Training a Dog

[Alexis696969]

I just bought a little Poodle 2 weeks ago

I even bought a puppy book for dummies to learn how to train him etc..

Plus read the internet about puppies but he still is not letting me know when hes gotta go and im a bit frustrated

So for any of you dog lovers .... Is there a trick to this trade cause what i read aint working

Thanks Alexis

 

[Eli]

Your dog may be broken. Check first that it's not a hardware issue then perhaps see if it needs a firmware upgrade. It takes a lot of patience to get a dog up and running properly. Poodles especially seem to crash a lot shortly after booting. I had a friend who's poodle was constantly stuck in a loop "Yip, yip, yip". All I know is that it takes a lot of patience.

 

[Incall]

first I know how you feel. Patience is a must and books are ok but its the time you put in. I guarantee you after some time it will work out. Don't be afaid to say no to your dog. he or she leans very quickly what no means. Of course please never hit your dog. Reward when dog does something good. But to answer your question find a puppy school to go to. They are around and I know Pet's Mart have them. There is also in Toronto a place called The Puppy People. Hope this helps. Goodluck

 

[Svend]

I recall having my puppy in a large newspapered area, then gradually making the space smaller and smaller. I'd reiterate the no hitting rule, just reward with praise and pay attention if he's very subtle in letting you know he needs to go out. This may take a long time, try to have patience.

 

[scouser1]

first things first are you using a crate? if not get him one immediately, crate training will make your life and your house training a million times faster, because dogs will not soil normally where they sleep, get him to love it by placing treats and toys in there. If he is a puppy you will need to watch him like a hawk if you cant then he goes in the crate, you have to realize that as puppy his bladder control skills are weak and he cannot hold it, rule of thumb is they can usually hold it no hours than the number of months they are old plus an hour, example a 2 month old can hold it for about 3 hours.

A puppy needs to go potty after they have eaten, wake up from a nap or are involved in some big time playing, get him used to a routine of waking up in the morning immediately go potty, eat wait about 15 maximum take him out to potty, then put him in the crate. When he goes out to the place you want him to go potty go along with him, dont expect him to do it by himself, and every time he does say a phrase like go potty always use the same phrase, when the dog is finished relieving themselves give them a treat and praise them like they have just solved Middle East peace and found the cure to cancer!!! they will associate relieving themselves in that place with a good thing.

One trick that I know some people do is to hang a bell just a few inches above the dog's nose on a door, in the beginning you would ring the bell with the dog's paw just before you take him out, do this constantly and he would learn that if he needs to go he will ring the bell to let you know it will take a couple of weeks of doing this to get him to learn.

Finally some of the donts do not ever ever punish your dog for going poo or pee in the wrong place it is your fault, you should have been watching him closely or had him in the crate. Never rub his nose in it or hit him he will begin to associate being punished with pooing and you might start to find presents hidden around your place that you dont want, watch for signals that he has to go like sniffing around, if ya see that clap your hands and say ahhhh to distract and immediately take outside.

I know in the beginning it sounds rough and alot of work but with alot of patience, consistency and effort on your part, you will teach him and you will have a wonderful long time buddy

 

[kara]

I breed dogs and what I tell everyone is under 6 months every 30-60 mins. Get them used to going outside. DO NOT PLAY. You are out there to accomplish something. Upon accomplishment REWARD. I have standard poodles among other dogs. it's a flawless system. gradually increse the time but not quickly. Some dogs are more obvious than others. My doodle just stares at me, if I don't get it he comes back a few mins later and stares. My Poodle sits patiently at the door for about 10 seconds than goes crazy. Gradually, just like a human baby,you'll learn your dog's cues, mannerisms and traits. Just don't give up!

and good post scouser1 crates are a must, it is not mean and often is safer.

 

[Alexis696969]

Thanks for the good advice

But ive had him for 2 weeks and i havent crate trained him

So is it too late to start now ? Since hes had the romp of the house

 

[scouser1]

with the crate training it is never too late, you still have a young dog so it is still possible, get him a crate that is just big enough for him to stand, lie down and turn around in, you dont want anything bigger otherwise they start to go poo on one side and think its ok because they can lie on the other. For the crate training I like using kongs, fill that up with something like cream cheese or peanut butter, have them smell it and then throw it in the crate and close the door with the dog outside, you will get this look of let me in let me in to get that delicious treat!!! Let him in but dont close the door at first, do this at first eventually working up to closing the door for awhile, he might whine, cry, scream like he is being tortured dont let him out if he is doing that, he will associate oh if I make enough noise I will get my way.

