Puppy Training Tips?

[BibbyForPrez]

I've got a 9-month old pomerianian that I'm having a very hard time training. It's got a lot of energy and is a very lovable dog, but it I can't seem to get it to go outside when it has to do it's thing. It also likes to get into anything it can while I'm at work, but I've learned to "doggie-proof" the apartment so it can only do minimal damage .

Anyone have any tips or references (sites, book recommendations, etc.)?

 

[ILV]

I've got a 9-month old pomerianian that I'm having a very hard time training. It's got a lot of energy and is a very lovable dog, but it I can't seem to get it to go outside when it has to do it's thing. It also likes to get into anything it can while I'm at work, but I've learned to "doggie-proof" the apartment so it can only do minimal damage .

Anyone have any tips or references (sites, book recommendations, etc.)?

I have a 5 month old puppy myself. I leave it in a fenced in pen on linoleum while I am at work, the minute I get home I take him outside and say "go potty" he holds it all day and then goes. He still does have some accidents in the house if I don't take him out, but the best thing is to take them out every half hour and say go potty and wait till they go then praise the heck out of them when they go. BTW I almost got a pomeranian myself but I ended up with a shipoo...a ****zu poodle mix. I also have a mutt with a bladder of steal.

 

[BibbyForPrez]

I leave it in a fenced in pen on linoleum while I am at work

That sounds like a really good idea, thanks for the tip!

 

[EmKingsFan4]

Yes the indoor crate or kennel is a MUST for puppy potty training...they usually don't like to go where they lay...our vet said anytime we were doing something where we weren't going to be able to be constantly watching our dog that he should go in the kennel and he only had a couple of accidents during the potty training period and hasn't had one since...

 

[G_M]

I have no problems with my puppy!

 

[Bricklayer]

One of my great hopes for genetic science -- the invention of the non-pooping dog.

 

[BJax24]

when we trained our dog, we trained it to go on a pee pad

 

[iheartBrad]

I'm actually getting a 6 month old Yorkie tomorrow afternoon...so the tips are helping me out a bit as well

thanks all

 

[BibbyForPrez]

I have no problems with my puppy!

lol...they look very well behaved

 

[gotpitbull]

Yes the indoor crate or kennel is a MUST for puppy potty training...they usually don't like to go where they lay...

I think that is the best recommendation, along with the person that said to praise them when they do go potty outside. Praise them like crazy when they do well.

 

[BibbyForPrez]

I think that is the best recommendation, along with the person that said to praise them when they do go potty outside. Praise them like crazy when they do well.

That seems to be the biggest theme I've found throughout the web. That along with taking them out every couple of hours.

For those of you who use the cage approach, how long is too long? Tobi (my dog) is by himself for 7-8 hours while I'm at work. Is that too long for him to be left in a cage?

 

[Fillmoe]

my dog likes to jump on people alot.......... how can i train him to cut that crap out?

 

[Rockmeister]

I would crate train your puppy. I don't know where you live, however, I know of a person that I can recommend to you. PM me if you want the name.

 

[BibbyForPrez]

I would crate train your puppy. I don't know where you live, however, I know of a person that I can recommend to you. PM me if you want the name.

I appreciate the offer but I live in Massillon, OH so that would be one heck of a drive! lol. But thanks anyways!

 

[teamdimechampionship]

I've heard that when the puppy has an accident you should put his food bowl by the mess. They don't go where the food is. They figure it out when outside is the only place they can go without their food showing up!

 

[VF21]

The BEST thing to do is go to your local pet store or PetsMart and find out about puppy training classes. They should also have a list of people familiar with Pomeranians, who are extremely intelligent and creative little dogs. If you're going to be leaving your little guy alone for long periods, you need to talk to someone about what to do to keep him from becoming lethargic or vindictive.

 

[KingsFreak]

Like some people mentioned already, definitely get a crate for your puppy! Make sure to get one thats not too big but not too small either, but just enough room for it to get up and turn around and stand up, thats it. And whenever you're away or can't watch it, put it in there. It might take some time and there will be a lot of crying, so be prepared! Start by putting the little puppers in there at night when you go to sleep, preferably next to your bed so it can be near you and hear you sleep. Whenever it says in there peacefully give its LOTS of praise and treats, but don't take it out! This crate will now be its little "den" and it should always sleep in there at night.

