[Archived] House Training A Puppy

[T4E]

We seem to have struck a good balance. He's not gone in the house all day, and every time I've taken him outside he's gone straight away. Things are looking up. On behalf of myself and Elmo, thanks for all the help so far.

As a someone who's always had a dog/been in a family with a dog I was going to pass on some good tips, but I'm horribly offended and I'm going off to bed to cry myself to sleep. I hope your dog loses total control tonight.

Sorry Eddie :-(

[Shevchenko]

Don't have a dog any longer but have had several over the years. You seem to have everything right. The crying when he is left at night is something you HAVE to ignore now. If he realises you respond he will not stop. It's much harder to untrain a dog than to train it. On the Eddie business, our method was a gentle but surprising blip on the nose (needs to take him by surprise, not hurt him) when it happened in doors and lavish, over the top praise for outdoors. Alternatively take him to the indoor spot whenevre it happens and tell him very sternly how bad he is.

This is a completely pointless exercise. The dog will not understand why it is being told off and will not associate the area which it has used as a "toilet" with the discipline given. If discipline is to work it must be given as the unwanted behaviour is happening. I also don't believe in striking the dog. Toilet training calls for good, strong routine and behavioural training based on praise.

If you want to train a dog you need to think like a dog. Dogs have pack instincts whereas ours are tribal. Paul is spot on when he says "It's much harder to untrain a dog than to train it". Put rules in place now and always stick to them. Jumping up at people, jumping on chairs, running upstairs all need punishing with consistency i.e. a sharp smack and a stern voice. Consistency is the key! The dog will see the family as the rungs on a ladder with some higher than others and will position itself accordingly. NEVER let it think that it is higher than any family member or it can become a biter. Therefore if you knock it off chairs for example but it's allowed on when you are not in the dog is confused and believes itself higher than the other family members who allow it liberties.

Put effort into training it properly now and in the next few months and you will have a friend for life but cock it up and you will have a millstone around your neck till either you or it croak. Many a good dog has been spoiled and put down because of nothing else but bad / stupid owners.

Finally. Beware! If you have young kids your work is likely to be doubled!

No, absolutely never "smack" or strike the dog. Ever. It is nothing but cruelty. Striking the dog can create fear and quite possibly fear aggression. You may very well end up with a dog that will bite you. There is definitely something to be said for the hierarchy of the family and the dog's place in it. But there are plenty of non aggressive ways of achieving what you want.

House training is easy.

If the dog does his/ her business outside then praise it alot.

If he/ she does it inside then pick it up, take it to the mess and ask it in an angry voice what it is. If it is a number 1 then its simple, rub his/ her nose in it each time, followed by leaving it in the back garden for 10 minutes or so.

A number 2, then again tell him/ her off, but dont dunk his/ her head in it, Again put the dog outside for a while.

Someone else made a valid point too - always make sure it is treated the same by all members of the family, or you could get behaviour problems later on.

Again, NO - this is cruelty and will not achieve what you want. If you catch the dog in the "act", pick it up and take it outside, then praise as he finishes up. If you find a mess, pick it up and ignore. There is no point in disciplining the dog after the fact as it will not understand why you are telling it off. Dogs live "in the moment".

No it wont do that, but you don't really have to actually touch his nose in it, - just hold his nose close to it, tell him sternly "NO" two or three times, then put him outside.

It's not fair to any dog though, if the dog couldn't GET outside. As a puppy, it should be able to get outside on numerous occassions during the day. Not to allow that is unfair.

No need to wrestle his nose anywhere near it, if you catch him in the act, tell him no pick him up and take him outside. Praise when you get the desired behaviour.

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I'd also say not to put down paper or training mats or anything else inside the house unless you are ok with the dog "going" inside. What you are doing is teaching the dog to go on these things when he should be going outside. A good regular routine with feeding and walks are very important. If he's a puppy 8 weeks old he should be eating more than twice a day. He should probably have something like 3 or even 4 meals a day and plenty of walks in between (before and after usually). He should always be taken out when he wakes up, after every sleep/nap. Lots of activity such as play will also stimulate his bowels. You should be able to tell on his body language when something is due as he will become agitated and start to "look" for a suitable place to go. Also, food should ONLY be available at your set meal times, never leave it out for him all the time. This should help with his apatite. Also with house training. He should however, ALWAYS have clean and fresh water available but if bladder control is a big problem at the moment you may want to control water access as well, but only if you are with the dog all day.

[Beta Ray Bill]

Always been a cat person and my parents were especially good at house training them.

One kitten in particular got the hang of the litter tray very quickly. Unfortunately she did get the wrong end of the stick and thought she always had to use the tray. She could be out all day and then come straight back in and immediately use it.

Now that kitten is 16 years old and still uses her personal toilet despite how long she's been out! Dread ot think how many tonnes of cat litter my parents have bought since 1992. Oh to have invested in shares of cat litter manufacturers all those years ago...

[tcj_jones]

Cute dog, it looks just like one of those small toy dogs that flip over an that!

Can't wait until I'm in a position whereby I can have my own dog. Good luck training it. My family dog was allowed to do whatever the hell it wanted when we first got it. Predictably enough, that's still the case now. I wish I were old enough at the time to have trained it myself!

[allrovertheworld]

Best bit of advice I can give you after living with dogs since I can remember (that sounds so bad for my family) is don't treat it like a human. People fall in to this trap all the time. The dog ends up a right nightmare. Keep it in routine like you are doing, don't respond to its cries even in a negative way.

Not sure about all this leaving the radio on and night lights sounds like something off a channel 4 programme.

Don't be affriad to rough it up if it gets out of line...remember its dog and they respond very well to animal insticts the odd slap and a shake does them no harm.

