How to train a puppy

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InvestoGuy
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How to train a puppy

Post by InvestoGuy »

Folks:
We got a 9 week Maltese male pup. The potty training has started. It is going ok.
I am looking for helpful advice and tips on potty training a dog and general training as well.
We would like to achieve the following:
1. Fully potty train him
2. Train him not to go on the second level of the house (second level is out of bounds for him)
3. Train him on simple commands like sit, no jumping etc.

Please advice on best practices and things to do to help and things to totally stay from (to not confuse him).
Thanks.
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frugalhen
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Post by frugalhen »

Put the dog in the crate at night after letting it go potty outside. It WILL whine a few days but you MUST get through it.

take the dog out (carry it) during the night if it needs to go and first thing in the morning. Give it a very small treat (so they dont have to poop again immediately). Keep in mind the treat can be miniscule, dogs love the smell as much as taste.

Get excited and praise the dog when it goes outside saying "good poo poo or pee pee OUTSIDE). Keep it short and simple.

Do NOT use wee wee pads inside. Do NOT give up on the Crate, give it 6 months at least.

You will be thankful for the rest of your dogs life. Good luck!
"get out and live, you are dead an awfully long time" - Jimmy Demaret
bethsun
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Post by bethsun »

Put puppy out:

After eating
Whenever he wakes up
Anytime he does any "strange" behavior

Have him in a crate whenever you're not looking at him.

A baby gate is the easiest way to keep in on the ground level

Enjoy him!!!
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frugalhen
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Post by frugalhen »

good point, important point about taking him out after he eats or drinks. Dogs have to go almost immediately after eating, especially small dogs.

I would also get in the habit of putting food out at two specific times per day so they associate the time with eating. Leaving food out all day is a recipe for problems.
"get out and live, you are dead an awfully long time" - Jimmy Demaret
livesoft
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Post by livesoft »

Go to the local library and get some books.

We did not let our kids get a dog until they had read at least 2 books on "complete guide to owning a dog".

We did not let ourselves get a dog until we had read at least 2 books on "complete guide to owning a dog".
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hicabob
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Post by hicabob »

Saturday doggy class for puppy socialization and an expert trainer watching you is a good idea. Quite fun too if you like dogs.
Triple digit golfer
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Post by Triple digit golfer »

A crate is not the answer. It's cruel and unnecessary. There are other ways to train a dog. Do like livesoft said and just read a book or two. Please don't get a crate. Imagine being locked in a cage for hours. You wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out and makes their life far less of a quality one.
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auntie
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Post by auntie »

A crate can be punishment or reward. At my house it's a reward. All the dogs that stay with me love my crates. Crates mean peace and quiet, treats, meals, etc.

Consistency is vital. If it's OK to get up on the furniture sometimes but not other times the dog will always test the rules. Wouldn't you?

Obedience is also vital. if you tell the dog to come it needs to come every time, not just when it feels like it and when it's finished with what it's doing. And come doesn't mean run toward you, then past you, then back to whatever it was doing before. It means come directly to you and wait for further instructions.

Dogs can easily learn to be wonderful members of the household, but someone has to actually teach them. Don't expect them to understand the rules automatically.
High risk does not equal high reward. It equals high risk of no reward.
livesoft
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Post by livesoft »

Youtube has lots of dog/puppy training videos that are short enough even the kids can watch them, then immediately go try the techniques.
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stan1
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Post by stan1 »

We used a folding metal fence that makes an area about 4' x 4' (fine for our Sheltie) so we could leave him on the tiled floor. Gates would not have worked with the open floor plan in our house. We house trained him by taking him outside to the same place after every meal/drink (plus every hour) and repeatedly said "go potty, go potty". He caught on very quickly (within a week). We used the fence for about 2 years to keep him from nibbling on the carpet.

We use half of a baby carrot (we eat the other half) or a single kibble as a treat. He loved ice cubes as a puppy but realized that ice could chip his teeth.

As you get to know the dog you may reconsider keeping him downstairs. Most small dogs like to be with their owners (at least where the dog can see you). Our dog is not allowed in the kitchen, but he stands or lays at the boundary and intently watches/listens to everything we do. We of course originally said the dog would not be allowed on furniture, but now he jumps up on the couch, curls up next to one of us, and rests his chin on our thigh. How can you say no to that?

