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Siets posted:Question on house training: I'd move the pad outdoors now. Get her used to it. As for timeline, my pup would have the occasional accident up until she was 6-7 months old. Not all the time, just like once a month. You've still got some training ahead of you. Keep at it.
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Dec 10, 2013 15:28
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Getting my first puppy soon (couple of weeks) and I'm currently in the preparation/read everything phase. I really appreciate the OP and the two pdfs suggested, they've been really helpful. I did have a couple of questions: Edit: answered my own first question. Secondly: I'll be taking the puppy home with me at around the 10 week mark, just after her second shot of vaccines. That said, I live in an urban environment/apartment with no yard, and would like to start outdoor potty training as soon as possible. Is it going to be ok to take her outside for potty breaks if I keep a good eye on where I take her (I'm thinking the same spot to pee and back inside) and not let her interact with strangers until that third shot? I'm guessing it's all about managing risk, but thought I'd ask in case I was really missing something. Here's the little girl (mini-aussie). We named her Ella Fitzgerald. 
LooksLikeABabyRat fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Dec 11, 2013 |
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Dec 10, 2013 21:52
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fuuuck poor owners. I take the new chihuahua to the vet today because the dog didn't come with tags, so i have no proof of him ever getting rabies shots, and I was 99% sure he was still intact, but i'm no vet or breeder, so that was confirmed today as well. Poor thing had obviously never been to the vet before in his life (he's 6-7ish), and wound up costing me about 3x as much as i'd planned on at the vet today. Luckily the vet has an awesome payment plan program that's not exactly insurance, but it does cover two more visits over the next twelve months if he needs em, all of his shots from rabies to distemper to kennel cough and a few others i don't remember off the top of my head, the neuter, an ER visit should anything happen to him, heartworm check and preventative heartworm meds, and a deworming if he needs it. It was worth it just to be able to spread the cost of the neuter over a few months and not have to drop $300 up front today, which would have been everything i set aside for vet bills for this thing. He's a great dog, and smart as a whip, but very likely not a purebred chi just from size alone (he's about the size of a smaller JRT and weighed in at 10# at the vet without being fat, and given the black markings and curly tail, i'm inclined to believe there's a decent bit of terrier in him.) why on earth would you not bother to get him snipped as a puppy? It's not like he's going to produce pups that are worth anything. And poor guy was real mouthy when the vet tried to check his ears/teeth, so he's obviously not used to that, at all. He also doesn't so much have nails as he has talons, so luckily the vet is going to trim those while he's knocked out for the neuter And there is evidence of old abuse, which just makes me really really sad, but I already knew that it had happened. The original owner's ex-husband was a drunk who took his anger out on the dogs, apparently. Is there anything else i should know before I pick this dog up again from the vet tomorrow in terms of "new dog?" Or, really what I'm most concerned about is what do I need to know about chihuahua's specifically? He's a shaky, shaky, shaky guy, and I know chis do that, it's a breed defining trait, but is there any easy way to tell why he's shaking at any given moment? It'd be nice to know if he's just excited, or if I need to turn the heat up or put one of his little sweaters on him. He also pants a lot for no reason - especially in the car. I was an rear end driving today since my mom was holding him because he refuses to deal with a crate/carrier of any kind. That's on the "to do" list with training him, to make him a bit more mobile since he is first and foremost my mom's "therapy" dog, it'd be nice if she could put him in her bag to get him outside since any kind of a heel gets hosed up by having the dog heel alongside a walker when i need no assistance to walk and I'm going to be the one doing all the training, since this dog knows nothing. He's smart as hell and figures poo poo out really really quick, (over the course of last night I trained him on "stand up" - i was trying to train a sit and every time I'd move the treat over top his head he'd stand instead of sitting.) but the previous owner was...well, the dog was just there to look cute, she never really took any time to do anything beyond housebreak it. Are there any good resources out there for chihuahua specifics? A lot of stuff I've found on google seems to be gaggles of owners just like Carlos's previous one, who allow the dogs to pick up all kinds of terrible habits that I want to break, not enforce. The only thing I want him to be able to get away with that say, a great dane wouldn't, is curling up in your lap. He may be 6 already, but it's never too late to train the drat dog to be well behaved. (That, and obedience trials look like fun, and one of the local pet supply stores apparently does open comps where if the dog doesn't have papers, or isn't at all purebred, they can still compete just fine.) And just because: Meet Francisco San Carlos de Santana. AKA "Paco" or "Carlos" 
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Dec 12, 2013 02:35
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AA is for Quitters posted:He's a shaky, shaky, shaky guy, and I know chis do that, it's a breed defining trait, but is there any easy way to tell why he's shaking at any given moment? It'd be nice to know if he's just excited, or if I need to turn the heat up or put one of his little sweaters on him. He also pants a lot for no reason - especially in the car. The shaking and panting are likely stress reactions. He sounds a lot like my chihuahua. Mine came to me when she was ~6, intact, oversized, fawn, with loads of lovely behaviours to work through. She's not perfect, but she's come a very long way with some consistency and boundaries. Good luck with him! Also, my guess is that he's pure bred. There's a huge variety in the breed due to some crazy, unscrupulous breeding practices.
