I THOUGHT THIS AN APPROPRIATE COLOR FOR THIS FIRST DISCUSSION ABOUT HOUSBREAKING YOUR PUPPY!
The first time you puppy wobbles out to go potty you will notice his shaky legs and his deep concentration, usually with his head down staring at the floor. Ask yourself what does he see & smell? The answer is whatever surface he is standing on. This is his �bathroom!� Just as mom took you into a special place to potty, you learned the room & objects in the room. Your puppy was learning from day one where the bathroom was. If it was paper, this is his comfort zone, if it was dirt, �Ahhh that�s the spot.� If it was concrete, that surface is recognized as the appropriate spot. Being a baby he must learn to control his sphincter muscles so he is not soiling his bed, which means a cold smelly uncomfortable bed to sleep on. Be patient. Hopefully you buy a puppy that you do not have to spend hours confining & retraining to go on the proper surface.
If you wish to hasten potty training then by all means purchase a crate. First rule is to take your puppy outside every little while. Place him at the spot you wish him to go on & keep repeating �go potty.� Please react with huge praise whenever this happens. It is so neat when you go on a trip & you can remind an excited dog to go potty. Just like a child it can be the last thing they want to do. If you have any soiled object from urine or �whatever� gingerly take it out & place it in the spot you wish him to go. For instance if your puppy was started on paper because he had to be indoors, gather up some paper containing urine & a scat & place out in the chosen spot. Since dogs often pick a spot in the yard & return there, it is your job to encourage this consistent behavior in your puppy. If he is leash trained, stand with him & confine him to the �spot.�
We all have owned dogs that riddled the yard with scats & it became a challenge to walk outside. Purchase some dog bisquets & crate your puppy with a treat for just a few minutes (like fifteen) at first. Put him in the crate at night. This helps puppies to learn to hold their urine etc. Leave him in a little longer each time. If he cries ignore & let him out when time is up. Immediately escort him out to his spot to potty.
It seems smaller breeds many times are not properly potty trained. Please take time to train them just as you would a big breed dog. They are just as smart & quick to learn. I hope this helps you train your new puppy.
Kathleen Hamrick-Larsen ~ Copying this will only result in a house trained dog! *see copywrite information below*
First we must train the new owner to handle a leash, change some of their vocabulary and their bad habits. One owner habit, which is the curse for all dogs, is called �laziness�.
We will start with what you will �say� to your puppy. When puppy jumps up on you say �off� not �down�! If you say �down� he will forever be confused when you try to teach him the �down� command. You will notice how hard this is to do! One simple word to change and you�re having a hard time remembering! (Now this should help you to be more patient toward your puppy that you are trying to teach all sorts of new information.)
I see you sitting in front of the TV & every once in awhile your pup comes over to bug you for attention. Will you do the right thing & cram a little knowledge in his head? You might reach down & pat his head �great dog�, pull up his lips & say �teeth�, or rub his ear & say �ear� as you poke a finger in. By the way you can clean your dog�s ears with a little alcohol, being careful not to get it in his eyes. Pick up his feet massaging his toes & foot & say �foot.� If you do this the puppy will be cooperative on his visit to the Vet, or for any health procedure you wish to perform. Handle your puppy all over, rubbing his tummy & entire body.
When your puppy eagerly approaches you trying to jump up, bend over, say �sit� & place him in a sit position & then praise. At training class you will ask your pup to sit or stand while people come up & handle his feet, ears, and muzzle & stroke him down the back. We hope you will take a few minutes every day to brush your dog. This is a great time to teach him to stand. Find a comfortable place. Saying �Fido sit�, (please don�t call your dog �Fido�) place puppy in sitting position & brush neck, shoulders, and legs. Now say �stand stay� put hand under, lift to standing position. It doesn�t matter how many times he tries to sit. Each time say �stand� & return him to stand. You might have to keep a hand under him at first & brush with the other.
The point is whenever you give a command he must respond. Never get angry at a pup. Training is just simple repetition. Just keep remembering how long it took you to say �off� instead of �down.� Don�t tell me you�re still messing up!
