While a puppy can last in his crate for the night when he is asleep, you cannot leave a puppy in his crate for longer than four hours at a time during the day. Your puppy will soil his crate, which is definitely not a habit you want to establish.
If your schedule is such that you cannot keep an eye on your puppy during the day or come home to let the puppy out in time, a suitable alternative is an exercise pen. An X-pen is a smart confinement and uses the same principle as a crate, except it is bigger and has no top. An X-pen can also be used outdoors.
You need to acquire an X-pen to the size of your dog. Place it where the puppy will be confined during your absence. To get your dog comfortable in crate, follow the same procedure as you would in introducing him to his crate. When he is in the X-pen and you are ready to leave him for the day, cover 1/3 of the area with newspapers. He will quickly understand what the paper is for. Cover 1/3 of the remaining area with a blanket and leave 1/3 uncovered.
For more tips, see also, Reliable dog Behavior Tips.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Stop Puppy Jumping--How to Prevent Unwanted Jumping Behavior
Puppy jumping may seem endearing at first, but this is a behavior that you best train your puppy out of as soon as it is old enough for basic puppy training.
In all dog and puppy training,it is especially important to be clear on your vocal training commands. Your little pup may become confused if told the same things that may have different meanings to you. For a great example, consider the commands, "off" and "down."
When you get into obedience work, you will use the command "down" to mean that your puppy will lie down. Therefore, while you're working on the problem of jumping up on or at you, don't use the wrong command. Tell Puppy "off." But what do you do when the puppy doesn't obey? Let's take a look at why a puppy jumps before and then discuss how to train the correct behavior.
The first tip to stopping the unacceptable jumping is to bend or squat down to greet your puppy. You bend and your puppy doesn't have to jump up to see your face. That's an important start. Second, every time the puppy jumps up on you, take his/her front paws, put him off you firmly, and while you're doing this, say "off" loudly and firmly. If you do this along with bending over and greeting, you should be able to train out the jumping fairly easily. Remember to praise you dog lavishly and reward with a treat as soon as all four feet are on the floor.
Praise must always follow any attempt by your puppy to do what you've demanded, even if the attempt isn't perfect. Your praise is your puppy's reward for good behavior. With an older, more stubborn dog more set in its habits, you may have to be more persistent and firmer in handling dog. What you don't want to do is jerk your knee into the dog's chesst as some trainer's advise. You could hurt your dog, and harming your dog isn't necessary to instill the proper behavior. If the dog runs at or up to and leaps upon you, you will have to immediately and very firmly (though not cruelly, harshly, or injuriously) put the dog off so all four feet are on the floor. Be sure to use the "off" command. You will need to persist in correcting the behavior every time the jumping occurs. This may take several weeks, so be prepared to persist and take the time to correct the jumping behavior.
More Helpful Puppy Training Links
Bringing a New Dog Home
Dog Behavior Tips
Puppy Training Techniques
Training Your Puppy in Cold Weather
In all dog and puppy training,it is especially important to be clear on your vocal training commands. Your little pup may become confused if told the same things that may have different meanings to you. For a great example, consider the commands, "off" and "down."
When you get into obedience work, you will use the command "down" to mean that your puppy will lie down. Therefore, while you're working on the problem of jumping up on or at you, don't use the wrong command. Tell Puppy "off." But what do you do when the puppy doesn't obey? Let's take a look at why a puppy jumps before and then discuss how to train the correct behavior.
The first tip to stopping the unacceptable jumping is to bend or squat down to greet your puppy. You bend and your puppy doesn't have to jump up to see your face. That's an important start. Second, every time the puppy jumps up on you, take his/her front paws, put him off you firmly, and while you're doing this, say "off" loudly and firmly. If you do this along with bending over and greeting, you should be able to train out the jumping fairly easily. Remember to praise you dog lavishly and reward with a treat as soon as all four feet are on the floor.
