dog training

Potty Training Puppies

February 10, 2010 · 0 comments

You’ve been searching for that special pup, and now you’ve finally found him. Like every other dog owner you’ll want to avoid “accidents” in your house as much as you can, so after you bring him home, potty training your puppy is one of the first things you’ll want to do.

Thankfully, potty training puppies is very simple. It’s so easy, a child could do it. You only need to do three simple things: be consistent, be persistent, and most importantly, be affectionate to your new dog.

First and foremost, you need to realize that puppies respond to affection and rewards much better than they respond to any type of harsh discipline.

In potty training puppies, the first rule is to always praise and reward your puppy when he does well and always resist the temptation to hit your pup or even to shout at him if he has a “mistake.”

Always keeping that in mind, the next thing to do while potty training puppies is to be consistent and persistent. This means you need to get into, and always stick with, a housebreaking routine.

Puppies need to urinate as soon as they wake up, so always take your pup outside right away. Don’t stop to do anything else along the way. Puppies also need to urinate within about 15 minutes after eating and whenever they’ve been playing or been excited.

On top of that, puppies also need to urinate every hour or two, and they poop within a half hour or so after eating. Get in the habit of taking your pup outside at each of these predictable intervals.

Potty training puppies requires your attention. You can’t just let your pup out into the yard to do his “business.” Instead, take him out there, and lavishly praise and reward him when he makes his deposit. While you’re there, consistently say some cue words like “do your business” or “have a poop” while he pees or poops. If you stay with it, you’ll be training him to do it on command.

Potty training puppies is just that simple. You can make it even easier by never overfeeding, never punishing for indoor accidents (this will just make him confused and afraid of you), never being lazy about your routine, and always being affectionate and feeding at regular times.

Puppies are creatures of habit, and if you’re persistent, consistent, and affectionate, they learn very quickly. Those three things are really all that potty training puppies requires.

Here’s another article on potty training puppies that I think you’ll find useful:

  • Dogs Potty Training, Can You Do It? – You Can Make Potty Training Puppies Easy (0); Why Potty Training A Puppy Is Easy (0); What Are The Potty Training Puppies Secrets? (0); The Hottest Techniques For Training Your Puppy The Easy Way (0); Potty Training Puppies Is Easy With …
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Puppy Crate Training

February 10, 2010 · 0 comments

Puppy crate training is one of the key elements of housebreaking your puppy and to prevent puppy behavior problems from developing at an early age.Firstly, you should determine what size crate you need for your puppy. You need to take into consideration what size your puppy is now and what size your puppy will be when it’s fully grown.

You don’t want a crate that’s going to be too big that your puppy may use part of it as its toilet, but at the same time you don’t want one that your puppy will grow out of either, so you need to strike the right balance here.

Dogs also like familiarity, so having the same crate throughout it’s life will reinforce those feelings of familiarity in your dog – so choosing the right one in the beginning is important.

The next element of puppy crate training is to help make your puppy feel comfortable in its crate and to create more feelings of familiarity for your puppy. You can do this by making its bedding from some old blankets that you’ve used in the past so that your puppy can associate your smell from the blanket with positive feelings – remember a dogs nose is a powerful thing!

Once you’ve selected and bedded down an appropriate crate for your puppy actual puppy crate training can then begin. This should be a slow and gradual process whereby you introduce your puppy to its new crate gradually over time.

In the beginning, it’s a good idea to leave the crate in your bedroom over night so that your puppy feels safer – and to begin the process of puppy crate training by helping your puppy associate its crate with sleep time. You can then leave your puppy in its crate for a short period of time outside or downstairs but don’t cajole or force your puppy in any way into its new crate in the beginning. You need to make this a positive experience for your dog and to associate being in its crate with postive things – maybe a small snack every so often, have their water tray nearby & some toys to keep them busy.

Also remember that young puppies like to poop & pee a lot so in the early stages don’t leave them for too long in their crate as they need to learn that they should not use their crate as a toilet! However, soon they’ll realise that their crate if mainly for sleeping and will always then leave the crate if they need to go as puppies rarely poop where they sleep.

Gradually over time you can then leave your puppy in its crate for longer periods (but the key is gradually) and even close the door of the crate too – but again be sure to associate the closing of the door with positive things for your dog – and the dog should always be able to see out through the door – i think all crate doors these days are designed like this in any case.