A serious word of caution: Do you want a brave upstanding dog? Protect him while he is a puppy. If he is bitten by older dogs, harassed by rambunctious kids & hurt he can become fearful. You may be happy to bring the new pup home, however if you have a older dog it might not be happy with the prospect of the new puppy who gets a lot of attention, eats his food & if given a chance interrupts his naps & tries to play & chew on him when he just wants to sleep or be left alone. While it is true the old dog must growl & protect his rights & space you must monitor the pup so he is not badly hurt.
Please, like any parent be fair & train as the occasion arises. Be sure & make a fuss over the resident dog. I talk to my dogs. I tell the older dog how great he is. This is �his� puppy! �Take care of the puppy.� Over & over. Approach the older dog first. After all he is the �top� dog.
TABLE: I wish every dog owner would buy or build a �grooming table�. A table arm is inexpensive & easy to attach. If you are an animal lover you will use it for years of grooming and shots - for dogs & cats.
I put my cats in a harness to groom, as they will bale off the table when my back is turned! Some dogs try this also; usually a dog will only do this once. Never leave a puppy or dog unattended on the table. Every time you lift a puppy on the table (or say the tailgate of your truck) to groom say �Table.�
Most dogs learn to love grooming if you make it fun. Don�t put the puppy on the table for the first time & give him a shot or trim his nails & nick him He will not think the table is so great. At first just brush, scratch, praise, treats. Lots of fun! If I go outside with a brush to where my table is located I have three huge German Shepherd dogs leaping on the table! If they hear a chain rattle, its �push & shove� to be first in line! Once you have your puppy �table trained� you can go to the Vets & he won�t be a crouching mess of fear on the table.
CRATE: Crates are great! They provide a safe haven for your dog to curl up & sleep in peace & quiet like a den. Please purchase a crate large enough to accommodate your dog when grown. Train your puppy to love his crate by giving him a treat with the command to �Crate�or �kennel.� Only leave him in a few minutes at first, gradually increasing his time in the crate.
A crate teaches your puppy to control his bladder, to rest, to sleep through the night wherever you wish him to be. Some folks make the mistake of keeping the dog or puppy with them all the time. The animal becomes so dependent that whenever they go to town the pup tears up the house etc. By crate training the pup learns to be calm & behave without you. When you are sick & tired of his chewing put him in the crate with a bone. It�s a boon when traveling, in motels or visiting friends.
Before leash or command training put him in his crate for 1 hour. He will be fresh to train & look at the leash & you as a welcome change of pace. A word of warning; never abuse the crate by leaving him in for hours during the day.
CHILDREN: If men are from Mars & woman from Venus to your unsocialized puppy, kids are from the �Planet of the Apes�! If your puppy is not around children, his first encounter can be detrimental. I suggest you borrow a kid or two. I pay my small neighbor to come down & play with my puppies.
Your puppy is used to seeing adult behavior plus your large size. Kids are small. They wiggle & jump around like apes & make fast funny little runs, plus weird noises! I have seen grown dogs when raised with only adults have a fear attack when put in a room with small kids. They can be dangerous. (The dog not the kid)
Take your puppy to the playground. Let kids handle him. Leave your pup with a family. Of course you want well-behaved children who have been trained not to tease animals. In my years of raising puppies I have encountered some very unruly children who should not even be allowed around a dog. Almost 100% of the time when I hear of a dog biting a kid I can almost bet you the dog was not properly socialized.
Did you know that the highest percentage of children bitten is boys? Do not leave your puppy alone with rambunctious boys. Many times they hurt the puppy with wild play. Some children have not been taught to treat animals with kindness & can be cruel to a dog. Your dog will not forget. For that matter the same thing applies to adults. You cannot raise a large breed dog isolated in the back yard & expect him to respond well to any strangers. Most large breed dogs well protect you if the occasion arises however they should gladly accept your friends & children if you have done your homework.
YOU CAN TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS: whoever coined the phrase �You can�t teach an old dog new tricks� just didn�t want to learn much! All of this will work on any old dog, including us. I talk to older folks who won�t train because they �can�t learn & their dog is too old.� Yeah, right.