As for the potty issues, never scold a dog when it goes inside or rub its face in it. As soon as you catch it, (remember put it in a crate when you can't watch it all the time and it should never go potty in the crate if its the right size) shake a soda can with coins in it to distract the pup and pick it up and take it outside. If it goes again outside, praise like crazy! Also, its good to have a word or phrase like "hurry up" so it knows that thats what its suppose to do outside, not play in the middle of the night when you just want it to go potty!

Before you leave the house make sure you take it outside and have plenty of time to wait around for it to go, then praise when it does. And take it outside right when you come home too! A good rule of thumb is a puppy can hold it for however old it is like 5 months=5 hours and so on. And a puppy tends to need to go potty RIGHT after it eats a meal or after a lot of playing, so keep that in mind too. Hope this helps! I had to go through all the same things when my dog was a puppy too.

 

[KingsFreak]

my dog likes to jump on people alot.......... how can i train him to cut that crap out?

Chances are it jumps on you because its either trying to dominate you or its just excited and wants your attention. With my dog, he was always HUGE even as a puppy so when he jumps on people it hurt, so it was a must to train him to absolutely NOT jump on people. We tried a couple of different things like grabbing his paws and pushing him off and holding onto his paws and pinching in between his toes but those techniques didn't really work with him. Now what we do is say "OFF!" in a really deep and stern voice and he backs right off. When we first started doing this we would say the command and turned our backs to him when he would jump and say "OFF!" "Sit!". So we would turn around and there he would be sitting with his tongue hanging out like the perfect little puppy. Then of course lots of praise and treats and good off! phrases like that. Try different things because every doggy is different! Good luck! Its definitely an annoying habit to break.

 

[BibbyForPrez]

Thanks far all the great suggestions everyone. I've learned more from this board than I have on the dog sites I looked at!

 

[Rockmeister]

Like some people mentioned already, definitely get a crate for your puppy! Make sure to get one thats not too big but not too small either, but just enough room for it to get up and turn around and stand up, thats it. And whenever you're away or can't watch it, put it in there. It might take some time and there will be a lot of crying, so be prepared! Start by putting the little puppers in there at night when you go to sleep, preferably next to your bed so it can be near you and hear you sleep. Whenever it says in there peacefully give its LOTS of praise and treats, but don't take it out! This crate will now be its little "den" and it should always sleep in there at night.

As for the potty issues, never scold a dog when it goes inside or rub its face in it. As soon as you catch it, (remember put it in a crate when you can't watch it all the time and it should never go potty in the crate if its the right size) shake a soda can with coins in it to distract the pup and pick it up and take it outside. If it goes again outside, praise like crazy! Also, its good to have a word or phrase like "hurry up" so it knows that thats what its suppose to do outside, not play in the middle of the night when you just want it to go potty!

Before you leave the house make sure you take it outside and have plenty of time to wait around for it to go, then praise when it does. And take it outside right when you come home too! A good rule of thumb is a puppy can hold it for however old it is like 5 months=5 hours and so on. And a puppy tends to need to go potty RIGHT after it eats a meal or after a lot of playing, so keep that in mind too. Hope this helps! I had to go through all the same things when my dog was a puppy too.

These are all good advice. I use the soda with coins method to distract Brady, however, I never shake or toss it "at" him. What I do is shake or toss the can near him. The noise startles him and distracts the unwanted behavior. It is a very good technique. My dog Brady is in his 3rd week of training class and I've learned a lot.

 

[Kingsgurl]

The puppy classes are great! Not only do you learn a ton of good techniques, your dog gets socialized and used to chaotic situations (so they will listen to you no matter the distraction, like being outside etc. My dog Mayce was recently killed because she ran out in the street, even though she was usually very well behaved inside or on a leash) Also, taking the class really helps you to keep up with working with your pup everyday, since you don't want YOUR dog to be the one who doesn't sit


Also, the crate is a must. You want to set your dog up for situations he can succeed in, and giving a young pup free reign of the house is really setting him up for failure. At that age, they don't equate past deeds to the punishment after the fact very well. If you come home, find little Pookie has chewed up the living room carpet and punish her, she will just think you are a little unstable, maybe psychotic Be sure to keep the crate a pleasurable place for your pup, by feeding her/him in it, be generous with the treats. Don't only put her in it when bad things, like you leaving, are happening. The dog should come to think of the crate as a safe haven.