Praise must always follow any attempt by your puppy to do what you've demanded, even if the attempt isn't perfect. Your praise is your puppy's reward for good behavior. With an older, more stubborn dog more set in its habits, you may have to be more persistent and firmer in handling dog. What you don't want to do is jerk your knee into the dog's chesst as some trainer's advise. You could hurt your dog, and harming your dog isn't necessary to instill the proper behavior. If the dog runs at or up to and leaps upon you, you will have to immediately and very firmly (though not cruelly, harshly, or injuriously) put the dog off so all four feet are on the floor. Be sure to use the "off" command. You will need to persist in correcting the behavior every time the jumping occurs. This may take several weeks, so be prepared to persist and take the time to correct the jumping behavior.
More Helpful Puppy Training Links
Housebreaking Puppies in the Winter
Bringing a New Dog Home
Dog Behavior Tips
Puppy Training Techniques
Training Your Puppy in Cold Weather
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Housebreaking Puppies in Winter--Key Tip to Keep Your Puppy Alive
Housebreaking puppies in the winter is not all that different than potty training your puppy during other parts of the year. Along with bringing a new dog home, this is one of the most important training steps you'll take with your dog. However, because winter weather often means extreme cold, there are precautions you to be aware of. In some cases, if your weather is bitterly extreme, it may not even be possible to housebreak your puppy outside.
In my opinion, the most important point to be aware of when taking a puppy outside in the winter is the cold. This may seem obvious, but when dealing with harsh weather it is important to be aware of the breed of dog as well as the age of your puppy. Generally, most puppies are ready for potty training at 8 weeks, but that doesn't mean they are all created equal when it comes to the weather.
When housebreaking a puppy in the winter it is imperative that when you take your dog outside that you stay with it the entire time. You must not leave it alone. It is also important not to keep it outside too long. Watch your puppy. Does it look or act like it might be cold? If so, take it inside. Follow the rule that if you are cold and uncomfortable, your puppy probably is as well--so take it inside.
In the winter it is especially important to understand hypothermia and frostbite. Frostbite may seem self explanatory. It is essentially tissue damage due to cold. In other words, the skin freezes and depending on the degree, may suffer extreme damage. Damaged skin is generally pale or white. Keep an eye on the skin between your dog's toes, the ears, and tail area.
Hypothermia means under heated or lack of heat. "Hypo" means under or not enough and "thermia" refers to heat. This is a condition that occurs when the body can no longer produce the heat necessary to sustain life. The message here is don't leave your puppy alone outside during the winter. Never leave it for outside in the cold for prolonged periods of time.
If you follow this advice and apply the basic elements of potty training for puppies to your new dog, you and your pet are sure to come through potty training just fine regardless of time of year.
More Helpful Links
Winter Time Potty Training
How to Bring a New Puppy Home
Techniques for Bringing a New Dog Home
How to Crate Train Puppies
Essential House Training tips
In my opinion, the most important point to be aware of when taking a puppy outside in the winter is the cold. This may seem obvious, but when dealing with harsh weather it is important to be aware of the breed of dog as well as the age of your puppy. Generally, most puppies are ready for potty training at 8 weeks, but that doesn't mean they are all created equal when it comes to the weather.
When housebreaking a puppy in the winter it is imperative that when you take your dog outside that you stay with it the entire time. You must not leave it alone. It is also important not to keep it outside too long. Watch your puppy. Does it look or act like it might be cold? If so, take it inside. Follow the rule that if you are cold and uncomfortable, your puppy probably is as well--so take it inside.
In the winter it is especially important to understand hypothermia and frostbite. Frostbite may seem self explanatory. It is essentially tissue damage due to cold. In other words, the skin freezes and depending on the degree, may suffer extreme damage. Damaged skin is generally pale or white. Keep an eye on the skin between your dog's toes, the ears, and tail area.
Hypothermia means under heated or lack of heat. "Hypo" means under or not enough and "thermia" refers to heat. This is a condition that occurs when the body can no longer produce the heat necessary to sustain life. The message here is don't leave your puppy alone outside during the winter. Never leave it for outside in the cold for prolonged periods of time.
If you follow this advice and apply the basic elements of potty training for puppies to your new dog, you and your pet are sure to come through potty training just fine regardless of time of year.
More Helpful Links
Winter Time Potty Training
How to Bring a New Puppy Home
Techniques for Bringing a New Dog Home
How to Crate Train Puppies
Essential House Training tips
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