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Dec 12, 2013 03:55
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a life less posted:The shaking and panting are likely stress reactions. Owners of chihuahuas with lovely previous owners represent. Our is about 6, we got him a little over a month ago. When the rescue we got him from took him in back in June, he was still intact. He is a resource guarder, and him sleeping on the bed had gotten so bad from his guarding that we did some intensive crate game training so now he can sleep at night in the crate without whining at us. We had to start at the beginning when it came to obedience. He is slowly picking up on it. Clicker and NILIF are really help speed it up though. He is definitely a mix, part chihuahua part... something else. Some sort of terrier? He is obsessed with the small furry things in the house (rats and guinea pigs) and it has taken a lot of work to get him to just sit and stare while we have one out instead of lunging towards them. a life less, how can I get him to be more... operant? When trying to start new behaviors, it seems like it has to be lure or nothing. If I ever try to shape he usually just sits still and stares at me like "What? I'm being cute. That gets a treat right?" Usually I can fade the lure after a while, but I'd like to see him actually thinking independently without luring. Here's a picture: 
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Dec 12, 2013 14:53
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Chin Strap posted:a life less, how can I get him to be more... operant? When trying to start new behaviors, it seems like it has to be lure or nothing. If I ever try to shape he usually just sits still and stares at me like "What? I'm being cute. That gets a treat right?" Usually I can fade the lure after a while, but I'd like to see him actually thinking independently without luring. Not ALL, but have ideas about this. 101 things to do with a box is a good shaping game, and the introduction of the prop is sometimes novel enough to get dogs offering behaviors. Otherwise, drop your initial shaping criteria to 'look anywhere but at me', and don't make direct eye contact. Give him a release word if it looks like he's put himself in a stay.
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Dec 12, 2013 18:19
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Engineer Lenk posted:Not ALL, but have ideas about this. 101 things to do with a box is a good start- if he's too used to orienting on you and likes to be lured, you can always cheat and initially throw a kibble into the box to get him to interact with it. I did this with my dog- one low value kibble inside of it, and then I c+t the second he touched the box. Smooth sailing from that point on.
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Dec 12, 2013 19:01
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Engineer Lenk posted:Not ALL, but have ideas about this. Yep, I got my chi more used to offering behaviours by introducing her to shaping. I think the first thing we ended up free shaping was a pawing of my leg. It was a lightbulb moment for the dog. Introduce a prop or something novel to start the game. Charge up a clicker first though. Also, start incorporating release cues into behaviours, as well as general impulse control. Good luck!
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Dec 12, 2013 23:51
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I need to stop reading dog webpages/books/threads, I'm going to get gray hairs and anxiety attacks from my new puppy. This is like the mini version of having a new baby 
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Dec 13, 2013 00:42
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victrix posted:I need to stop reading dog webpages/books/threads, I'm going to get gray hairs and anxiety attacks from my new puppy. It's a lot of work at first but it gets a lot better pretty quickly.
