So you brought a new puppy home and already he is the love of your life. Like any proud parent, you believe your dog is the smartest, cutest dog that ever graced this planet. Except one thing - he just doesn't listen!
Peeing and pooping wherever he pleases! Can't seem to master "sit" or "stay", but his cute face makes it hard to stay mad, so he gets away with ripping your mail to shreds and darting out the door into the street.
Follow these simple (yet firm) instructions and you will start to see a major difference in Rover.
1. Prepare your home for your puppy! Just like a baby, puppies are constantly learning and often, that means putting things in their mouths and getting into all kinds of trouble around the house. They are trying to find their comfort zone, so make sure you set the boundaries for what is 'puppy space' and what is not. This means
puppy proofing the house! if you don't want your shoes chewed, put them in a place where they cant be easily accessed. Try and put cords away or tied up with a cord protector. If you have toys or pillows that are not for puppy, move them temporarily. Eventually, once the dog knows the difference between right and wrong, you can move these things back. But until then, keep a basket below your mail slot so your bills aren't being eaten before you can pay them!
2. Set up a space for puppy only! Dogs need a safe spot in the house that is theirs alone. Some people crate their dogs and when they are home leave the door to the crate open for puppy to go in and out of and that works great. But if the idea of crating your dog makes your heart brake, then a doggy bed in the corner of the room works well. The most important part about this is that the dog should know that it is their safe place (much like a bedroom). While training, make sure to give plenty of treats every time he goes into the crate or bed.
3. Name that object! Happy to please me and not have to try and make her own decisions (no dog really likes to be alpha, they want to obey), my dog will now sit (or leave a dead bird or a cookie or stay in a room or off my couch) until I say "lets go". This kind of obedience comes from an incredible amount of patience and effort on my part. When I was teaching her, "down" meant "lay down, "off" literally meant "get off", and "leave it" was the command to not touch something. The most important part about "leave it" was "take it". This way, if I told her to leave something alone, it meant forever unless I told her other wise. I also spent a lot of time naming toys and balls and other things around the house. She knows that "ducky" is hers but "garbage" is not. Make sure to say commands like "go to your bed" when they are walking over to the treat waiting for them in the bed over and over again. Dogs can learn up to 250 words, so make sure that all the words your pup learns aren't just "cookie" and "treat"!
[tip: when getting your dog to come to you, never call out the dogs name alone - always say "Rover, Come". Come is the command, so don't leave any room for confusion!]
4. As Ceasar Milan would say "exercise, discipline then love"! Fortunately, young puppies don't need a ton of exercise (30 minutes should usually do it), but as dogs get older, it is imperative that you make sure that Rover is getting at least an hour (depending on the breed and size of the dog) of exercise. This could mean taking him to the park to play with friends - they are pack animals after all - or just walking around the neighborhood. A well exercised dog is far easier to train because usually they are too tired to disobey and they are so grateful for the walk that they want to thank you by listening as best they can. Change your routes up and leave room for sniffing because to them, that is the best part!
5. Walking on a leash isn't as easy as it looks? It is not always easy to get puppy moving on a leash. The trick with a dog who doesn't seem to want to walk on a leash is to be patient and pack a LOT of small treats. Some times putting a little cookie on the ground a few feet ahead of your pup might motivate him to get up and walk to the treat. The second he gets up, pop another treat out and rather than putting it on the ground, hold it a few feet in front of the first treat so there is one on the ground and one in your hand to get to. Even if he only takes the first cookie and sits back down, praise him as if he just flushed the toilet after he toilet trained himself! Once the celebration is over, immediately try again - one on the ground and one in your hand. Eventually (remember patience is key), Rover will recognize that every step gets a reward (verbal praise is often just as good as a cookie).
[tip: until you feel your pup has the hang of walking on a leash, bring treats with you everywhere and remain patient and loving.]
6. Safety First! One of the best things I ever learned was to get my dog to sit at every corner or road crossing. Tedious as it may sound, my two year old dog has never run out into the street. She knows that if we are going to cross the street, she can not do so until I give her the okay. The same goes for leaving the house. I taught my pup very young that she can not leave the house until she sits and I release her from that sit. This way I never have to worry about her running out the door! She also knows that if she sits still in the car she will get a bone to chew on, increasing her safety in the car.
[tip: discourage squirrel, bird, rodent etc chasing as early as possible. Though it might seem cute to watch puppy try to play with the mouse in your yard, if he never thinks to run after them, the chances of him darting across the street to get to one will likely never come to him]
7. "If you pee on that rug one more time..." Potty training is often the hardest part of puppy training. Remember that a dog has a very short memory, so UNLESS YOU CATCH HIM IN THE ACT, do NOT punish him later. This will confuse him to no end. Even putting his face in the pee or poo and saying "bad" can be confusing because the interpreted meaning to them is that peeing and pooing are bad - not peeing or pooing in the house... Think about it this way: would you ever shove your kids dirty undies in their face to get them to understand you want them to use the toilet? I didn't think so! If you do happen to catch them in the act, pick them up DURING the pee/poo and move them to the place you want them to be peeing/pooing.
[tip: puppy pads may be icky, but they work! If your pup keeps returning to that spot in the kitchen to pee, move the puppy pad there so at least he knows "if you want to pee there, pee on the pad". If his favorite spot is somewhere carpeted, you can still place a puppy pad there (but you might want to think about layering them). Also, if you are having a struggle with potty training outdoors, you can slip one of these pads out on the side walk as a coach!]
[tip: make sure he is getting out often enough. Puppies can hold their pee for about as many hours as they are months old (i.e. 5 months = 5 hours). So if your four month old puppy is peeing all over the place, make sure he is getting out every 3.5 hours to avoid the issue.]
[tip: praise for good behavior as always! For the first little while until there are no more accidents in the house, bring those little treats out with you on every walk. Reward for full pees (not marking territory) and poos. As your dog starts to pee automatically when you get out, cut back on the cookies by giving one every second day, then every third day, then not at all. I promise, they will still need to pee and those smells outside are too good not to pee on! If your pup starts back tracking and peeing in the house again, go back to basics and give treats for good behavior.]
Hopefully these tips help you and your pup create some peace in the house.
If you have questions that have not been answered email to astrobabe80@hotmail.com with the subject line DOGGY TRAINING HELP
Good luck!
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