Think of potty training your pooch the same as a child learning to crawl. You don't just let the baby have immediate freedom to roam anywhere in the house. There are too many things they could get into, even if you think you baby-proofed your house. You keep them confined with you with baby gates and playpens, and you give them things to occupy their time.
With a dog that has just entered your home, you want to do the same thing. Keep them in the room with you. If you can't watch them, put them in their crate or in an exercise pen with somethin to do. You can even leash them to your waist. If the dog has an accident in front of you; just interrupt them and take them outside. When they finish pottying in the grass treat them there. Go back in and clean up the mess with an enzyme killer (don't let your pooch watch you). If your dog goes potty and you find the mess later.... consider that your bad.
Here's the psycology part most people don't know. When you find the mess and rub the dog's nose in it, scold them, clean up the mess in front of them and shun them; this is what your dog gets out of that, "Boy, humans really get upset around pee and poo, weird. Next time I'll just hide it in the back room in the corner".
There's nothing like finding a dried pee spot behind your favorite plant in the dining room months after it has been used over and over. So the long story short is keep potty time fun, and take frequent trips to the yard. The more time you put in now, the better partner you'll have in the long run.
Happy Potty Training!!!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Why does my dog bark so much?!
I come across many people weekly that want to know where they can get a bark collar. First thing I ask is, "When is your dog barking?" My favorite answer is, "All the time". Really? Your dog barks from morning to night without taking a breath? Boy am I glad I didn’t get that dog....
In all seriousness, this is a big reason dogs either get a shock collar slapped on them, are taken to the Humane Society, or are dropped on the side of the road. A lot of people really believe their dog is barking just to make them mad. So I’m going to tell you a big secret….. You’re dog is barking because it needs more exercise! It's bored!
You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who don’t believe this at first. I show up at their house for a private lesson. I Give them some basic training tips, figure out what the dog might like to do in it’s spare time, and figure out some things for the owner to do cooperatively with the dog. All these things amount to mental or physical "exercise". The client usually says they can’t believe these things will cut down on the barking, but they will try anyway. Two weeks later I show up at their house and the first thing they say is the dog hasn’t been barking as much, and that they can’t believe it!
The one catch to this is the breed of your dog. If you don’t like barking don’t get a Beagle, Chihuahua, or Schnauzer. These are just three big barkers I get to go see regularly. Make sure you go to AKC.org or Google the breed you are thinking about getting. If you don’t like barking, but want a Yorki… go to the Humane Society and find another breed you’ll love that doesn’t have such a tendency to bark.
...And always remember, "A tired dog is a good dog".
In all seriousness, this is a big reason dogs either get a shock collar slapped on them, are taken to the Humane Society, or are dropped on the side of the road. A lot of people really believe their dog is barking just to make them mad. So I’m going to tell you a big secret….. You’re dog is barking because it needs more exercise! It's bored!
You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who don’t believe this at first. I show up at their house for a private lesson. I Give them some basic training tips, figure out what the dog might like to do in it’s spare time, and figure out some things for the owner to do cooperatively with the dog. All these things amount to mental or physical "exercise". The client usually says they can’t believe these things will cut down on the barking, but they will try anyway. Two weeks later I show up at their house and the first thing they say is the dog hasn’t been barking as much, and that they can’t believe it!
The one catch to this is the breed of your dog. If you don’t like barking don’t get a Beagle, Chihuahua, or Schnauzer. These are just three big barkers I get to go see regularly. Make sure you go to AKC.org or Google the breed you are thinking about getting. If you don’t like barking, but want a Yorki… go to the Humane Society and find another breed you’ll love that doesn’t have such a tendency to bark.
...And always remember, "A tired dog is a good dog".
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