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Dec 13, 2013 00:44
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Goonicus posted:It's a lot of work at first but it gets a lot better pretty quickly. Oh I should be clear, I don't mean tending to my puppy at all, I don't even mind the 3am potty breaks or blame him for being a puppy in any way, I'm talking about all the horror stories I'm reading about potential health ailments etc  I just want him to be happy and healthy   
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Dec 13, 2013 00:56
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victrix posted:I need to stop reading dog webpages/books/threads, I'm going to get gray hairs and anxiety attacks from my new puppy. I know those feels bro  . I've been reading a ton over the last couple of years, more intensely now that the time is almost here, and it has me half believing if I gently caress up one thing, puppy is going to turn into a horribly socialized parvo ridden untrained jerk. I have to keep reminding myself that a lot of people have dogs and aren't insane about it, and they come out okay.
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Dec 13, 2013 04:34
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Motherfucker has some sharp rear end teeth. He managed to slip the e-collar (by nudging his way under my arm while I was sleeping so I was cuddling him like a teddy bear and then when he backed out to get up some time later the collar stayed behind) and took out two large chunks of my hand trying to get it on. It's not even my drat dog, it's my mother's drat dog, and she was completely useless in trying to get this collar on, and kept getting in the way, by trying to hold the dog's withers and constantly putting her hands where I was trying to buckle the collar. So now he has a t-shirt acting like a swaddling to stop him from getting in to his stitches since he keeps licking, and a trip back to the vet tomorrow to get the vet to put the damned collar back on him. Unless there's an easy way to get an e-collar on, that doesn't involve me losing chunks of flesh, or an alternative to get him to stop licking his stitches.
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Dec 13, 2013 09:45
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AA is for Quitters posted:Unless there's an easy way to get an e-collar on, that doesn't involve me losing chunks of flesh, or an alternative to get him to stop licking his stitches. Maybe look into something like this? They're a lot easier to get on http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Cloud-E-Collar-Collar-Large/dp/B0045Y1JGG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
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Dec 13, 2013 14:33
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AA is for Quitters posted:So now he has a t-shirt acting like a swaddling to stop him from getting in to his stitches since he keeps licking, and a trip back to the vet tomorrow to get the vet to put the damned collar back on him. Unless there's an easy way to get an e-collar on, that doesn't involve me losing chunks of flesh, or an alternative to get him to stop licking his stitches. Not super easy, but safer: Open the e-collar at the seam, thread a ribbon along with the collar at the collar. One person holds the dog by the hips, the other puts the e-collar like a clamshell under his chin, cinching it tight with the ribbon until you can get the collar buckled. Duct tape it closed. Nobody's hands get close to his mouth without the e-collar blocking.
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Dec 13, 2013 18:07
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If the dog is super food motivated, try presenting a plastic or wooden spoon covered with peanut butter or cream cheese or gravy or whatever. Hopefully the dog will be too preoccupied to care. Bonus points for trying that before the dog's dinner, when it's most hungry.
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Dec 13, 2013 20:03
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a life less posted:If the dog is super food motivated, try presenting a plastic or wooden spoon covered with peanut butter or cream cheese or gravy or whatever. Hopefully the dog will be too preoccupied to care. Bonus points for trying that before the dog's dinner, when it's most hungry. Oh! I know someone who would smear peanut butter across their fridge door so the dog would be busy licking it off, the fridge won't move with the force of the licking, and it should be pretty easy to clean afterwards.
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Dec 13, 2013 20:18
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Miles has been doing quite well and is almost 6 months old now. He's house trained and has been absolutely fantastic with the teething/chewing. Walking him is a pain though because he pulls so hard that he chokes himself out and ends up wheezing, so I tried a harness which stopped the choke but not the pull. My parents got him a choke chain which I don't personally like to use as he still pulls and I can't feel it release when he eases back. However after reading the last few pages, I think I just haven't been giving him the positive praise/rewards *during* the walk that he needs, and have been giving him a treat at home if he's good. So that's the first issue i'm sure i've got a solution for. However, i'm curious about clicker training and I don't know if he's too old to start it now. Hell, i'm not even 100% sure how it works to begin with. Could someone kindly explain it so I can keep this pup sane during walk time?
