About to pull my hair out- puppy training
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A tired puppy is a happy puppy. I found that lots of exercise and good toys to occupy time help a LOT. I've got a 5 yr old and a 9 yr old and it still holds true. A long walk and a Kong toy stuffed with a treat gives me some peace and them some mental stimulation etc.
For puppies, lots of bathroom breaks are key, and TRAINING. I don't think it's ever too early to start some sort of training.Good luck. Dogs are AWESOME and worth the effort.
For puppies, lots of bathroom breaks are key, and TRAINING. I don't think it's ever too early to start some sort of training.Good luck. Dogs are AWESOME and worth the effort.
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I know that there are people who think this is cruel, but I crate-trained my puppy and he was bathroom trained in less than 3 weeks. I'd paper trained before, but it takes longer, and then you have that smell in the house.
If you're having other discipline problems, I agree that an under-exercised, bored puppy is a destructive, chewing tornado. Lots of exercise and appropriate stuff to chew on will go a long way. My puppy is a year old, and still chews like crazy! I think we're making progress, but then this morning I found him chewing on my sunglasses. Argh!
If you're having other discipline problems, I agree that an under-exercised, bored puppy is a destructive, chewing tornado. Lots of exercise and appropriate stuff to chew on will go a long way. My puppy is a year old, and still chews like crazy! I think we're making progress, but then this morning I found him chewing on my sunglasses. Argh!
Mojo was difficult to toilet train, but that was our problem, not hers.
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If she went the squat we'd race her outside and then say "toilet" and when she went she would be lavished with praise. That was about the extent of our strategy. It had serious flaws! LOL Also learning to get up in the middle of the night when prompted by a whine to let her out... of course she abused that privilege by first: whining then not getting up, Daddy was impatient and would carry her, Mummy wouldn't fall for it. Lazy smart dog. Learned quickly not to do it with Mummy, kept doing it with Daddy. LOL Second, she learned that she could go outside when she got a craving for something left outside.. so she would go out at 3am and chew on bones... and not come back... we would eventually give up, crawl back into bed, get comfy, and "WOOF". Grrrr. So you have that to look forward to as well! LOL Now they both sleep through the night. I like the idea of paper training.... that's probably what I'll try next puppy...
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yeah, firebird, I also think crate training can be very good. Definetely anytime you're gone (and when you're asleep and they're real young), don't just let the puppy have free rein of the house. Give it adequate space to lay, move around, and chew toys, but not so much space that it can just find a corner to potty in and then run to a different space to get away from the smell.
the only time I think crate traning is bad is when it's used as punished. eg "bad puppy, go to your crate." Crate time should be enjoyable. And it shouldn't be used excessively or at times when you're around.
the only time I think crate traning is bad is when it's used as punished. eg "bad puppy, go to your crate." Crate time should be enjoyable. And it shouldn't be used excessively or at times when you're around.
Crate training is a good tool and the puppy has a "lounge" of their own.
My 5 year old disappears from time to time and I find her downstairs hanging out in her crate. I also noticed once when she was very ill, she would go to her crate to vomit - her saftey zone.
My 5 year old disappears from time to time and I find her downstairs hanging out in her crate. I also noticed once when she was very ill, she would go to her crate to vomit - her saftey zone.
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I'm glad to see the reaction to the crate training - I didn't want to offend anyone. I absolutely loved crate training. Max is a year old and still sleeps in his crate - it's his space, and he goes in there on his own. It always makes me angry when people get puppies and allow them free range of the house, then get mad when the puppy inevitably does something wrong. It's like setting the poor thing up for failure - he doesn't know what he can and can't do, and you're not teaching him, but just yelling at him when he messes up. Crate training allowed us to very rarely have to raise our voices with him, because he didn't have a chance to get in trouble in the first place. As long as the crate isn't used as punishment, I think it can be a wonderful tool for all concerned.
The only thing Max did that we couldn't seem to stop him from doing was stealing my husband's clothes from the laundry basket and sneaking them into his crate. He absolutely loves my husband, so we couldn't get mad at him - it was too cute to find him asleep in the morning, curled up on one of his shirts. So my husband wore an old shirt around for a day and let Max have it in his crate, which fixed the problem.
The only thing Max did that we couldn't seem to stop him from doing was stealing my husband's clothes from the laundry basket and sneaking them into his crate. He absolutely loves my husband, so we couldn't get mad at him - it was too cute to find him asleep in the morning, curled up on one of his shirts. So my husband wore an old shirt around for a day and let Max have it in his crate, which fixed the problem.
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I'd give how our families dogs were trianed for bathroom... but they've decided that going outside is way too much work, so they stand up, walk a few feet, squat, and do whatever right there in the house... so apparently the training they had didn't take.
