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Archive for » 2008 «
Potty Training/House Training Questions
05
Aug 2008
Category: General Advice, House Training Your Dog
2 Comments
Do You Have a Dog Training Question?
30
Dec 2008
Are you having trouble house training your dog? Perhaps you just got a puppy and need advice on the best way to socialise him. Never heard of clicker training and want to know what it entails? Whatever your dog training question, this is the best place to ask it!
You can submit your dog training questions by leaving a comment on this post (you need to provide your email address, but it will not be displayed or used – unfortunately, the old question page that didn’t require an email address had to be removed because a sp*mmer was making two or three posts advertising unsavory items. By using the wordpress comment form, Akistmet filters will make sure my readers are not subjected to it again). I will try to answer all of them either in the newsletter or publish them on the dog training answers pages. Even if I can’t give you an answer to your dog’s problem, I will be able to point you in the right direction so that you and your dog can get the best out of your relationship.
A quick note on Potty Training/House Training: Before posting a “new” question, please check it hasn’t already been answered before! For more advice, read this post first: Toilet Training Woes
I don’t routinely email people to let them know their question has been answered, but you can check on the latest answers or subscribe to the site RSS Feed to keep updated of new posts (I use Google reader to view mine)
Category: General Advice
19 Comments
Home Alone Labrador
16
Dec 2008
Cindy asked for advice regarding her Lab puppy:
“Hi, We have a 8 mos yellow lab. Sweet as can be when you are with her. SHe is outside alone 4 days a week. She has managed a couple of time to get inside the house while we are gone and wreaks havoc this time is was all the xmas decorations ..shredded. Other than the obvious of making sure she can’t get in, do you have any suggestions? My husband and I are thinking she is bored and may need a playmate. What are your thoughts?” more…
Category: General Advice
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New Puppy Dominant With Older Dog
28
Nov 2008
Sharon wrote:
“I have a pure breed Black Labrador, now 5 months old Mimi. I also have a Black/collie/Lab/Retriever mix 2 years old very sweet and passive,Suzy. The puppy Lab (Mimi) is now as big as the 2 yr. old Suzy and has become dominant over Suzy to a point she will not even let Suzy play ball. Although Suzy loves her company at times running in the yard, she often crouches and looks very unhappy. I am home all day with both and try to train Mimi but she is very defiant even with love training. I am worried my Suzy is no longer happy and thinking maybe I should find a home for the new puppy although I do love her. But she is making life very annoying, and soon she is going to be huge and I worry she may harm Suzy with her defiance. How do I train Mimi to stop jumping on me, and to listen to commands when she is always excitied? It’s as though she does not want me to love Suzy even though I give them both much attention. Mimi is really becoming a problem as I see Suzy crouching more and more and less playful. Mimi will not let Suzy play with any toys and snatches them from her immediately. Please give me some advice. I want them both to be happy. When Suzy is in the house alone with me, I play with her and she seems happy that she can play with her toys. When Mimi is with her, she crouches. thanks for help you can give.” more…
Category: Dog Obedience Training, General Advice
5 Comments
Leave Puppy to Her Own Devices Overnight?
27
Nov 2008
Michael wrote:
I’m getting a 2 month old Chihuahua mix in a week and we plan to put his bed in a large laundry room separate from our house. I was wondering, at night should I leave the door open so he can “go” outside or should I leave it closed, like my mom suggested, so she can learn to control herself.
House training is going to be the most important piece of training your dog will need if she is to be an indoor dog, so it is really important to get this right more…
Category: House Training Your Dog
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New Puppy Causing Bad Habits
27
Sep 2008
Maria contacted me with this problem:
“I have a 19 month old chihuahua mix and a 5 month old chihuahua. My 19 month old was already potty trained but since we got the 5 month old she has picked up the pup’s bad habits. Now they both leave their mess all over my kitchen,dining room, and living room. In the mornings we take them outside to do their business and pick up after them. I also do for lunch and dinner. What is it that we are doing wrong because my husband is getting fed up with them and i do not want him to leave them in a shelter?”
I asked her for a little more info about where they slept, how much freedom they had in the house, what the walking/exercise regime is and I got the following extra information
“We take them out in the mornings,afternoon, and evening. They usually have half of the house when we are home. When they are alone i put them inside their gate. That’s also where they sleep at night,have their food,water, and their potty spot”
By the looks of things, Maria is doing everything she should here, so I will have to offer a couple of different suggestions to try out. more…
Category: House Training Your Dog
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Toileting on Command
27
Sep 2008
Patty posted a follow up question about het malti-poo:
“Thank you for the advice on getting my malti-poo to eat. It has helped and today she ate almost all of her breakfast! I have one other question, When you take the puppy outside to go potty on her normal routine, I say “Go potty”. She will pee and then just walk around, try to play with leaves, etc. How long do you wait for her to go Poo? I repeat over and over again “Go poopoo” sometimes if she has to go right away it’s simultaneously, other times I can sit there for 20 minutes and nothing. So now I’ve missed the opportunity to tell her what a good girl she is for peeing, because I’ve waited so long for her to poo! I can’t find an answer that addresses this specific issue. I hate for her not to know how proud I am that she went pee the first time. I bring her back to the crate afterwards and then I have to go to work. So if she really does have to go???????????
I look forward to your answer.
Patty” more…
Category: House Training Your Dog
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Toilet Training Woes
21
Sep 2008
Lots of readers seem to have similar problems with house training their dogs, most of which I have dealt with in previous posts and in my Squidoo lenses. Here are a couple of questions posted recently:
“i have a 4 months old golden..got it one week ago..tried to train her by confining her to the kitchen..and placed newspaper with doggie scent sprayed on it..but didnt work.. more…
Category: House Training Your Dog
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Small Dog Not Eating Much
20
Sep 2008
Patty has recently got a puppy and asked this question:
“I have a 9 week old maltese/poodle mix who is very smart and is holding her bladder all night as long as she’s in her crate. My problem is getting her to eat! she is sweet and loves to be held and cuddled. My husband and I work all day so we have a kennel outside with a crate inside for her to nap in and I leave her a dish full of food and water. However when we get home her food has hardly been touched. After snuggling her for awhile after I get home, if I put some food in my hand she will nibble alittle. But thats it! we have tried different brands-even cat food. she is very healthy and active and drinks alot of water. When I make supper she smells the people food and I know she would eat that in a heart beat, but I told my husband no we weren’t going to start that! Do you have any tricks or suggestions? I worry that she will get sick eventually. Do small dogs (2or3 lbs) only eat a tablespoon at a time?” more…
Category: General Advice
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Labrador Separation Problems
20
Sep 2008
Marcia asked for help about her 6 month old Labrador:
“We think our 6 mos old lab is having separation anxiety. Every morning when it is time for the last person to leave the house we go outside with the dog to walk around so that she can take one last “pee” break. She will not go to bathroom (just sniffs around) and as soon as we get back in the house she will either run away from us and immediately urinate on the floor (or the couch as it was this a.m.) or she will wet in her kennel as soon as we put her in. On weekends or other times when someone is home, she does not do this. Help please! Thanks.” more…
Category: General Advice
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