We just brought home a new puppy! Our other dog is 10 and we can’t bear to think of a dog-less house, so we decided to get a puppy now so they can enjoy some time together.
Much like with my second child, I am more relaxed this time around. He is adorable and is sleeping thru the night. I forgot how tied to the house you can be - he’s only been here two days so we are still cuddling him but real life is going to have to start again. I really don’t have much recollection of the nitty-gritty of training the first dog, but I am sure it will come back to me. We are using a crate although he has only been spending his nights in it so far.
Anyone have any good tips that might not be in the training books? This one is pretty good about going outside so far, of course we are taking him out very often too so maybe we are the ones who are training!
Put a bell on a string on the door you will use to take him out to do his business. Jingle the bell each time you go out. He’ll learn to do it himself shortly as he’ll associate it with needing to go to the bathroom.
Sounds like you’re on track! Teaching him to come when called could save his life, so that’s an important part of his training. It’s quite simple if you use treats and overly-exuberant affection (for a long 15 seconds) when he comes when called. The crate training is also excellent to give him a sense of security and help him with house-training. A good rule of thumb is to take him right outside for a pee immediately after he wakes from a nap. Religiously sticking to that will have him completely house-trained in a week or two.
We’ve had labs and other sporting dogs for years, but when we got a Jack Russell three years ago, I decided it was time for obedience school. Now we all do what he wants, on command! He has trained us well.
My mother told me to get right down to the puppy’s level so he would never need to jump up and consequently would never learn to do it. My dog, going on 10, has never jumped on a person. A few years ago I told my mother it was the best advice she ever gave me. Her reply: “Oh, that never worked for us…”
Fwiw. But in general, it seems like a lot of bad behaviors are learned in puppyhood… so train early and try not to give the dog too many opportunities to do wrong (out of the kitchen when food is easy to reach on the counter if it’s a big enough dog, for example).
Thanks - he is a labradoodle, which I hesitate to mention because I have gotten some negative remarks from people. (However, we had some serious allergies and asthma and found a good breeder who helped us)
@CIEE83 - that is one tip I am going to try to do. We didn’t work hard enough to train our current dog not to jump up. I need to make all visitors stand like statues until he settles and THEN pet him. Easy enough to remember.
As far as the crate training, I don’t recall how much time the first dog spent in there. I guess he was in whenever we were not home or could not supervise. I know he slept there for at least 2 years, just for security and safety.
Well, you can leave the crate door open during the day so he can go in anytime he likes for a nap or to have his own space when he wants it. Crate training is valuable for puppies because, in addition to making house-training super easy, you’ll have a safe, secure way to separate or transport your dog throughout his life if you ever need to. He will never see it as a punishment if you make sure not to use it that way. If you have babies or small children in the house as guests, and you want or need the space to be dog-free, he’ll happily go in without whining. The crate serves as a cave, of sorts, so it gives the dog security and lets him relax knowing he won’t be bothered.
Yes, our current dog still likes to sleep in his crate during the day, so we got another crate for the puppy. Right now it is divided so it’s smaller for now. He is fine in it at night, but doesn’t like to be confined in it when we are right there with him. I supposed when we put him in there and go out of the house he will eventually calm down and sleep. Boy that’s right up there with the Cry It Out method for me
I have poodles, and so of course I like labradoodles, since the best labradoodles are actually poodles in disguise
Your puppy will require regular grooming, and so you need to work on accepting grooming from the very beginning. Brush and give treats–perhaps some of his breakfast kibble–while you brush. Touch his toenails with the clippers while he’s eating. Run a clipper nearby while he has dinner. Practice grooming behaviors, even if you never plan to groom him yourself.
Depending on how much he’s got in the way of poodle hair, he may grow hair down his ear canals (poodles do this, labs don’t). In that case, you’ll need to check his ears regularly. If it’s something that’s done every day (gently), he won’t kick up a fuss about it.
As for liking the crate, my favorite method of crate training is just to feed all meals at the back of the crate with the door wide open. And leave the occasional treat at the very back when he’s not looking.
If you are a patient person, the puppy can learn pretty much everything he needs to know by earning his meals one or two bites at a time. You want him to behave nicely on leash? Put the collar and leash on and let him drag it around while you leave a trail of kibble for him to follow. You want him to sit? Wait for him to sit and then give him a few bites of breakfast.
Personally, I detest being mugged for food, so I do a lot of “zen” with my dogs. I put treats or kibble in my hand, close my fist around it, and wait for the dog to back up, away from my hand, then open my hand and let them take the treats.
We have an 8 month old King Charles, the first small dog that we had and our first non rescue. My most important rule? When an idiot says, Is your dog a rescue…its a sin to have a dog that you pay for…the dog is too big/small/nasty/ evil/fat etc. (see my thread of fat shaming a few pages back)…this is your wonderful puppy. Depending where you live make sure that the dog knows how to cross streets…hug and kiss hourly
@doschicos, I think it’s pretty much unpredictable, in the first generation anyway.
With crate training, one maxim is that you should never, ever let the puppy out of the crate when he is crying, begging, and pleading to be let out. Only when he is quiet.
The first thing I teach every dog is to sit. The second thing is to Sit at the door and Wait until i pass through and say it is Okay to come out. It’s a safety thing. And who wants a dog that charges to door to get out every time it is opened. Not good. Recall is the other essential, and is ongoing at the same time as the others. As some wise person once said, “Recall is essential. Everything else is a trick.”
@Consolation Good point about the crying in the crate. This is really illustrating the principles D learned in her psych class, about classical conditioning. “That which is rewarded is repeated”
Our first dog is only about 35 pounds which is actually an unusual size. He was very large for the litter. This one will be about 25 pounds, it is a miniature poodle in their line. Labradoodles with standard poodles can be 50 pounds or more (and look like 80 with all the hair!)
Consolation: Clearly the puppy has become hysterical, fearful. He or she knows that he something wrong.
And the really bad thing that is happening is the dog is learning by intimidation and fear. We never treated our children like that…and I won’t treat my dogs like that.
Now we all do what he wants, on command! He has trained us well.