I'd also recommend getting the puppy some exposure to other people and dogs. Find a "play mate" if you can. Socialization is so important. My 5 year old, who is a dear to me, was poorly socialized and is fear aggressive and dog aggressive now. When my ex had her she was left alone a LOT and put in the basement when he'd have people over.
It's much easier to handle up front than to always be worried about aggression.
It's much easier to handle up front than to always be worried about aggression.
There are three critical times for a puppy being house broken (I wish it was so easy with little boys), they are....
After eating
After drinking
After napping.
Eating and napping are the most critical.
Take them out after they eat or after waking up. Be ready to stay out for up to 20+ minutes. Puppy will not yet know what you expect from him. Make a HUGE fuss about what a good dog they are when they go. If a puppy goes in the house you can speak sharply to them IF you catch them in the act, rush them outside and if they are able to finish the job outside then make a huge fuss and love on themeven if he dribbled all the way to the door. They get the idea. Be diligent.
Things you cannot do with a puppy that you might do with a dog.
You cannot show violence or disgust to the puppy if you happen to find a wet spot or poop in the house. Puppies don't get it and might think that they cannot trust you. Your puppy will not know why you are angry, he doesn't speak your language or understand what is important to you.... YET.
You absolutely cannot rub a puppys nose in it. I would not even do this to an adult dog. What must they think? What would you think if it happened to you?
You brought this baby out of its own culture into yours; he had no choice in this. You must be patient and consistent. Even if you find it by stepping in it you cannot frighten the puppy with your disgust, decide ahead of time to walk him out, play with him and make sweet voiced loving sounds to him even if those words explain how much you hate cleaning poop off the carpet and out from between your toes. He only wants to make you happy, you have to show him what makes you happy in exaggerated ways until he starts to understand you better. Try to think of how you would feel if you were suddenly rescued and separated form everything and everyone familiar to you and dropped into some place like Afghanistan where you do not know the language or the culture. That is how your puppy feels.
I was a stay at home mom who did not like crate training, though my dogs and cats each had a place that was their own. I had time to do this.
After eating
After drinking
After napping.
Eating and napping are the most critical.
Take them out after they eat or after waking up. Be ready to stay out for up to 20+ minutes. Puppy will not yet know what you expect from him. Make a HUGE fuss about what a good dog they are when they go. If a puppy goes in the house you can speak sharply to them IF you catch them in the act, rush them outside and if they are able to finish the job outside then make a huge fuss and love on themeven if he dribbled all the way to the door. They get the idea. Be diligent.
Things you cannot do with a puppy that you might do with a dog.
You cannot show violence or disgust to the puppy if you happen to find a wet spot or poop in the house. Puppies don't get it and might think that they cannot trust you. Your puppy will not know why you are angry, he doesn't speak your language or understand what is important to you.... YET.
You absolutely cannot rub a puppys nose in it. I would not even do this to an adult dog. What must they think? What would you think if it happened to you?
You brought this baby out of its own culture into yours; he had no choice in this. You must be patient and consistent. Even if you find it by stepping in it you cannot frighten the puppy with your disgust, decide ahead of time to walk him out, play with him and make sweet voiced loving sounds to him even if those words explain how much you hate cleaning poop off the carpet and out from between your toes. He only wants to make you happy, you have to show him what makes you happy in exaggerated ways until he starts to understand you better. Try to think of how you would feel if you were suddenly rescued and separated form everything and everyone familiar to you and dropped into some place like Afghanistan where you do not know the language or the culture. That is how your puppy feels.
I was a stay at home mom who did not like crate training, though my dogs and cats each had a place that was their own. I had time to do this.
There is this awesome book I have on how to train your dog to do just about everything. It goes down the list of every behavior "problem" you could possibly have with a dog, why they do what they do, and how to stop it. The authors are completely non-force which is a huge reason that I like it so much. I even taught both of my dogs ALL of their tricks without ever once having to touch them. My fist dog was abused and would urinate in fear if you touched him to teach him tricks. For instance, EVERYONE I know told me that to teach him how to sit I would have to push his butt down. Some people even told me to do it gently and without force. However, every time I tried this, and no matter how nice and gentle I tried to be, he would lower his entire body to the floor and urinate. He was convinced that I was going to hurt him as his previous owners obviously did. I would end up crying out of frustration and mostly because I didn't want him thinking that I would ever hurt him. Anyway, long story short, that book has been an absolute godsend to me with ANY problem we have faced. If you're interested, it's called "Dogs on the Couch" by Larry Lachman. He even has a book out on cats which is just as incredible called "Cats on the Counter" which he cowrote with Frank Michadeit. Good luck to you and your puppy!
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