LOUD NOISES - GUNS: At feeding time start by gently banging two pans together. Easy does it! You do not want to scare the pup, just get him used to sharp noises. As he becomes accustomed to the sound do it louder. Pretty soon you can make really loud noises & he will be okay.
When training bird dogs I would bring out my shotgun & lay it on the floor during retrieving lessons in the house. They could see & smell it & associate it with retrieving a bumper. When He is used to really loud sounds you can drive out to the shooting range & let him hear the guns. We used to even trailer our horses out to the range & let them listen. We started quite a ways off & slowly parked closer. We didn�t want to hunt on a horse unaccustomed to guns. You can see a lot of country fast that way!
By the way, a hall is a great place to train a young dog to retrieve or fetch. They cannot run by you & tease you with the ball. I would throw the bumper down the hall & say �fetch� when he went out & picked it up I would encourage him to bring it. When he got close I reached out & gave him the �sit � command then held the object in his mouth for a couple seconds then said, �drop� & took it out of his mouth. The trick is to make this a game. Lots of praise! This is supposed to be fun! Make it fun for your puppy by clapping your hands encouraging him to come. Happy voice! Don�t stand around like �Charlie Chaplin� in mourning. Only do it a few times & then put the ball or bumper up. Always end well. This helps your dog�s confidence.
You never want to just throw a ball over & over again as this sometimes makes a dog crazy to chase anything. Pups played with this way out in a yard can also run by you & tease you by keeping the ball. By teaching a perfect retrieve it�s still fun but also good training. Of course, after he has a good steady retrieve then you can have hours of fun outside. Never allow anyone to throw sticks or rocks for your dog.
I also train my dogs to come to a whistle. It�s easy; just pick how many �toots� you want. Two short one long or whatever. After saying come, whistle. If you lose your dog it helps in calling him in. Again, it really helps to crate your dog for an hour before training & an hour after training.
TRICKS: It�s great to teach your puppy tricks. Some can really be a lifesaver. For instance you can teach your dog to speak. Only use another word or sound. My son taught his dog to bark when he makes a low hissing sound. If someone is a threat you can encourage your dog to bark on command. To most people a barking dog is a threat to be avoided.
Puppies will learn to do a lot of things for a treat they really love. Most dogs well get real excited over liver. Some people boil or fry it cut in small pieces & let it dry out by placing it on paper on the drainboard. Salt lightly. Or you can dry left over beef. Hotdogs cut up in small pieces or �Pounce� cat treats are great for dogs. Reward good behavior. Carry treats around in your pocket & hand out every time your puppy comes. If you want clean pockets place treats in a baggie.
VOCABULARY: Figure out what you want to say to your dog in basic situations. When friends come to visit you want him to be friendly.� Be nice���okay� ----�friend� Someone comes you don�t trust.�Watch�----�on guard�------�alert!� When you want him to stop whatever he�s doing (trying to chase, something, destructive behavior or just being naughty)� Stop�---�no�----�leave it!� When you take your dog out to relieve himself, as he does, say:� Go potty,� then lots of praise. This is really handy when traveling. When you�re through training; � Done�----. Be consistent in talking to your dog. Pick words that are easy for you to remember. Use each word in a consistent manner. Many folks like to learn all the commands in German. I have enough trouble with English & limited time.
COME! Most abused word used by new puppy owners! Sometimes I almost wish I could tape owners mouths shut. Every time you say come, & the puppy runs the other way you are teaching him something. What might that be? Come means to ignore you? Come means to tease you? Come means that a fun game of chase will now begin? Puppy doesn�t know what in heck you mean! I suggest you don�t use the �come� word unless you can enforce the command. Don�t do �come� until the puppy is broke to lead & you can pull him in. Or you can use �come� when the puppy is coming to you & you say the word, make a big fuss & give him a treat. Or you might hold out the treat so he can smell it say come, back up a ways, and give him the treat & praise.
I like to carry treats when I am outside working. Every once in a while I yell come or whistle & my three German Shepherds come running & set in front of me waiting for their treat. Spend some time thinking how you can train a perfect �come�. I like to put a dog on a long line (this can be a nice 10 to 20 ft. lead or light line) let him wander around smelling & enjoying himself & spring the �come� then pull him in. Lots of praise! The point is to give the command once & HELP him to execute a PERFECT come every time.