Be sure to give them things that are YESES to chew on.

Also, if you let them on the furniture when they are cute and little, they will always want to be on the furniture.

 

[EmKingsFan4]

That seems to be the biggest theme I've found throughout the web. That along with taking them out every couple of hours.

For those of you who use the cage approach, how long is too long? Tobi (my dog) is by himself for 7-8 hours while I'm at work. Is that too long for him to be left in a cage?

I can't remember now how old your puppy was, but when we first were housebreaking we took Ty out every 30 minutes to an hour...it was a pain in the *** but it paid off!! With you having a small breed dog that amount of time in the crate should be okay, but he/or she will be crazy hyper when they come out...just make sure you have chew toys and stuff to keep him/her occupied in the crate...I made the mistake of putting our Boxers crate too close to my long curtains and while we were out he pulled the curtains into the crate with him and shredded them...hee hee Not funny at the time, but thinking about it now it's hysterical! Ah well, I wanted new curtains anyway...maybe from now on whenever I want to buy something new I'll just have Ty chew it up....then the hubby can't say no.....

 

[ILV]

My puppy never goes in his pen, it is much bigger than a crate...it is more of an excercize pen, the crate thing just seems too small and cruel to me.

 

[KingsFreak]

My puppy never goes in his pen, it is much bigger than a crate...it is more of an excercize pen, the crate thing just seems too small and cruel to me.

At first I thought that too and was totally against keeping my dog in a crate. But when you realize how helpful it is like it prevents them from destroying your stuff AND most important it keeps THEM out of trouble from eating something they're not suppose to eat. Dogs sleep most of the day while we're gone anyways and they feel safer in their little "dens" and they'll wait and wait until you get home so we could all play together!

Make sure if you put toys in the crate with the dog they're extra tough. I wouldn't recommend anything stuffed after its adult teeth have grown in. Whats a reeeeally good toy that every dog owner should have is a Kong. Its a funny shapped tough rubber toy that you can stuff treats into to keep your puppers occupied. Works even better when you freeze it! Also a another really good toy is a Nylabone. They can chew and chew on it but it won't break off and present a choking hazard and they come in lots of different flavors and sizes and shapes.

 

[Rockmeister]

Most important when crate training, make sure you take the collar off. You don't want their collar getting caught in something in the crate.

 

[ILV]

At first I thought that too and was totally against keeping my dog in a crate. But when you realize how helpful it is like it prevents them from destroying your stuff AND most important it keeps THEM out of trouble from eating something they're not suppose to eat. Dogs sleep most of the day while we're gone anyways and they feel safer in their little "dens" and they'll wait and wait until you get home so we could all play together!

Make sure if you put toys in the crate with the dog they're extra tough. I wouldn't recommend anything stuffed after its adult teeth have grown in. Whats a reeeeally good toy that every dog owner should have is a Kong. Its a funny shapped tough rubber toy that you can stuff treats into to keep your puppers occupied. Works even better when you freeze it! Also a another really good toy is a Nylabone. They can chew and chew on it but it won't break off and present a choking hazard and they come in lots of different flavors and sizes and shapes.

the excercize pen has all those benefits and lets the dog move around, my dog always holds his potty in the pen just like a crate. I just think its more humane.

 

[Rockmeister]

Exercise pen is also very good. Before Rocky passed on, both him and Brady used to be in an exercise pen. They were both under 20 lbs. Now that its only Brady (for the time being), he not only stays in the exercise pen, but he also has his crate in there as well. Its a pretty big pen being that Brady is only 12 lbs. I modified the exercise pen to 8 x 5, so there is plenty of room for his chew toys and treats. And when he gets sleepy, he goes in his crate and sleeps with his blanky and stuffed animal.