The most important thing about caring for a dog is to keep their weight down. The recommended portion size on dog food bag labels over-feeds many dogs (owners of overweight dogs buy more dog food). Ask your vet how much the dog should weigh, and cut back his portion size to keep him at that weight. Small dogs eat very small portions. Our dog's twice-daily portion doesn't even fully cover the bottom of his bowl. He would eat twice as much if he could, but every time we see the vet she congratulates us for maintaining his weight correctly.
magicmom
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Post by magicmom »

I also use the "go potty" signal each and every time. Now when its cold or even raining if I say go potty he goes! Carrots are great treats. Second-keep weight down. It can cause many health problems. You have a friend for life! Congratulations.
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njuser
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Post by njuser »

I thought it was worthwhile to have a dog trainer come to my house and show me how to interact effectively with my dogs.

The biggest thing with house training is patience: your dog is a puppy for 1-2 years and you should expect potty accidents along the way, although they decrease over time. If you are consistent your dog will be successful. It may take a lot of repetition before it becomes clear to them what they are supposed to do, just don't give up.

Regarding crates: I consider my dogs to be 'spoiled' but I do still crate the younger one at bedtime because she wanders during the night. (the other one stays in her bed).

She is crated from about 9pm at night until 6am in the morning (in a crate that is larger than recommended). During the day I let her roam the house. Just please don't crate your dog most of the day while people are out and then again at night; that is too much.

I also weigh my dogs' food because they are small and even with walks, would gain weight easily, because they never want to stop eating.
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frugalhen
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Post by frugalhen »

There is absolutely ZERO truth that crates are cruel.

If used properly, crates are actually a safe place for dogs. If you don't crate train a puppy you will almost certainly never have a house without a lot of spots.
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Minot
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Post by Minot »

Triple digit golfer wrote:A crate is not the answer. It's cruel and unnecessary. There are other ways to train a dog. Do like livesoft said and just read a book or two. Please don't get a crate. Imagine being locked in a cage for hours. You wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out and makes their life far less of a quality one.
I crate trained my Labrador Retriever from the time I got him at nine weeks old. If he was "stressed out" he sure did a good job of concealing it. He would frequently go to the crate without being told to -- it was clearly a place of comfort and safety for him -- his "den." And training him was much easier; as an untrained puppy, he spent time outside the crate when I was able and willing to pay attention to him, so I could see immediately if he was doing something I didn't want him to do. As he became reliably housebroken (in all senses of the word) I felt less need to be vigilant; by the time he was four months old he was only closed in his crate when I needed to leave him home alone, or at night when I went to bed.

Minot
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MooseDad
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Post by MooseDad »

Triple digit golfer wrote:A crate is not the answer. It's cruel and unnecessary. There are other ways to train a dog. Do like livesoft said and just read a book or two. Please don't get a crate. Imagine being locked in a cage for hours. You wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out and makes their life far less of a quality one.
Dogs are not people.

Crates are not cruel.

Imagine you're a dog (not a person), and imagine being left loose in the house with nothing to do for hours. A dog wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out, so they find something to do, like chewing your shoes, or the carpet, or the furniture. "Locked" in a crate (not a cage -- a crate with mostly closed-in sides, that feels like a den) they feel safe and secure in their den, and they sleep. A properly crate trained dog will sleep in its crate by choice. It's not punishment, it's security.
john94549
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Post by john94549 »

Too ironic. First you see a thread "we got our first puppy" followed immediately by "how do we train our first puppy?"

It does, however, get one's mind off Mr. Market.

PS: one suggestion might be to get a "puppy-nanny". If you come home and find poop on the carpet, you can blame the nanny. Of course, you need to be in a certain elevated income level to afford a dog nanny, but most Bogleheads are in that strata, right?
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DiscoBunny1979
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Post by DiscoBunny1979 »

frugalhen wrote:There is absolutely ZERO truth that crates are cruel.

If used properly, crates are actually a safe place for dogs. If you don't crate train a puppy you will almost certainly never have a house without a lot of spots.
Yes a crate CAN BE a safe place for dogs, but some dogs don't like crates. For instance, my male Akita hates crates because for the longest time he was on a plane at 8 weeks old flying across country where he had to piss and do his business and lay in it or around it for hours on end. He never associated being put in a crate as a "good" place. It's associated with being put on a plane and being abandoned.

It's also NOT true that a dog never crate trained will have a house full of spots. In reality, it's the breeder's responsiblity at weeks old to potty train to go on newspaper or whatever. If you get a dog too early, that's a problem.

