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Old 12-03-2008, 01:55   #5
roo
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Lousiana
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neesk,

I wish you all the best as you definitely have your hands full. Yes, as puppies the CSV can be very challenging. I am by no means an expert, but have or am in the process of raising a year-old+ CSV puppy in the United States myself. I experienced many of the same challenges as you have described (albeit with only one puppy), but worked my way through it with a lot of patience, a lot of repetition, and a lot of continuity. Yes, these puppies can be much different than your regular dog breed. These dogs seem to do EVERYTHING - both good and bad - at full speed, with full determination, and with more gusto than you've probably ever experienced. The good will begin to outweigh the bad over time with proper training and raising.

Although it can be different with every CSV dog, I would not equate difficulties in potty training to stupidity - quite the contrary, these dogs in my opinion have the potential to be much more intelligent and much more innovative "problem solvers" than other breeds. I believe that that are much more independent in their thought and "learn" or "think" differently than other more common U.S. breeds that you may be accustomed to. The potty-training also came much slower with my CSV, and we found that repetative crate training worked best in the beginning.

As for eating everything, yes - they will. Hopefully things will settle down once you find an acceptable puppy food for them and get them on a regular schedule. However, don't expect them to not continue to try and eat (or at least mouth) just about everything.

The jumping is natural and normal in the beginning. It is their way of getting attention and saying "Hey, play with me - give me comfort, give me reassurance, NOW!". However, this behavior must be highly discouraged, ESPECIALLY with young children, as it can easily develop into very bad situations later. In the beginning I would suggest trying to not mix the puppies and young kids, if possible, until you have a better handle on the situation. Not to suggest that they are dangerous in any way, it is just better for a large person to teach them and continually reinforce what is acceptable and what is not. How to do this, you ask? Again, you have to find what works best for each individual dog. I found that with my puppy, initially turning my back to the jumping up, followed by a stern NO!, followed by a session of "time-out" alone time where she was isolated in her kennel, away from all attention for several minutes became quite effective. Did it work like magic after the first time? No - it took numerous, countless repetitions - so much so that it became a routine - but eventually it worked quite well. The jumping up - in my opinion - is seeking attention. If you do not feed into that and actually give them the opposite, they will eventually learn that jumping up does not bring them the results they desire. However, be sure to give them extra attention and praise when they are not jumping up.

One of the first commands and most essential to me was to get the "Sit" down pact. This command has proven to be the base and cornerstone for all future training and has helped to eliminate or at least cease other unwanted behaviors in the beginning. Earlier I mentioned their "problem-solving" skills. With two puppies, you'll probably experience very soon that those problem-solving skills can be quite challenging to overcome as they will be into EVERYTHING, chew ANYTHING, and try to go EVERYWHERE. If they see something they want, they will continue and continue to go for it until they accomplish their goal, whether that's see how long it takes to shred that tennis shoe or climb that barricade and go exploring. Where most dogs would give up, these will keep going and going... They have an amazing drive - you just have to channel it into positive things and behaviors or it can become very challenging.

Please feel free to pm me and I'll be happy to answer any of your questions on what worked and what didn't work with my first year experience. These dogs are much more challenging at first, but they are much more rewarding in the end as well. You'll find this forum to be the foremost source for CSV expertise - don't be afraid to search the forums and past postings for answers or ask any of the members here. As you have already had a couple of responses, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience that can be gained by asking this forums members - almost all of whom have much more knowledge and experience than I will ever have.

Good luck, and I hope you get at least a few hours of sleep tonight with two CSV puppies at the house!

- Robert
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