Dog training books
We just got a 8 week old puppy from a lady who was giving away her litter. The puppy is a mix of English Pointer (on one side) and the other being a Boxer/Chow mix. None of us have ever raised a dog before (its me, my dad, and my sister) and we were looking for any tips, suggestions, and recommended readings (websites, books, etc) that any of you guys might be able to provide.
Also, I hear its a good idea to go to a basic obedience trainer around 4-5 months old. Does anyone who live in the Metro Detroit, MI area have any suggestions on a good one?
Thank you.
dog training books
I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl." This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing "no barking", ‘no biting", "no jumping", and "don’t eat the furniture." I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.
REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak of
Visit the APDT website for trainers in your area. Many offer in home classes for very young pups as well as classroom training for pups who have had all their vaccinations.
Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. But pick and choose. He has the right mentality (successful training is a result of keeping your dog well exercised and letting him know that he is not alpha). Without that, you can get a dog to sit, but not to really respect or obey you when it counts. But a lot of people think that some of his methods are barbaric (maybe so). Regardless, his book or show (you can find clips on youtube) will give you the right mentality to start with.
If your having trouble training him to go outside you might want to give him tons and tons of praise when he goes outside or scratches on the door to go outside.
1.http://www.perfectpaws.com/pupstuff.html
2.http://puppytrainingplan.com/
3.http://dog-training-tales.com/
firstly buy some puppy training pads, these have a specific scent to get the pup to pee on it. place it at night by the door you would normally use during the day to get pup to pee and poo outside.
every time the pup wakes take it outside immediately. then after a quick play back indoors about 5-10 mins take it out as it will pee again.
the sit and paw command are very easy to train, buy some doggy choc drops and persevere it will take about 20mins for each command to register. place pup in front of you, and clearly say sit, perhaps a little presure on the rear end will help, as it sits, lots of praise and a treat. repeat, until it sinks in. then the paw, then lie down, then stay.
once these have been mastered over a couple of days you are away.
you can teach whatever you like. enjoy have fun.
but never raise your voice or scold a pup, they just don’t get it.
hope this helps.
First, I congratulate you on your common sense in looking for training help. Don’t forget to continue by having furbaby spayed or neutered as soon as Vet says it is OK.
Most of the dog food manufacturers have web sites and training help/booklets available for little or not cost. Local Library has many.
"Real time" obedience lessons are the greatest.
Con tact the kennel clubs in/near Detroit. There are at least two(Detroit or Greater Detroit Kennel Club and Wayne County (I think that is correct – it is county Detroit is in or near) Kennel Club. Look in Yellow pages or on internet. Ask them about obedience classes, especially what is called "klindergarten class".
I wish you and your new puppy the best.
Take care; be well.
P.S. Detroit will always be special in my heart. My first pure bred dog won his first points toward championship there – Cobo Hall.
This is a great site to look for trainers near you:
http://www.apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx
Here are some things that really helped when my dogs were puppies:
1. Keep your dog on a schedule that includes walk time, play time, potty time, and sleeping in crate time. Crate training helped a lot.
2. Use Reward Based Techniques.
It will be easier and less stressful (on both you and your dog) to start training with reward based techniques. It is also important to establish yourself as the leader of the pack by controlling your dog’s resources through the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program. This simply means that your dog has to do something for you (e.g. a "sit") before he gets any resource (e.g. food, toys, affection, freedom). Any bullying will be ignored or will result in the removal of the resource.
3. Bite Inhibition.
Puppies can be quite mouthy because they are curious and naturally want to examine everything with their mouths. I have found that hand-feeding is a great way to teach good bite inhibition. Hand-feed your dog at least some of his kibble every day. If he bites too hard when getting his food, do a sharp ouch or yelp and ignore him for a few seconds then start hand-feeding him again. If he is taking food from you gently then praise him and keep the food coming. You can also combine hand-feeding with training and handling sessions. Hand-feeding also helps get rid of resource guarding issues so it is a good thing to continue this practice throughout your dog’s life.
4. Handle Your Puppy as Much as You Can.
Dogs can get shy and stressed about being handled. This is especially true of sensitive areas such as paws, muzzle, and ears. While taking care of your dog, you will need to handle these areas when trimming his nails, brushing his teeth, or cleaning his ears and paws. It is therefore extremely important to get your dog used to handling as much as you can especially when he is young and more open to new experiences. Make sure that handling is a positive experience accompanied with a happy voice and many treats.
5. A Busy Dog is a Good Dog.
A puppy is high energy and will get into trouble if you do not keep him busy. Make your puppy work for ALL of his food. Don’t just present food to him on a silver platter or a silver bowl. Use his daily rations of kibble and treats for training and handling. If there is food left over, stuff it in toys so that he has to work to get it out. Also make sure you have play-time with your dog.
Most of all, have fun and take lots of pictures!