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Dec 13, 2013 23:20
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Zortzico posted:Miles has been doing quite well and is almost 6 months old now. He's house trained and has been absolutely fantastic with the teething/chewing. Walking him is a pain though because he pulls so hard that he chokes himself out and ends up wheezing, so I tried a harness which stopped the choke but not the pull. My parents got him a choke chain which I don't personally like to use as he still pulls and I can't feel it release when he eases back. However after reading the last few pages, I think I just haven't been giving him the positive praise/rewards *during* the walk that he needs, and have been giving him a treat at home if he's good. So that's the first issue i'm sure i've got a solution for. However, i'm curious about clicker training and I don't know if he's too old to start it now. Hell, i'm not even 100% sure how it works to begin with. Could someone kindly explain it so I can keep this pup sane during walk time? The issue you'll probably run into is that dogs are often more interested in their environment than treats while out on walks. So while you absolutely should be reinforcing good behaviour while out on walks, you'll probably have to start small and gauge what he has the ability to do in certain situations. For instance, if I run into a dog while out on a walk with my dogs, I'd expect my ~performance dog~ to fall into heel position and focus, uncued, and she'll get praise and maybe a treat after we pass the dog, whereas my chihuahua would likely require treats popped into her mouth every step or two to keep her focused and under control. People underestimate the amount of food that will be required to make significant and lasting changes in behaviour. A treat at home if the dog is good doesn't often cut it. Clicker training is wonderful. More accurately, it's called marker training. The idea is that you use a marker (either a click, a marker word like "yes" or something else which is brief and distinct) to mark the behaviour you're looking for, and then you deliver reinforcement shortly thereafter. The "click" is just to precisely capture a behaviour. A lot of people seem to have difficulty handling a clicker, a dog, a leash and a treat bag all at the same time, so often I'll just suggest people use their voice to mark what they're looking for to start. The click should happen the moment the behaviour happens. Imagine tossing a ball straight up into the air. You want the click to mark the highest point of the arc before the ball has had a chance to start its descent. With your dog, you want to click the moment the bum hits the ground when you say "sit" -- not a second afterwards, or when you fumble for your pocket full of treats. It's not too late to start by any means. First, charge the clicker. Do this by sitting a dog down before meal time and feed the dog its meal one piece of kibble at a time. Click -> treat... click -> treat. The treat should follow the click by about a second. By the time you've done a meal or two like this, the dog should understand that a click means that a piece of food is incoming. Then start clicking for eye contact. Go into an uninteresting room with your dog on a leash and a pocketful of treats. Keep the leash 2-3 feet long. Then wait. Don't say anything. Don't do anything. Just wait until your dog gets bored and looks at you (or even glances in your direction). CLICK! Treat. If the dog continues to look at you, click -> treat, click -> treat. Then move a foot or two away and see if your dog follows and seeks out your eyes. If it does, click -> treat. After a few reps, rotate your body to see if your dog will seek out your face again. Click - > treat. We call this assumed attention. We mark the dog paying attention to us without us having to beg the dog. Once your dog has mastered this in the boring room, move somewhere more engaging, like the living room. Once your dog is a pro there, move to the front hallway. Then by the front door. Then inside with the front door open. By the time you're done, you'll have some killer eye contact from your pup. This will take several days/weeks to really set in. And this is just getting attention indoors. Getting solid attention outside on walks is difficult. It takes the best trainers months to create a nice heel or loose leash walk with their dogs. So take it slow. Make note of the least/most distracting areas for your dog, and work your way from easiest to hardest. Only go somewhere more difficult if your dog has mastered the previous difficulty level. In the mean time, a front clip harness will help you out. Also, watch these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZarFGdcj8s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MkG0XHKzLQ
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Dec 14, 2013 00:00
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I'll back up ALL on the whole it's not too late to start thing. I started using clicker training with one of my dogs when he was 9 years old and it worked a charm with him. I think it's one of those things that you can introduce at any age.
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Dec 14, 2013 00:05
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I have an 11 week old purebred male miniature poodle. We've had him for 1 and a half weeks and he is so smart and beautiful. The doggy school we have him in has said today that he should not be in a yard until 6-9+ months of age. However, this past week and a half we've had him in a yard about 50 metres by 20 metres, and it's been puppy proofed. Is the puppy school correct, we should make an inclosure for him that restricts his movement? He loves the yard, and we have gone to extremes to make it safe so that he can't get out. What are your thoughts on this? He spends between approx. 9am and 5pm in the yard, and has water, beds, toys etc. The school said that it is 1) unsafe to keep them in a yard so young, and 2) he will learn bad habits such as digging holes in the yard.
