arena for socialization as well as learning basic training commands. Puppies also require frequent visits to the veterinarian, particularly in the first four months of life, for physical exams, weight checks and vaccinations. During these visits, your veterinarian will be able to discuss the best preventative medications for your puppy, as well as the benefits of spaying and neutering, and proper nutrition.

You’ve reached the teenage stage. Plenty of exercise is needed to get him tired which will lessen this adolescent behavior. Neutering will help also but mostly it will improve as he gets to be an adult. I do recommend a group obedience class. That will help him learn to focus on you with other people and dogs around and will challenge his mind also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Guido.

This type of behavior can be very concerning, especially when there are small children around. The good news is that your puppy is still very young and this is a good time to teach her good and appropriate behaviors. You are already doing a great job by exercising her regularly (a fast-paced 20-30 minute walk 2-3 times a day is best) and by redirecting her aggressive tendencies with chew toys. Another tactic you can use in training is to immediately stop play and ignore her if she starts becoming aggressive. This will teach her that that type of behavior does not get her what she wants (your attention). It is also a good idea to always use positive reinforcement when she is being well behaved. Puppies respond better and learn faster from positive reinforcement (like verbal praise and treats) than negative reinforcement (like yelling or hitting them). It would also be wise to start some initial training of basic commands as well, like sit, stay/wait, come, etc. This will help her focus and energy levels and will help establish your role the dominant one in the relationship. I hope this helps. Remember, persistence early on will help you raise a great puppy. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Yes, he’s at that teenage stage. The male hormones will take up to six weeks to go away so there may still be some effects from them on his behavior. He’s at a good age to start obedience training. I enjoy group lessons so he learns to obey you with other people and dogs around. Be patient he’s still young. I think it takes until dogs are one to two years old before they settle down and become well behaved family members. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Radar.