It doesn't matter where the newspaper is, as long as the newspaper is present. But once you get the dog, and the dog has the ability to go outside through a properly installed doggy door, an owner should immediately upon the dog finishing eating OR drinking should put the dog through the doggy door, run outside to the other side of it and participate with the dog in doing his business. You'd say things like "that's good business" NOT "that's a good boy". "Business" is the word for poop, not "boy".

Giving a dog good positive motivation to do his or her business in the right place by reinforcing it with happy voice tones from you will go a long way to make sure business is done right. Therefore if there is no backyard for the dog to do his work, then you need to create a place. Usually, a crate is a safe place. BUT most dogs, especially my Akita, don't like to do their business where they sleep. Who would? Most dogs use their poop as a means to define territory or to warn potential mates or intruders that HE or SHE was here. Therefore, the place the dog does his or her business is important. If the dog is doing business all over the house, he could be trying to define what space belongs to the pack. Since you probably have a bathroom upstairs, the dog could be wondering if you have a right to do your business upstairs, why can't I participate? Therefore, you need to make clear distinctions as to what his role is in the house, what job he has, what he's suppose to protect. I think it's difficult for a dog to not go to areas where you are if the intent of getting a dog was for "protection". Therefore you need to encourage the dog to do his business in one place downstairs (maybe by a back door) and that that is HIS designated place that no one else uses. Going upstairs shouldn't be a place off limits, unless it's extremely dangerous, because dogs want to be where the pack is. While pups aren't people, they do act very much like children.


You also need to know what motivates your dog. What motivates your dog in a positve way reinforces behavior like sitting, whereas what motivates your dog in a negative way, convinces him to not do something. For instance, if your dog doesn't like water in the face, the using a squirt bottle every time he attempts to do something that's not acceptable will tell him it's something not to do. On the other hand, if your dog loves water in the face, then using a squirt bottle will do nothing except associate pleasure with the action he's doing....positive reinforcement. Know what motivates your dog.
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Post by livesoft »

My dog cleans up after he does his business in the yard. He eats it.
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500Kaiser
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Post by 500Kaiser »

We are huge crate fans for our dogs. To get them used to it and associate it with a positive experience, feed them in their crate for a few weeks. If they wont go in at first, just ignore it for a few hours withnthe food in there. they will figure it out. No need to even shut the door to start, just get them used to it.

We tell our dogs "goto bed" and they run to their creates since they always get a treat when they do. They often sleep in them with the door open. When we have guests that dont care for dogs, we can put them in their crate. When we leave the house for a few hours, we know they are safe. A cratebis not an excuse to ignore them, and i would never crate a dog all day.

Recomend the book raising a puppy from the monks of new skete. Also books by Brian Kilcommons. Dog advice is like advice on raising kids, there are a million schools of thought, you have to find one that works for you.
dekecarver
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Post by dekecarver »

Crate train. Repeat crate train.

And get a few books one being the Monks of New Skete.
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Post by dekecarver »

Also crate trained dogs are safer in the car. Really pisses me off seeing folks driving down the with their dog's head hanging out the window, sitting on the drivers lap pretending to drive, or roaming around the back. Talk about cruel. Ever see what happens to a dog when the breaks are slammed on, better yet what the head/neck of the driver or passenger looks like after being hit by said dog. T'aint pretty.
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Info_Hound
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Post by Info_Hound »

Regarding house training - one recommended way to speed along the house training is to have the puppy on a leash while 'loose' inside the house during the early training stage.

You can keep an eye on them while they are free to roam in the same room you are in. This way they don't have an opportunity to go around a corner and find an out of the way spot to water. It helps them recognize simple commands like 'come' and 'no' because someone is within reach to show them what the command means since it said done immediately before/after the undesired act. It is a bit of a pain for awhile, but worth the effort. Our puppy was consistantly house trained after 2 1/2 months and this was done during the winter.

A sure sign puppy needs to go (even if they were just outside) is the nose down and making circles. Its only takes a spin or two, but spin they will every time.