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Dec 14, 2013 05:33
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Hey PI. I'm getting my ~8 week old puppy on the 4th, and the place I wanted to go for puppy socialization classes has a course starting on the 5th. They haven't announced a new course schedule yet so this is the latest one. Is this too soon to take her to classes? Assuming puppy shots have been started(class is only for 8-12 week olds). I know moving to a new home is stressful but I'm trying to weigh that between missing out on a week of socialization ( at least as far as a structured class goes). Thats even if they schedule a course starting after this one (I imagine they will as that is the pattern, but it hasn't been posted). Thoughts?
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Dec 14, 2013 07:49
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a life less posted:A whole ton of great info This is excellent information, thanks! I'd heard the term "charging the clicker" multiple times but still didn't understand what it meant.
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Dec 14, 2013 08:55
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Lascivious Sloth posted:I have an 11 week old purebred male miniature poodle. We've had him for 1 and a half weeks and he is so smart and beautiful. The doggy school we have him in has said today that he should not be in a yard until 6-9+ months of age. However, this past week and a half we've had him in a yard about 50 metres by 20 metres, and it's been puppy proofed. Is the puppy school correct, we should make an inclosure for him that restricts his movement? He loves the yard, and we have gone to extremes to make it safe so that he can't get out. What are your thoughts on this? He spends between approx. 9am and 5pm in the yard, and has water, beds, toys etc. The school said that it is 1) unsafe to keep them in a yard so young, and 2) he will learn bad habits such as digging holes in the yard. I would agree with your instructor. I don't like people leaving dogs out in yards unsupervised during the day. Too many opportunities for accidents and too many opportunities to rehearse inappropriate behaviour. I would suggest using a pen or crate to help get you through puppyhood, and plan to leave the dog indoors during the day once he's mature. Psychobabble! posted:Hey PI. I'm getting my ~8 week old puppy on the 4th, and the place I wanted to go for puppy socialization classes has a course starting on the 5th. They haven't announced a new course schedule yet so this is the latest one. I don't think it's too early. The only thing you might run into is your pup being slightly less inclined to work with you than other puppies that have been with their owners longer, but it's just a temporary issue. As far as I'm concerned, you can't ever take too many classes.
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Dec 14, 2013 16:48
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Puppy kindergarten is about you as the owner, probably more than the puppy itself. You learn the ins-and-outs of clicker training, some basics on dealing with leash pulling and the like, and also learn if there's anything your dog may be fearful of -- other dogs, other people, things on wheels etc. It's really about training you rather than the dog -- that takes more than the hour a week usually allotted. That said, in the deal you also get Super Awesome Puppy Playtime.   Man now I want another puppy just as an excuse to do puppy kindergarten again. drat that was fun.
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Dec 14, 2013 19:10
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My puppy is asleep. She ate soem chicken and oatmeal and then played with leaves in the snow.
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Dec 15, 2013 17:49
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Eegah posted:Man now I want another puppy just as an excuse to do puppy kindergarten again. drat that was fun. I want more Tater puppy pics 
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Dec 15, 2013 20:34
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I'm getting my Boston Terrier puppy January 11! This is very exciting to me! I already have a lot of stuff for him and am still getting more. I'm worried that it will be hard to house train him since it's dead of winter in Northern Ontario but hopefully he'll be a good sport with good training!
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Dec 15, 2013 22:43
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cheese eats mouse posted:I want more Tater puppy pics Oh.... well alright.      Satisfied?
