Puppy Training Tips

[mac_gurl]

Originally Posted by red sky

Do many people leave their dog alone while they got to work? Are they able to hold their bladder for 8+ hours or does everyone find a dog walker?

We have to leave our dog for 9 hours, and at 4 months, she was able to go all day without going in the house.

[Swayze11]

My pup is about 8 months old now and we have been doing exactly what we have been told, crate train, signs of him wanting to go, etc. He sits at the door when he has to go now which is awesome. He has the odd accident when we try to just leave him alone while we are gone. My question is how long does it ussually take for him to be "fully" house broken, so we can leave him in a room and not have to put him in the crate?

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by red sky

Do many people leave their dog alone while they got to work? Are they able to hold their bladder for 8+ hours or does everyone find a dog walker?

i started leaving my lab all day around 1 year old in her own bedroom. up until a year, she was in her crate and i came home at lunch to walk her and let her do business. only recently have i left her alone in the whole house though, and she has not disappointed.

[FlamesKickAss]

Originally Posted by red sky

Do many people leave their dog alone while they got to work? Are they able to hold their bladder for 8+ hours or does everyone find a dog walker?

my older lab is left the run of the house. he is good and just sleeps. I think he sleeps by the other ones crate but not sure. and the puppy is in a crate as she is a chewer. She is super good about going into the crate to.

[TheDragon]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

My pup is about 8 months old now and we have been doing exactly what we have been told, crate train, signs of him wanting to go, etc. He sits at the door when he has to go now which is awesome. He has the odd accident when we try to just leave him alone while we are gone. My question is how long does it ussually take for him to be "fully" house broken, so we can leave him in a room and not have to put him in the crate?

My oldest dog was tricky to break, too. I think it took close to a year before he was fully house broke, and it took me caving in and rewarding him with treats every time he went outside to do his business. Eventually, he correlated that if he saved it for going outside, he would get fed, and since he's a dog so heavily motivated by his stomach, it pretty much solved that. Of course, he's also pretty smart and figured out that he could try to trick us into feeding him. He still tries from time to time when he's hungry.

[octothorp]

Anyone else ever used clicker training? We used a clicker extensively when ours was a puppy. It's a lot easier to lock in exactly what it is that you're rewarding. I haven't used it in months but if we go back to doing agility training, I'll probably start using the clicker again.

[FlamesKickAss]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Anyone else ever used clicker training? We used a clicker extensively when ours was a puppy. It's a lot easier to lock in exactly what it is that you're rewarding. I haven't used it in months but if we go back to doing agility training, I'll probably start using the clicker again.

I tried clicker with the first dog, got him as a two year old and needed some obiedence. This last one I tried and I think it helped to learn the basics of sit and down. I really need to start working on stay and other things.

Any good website or books people can suggest?

[Old Yeller]

The Other End of the Leash by Particia McConnell:

http://www.amazon.com/Other-End-Leas.../dp/0345446798

It's hardly the holy grail, but it really helps people understand things from a dogs point of view.

[Peanut]

Another vote here for crate training! The dogs really do love their crates and it made potty training much easier (i.e. when we weren't home, they were in the crates and thus, no accidents). There were a few accidents when we were home and missed the "signals" that they needed to go outside, but it didn't take too long to get them on a pretty set schedule for their bathroom breaks.

You do have to be careful about how long you leave them in the crate, especially when young. I've read that puppies just physically can't hold it for as long as older dogs (i.e. every 4-6 hours they need to go outside for the first 6 months), and if they start doing their business in the crate, then it will be really hard to get them properly crate trained after that.

I personally think it's a good rule of thumb to try not to leave them for more then about 8-9 hours in the crate. I find they start to come shooting out of the crate like rockets around the 8 hour mark, but that might just be my crazy energetic dogs.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Anyone else ever used clicker training? We used a clicker extensively when ours was a puppy. It's a lot easier to lock in exactly what it is that you're rewarding. I haven't used it in months but if we go back to doing agility training, I'll probably start using the clicker again.

Clicker training is awesome. Doesn't substitute for discipline, but it's a great way to teach behaviours.

[CGYTransplant]

Originally Posted by Peanut

You do have to be careful about how long you leave them in the crate, especially when young. I've read that puppies just physically can't hold it for as long as older dogs (i.e. every 4-6 hours they need to go outside for the first 6 months), and if they start doing their business in the crate, then it will be really hard to get them properly crate trained after that.

The general rule (so it may vary by breed and individual dog) is that the pup can hold it for one hour, for every month they've been alive. So, a 4 month old pup should be able to hold it for 4 hours. A 6 month pup, for 6 hours, etc. I know that not every dog is like this, but it can help with crate training and timing their potty breaks. If they're sleeping, they'll be able to hold it longer than if they're awake...most pups will hold it for 8 hours at night way before they can hold it for 8 hours during the day.