My puppy is coming up on a year old now, took a little bit to understand that carpet and grass are not the same thing or interchangeable. :lol:
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Judsen
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Post by Judsen »

As a puppy my dog was very trainable. (American Eskimo Spitz)
When he was about two, (dog teen age). he decided he was supposed to water the plants. I decided, NO you are not marking my territory.
After going outside he would come inside and proceed to mark the plants.
Now and for the last 10 years he lives outside full time all seasons.
He does tricks but watering my plants is not one of them. He is trainable but headstrong. Now he will come to the door and come in only if invited.
I don't let him stay in long enough to feel "at home" because I know what he will do. So I guess he has trained me.
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livesoft
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Post by livesoft »

Let's see if we can create of list of commands that dogs should obey:

Come
Stay
Heel (I use "by me" or "follow me")
Sit
Stand (from a sit or down or crawl position)
Shake-a-paw
Down
Crawl
Speak
Jump
Back-up
Go right
Go left
Leave it
Get it
Roll-over
Bang!
Spin!
Crate
Off!

Probably not a "should obey", but get your dog to pick up a food treat in its mouth, then drop it.

Drop it.

I use "Relax" to indicate that the oncoming dog(s) is nothing to worry about.
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snyder66
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Post by snyder66 »

You are crazy if you don't crate train your dog. A crate can be a safe place for the dog. Our previous dog loved her crate, frequently walked right in as we always left it open.
Triple digit golfer
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Post by Triple digit golfer »

MooseDad wrote:
Triple digit golfer wrote:A crate is not the answer. It's cruel and unnecessary. There are other ways to train a dog. Do like livesoft said and just read a book or two. Please don't get a crate. Imagine being locked in a cage for hours. You wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out and makes their life far less of a quality one.
Dogs are not people.

Crates are not cruel.

Imagine you're a dog (not a person), and imagine being left loose in the house with nothing to do for hours. A dog wouldn't like it very much. It stresses them out, so they find something to do, like chewing your shoes, or the carpet, or the furniture. "Locked" in a crate (not a cage -- a crate with mostly closed-in sides, that feels like a den) they feel safe and secure in their den, and they sleep. A properly crate trained dog will sleep in its crate by choice. It's not punishment, it's security.
Dogs are not people. That doesn't mean anything here.

Crates are cruel. If dogs love crates, then they shouldn't have to be locked in. If they love them so much, they'll stay there on their own. It is cruel when they're forced to stay in there.

I would never leave a dog alone with nothing to do for hours. People who work full-time shouldn't have dogs or they should have dog walkers to come play with the dogs and let them out a couple times a day.

Some people feel that it's okay for dogs not to pee or poop for 14 hours while the owner is at work. I guess it's okay, though, because they're not people so having to go doesn't bother them.

I stand by my statement. Crates are cruel. Again, if dogs loved them so much, you wouldn't need to lock it. If they felt so secure in there and wanted to be in there for hours at a time, they'd stay in there for hours at a time on their own.

So if you want to crate a dog and leave the dog free to come out whenever he or she wants, I'm all for it.
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Post by livesoft »

I suppose you don't crate your gerbils either?
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Triple digit golfer
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Post by Triple digit golfer »

livesoft wrote:I suppose you don't crate your gerbils either?
A dog crate might give the dog a couple steps to either side. Very, very little room to move around.

A gerbil cage lets the gerbil take dozens of steps before he is at the end of the cage. It's like a small room for the gerbil. I have no problem with locking a dog in a small room. A crate? No.
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Post by livesoft »

You know the OP's dog is not much bigger than a gerbil, don't you?
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Info_Hound
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Post by Info_Hound »

Add this to the list of dog commands - works best for big dogs sniffing around the dinner table or trying to counter surf.

No Noses!
livesoft
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Post by livesoft »

Our dog came with a Martingale collar which I have found to be exceptionally useful to help leash train the dog. The dog will not tug and pull except when trying to catch a motorcycle, yet will not really choke themselves either.

Does anybody else advocate or use a Martingale collar?
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harrychan
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Post by harrychan »

We used the newspaper method for potty training. When he first poops in the house we would move the poop onto a newspaper and tell her "Here!" We wanted her to poo in a small box in the bathroom. So we first covered the entire bathroom with newspaper. It wasn't hard for her to figure out we wanted her to do her business in that room. Next, we gradually removed the newspapers except for the box. It took about a month for her to get trained.

For setting boundaries, set something to distinguish where his boundaries are like a 2 x 4. You don't want a gate because it'll get annoying fast if you have to constantly open or step over it. It's also a hazard. Just be consistent and say 'No!' every time he tries to climb over and follow you.
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