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Dec 16, 2013 03:34
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House training questions! The situation: day two with our eight week old australian cattledog pup, and a super cold winter. Reggie wants to go to the bathroom outside so badly. I was able to clear him a small patch of bare ground earlier today when the temp was above freezing and while the ground was thawed and bare he did an outstanding job of evacuating himself every time we went outside (two hour intervals). Then we had a snap freeze this afternoon (temps in the teens) and he just doesn't know what to do. I take the poor little dude out and he's more interested in trying to climb into my boots and curl into a tiny ball than getting down to the business at hand. I don't blame him - its gross outside, and this is more or less the first full day he's spent with his new home. He had a couple of accidents this evening, so i bought and tossed down a pee pad in hopes he will use it instead of a random spot on the floor. Am I doing the right thing? I don't want to go down the pad route, but it looks like its going to be rough weather for a small pup over the next few days. Edit: forgot to add that he is crated during his naps, our meal times, and overnight and is never unsupervised when he is out. The pup in question 
Weltlich fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Dec 16, 2013 |
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Dec 16, 2013 05:14
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Weltlich posted:House training questions! We used the pee pads when we were training Miles, but we didn't rely on them. Kept 2 out: one in the front hall, and one in front of the door to the backyard. We learned his pattern pretty quick (every 45-hour and after every nap) and put him outside when he was about due and he got tons of positive praise + a treat when he did his business outside, a simple 'good boy' when he did his business on the pad, and negative reinforcement plus a trip to the back yard for 10 when he did his stuff anywhere else. After a month or so, he would go to the door when he needed out and stopped using the front hall pad. Just kept on top of the potty timer and eventually when we went 2 weeks without needing to change the pad at the back we took it away. Now after almost 4 months he goes and scratches at the back door to be let out and we've had almost no accidents at all. (Aside from one incident where he peed on the floor of my bathroom, but that was my fault because I lost track of time) Pee pad success may vary case to case, and a lot of people are against them. They worked for us though, but again, we didn't rely on them.
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Dec 16, 2013 07:24
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I'd probably put a comfy jacket on the dog and see how that works before acquiescing to pee pads.
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Dec 16, 2013 13:32
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I think we're going the way of the jacket, and letting Reggie crate it up until I can get to the store this afternoon. I think we set a bad precident yesterday just letting him sleep wherever he flopped down yesterday, instead of transferring him to his crate. He's the sweetest little guy and I want to set him up for success as much as I can. I'm still trying to figure out if his lack of interest in going to the bathroom outside is due to him just not needing to, or a general distaste for the climate. It's tough to figure out if he only has to pee, or he has to take a crap, too. I haven't been able to get a good sense of his "schedule" yet, but I got an phone app to help me track feedings, urine, and bowl movements. I'm also still working on coming up with a suitable "High Value Treat" for doing really good things, like taking a dump outside. Thus far the blue buffalo salmon treats are just a little too hard in texture, and the babybel cheese bits are sort of OK, but not as awesome as they could be. For anyone who cares, here's the chronology so far: 12/14 - Reggie comes home 11am: Pick Reggie up at breeder's and start the drive home. About 10 minutes of crying in the crate, then settles down. 12:30pm: Stop at a rest area and take him for a short walk. It's snowy and icy, he does not go to the bathroom. I offer to let him sit on my lap for the next leg of the trip, but after about a minute of driving, he crawls back into his crate. We leave the door open, and he naps the rest of the trip. 2pm: We get home, it's starting to snow, but no real accumulation yet, and still a little above freezing. We take him to a tree across the street, and he pees. We praise extensively, and offer him a treat which he declines. He apparently wants to be picked up out of the snow. 2:30pm: we get him set up in the living room with his water and a bowl of kibble (Iams puppy, the same as he's been on at the breeder.) Hes's not much interested in eating, but will take kibble from our hand if offered. We feed him about a half cup that way over the next few hours. He will occasionally take a few laps of water over the course of the night, drinking about a half cup. 4pm: Another trip outside, more pee, praise, and treats declined. Some mild playtime when we get back inside, he mostly just wants to be cuddled while he takes little naps. 6pm: ditto 7pm: Reggie goes into his crate while we eat, a little crying, then he settles down to chew his nylabone before passing out. 8pm: He wakes up, then ditto 6pm 12pm: One last trip to the tree for the evening, and I sweep snow out of a 2'x2' patch to serve as a potty area. Pee, treat declined. Reggie goes into his crate for the evening. Not a peep out of him, and he zonks out almost instantly. 