Treats are a controversial training method. Here is my idea. Would you like to work all the time for nothing? Oh, you are? Poor baby. We all feel like that sometimes. You�re not spoiled when you get served apple pie. Me neither. Puppies need a happy attitude & look forward to rewards. Praise is great. My dogs work for both. I spring treats on them when I can & love & praise them always. They work for me either way. They can�t wait to go on lead to train.
How smart is your dog? Is his hearing good? Have you ever been in a waiting room with a mom & her kids who keeps repeating �stop that�, �come here�, and �don�t run� over & over until you wish YOU could deploy a switch? As a matter of fact she is treating them like they are stupid or deaf or both. Well the fact is they have outsmarted dear old mom & obtained more �goof� time.
After your puppy hears & understands come, sit, heel it is time to observe him as a intelligent dog that heard you the first time! Say his name, the command ONCE & expect him to comply. Sit in a chair & rehearse this over & over again. Name, command, and comply! Etc. You don�t want anyone to think your dog is poorly trained. Some of your best learning time is spent in a chair thinking about what you will do. Some dedicated folks go so far as to pull all the blinds, attach their choke chain & lead to a pillow & drag the obedient pillow around the room issuing orders in the proper way. Go ahead practice, I won�t tell.
Prior & proper Preparation: Some young dogs have super high energy levels & need to be exercised until they come �down� & listen. I have seen some owners wrestle a big hyper dog during training sessions & not learn much of anything. When starting out with an overactive dog it is better to run off some excess energy to begin with. After he learns some basic commands you can convince him he must work any time, all the time you ask. Others are lazy, slow or dogs who have played too hard & need to be crated to rest awhile before training. This is something the owner must recognize & prepare for so the dog performs well.
Strive to keep a loose lead while training. It takes time to learn to �check� your dog until he learns the heel position. Some trainers hold a treat in their left hand in a fist so the dog follows & learns the position you want him in by your left side. This helps with puppies. Each method will produce results if used consistently. One thing for sure, you can choose the method you are comfortable with according to the age of your dog. It�s too bad we cannot watch different methods before we sign up for a class.
I LOVE TO QUOTE PAT: Pat Parelli says, �Prior & Proper Preparation Prevent a P Poor Performance!�
Please take your puppy to a �puppy training class� so he can learn & be socialized. Watch videos & read books. Every dog has a unique personality & responds to different training methods. Learn to think in a new dimension. I highly recommend �Kinship with All Life� by J. Allen Boone.
PREPARE: We carry a �dog bag.� It contains brush, comb, and scissors. Chain lead, Dog kibble, treats, toy ball, wet washrag & baggies to pick up scats in public parks; must I explain how this is done? You simply place your hand in the baggy, bend over & grasp the scat in your baggie covered hand, pull hand with scat inside out, stand erect & carefully pull out your hand & secure the baggy. Good. You have now entered the world of responsible dog owners! Bring along whatever you feel your dog might need according to his age & length of the stay. Of course a dish for Kibble & drinking water. I include a gallon milk jug of frozen water.
Leash: If you are in a park & need to tie your young dog to a tree for a bit always carry a �chain leash�. A young dog will sometimes chew through a leather or web material to join you. This is a very bad habit & can cost you a lot of money replacing leads. It�s a good idea to tie your pup up & just set out of reach until he learns to stay there & behave. Be prepared as some puppies will cry, roll around, get tangled up & try to convince you they are dying. You may have to untangle him a few times before he learns to accept his limits. Do so in a calm manner, after all this is his problem. I also carry a screw in metal ground stake.
Praise: I cannot stress enough the power of praise. Forget what people think! Talk to your dog & when he does anything right, praise lavishly. Make a big fuss! Tell your dog how great he is, how lucky you are to have him. He is the best dog in the country. You will notice a big difference in his attitude. He will always be happy to work for you.
Kathleen Hamrick Larsen
The result of copying any or all of this well result in a better trained dog.
*You have permission to copy the training information given on this page as long as proper credit is given including my name. Thank you ~
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