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We want to help our wonderful new families with their new best from so we made these pages especially for people that have purchased one of our puppies, we are hoping that this will answer questions & help you in all areas of puppy rearing! WE USE & RECOMMEND ROYAL CANIN FOOD! |
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Helpful Hints for you and your new puppy |
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Housetraining Information & Hints |
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We are going to offer you lots of information about housetraining here. No one method is correct or perfect. It is easiest if you pick the best one for your schedule and what you have planned. The first one listed is the one that we ourselves have used repeatedly with great success but again, not everything works for everyone, this is why there are so many options.
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PLEASE NOTE: We highly recommend Cesar Millan's books and help for training. We personally have used many of his methods and know that it can help everyone to master being the "Pack leader". In his exact words Dogs are not humans. Before they receive love and affection, they need exercise, clear direction, and leadership. Giving them love alone doesn’t create balance in their lives. Be a pack leader! Things you will need: (1) A shipping crate of a size to fit your dog when he/she is an adult. It should ONLY be large enough for the dog to stand up comfortably and turn around; (2) A designated "potty area". This will need to remain the same until the dog is fully trained; (3) A designated "potty word"; (4) Your puppy's favorite treats. I find small pieces of hot dog work great and the dogs love them! (5) A non-ammonia based cleaner for any accident spots; One formulated for pets works the best ("No GO'' available from most pet supply stores or catalogs); (6) A schedule designed to meet your puppy's needs; (7) Time and patience!
The molded, fiberglass type of crate used when shipping by air is best. This will become the puppy's "den" and - believe it or not - he will grow to love it. The puppy will remain in his crate at ALL times when you are not giving him your full attention. This is very important. The crate must not be too large. The puppy should have enough room to stand up and turn around. If it is too large, you will defeat your purpose because the puppy will relieve himself in one end and lie in the other. For most young puppies, you will need a crate divider. These are very helpful because you can buy a crate which will fit your adult dog and use it while he is still a puppy. They are available through most of the mail order catalogs. The Schedule The next most important thing is the puppy's schedule. A young puppy will need to go out every three hours - after each meal, after he drinks a lot of water, after he wakes up, and after playtime. It is often helpful to keep a diary of what the puppy "does" and when. You will see a pattern after about a week and this may be helpful in establishing a schedule. The Designated Area When the crate door is opened, PICK THE PUPPY UP and CARRY him to the designated area of your yard that will be the "potty area". You must always take him to this same area for potty time. Take a favorite treat of his with you. STAY with the puppy and have him on lead if possible. Do NOT play with him. The puppy should learn from the beginning that this is not playtime or walk time, it is "potty time." The Designated Command The instant the puppy begins to relieve himself, say the word that you have chosen for your potty word. It can be "go potty", "hurry", or anything you like. Just pick a word and don't change it! As the puppy is eliminating, repeat your chosen word in a pleasant and praising tone of voice. Positive Reinforcement When he finishes, give him a "cookie" and praise him profusely! Take the puppy back inside for food, playtime, etc. Remember to take him back outside after food or playtime. After 20 minutes, it's back in the crate for both rest and reinforcement. Continue this cycle until the evening. After DarK I personally withhold food after 6:00 p.m. and water after 10:00 p.m. This seems to help the pup stay clean throughout the night. At bedtime, move the crate to your bedside. Make sure the puppy is in a draft-free area and has plenty of warm bedding. (A cold puppy is soon a "wet" puppy.) Most puppies will settle in fairly well if they are near your bed. When the pup wakes up in the morning, he will kick up a fuss to go out. Remember your spot and cookies! KEEP TO YOUR SCHEDULE! Help! My Pup Doesn't Get The Concept! If you should catch your puppy in the process of eliminating in the house, clap your hands and say, "NO!" Pick him up and take him out to his spot outside. If he finishes there, praise him. When you go back inside, put the pup away so he cannot see you cleaning up his accident. DO NOT USE any cleaner that contains ammonia. I recommend spraying the spot with a product called "No Go" after you get the spot clean. If you discover an accident that has already happened, put the puppy in another area and clean up the spot. Do not scold or reprimand your puppy in any other way. If he goes in the house, you fell down on the job. It is your responsibility to see that he is in the right place in the right time. If you scold or strike your puppy, it will not help your puppy get housetrained. It will, however, teach your pup to be afraid and to mistrust you. Nearly Zero Defects When the time comes that there have been no accidents in the house for two weeks straight and when you can tell that your puppy is learning what "Go potty" means, you may begin extending his "free time" out of the crate. If there is an accident, you may have gone too fast. Remember that this is a baby you are dealing with; he cannot progress any faster than his maturity level will let him. This Dog Is Hopeless! Correctly and consistently using this method of training I have had no failures - and neither will you. Each and every dog has been reliable within three weeks of beginning his training. When your dog does the "right" thing, remember to stay on your schedule & use plenty of praise and rewards (cookies). And, if your pup "forgets", be sure that you don't let him see you clean up after him. If you do not see ANY results after 4 - 5 weeks, you may need to seek the advice and services of a professional dog trainer. A FINAL WORD ON CRATES: NEVER - under any circumstances (not even for "just a minute") - put your dog into a crate with ANY type of collar on. NO EXCEPTIONS! Be sure that anything you leave in the crate cannot be chewed up and choked on. I personally never leave anything in the crate with my dog except a Nylabone chew toy and possibly bedding. * Feed your puppy on a schedule, too. Young puppies should have 2 meals a day. After 8 weeks of age, you may be able to adjust this to once but be your own judge by what the puppy needs. A feeding schedule will certainly help your pup's elimination schedule! * When the puppy is loose inside the house, watch for circling & sniffing - sure signs that he's going to have an accident. * Consider leashing him to you in the house during "free time" to help prevent him from wandering off. * Wondering how to respond to people who insist that their puppies learned quickly when they "rubbed their noses in it"? Let them know that their smart puppies learned in spite of that! (and would have learned more quickly without it). Please don't consider doing that yourself. * We recommend leaving your puppy in his crate with a really great chew toy! Good choices are Kongs or sterilized bones. You can stuff the insides with soft cheese, peanut butter, or treats. That will keep him happily busy for hours! You can also buy a Buster Cube or related product which releases treats as it is knocked around. By following a precise eating, crating, playing, sleeping and potty schedule, it will be easier to house train your young pup. Please note that this schedule is simply a recommendation - one the works well for us and many others that have tried it. You can certainly adjust the time and amount of crating, playing and sleeping! The important thing to remember is that you need to come up with a schedule tat works for you, one that you can follow closely. 