12/15 - Awesome beginnings to backsliding 4am: Reggie wakes me with some wimpering, so I get on my boots and coat, leash him up and take him out. Pee, praise, treat declined. It's still above freezing outside. 7am: Reggie wakes us up again with some wimpering. It's still above freezing, and Reggie both takes a piss and a dump. There is great rejoicing from both my fiance and myself, and lots of "good boys." Still no luck getting him to take a treat, as he just wants to crawl on top of my boots and curl up. 8am: Food bowl is offered, and he eats maybe a quarter cup of kibble. He drinks about a same amount of water. Then it's bouncy puppy funtime for the next half hour until he passes out, curled up between my fiance and I. We decide to let him sleep there. 10am: He sleeps for a couple of hours, then wakes up, eats a little kibble and drinks a little water. I take him outside and he pees. Praise and pets. After being told to "Go potty," he uses the bathroom within 30 seconds. A good pup. This is the last time the temperature is above freezing. 11am: A quick freeze happens - dropping the temp from the low 40's into the mid teens in under a half an hour. 12pm: We go outside to the tree, say the command...and nothing happens. We stand there for a good 10 minutes before he finally reluctantly pees, receives praises and pets, then we come back inside. 2pm: We go outside. There's lots of sad looks, and attempts to crawl back onto my boots and whines. I say "Go potty, Reggie." a few dozen times in the 15 minutes that we're out. Reggie finally pees, there's a ton of "good boy!'s from me and I pick him up and cuddle him while we walk back inside. He drinks a little more water, eats a few bites of kibble. 4pm: This time, we get nothing besides sad looks and whimpers. After 15 minutes, we go back inside. 5pm: We try it again, still nothing. I try to get Reggie to drink more water, thinking he might not be drinking enough. 6pm: Another futile trip outside. The "clear" ground I'd cleared out the day before has turned into an ice sheet. Reggie is having none of it. 7pm: A very reluctant pee, lots of praise. 9pm: No luck at the tree. It's very cold at this point and Reggie's shivering and miserable. We go inside after 10 minutes, and I set up a pee-pad in the bathroom for him. He pees on it after some coaxing, then we go back to the living room. As I'm getting his rope toy out of his crate, I notice him sniffing, then setting up in the "I'm going to poo" posture. I snatch him up before he gets too far along, and take him back to the pad. He's kind of freaked out by the expierence, and doesn't continue, despite our encouragement. 11pm: One more trip to the pee pad before going to bed. Pee, some mild "good boys", and crate for the night. 12/16 - the day of good intentions paving a road to bad habits 3:30am: He wakes me up with whimpers, and I take him to the bathroom. I'm half asleep, and I leave him alone for a moment to go grab his leash to at least get him used to going to the bathroom while tethered to me. By the time I got back, he'd pooped on the pad, and peed off the pad. Welp. I got him back in the crate, the site cleaned up, and went back to bed. He was asleep before I was. 7:30am: We wake up at the same time, and I unwisely nab him from the crate and stash him behind the child gate in the bathroom while I toss on boots, hat and coat. Haha! He's too quick for me! Poop off the pad this time, pee on the pad. My dog likes to mix it up. This is the last time I will use the pads, barring some sort of blizzard that traps the door to the house shut. He goes into the living room to get his morning landshark on with my fiance's ankles and feet while I clean things up. 8am: I get Reggie some food. He eats about a half cup, and drinks about a half cup of water. 9am: We go outside, nothing happens at the tree. 15 minutes pass and we go back in. We play for 15 minutes before he passes out, and I load him into his crate to sleep. 11am: He wakes up, I open the crate door for him, and instead of immediately leashing him and taking him outside, I step into the kitchen to get his water bowl refilled. On the way back, I turn the corner to him squatting in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, finishing up a pee. I just grab a set of paper towels, and make a mental note to prioritize nothing but getting the puppy out of the house after naps. We go outside to the tree to see if he needs to poo, but nothing doing - just shivers and cuddling my feet. 11:30am: We get a good play session in, and he eats the other half-cup of kibble I put out for him, and he drinks about a quarter cup of water. I put him down for another nap. 1pm: He's still snoozing, but he's about to be woken up, taken outside, then go jacket shopping.
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Dec 16, 2013 19:02
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If you train yourself that the pup goes outside immediately after playtime, immediately before and immediately after going in the crate, your life will be easier. Keep a leash by his crate.
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Dec 16, 2013 19:09
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After a puppy wakes up from a nap, act like it is a bomb about to explode. Immediately get him outside before he explodes. That little game always helped motivate me to not be like "buuuut I can fill the water dish before we go!" Also I would pick up the puppy, put the leash on while in my arms and carry them outside beginning of potty training. Normally the pup was too interested in playing with my hair or whatever that they forgot about pottying until I put them down outside.
