How do you house break and command train a puppy? I am having lots of issues trying to house break my 10 week old puppy. He just does not seem to want to listen or learn.
By Heather
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The house training is a test for both of you! After my pup had eaten/watered I waited, watching him closely, for 30 minutes or so, and then out the door we went! We just walked around the yard a bit until he relieved himself and then he got high praise for a job well done. At the end of the evening we also took a yard walk until he dirtied. Overnite he had papers put down where he was penned in, which he used. Upon rising I would whisk him out the door. After two weeks he no longer used the papers and after eating he would track me down and then stare at me wanting to go outside. Two weeks and he was housebroken and no accidents! Yet, you need to gauge how long it takes for the food to process through their systems, 30 minutes after eating may be too long for your pup's size, mine is a Great Dane.
As he got older I placed a string of bells on our back door and he paws those when he needs to go out!
Training is repetition. Several times per day, but no longer than 15 minutes at a time, Gently push their butt down and say sit, keeping eye contact with them. Let them get up, move somewhere else in the room, repeat by the same steps. Be kind, but firm. After a few days when your pup knows sit, then ease his legs down and the command is "down". I also applied a hand gesture using my pointer finger and moving it from above his head level towards the floor.
Look into your local parks and rec offerings as many times they have classes. Don't despair as to his not getting with the program right away. They're babies that learn and mature at different rates!
I agree with ppcaffery. An obedience class is the best thing you can do right now. 10 wks old is very young for a puppy. They cannor hold it very long. They have limited ability to understand what you want unless you reward good behavior and ignore the bad. It is hard to explain here, but if you can witness the instructor work with your dog, you will actually see the`lightbulb come on' whe your dog understands. Whatever you do, don't punish the puppy in any way or you will set yourself back months in training.
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Any ideas on puppy training other than house breaking?
By Mariewl from Waupaca, WI
What type of training are you asking about? Is it the simple commands, like sit, stay, come? Or what exactly? I know you said other than housebreaking. (08/02/2009)
By Cricket
One of the things my husband does with our puppies is teach them the perimeters of our yard. The way to do this is to put a neck chain around their neck, instead of a collar and then walk them around the edge of the yard several times a day. Every time the puppy steps over the property line, gently pull on the chain and say "no". When you pull on the chain, it shouldn't be hard enough to hurt them, but just enough that the puppy can hear the sound of the chain being pulled. When the puppies got older, they could be outside with us, and we didn't have to worry about them leaving the yard. (08/03/2009)
I forgot to mention that you attach a leash to the neck chain when you walk the puppy around the yard. (08/03/2009)
Patty Lynn has a terrific method there. But one thing she forgot to mention is, when the training period is over, take the neck chain off. They are a fantastic tool for training, but can be deadly if used as a regular collar. So if you use her method, please only use the neck chain for training purposes. (08/03/2009)
By Cricket
Patti Lynn pretty much answered with what she does with hers. It works and now our puppy stays in the yard. He now can go out without a leash on. I am now looking for ways to get him to sit, come and not beg. He graduated from a halter to a real collar this weekend. He is a Papillon, about 10 months old. (08/03/2009)
By Mariewl