Oh and last bit of advice do not let it on the bed...have you ever seen a dog that can wipe its own bum??

[roversmum]

Yeah, but what about the puppy ?

Who, me?

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Shevchenko has got everything right here. Praising OTT when something good happens is the way to go. Another idea is to clap or shout loudly to get their attention when they assume the position then pick them up and run outside with them before they do an "Eddie". They pick it up quickly then.

[American]

We seem to have struck a good balance. He's not gone in the house all day, and every time I've taken him outside he's gone straight away. Things are looking up. On behalf of myself and Elmo, thanks for all the help so far.

Sorry Eddie :-(

Was telling Mrs American about this and she was laughing at the name Elmo. Told her we couldn't much talk, not with our Beckham (see my profile pic).

[Al]

Always been a cat person and my parents were especially good at house training them.

One kitten in particular got the hang of the litter tray very quickly. Unfortunately she did get the wrong end of the stick and thought she always had to use the tray. She could be out all day and then come straight back in and immediately use it.

Now that kitten is 16 years old and still uses her personal toilet despite how long she's been out! Dread ot think how many tonnes of cat litter my parents have bought since 1992. Oh to have invested in shares of cat litter manufacturers all those years ago...

Stick to the puppy. Don't get a cat! Horrible viscious independant creatures that don't give a ###### whatever you do for them but will only appreciate food and comfort. The only animals other than man that will kill for fun.

[tcj_jones]

My thoughts exactly, Al!

[rebelmswar]

Stick to the puppy. Don't get a cat! Horrible viscious independant creatures that don't give a ###### whatever you do for them but will only appreciate food and comfort. The only animals other than man that will kill for fun.

Cats do not eat their own feces though.

That trumps dependent and adoring to the point of nauseating any day.

P.S. Do not feed your dog raw meat and gun powder not matter how many Southerners tell you otherwise. It just makes them mean, not obedient.

[thenodrog]

"No, absolutely never "smack" or strike the dog. Ever. It is nothing but cruelty. Striking the dog can create fear and quite possibly fear aggression. You may very well end up with a dog that will bite you. There is definitely something to be said for the hierarchy of the family and the dog's place in it. But there are plenty of non aggressive ways of achieving what you want. "

Dont agree at all. What you gonna do Shev...... open a debate with it?

[S15]

Stick to the puppy. Don't get a cat! Horrible viscious independant creatures that don't give a ###### whatever you do for them but will only appreciate food and comfort. The only animals other than man that will kill for fun.

Well done Al, you have just managed to sum up in three lines why cats are a far superior animal to dogs.

However, quite why anyone would want to pet either is beyond me. Both parasytes; get an Alligator or something.

[Mr Creosote]

Was telling Mrs American about this and she was laughing at the name Elmo. Told her we couldn't much talk, not with our Beckham (see my profile pic).

What sort of mutt have you got there American? Looks just like our Labradoodle.

[Hughesy]

I read that by doing that you'll lead him to believe that it's the act of going to the toilet that is wrong, resulting in him trying to hold it in too much and damaging himself.

No aslong as you praise him when he does it outside then he will soon understand - possibly in only a few days time too.

Again, NO - this is cruelty and will not achieve what you want. If you catch the dog in the "act", pick it up and take it outside, then praise as he finishes up. If you find a mess, pick it up and ignore. There is no point in disciplining the dog after the fact as it will not understand why you are telling it off. Dogs live "in the moment".

Simply picking him up and taking him outside wont teach him anything. It is not cruelty - it is how the police and many other organisations train their dogs and it is how many professional dog trainers will advise you do to.

[American]

What sort of mutt have you got there American? Looks just like our Labradoodle.

He's a Golden Doodle, but had a black standard as a mother. Gets mistaken for Labradoodle and Portugese Water Dog a lot.

[Mr Creosote]

He's a Golden Doodle, but had a black standard as a mother. Gets mistaken for Labradoodle and Portugese Water Dog a lot.

Ah. Strange that. Our labradoodle is an f2b and is, as we say in Lancashire, black as a fire back. Her Mum however, was a cream standard poodle.

Still, at least she isn't ginger.

[Eddie]

Simply picking him up and taking him outside wont teach him anything. It is not cruelty - it is how the police and many other organisations train their dogs and it is how many professional dog trainers will advise you do to.

When you hit the dog (obviously not hard) always use another object. That way any fear that develops will be of that specific object, rather than your hand.

[Al]

Well done Al, you have just managed to sum up in three lines why cats are a far superior animal to dogs.

However, quite why anyone would want to pet either is beyond me. Both parasytes; get an Alligator or something.

Superior in terms of self sufficiency perhaps shillito but as a pet and companion the dog is light years ahead of the cat.

[S15]

A companion?

You don't, you know.... Do you?

[JC4LAB]

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/cycling-dog-p1.php

[Mr Creosote]

A companion?

You don't, you know.... Do you?

Maybe you'd be better leaving this thread alone.

[tcj_jones]

A companion?

You don't, you know.... Do you?

Hahaha

My ex-girlfriend has a golden lab, which I really grew to love and it loved me more than it did her! I loved it more than I could ever love 99.9% of humans and I miss it almost as much as my ex. You'd be surprised just how good a companion they can be and you always have their unconditional love and affection (and not in that way!).

I've just read that over and I sound like a right wierdo. Oh well!

[thenodrog]

Superior in terms of self sufficiency perhaps shillito but as a pet and companion the dog is light years ahead of the cat.

I like em both but if you croak alone and indoors it's odds on that Tiddles will eat you.

[American]

Any Eddies lately? (I just like saying that now.)