7:00 am - Puppy out for potty break - Add hot water to food IF U want to soften - We don’t- Playtime |
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Another suggestion
Housetraining a puppy requires time, vigilance, patience and commitment. By following the procedures outlined below, you can minimize housesoiling incidents, but virtually every puppy will have an accident in the house (more likely several). This is part of raising a puppy and should be expected. The more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior. It may take several weeks to housetrain your puppy and with some of the smaller breeds it might take longer. A puppy can usually be considered reliably housetrained when it has not had any accidents for two to three months. Establish a Routine ** Your puppy will do best if he is taken outside on a consistent and frequent schedule. He should have the opportunity to eliminate after waking up from a nap, after playing and after eating. ** Choose a location not too far from the door to be the bathroom spot. Always take your puppy, on a leash, directly to the bathroom spot. Taking him for a walk or playing with him directly after he has eliminated will help him to associate good things with elimination. If you clean up an accident in the house, take the soiled rags or paper towels and leave them in the bathroom spot. The smell will help your puppy recognize the area as the place he is supposed to eliminate. While your puppy is eliminating, use a word or phrase, like “go potty,” that you can eventually use before he eliminates to remind him of what he’s supposed to be doing. ** Praise your puppy lavishly every time he eliminates outdoors. You can even give him a treat. You must praise him or treat him immediately after he’s finished eliminating, not after he comes back inside the house. This step is vital; because rewarding your dog for eliminating outdoors is the only way he’ll know that this is an appropriate behavior. ** If possible, put your puppy on a regular feeding schedule. Depending on their age, puppies usually need to be fed three or four times a day. Feeding your puppy at the same times each day will make it more likely that he’ll eliminate at consistent times as well. This makes housetraining easier for both of you. Supervise, Supervise, Supervise Don’t give your puppy an opportunity to soil in the house. He should be watched at all times when he is indoors. You can tether him to you with a leash or use baby gates to keep him in your view. Watch for signs that he needs to eliminate, like sniffing around or circling. When you see these signs, immediately take him outside, on a leash, to his bathroom spot. If he eliminates, praise him lavishly and reward him with a treat. Confinement When you’re unable to watch your puppy closely, he should be confined to an area small enough that he won’t want to eliminate there. It should be just big enough for him to comfortably stand, lie down and turn around. This area could be a portion of a bathroom or laundry room, blocked off with boxes or baby gates. Or you may want to crate train your puppy and use the crate to confine him (see our handout: “Crate Training Your Dog”). If your puppy has spent several hours in confinement, make sure to take him directly to his bathroom spot before doing anything else. Oops! Expect your puppy to have an accident in the house – it’s a normal part of housetraining. ** When you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, do something to interrupt him, like make a startling noise (be careful not to scare him). Immediately take him to his bathroom spot, praise him and give him a treat if he finishes eliminating there. ** Don’t punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, it’s too late to administer a correction. Do nothing but clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in it, taking him to the spot and scolding him (or any other punishment or discipline) will only make him afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence. Animals don’t understand punishment after the fact, even if it’s only seconds later. Punishment will do more harm than good. ** Cleaning the soiled area is very important because puppies are highly motivated to continue soiling in areas that smell like urine or feces **It’s extremely important that you use the supervision and confinement procedures outlined above to minimize the number of accidents. If you allow your puppy to eliminate frequently in the house, he’ll get confused about where he’s supposed to eliminate, which will prolong the housetraining process. Paper Training Also known as Puppy Pad training A puppy under 6 months of age cannot be expected to control his bladder for more than a few hours at a time. If you have to be away from home for more than four or five hours a day, this may not be the best time for you to get a puppy. If you’re already committed to having a puppy and have to be away from home for long periods of time, you’ll need to train your puppy to eliminate in a specific place indoors. Be aware, however, that doing so can prolong the process of teaching him to eliminate outdoors. Teaching your puppy to eliminate on newspaper may create a life-long surface preference, meaning that he may, even in adulthood, eliminate on any newspaper he finds lying around the house. When your puppy must be left alone for long periods of time, confine him to an area with enough room for a sleeping space, a playing space and a separate place to eliminate. In the area designated as the elimination place, you can either use newspapers, a sod box or litter. To make a sod box, place sod in a container, like a child’s small, plastic swimming pool. You can also find dog litter products at pet supply stores. If you clean up an accident in the house, take the soiled rags or paper towels, and put them in the designated elimination place. The smell will help your puppy recognize the area as the place where he is supposed to eliminate.
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Another suggestion #2
HOUSETRAINING THE VERY YOUNG PUPPY(Under 16 weeks of age)It takes A Human To Make A Dog Soil Its Bed
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