Before I get to the reply, I would like to welcome you and Jaetta to Pet Talk. It is a wonderful place to socialize with others who love their animals immensely!

Now... for my response. Sorry it is so lengthy but there is much to cover.

I think you are trying to hard and expecting too much from a NINE week old puppy. Especially if the pup was not highly socialized at the breeders with people (which may or may not of happened during the first 7 weeks of pups life). The weeks 8 through 12 should be a bonding period for you and pup so don't try to hard to get her to LISTEN perfectly. Focus on her getting to know you are there for her well being. There is plenty of time for the Listening to you to come.

Get the pup into a puppy kindergarten as soon as all shots are current. The need for socialization is so important until the pup reaches about 16 weeks old. You will also learn basic commands to teach the pup what you expect of her.

This does not mean you are not to train her during this period. That is just not the Primary focus.

Yes... she is probably a strong willed girl! I can relate since I have a very dominant female too. I know all too well the I'll do it when I feel like it attitude. Don't despair. This does not mean she can't be trained. It just means she needs extra patience on your part! My patience with my Dixie has paid off a thousand fold since she is the greatest dog I have ever had the pleasure of being owned by!

The best way to work with this is to let her know that NOTHING is free and you are the giver of all GREAT things in her life. Nothing is better for helping the dog understand what you want from it than employing the NOTHING for free theory. I hand feed kibble for breakfast and dinner when training a pup to know what I expect. I use the clicker theory. When the dog does correctly what it was asked to do then it is rewarded. If the dog does not do what I ask then it is not rewarded. This has to be done under the context that the dog UNDERSTANDS what is expected and it is your job to shape the behavior before withholding rewards for not doing it. The best method I have come across in the 25+ years I have been training is the clicker method. Karen Pryor is a veteran clicker trainer and has an excellent website that teaches the basics.
CLICK HERE to go to Karen's website. If you follow these techniques you will be able to teach all fundamental puppy training quickly, more efficiently and more thoroughly than using negative corrections such as pops and holds.

I find the pop and choke method of training to be very unneccessary, especially on a nine week old puppy!! Giving corrective pops to a puppy (or even an older dog) is negative and doesn't help to reinforce your bond with the pup. There are other more constructive ways of teaching the pup that biting is also a no no other than what you have described. And on this note I guess you can imagine that I am NOT an advocate of the Alpha roll on a puppy or dog. You may cause more damage than corrections with this type of technique.

So lets talk about what you can do! First we will start with puppy nipping. This is normal puppy behavior. The most effective way to get a puppy to stop nipping is to yell ouch loudly and turn around and ignore him for about 1/2 minute before playing with him again. By doing this you are teaching her what is an acceptable level of mouthing in order to keep the play going. Puppies love to play and start to learn what stops play as early as 4 weeks with their littermates. You are simulating this behavior similar to what she would get in the pack when you stop the play because her bite was too hard. DO NOT use physical corrections. Your goal is to raise a healthy secure pup who is confident and not to build a fear factor into her training.

I guess the next topic to cover is crating. Canines have a definite instinct to hide out in dens. If a dog has been properly crate- (or cage-) trained, the dog will often seek out this refuge when they are tired, stressed, or just want to be away from it all. How do you get your dog to accept the crate? You will feed your dog in or near her 'den'; provide soft, comfortable bedding for her 'den'; and have plenty of toys for her to play with or to chew nearby. Treats stuffed in toys inside the crate are another fun thing to get in the crate. Your objective is to make the crate a place the pup will want to go too! Use a command such as Kennel to associate the crate with. Initially you may need to go in the crate with the dog to show her that it is not a terrible place. Lay in there and give her some treats by hand. Leave the door open during this time. Play with her in there. Eventually she will lay down and you will comfort and soothe her. She should become relaxed and accepting of "her" spot! NEVER use the crate for discipline of any kind!!!

Other advantages of crates include:

Safety for your dog and house: Having your young or untrained dog in a cage may protect your house from dog-related destruction while you are away or are unable to watch her. A crate can prevent this type of disaster from happening. It can also prevent the young, unsupervised pup from hurting herself by chewing electric cords or becoming ill from something she ate during a destructive escapade.

It is a dog's natural inclination toward dens that makes a crate so useful to housetrain puppies. Since puppies will not normally soil in their living quarters, an appropriately-sized crate is extremely effective for helping puppies gain control over their bladders. This is providing you give the puppy several opportunities to relieve herself during the day. Crates help reduce the number of accidents you will have to clean up, and cut in half the time it takes to teach puppies where they are supposed to relieve themselves. When it comes to housebreaking a new puppy, there is nothing that makes the training go faster or easier than a puppy crate. Placed in a crate that is just the size they need to lay down and no more, housebreaking can be accomplished by the time the pup is 12 weeks old and able to hold her bladder. Until 12 weeks you can expect to have accidents if you give pup free reign of the house before they are taken out of the crate and directly escorted outside to Potty. Once a puppy has relieved it's self you can give free roam of the house (supervised of course) for about 1 1/2 hours. You will need to learn how often pup goes and the appropriate length of time to leave her out. If she falls asleep on the floor, immediately pick her up and place her in the crate again.

Have Patience! Your pup is just trying to figure everything out the same as you. You need to be consistent and patient and before you know it you will be best friends!

If you have any further questions, you can send me a PM if you like.