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The article linked about to crate training has 5 steps. Step 5 is to crate the dog at night. Steps 1 through 4 should happen before that and notes that it could take several days to weeks to compete successfully.
Again here’s where you’ll probably get conflicting advice and I have no idea what the actual truth is. But what I was told by my breeder who is very respected in the area was to keep my puppy at home and only at home. Not even go for walks. The reason for this is primarily Parvovirus which is deadly to unvaccinated dogs. The way my breeder explained it to me is that parvo is very contagious and can survive in grass and other surfaces.
lot of easy stuff. teach "come", "drop it", etc. positively reinforce all with a small treat and dog should catch on to everything quick.
We created the first night she was home. But I spent the entire day getting her used to the crate, to the point where she would go in there on her own and even took a nap in the crate with no door on it in the afternoon. I did this for the exact same reason you’re asking a question, I had no idea what we were going to do with her if she wasn’t in the crate.
Responding to the warm towel comment....would putting a heating pad on low under a blanket be helpful to soothe or more harmful long term since not going to have a heating pad running in there down the line?
At first read, this just doesn't even seem realistic....6 months?!!? That's not happening with me, but I can see where you would work this in when feasible. With that, what kind of worthwhile commands are you giving to them while they are eating?
I really only used the warm towel for the first few days and the clock probably for a week or so. The warm towel was to simulate the warmth the puppy would get from its litter mates. I guess you could use the heating pad for an extended period but probably not needed as the warmth is just to reassure at the beginning.
Hand feeding is good you really wouldn't have to hand feed whole meal. Hand feeding helps some with food aggression towards you later on really a good idea with larger dogs.
Anybody here NOT put dog in the crate on night 1 or 2? If so, what did you do with the dog overnight?
One key thing is was told is not to name your dog anything that rhymes with NO. Like Joe, Bo, Snow
Mine is named Bo but I don't use the word no. What I use isn't a word actually it's more of long aaannnnkkkk real loud almost like a growl they know to stop whatever they are doing.
We have two dogs. One of them is 2 and the other just turned 1. The oldest was in the crate overnight from the start. The younger one hated the crate. He howled and cried when he went in at night. It was heartbreaking. At the same time, during the day, when he would get tired, he'd head over to his crate to take naps. But for some reason, he did not like being in that thing at night. By this point, the oldest was sleeping on the bed. So we just pulled him up and let him sleep on the bed, too. We did buy a plastic lined mattress protector just in case. And he probably only had 1 or 2 accidents in the bed.
They have pee pads and stuff like that for small dogs. An ex of mine had a chihuahua and he went on the mat. But cats actually like litter. You don't even need to train them, it's just instinct. Not sure a dog would enjoy stepping in litter.
Yeah. It wasn't that, but it was something like that. Very similar. She lived on like the 6th floor of a place near downtown Houston. It was great because it was kind of a hassle to take the dog out to just pee.
All commands are worthwhile to your little buddy. When they’re super young they don’t need 2-4 cups of food a day so it isn’t as daunting a task as you might think. As they grow so does the list of commands and the rewards for being a good listener. When they’re a month or two older you can give them their bowl in the morning and evening and just adjust how much food depending on how much time you spent with them that day.
So why the left? I’ve always thought mine the right side. My thinking was people usually pass each other on the left side.
Yeah I questioned it too, but apparently it’s how they train show dogs, so it’s just carried on - the standard of you will. That said, I agree with your logic. If you’re walking on a street with no sidewalks it’s probably safer to have them on the right. Forget I said anything!
Just got back from a long trail hike. One thing I did notice is that it’s way easier to control the sniffing in that situation as I was walking on the right side of the trail. This put me in between him and the smelly stuff.Yeah I questioned it too, but apparently it’s how they train show dogs, so it’s just carried on - the standard of you will. That said, I agree with your logic. If you’re walking on a street with no sidewalks it’s probably safer to have them on the right. Forget I said anything!
I asked the breeder (who has been excellent throughout and takes great care of the dogs)….her reply:
-Take potty every time they, wake up from a nap, drinks some water, eat some food or is sniffing around a lot
Congrats on a successful first week! That’s awesome.
Thanks much!
Yeah I’m sure there are many that disagree with me but having had big dogs my whole life I’ve found they respond better with a little physical-ness. Now to be EXTREMELY clear I’m not talking about being aggressive and hurting the dog in any way at all, but sometime you need to get their attention, like a pat on the nose or grabbing hold of them to calm down.
May get some blowback for this but I have had both big and small dogs all my life. I have found when they start nipping if you immediately grab their top lip and press it against their teeth just enough to cause discomfort and say no sternly seems to help break them of it.
I have read this...also wrapping top lip under teeth so they bite down and hurt themself (basically feel the pain it causes and stops). My guy is so little he doesn’t have much lips to play with...pressing down against teeth is prob only option for me
We bought one of these for our new puppy and it only took about 5 days for her to get the hang of it. My wife was 100% convinced it would NOT work, but even she is amazed the puppy picked it up so quick. It's hilarious to watch the dog walk over to the door and paw at the button until the bell chimes. Of course now she does it also when she wants to go out to play and not just for going potty. Still really happy with the purchase though. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yeah now that we’re long past the potty mistakes in the house the bell has gotten kind of annoying. My pup rings it every time she wants to go outside, and she always wants to go outside. So the bell is ringing consistently. Problem is she can’t be fully left alone outside yet as she’s developed a STRONG desire to chew up and destroy every plant in the yard. I think the bell is coming down very soon. Lol.PlayaHata said:
