In further developments, The All Wise Knit Shoppe Debbie saw some potential trouble ahead in River City and offered the following advice at the end of beloved Knit Night last night. (what I really want to know is how in the world she knows how dog/puppy stupid I really am)
1. Don't put your shoes/socks/ etc. in the dog crate. Puppy will come to believe that these are acceptable chew toys.
2. Pee time is not play time. See side bar for further elaboration. Repeat: Pee time is NOT playtime.
3. If she goes in the house, nose rubbing doesn't work. Instead take said refuse outside and take her to it the next time you take her out.
4. Do NOT paper train. Let's just say that there was a dog in her home who once believed that a paper gum wrapper was an o.k. place to "go."
I'll just fess-up- believing that she'll check up on me. I was SO going to give her (Eliza not Debbie) a sock-o-mine for comfort during the day. Also purchased were the little absorb-a-pads for accidents. I know I can look up lots that I need to know on the internet if need be but I'm guessing the "stories to prove it" from friends make the point stronger. Liza Jane is coming on Friday and all dog training advice is accepted and appreciated most graciously.
In fact it seems like this should be a contest to elicit as many responses as possible. I've got another "pile" of Rowan 4-ply (see this post for yarn details) There might be one less skein or two- I've got them on my Ravelry Stash page (Sophanne). Spread the word-leave your thoughts and advice-
It's the Official Birthday Dog Training-Rowan 4-ply contest. Winner selected randomly- don't miss out. Woo hoo woo hoo. Contest ends sometime in the evening of November 7th
22 comments:
I love dogs, they are very nice friends to have around. The only advice is to crate you dog, then it becomes a safe place for them to hide or to put them if dog haters show up. This and 4.00 will buy you a cup of coffee....
lol. love the pic!
The only time our dog chewed was when we left him too long. No help with the pee training, he came trained. But I have tons to say about potty training.
Buy the big box of dog treats at Sam's Club.
It's a toss-up as to who pees on the carpet more, dogs or 2 year olds.
The children's book, Go Away, Dog by Joan L. Nodset; I love this story!
Teach your dog to walk on a leash! I don't know what your situation is, but we have a fenced in yard so our dog was never on a leash, but when we had to use one for some reason she would end up taking us for the walk :)
Of course, you probably will never have this problem with such a little dog...
You might want to look at the book "Good Dog, Bad Dog" by Mordecai Siegal. Good way to get started!
A non-blogging friend who doesn't want/need yarn advised to always be the first through the door or down the steps and have dog follow- thus establishing that alpha thing. I just posted it here so I could remember it.
Good luck on the puppy training. I'm also dog/puppy/pet stupid as I've never had a pet (fish don't count). I love how you are wearing a "tree brains" t-shirt in a few posts ago. I <3 the sneeze!
If you have a girl pup you don't have to worry about this, but the other night our dog, Zeeba, cocked his leg and peed all over my coat that was hanging on a chair...I was a wee bit mad! Whatever you do...crate train your dog!! There is NO other way!
I love LOL CATZ so so much, thanks for that!
I am all for crate training dogs. I second (third?) the comments about not giving them a piece of your personal clothing to keep them company. My best advice is to get them a snuggly -- one of those loofah dogs from PetSmart or TSC will work great. :)
Straying from the norm a bit...
Crate train = god send! It seems cruel, but it isn't. Dogs in the wild live in caves and dug-outs, all huddled together. It makes them feel safe. We also put a thin blanket over ours (not covering all sides, though) to make it feel more cave-like. However, Nigel was in there during a rain storm once when we weren't home, and he freaked out - tried and was nearly successful at chewing his way out. So he won't go near a crate now.
For puppies, the absorbent pads in the crate will help. It won't give them permission to pee there whenever they want, just makes it less nasty when it happens. Dogs generally don't want to pee where they eat or sleep, so they aren't going to intentionally want to pee (or otherwise) in the crate.
I think paper training is just plane nasty - even if it's on paper, it's still in the house. We suspect that Nigel may have been paper trained by his previous owner. Not good.
We do the nose rubbing (combined with alpha male voice), and it has worked for us. He knows he's been bad when he goes in the house. You need to establish an alpha male voice (not yelling though) when disciplining in general. It feels mean, but it's what works.
Even if she's finished her business when you catch her going in the house, take her outside for a decent amount of time anyway. If you've completely caught her in the act, she probably wasn't finished anyway. Praise her like crazy when she goes outside, treat training in the beginning helps.
In fact, praise them like crazy (as in overdo it) whenever they do anything you're happy with, especially in the beginning. Dogs want to please their owners almost more than anything, so they love it when you praise them.
Here's one we've learned the Haaaaard way - you can't comfort a dog when they're scared. They don't know the difference between praise and comfort. In the case of the Nige, he is very afraid of loud noises and thunder and we used to comfort him when he would shiver and get anxious. That apparently reenforces the behavior as something they're supposed to do when they're scared. Now, we're going through a long process of retraining him to be less wussy. This no comfort thing will go against every bone in your body, but the key is to remember that even though you hear statistics that compare a dog's intelligence to a human child at different ages, the metaphor stops at the most basic level of intelligence. Dog's aren't remotely like kids, and they don't interpret our behavior in the same way that kids do. You have to learn to think like they do. :)
It's so rewarding no matter what. You'll love having a pooch!
Oh and remember to still give the kitties lots of attention - they ARE smart enough to seek revenge if they feel slighted. But you know that. ;)
Crate training is very good. Also, if your dog is going to be big and you don't want them to be couch dogs, then don't let them on furniture when they are puppies. Also never give them old socks with knots tied into them as toys, they will think that any sock around the house is their's to destroy. And please don't put one of those choker collars on them. They can *strangle* themselves with it. Regular "dog walking potty breaks" are good in helping house break them. They begin to learn when they are gonna get out and know they can hold their bladder so to speak.
So much to know to properly care for a dog! That's probably why I don't have one (yet). My sister swears by crate training. Her 2 dogs love their crates and go in of theri own accord when they need some quiet/nap time. So, any nmes lined up for doggie? Happy early b-day too!
I know nothing about caring for doggies but,
I think soon we shall see the LOLZ Catbonics Dictionary on bookstore shelves everywhere.
I struggle with the cat cuteness. I resist the cuteness. ;-)
you've been busy since i last slowed down long enough to read a blog. so excited about your puppy and your kitty. they look adorable. i crate trained both of my dogs and found it very successful. the key with small puppies is to take them outside as often as you can. take them out when they wake up. take them out when they finish eating. take them out after a lot of playing. most likely, they will need to at least pee all of these times. one thing i did with my second dog which was really helpful is that i taught her a bathroom command. hers is "pick a spot." this really helpful when you need to head to work (or back to bed in the middle of the night) and you want your dog to use the bathroom quickly. basically, you start by saying the command as soon as you see your dog start to squat. you then praise the puppy a lot for following the command and using the bathroom. you also want to make sure that when you go outside, you focus on using the bathroom first and then playtime second. this reinforces the "business first" attitude which is very important when you're in a hurry. also, for crate training, when your puppy is really small, you may want to use something like a cardboard box to block off part of the crate. if the crate space is too big, then you puppy will pee in one part of it and sleep in the other. which kind of defeats the purpose. if you make the crate a little less roomy than your puppy will let you know that it needs to go out and you can let it go to the bathroom outside like it's supposed to. hoep this is helpful. can't wait to see more puppy pics!
Oh dear. After raising four completely different puppies, I'm not sure I can limit my comments to an acceptable length. Puppy school. Enroll her in puppy school immediately, so that the trainer can get to work training you. (The dog doesn't need training. She already knows how to pee, poop, chew, and wreak havoc on your household. You're the one who's going to need training.)
this is also OT, but I learned something new in raising Hannibal the kitten: when you are petting/holding kitty then he/she gets playful and starts clawing or biting you, make a hurt kitty sound! That advice was from our vet.
i can has yarn plz? kthxbai.
Your hands are not toys. Use something else.
Although I learned that from my cat.
Glad you liked the lolcat! The photo is of one of our renter's cat in her Halloween costume. Best of luck with the new puppy and kitty!
I'm going to say what a bunch of other people have already said. Crate Train!! Ginger sleeps with me at night, but she's still crate trained. If we are away from home or if I go anywhere, I tap the door of the crate, say "In your box Ginger" and she runs in, curls up and goes to sleep. She spends her day there and she's perfectly happy. The very best book on Dog Training I found is "Good Owners, Great Dogs" by Brian Killcommens. From that book, I was able to House train Ginger, teach her to walk perfectly in the park, sit when told etc. It's fair to say it's more about training the owners but it's very good.
Oh and also from that book, toaught Ginger a bathroom command. Her's is "Hurry Up!", perfect when it's -20° C and the wind is howling ;-D.
Thanks for inviting me to participate in the contest, but I've never had a dog! I've heard that crate training is the way to go, tho'...
That said, I have lots of advice on helping the cat accept a newcomer - dogs, cats, babies -
Keep the newcomer in it's own space with the door shut...let kitty sniff out the newcomer under the door (playing paws under doors, etc...). After awhile, you can give them supervised "visits" - expect lots of growling and hissing on kitties part, but do not say "NO" unless someone is in danger of being hurt. During unsupervised time, keep the door shut...
Eventually, you'll forget to close the door and come home to find at the worst and uneasy truce, at best, two friends, either playing or napping or some such...
Good luck!
(((Hugs)))
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