Notice specifically the mention of the key word “gradually” above as you don’t want your puppy to associate being left in its crate as a negative thing – this is what will happen if you leave your puppy in its crate for long periods early in the process. Think like our old friend the Tortoise – Slow & steady wins the race!

Here are some more articles on puppy crate training that you may find useful:

  • Puppy Crate Training At Night? – 5 Responses to “Puppy Crate Training At Night?” Taterbug says: October 7, 2009 at 8:20 am. I dont believe in crate training.. I have a 5 month old puppy and I got him at 6 weeks…. I started him off sleeping in his bed right next to mine …
  • 9 Steps To Puppy Crate Training Success – … with the dog as they are always at home in their crate no matter where you are or what type of transportation you use. Kelly Marshall http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/9-steps-to-puppy-crate-training-success-68869.html.
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House Training a Dog

February 10, 2010 · 0 comments

Having a dog is very rewarding in itself. Dogs, after all, are mans best friend. They are loving, loyal and eager to please. However, like anything good, it takes work, dedication and patience. House training a dog plays a big part in what kind of personality your dog will have. When training your dog, it is very important to always be patient. Never scold or punish your dog for not doing a trick. This can cause your dog not to trust you and possibly even develop aggression issues. To ensure this does not occur you not only need patience, but dedication as well.

It is important to begin dog housebreaking at a young age. Most professional dog training tips recommend house training a dog as a young puppy. It is much more difficult to do this after they get older. There are very effective ways to accomplish this training.

The first thing that you need to know is timing. Puppies tend to eat or drink, then go to the bathroom about fifteen or twenty minutes later. Keeping this in mind can help with the training. Let the puppy eat or drink and then take them out where you want them to go to the bathroom in that time frame. However, you may not be there all the time, so do not get angry or scold the puppy. They typically cannot control it until about ten months or so if housebreaking begins at eight months.

It is a good idea to take your puppy out at specific times, such as, as soon as the puppy wakes up in the morning, After breakfast, lunch, a nap, his dinner, before bed, after any snacks, and if he whimpers at night. If you are crate training your puppy, make sure to take the puppy out after removing him from the crate. Stay outside until the puppy is done, or if a long time goes by with no producing.

Make sure that you do not feed your puppy or give him water when you cannot be there to take him out right away. Remember to praise the puppy in a happy voice when he goes. If he has an accident, clean it up quietly. Ignore him to show that you are displeased with his accident. Do not scold him or physically punish him in anyway.

Most dogs tend to chew from an early age. The younger the dog, the less it cares what it is that it chews on. It’s best to discourage these bad habits at an early age, though. There are dog training tips that cover the best ways to discourage chewing on things you do not want them to chew on. For instance, keep all shoes and laundry out of their reach and ensure that your children’s toys are separate from your pets.

There are dog toys, like rawhide and chew bones made of rubber specifically made for this. You may want to keep them inside and outside. Pork and chicken bones tend to splinter and can hurt your dog, but beef bones are good. If your pet picks something up that you do not want them chewing on, take it away from them, tell them “no” in a firm voice, and present them with something that you want them to chew on. Also, try putting the dog on a leash and presenting it something that you do not want it to chew on. If the dog goes toward the object, tug on the leash firmly to one side and say “no” loudly.

Leash training your puppy shouldn’t be a hassle. Dogs do like the exercise of going for walks, but do not respond to pulling. There is an easy way to get your puppy used to leashes. First, attach a light-weight leash to the collar. Let the leash go and allow the dog to drag it around. Call the puppy over and praise her. Leave the leash on only for a few minutes at a time and only when you are around to watch the puppy. After a couple of days, the dog will get used to the leash, and you can begin walking her on a leash.

House training a dog should also include getting your dog to understand the word “off”. To do this, start by getting your dog to put it’s feet on something, like a chair. Praise them, then, after a few moments, tell them “off” in a firm voice and help them off. Do this several times and the puppy will start to
get down on their own when you tell them “off”.

Below are more articles on house training a dog that I think you’ll find useful:

  • House Training a Dog – House Training a Dog is such an important issue for a dog owner that every little tip is viewed to be extremely helpful. The first step in dog training is to potty train him. Some pet owners see this training as a hassle and some accept …
  • The Ultimate House Training Guide – Dog Potty, Puppy Potty … – House training a dog can be a daunting prospect at first, but with a consistent approach and a good understanding of the best methods for house training a dog, any dog can learn what is expected of them. What is the Best Method of House …
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