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Dec 16, 2013 19:14
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Yeah, configure your 'get outdoors' kit so that you can slap it on in about 30 seconds. Ideally get it on BEFORE you go anywhere near your pee factory. Open crate, leash, take outside immediately, plant in same place each time at the start. I've only had my pup for a bit over two weeks, but he's doing well. If he has an accident it's almost always because I varied his schedule or was too slow to get him outside. He'll also whine if he's in his crate and he needs to go, or start sniffing around during playtime indoors. But regardless of whether he's giving you signals or not, pick a schedule and stick to it. Just make sure he ALWAYS goes outside after coming out of the crate. Morning -> Outside -> Breakfast -> Outside -> Crate Midmorning -> Outside Afternoon -> Outside -> Lunch -> Outside -> Crate Midafternoon -> Outside Evening -> Outside -> Dinner -> Outside -> Crate Late night -> Outside Late night won't be forever once he gets his bladder under control - he doesn't want to pee in his den any more than you do. Also don't say 'go potty' or whatever before he pees or poops - he has no idea what that means just yet. Say it when he pees/poops. I'd recommend a clicker if you want to add yet another annoying thing to attach to your arsenal of dog accoutrement that goes with you outside. I'd also recommend trying to avoid startling him when he pees/poops inside. You don't want him developing a complex about using the bathroom, and a strange giant moving suddenly and rapidly or saying weird words when you're trying to take a dump definitely qualifies as scary. Basically if he pees/poops outside, jubiliation and rejoicement and enthusiasm and happytimes. If he pees/poops inside, no reaction positive or negative, take him outside anyway, clean it up without comment, back to his crate. We're still experimenting with water->pee timing, but as far as food goes, he gets food at appointed times, gets ~10 min to eat, then we remove the bowl. Initially we constrained his water supply until we had a slightly better handle on his bladder, now we give him as much water as he wants when he comes out of the crate (after going outside). Also he'll usually need a bowel movement about 15-20 mins after eating, but I wouldn't wait that long with him at first - let him eat as much as he wants, then take him out. Obviously this sucks for you due to the weather as far as staying out longer. I'm having the exact same problem, we had part of that blizzard and it was snow and ice everywhere. Fortunately my corgi pup seems less bothered by the snow than I am 
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Dec 16, 2013 19:45
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So this is Sherlock (looking directly to the camera) He will be coming home the weekend of January 11th and I'm pretty excited! Finally had some pics to share with the thread and really had to.
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Dec 16, 2013 20:19
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Weltlich! A coat for the pup is a good idea. Also if it appears the ground is too cold for the puppy, you might even consider taking a pee pad from inside with you when you take him out and let him relieve himself on the pad outdoors. Otherwise winter overalls are my friends. I even use them with the adults while they'd easily wait for me to put other clothes on.
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Dec 16, 2013 22:17
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Thanks for all the good replies! My fiance got him a coat this afternoon on her lunch break, and since he's so at home in his crate, I've been letting him nap there until he wakes up and gives me an "I need to go out" look. This is the most chill pup I've ever been around when it comes to crate training. If he's not feeling like getting up from his nap, he will just look at me when I open the door and then zonk back out. There's been a couple of times today where he's even voluntarily gone into his crate to lay down when he's done playing. He's been a good little dude and had no more accidents today. He's also getting used to the outdoors and ice and snow, so he wants to do a little exploring instead of just curling up on my feet and shivering at me. I got him a set of puppy boots, but they're still a little too big and freaky for a small pup. He just lays down and chews on them when we put them on, so we'll hold off on those for a week or two more. I'll keep the outdoor pee-pad in mind. Another cold snap is coming soon, and it's going to be even colder up in Vermont (where I work) in any case, so that might come in handy if the pup still has issues there. Thankfully that's also a rural environment, so "going outside" is less of an issue than "going outside" from a Boston Area apartment. It'll be a couple of weeks before he's old enough to meet the animals he'll be working with on the farm, but I'll post pics of that when it happens. A cold and overwhelmed pup: 
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Dec 16, 2013 23:28
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| # ? May 14, 2024 22:07 |
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You could also give mushers secret a shot: http://musherssecret.net/
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Dec 17, 2013 04:15
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