take the crate training slowly, begin to feed them in the crate, when they are in there throw in treats and toys, you want to associate crate with party time, have him sleep in the crate next to your bed, throw in a blanket or even better an old t-shirt that you have worn, this will calm him down and know that you are near him

As for run of the house please do not allow this until he is fully house trained and old enough to be trusted, he has to earn this freedoms at this point in life he is young, because believe me my friend it gets worse when they go through their teenage stage between 12 months and 2 years old, when they start to challenge you, you want to lay down the law now and not have your work doubled for you when he gets to that stage

 

[humbucker]

The first two weeks was a nightmare with my dog. Eventually, through patience and A LOT of hobbying, my dog and I were (still are) able to live happily together. Oddly enough though, I couldn't crate train my dog because he would poop and pee in the crate and just lie in it! This of course, is contrary to the key crate-training theory, though I think this is rare.

 

[scouser1]

ruling out any medical reasons a dog that relieves themselves in a crate is probably due to a couple of reasons, maybe the crate was too big, it should only be big enough to lie down, stand up and turn around in, or possibly the dog was left too long in there crate and had no choice of where to go, puppies are like babies they have small bladders and cannot control themselves for very long.

 

[nautilus]

I found perhaps the best thing was making sure that as soon as my dog woke up, I immediately took him outside to go. Not 5 minutes after he awoke, but ASAP. He caught on pretty quick that Outside was the place for his business.
He was never crated, but did sleep beside my bed on a blanket. It had the same affect, in that they don't usually shit where they sleep.
Dog school sucked. IMHO you are better off hiring a trainer for one on one lessons. They are pretty reasonable, and will train both you and your dog.
Good luck.

 

[scouser1]

IMHO letting a dog sleep with you might not be the best idea at this stage. Dogs live in a world of a benevolent dictatorship not democracies, there is usually a leader called the alpha and he sets the rules, gets the best food, the best place to eat and sleep, decides when play begins an ends etc you want to establish yourself as the alpha, otherwise your dog will see your hesitation and his need to take over the role.

As for lessons, puppy lessons are good in that they allow the dog to be socialized with other dogs, interact and play with them, the last thing you need is a dog that hates other dogs. The whole purpose of the lessons arent for the dog, its for you to teach you how to teach the dog, you need to practice what you learned in class otherwise its useless and a waste of money.

Finally google something called NILIF the concept of nothing in life is free, a set of rules and things you can do with your dog to make him more obedient, its such an awesome system

 

[nautilus]

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Thats why the Alpha dog sleeps on the bed, and the puppy sleeps on the floor. I did take my dog to "dog school" and the only thing he learned was how to socialize.
I can teach him that at the park, with my trainer.
Its not for everyone, but I found one on one lessons far better value.

 

[scouser1]

well thats just it, if you have a well behaved dog that gets along with pretty much everyone else and other dogs, then what what you did was exactly right for you, some dogs are alpha and some are not, now we can start a whole thread here about the differences of guys and gals, I know quite a few couples that have gotten into arguments because the woman wanted the dog to sleep with them in the bed and the guy was like ahhh dont think so lol

 

[red]

it takes time to train a dog.


don't crate the dog. I don't think its necessary.

 

[benstt]

Be extravagant with your praise when they get it right. Overjoyed, etc. They learn to read you like a book, but you need to be obvious about it when starting out.

If they wander off out of your sight, follow and be prepared to say No, hustle them out, and praise them when they do it outside. (They don't just wander away from their master for no good reason -- food/water, investigating noises, and crapping/pissing sums up their thinking when you see their ass receding away from you.)

Crates are great. It fits with their thinking. They need to develop the concept that the whole house is considered home, and not to be soiled. So, you start really small and work up. Ie they may think that the far corner of the room is far enough away, until they get the idea.

Graduate from the crate to a non-carpeted room for the times you leave them alone during the day -- put the crate in the kitchen, leave the crate door open but fence off the kitchen from the rest of the house. Expand their horizon slowly to include other rooms. (They prefer carpet for their bombing runs.)

When they are really young, you have to be able to let them out during the day. Get a friend, get a dog walker to do it if you have to. They just can't hold it that long.

They will have accidents. Be patient. They don't get it yet. Get the special cleaners (enzyme based) that neutralizes the smells. That helps them forget that they ever did it there.

Some dogs get it quicker than others. Be patient. It will be worth it.

(And expect some minor confusion if you buy a real Christmas tree.)