Dog Trainer on board

Hi all...I am a positive dog trainer (clicker training) and just wanted to say hi. Glad to answer questions when I can. I have a 2 year old Golden Ret. named Hart, a 7 year old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Amber and a ****er Spaniel named Sage. (he is a foundling, so could be around 5 yrs old) I am scheduled for my surgery on Oct 3rd. Best wishes to all!!

Hi Joan That is very kind of you to offer advice. I just found this board today -- I am a dog owner as of two weeks ago. I got a 5 mo. old "pappy-poo" -- I am working on housetraining -- I really hate doing it, but I'm doing the best I can. He seems to know to go outside when we go out there and he has to go at the moment, and he does not go in his crate IF I AM HOME. But he gets so upset when I go out that he cries most of the time and poops in there. He also does not seem to have a problem going in the house if the idea occurs to him. I am not getting that he is thinking "I need to go OUTSIDE" (okay, maybe I'm expecting too much...?) I had once bought a book with the clicker training, and it sounded interesting -- I have been using positive reactions, which he seems to eat up even more than a treat. I'm wondering how long before I will be able to trust him if he's just been out. I'm sure you're excited about your surgery -- will be thinking of you. Regards, Marla (4/21/05) highest 329/presurg 271/now 217/goal 149

Sorry- I am new to this board and am not sure what a "pappy-poo" is. I am not a professional dog trainer but I have a few suggestions. Are you crate training him? This is the best idea for both of ya'll. Keeps him safe and warm and keeps your house in order. Are you feeding him in the crate? While he does need constant fresh water he does not need constant food. Feed him before you plan on leaving and walk him, he should relieve himself not long after. I also suggest saying, "outside" EVERYTIME you take him there so he learns to associate "outside" with relieving himself. Never change that word and he will soon learn that the door leads to the outside. He will pick this up quick and learn to tell you when he needs to go. Always be sure to take him to the same spot to do his business, this teaches him structure and keeps your yard clean. As I said before I am not a professional dog trainer but I grew up with a poodle who is now 14 and the most intelligent dog I know. And now I have a 5 year old chihuahua who is a spoiled baby. Both of which are crate-trained and house-trained. For the chihuahua in the beginning- (he's a rescue animal) we purchased a belly band for him. It looks like a diaper but it keeps your floor clean. Dogs don't like to get wet so he won't urinate on himself. Just be sure to take him "outside" regularly. Good luck and I really hope this information helps!

Hi Joan Thanks so much for your reply. I am doing most of what you said - the word outside I have not done, so I will begin to do that right away. He does know that when he leaves the crate he goes right out side -- but I am often surprised that he does not always pee -- especially after being in the crate during the night. And there is no pee in the crate. I did ask the vet when we were there this week, and she said he has a very tiny bladder and maybe is not drinking enough -- the place I got the dog said not to pu****er in the crate. Maybe they are wrong? I only give him food for about 20 minutes, then take it up, so he knows that when the food is put down, that is when to eat. A Pappy-Poo is a Pappillon and Poodle. Regards, Marla

Well, you are welcome, except that wasn't me *****plied. With a 5 month old pup, he should be able to hold it for up to 5 hours. I wouldn't make a big deal about leaving the pup when you go leave. That would be more likely to cause the crying. This is what I would recommend. When the pup is not in the crate, you keep it on a house line attached to you. (light leash) When the pup starts to circle or sniff the floor, take it out, stand there and say your potty cue (hurry up, go potty, etc). Once they urinate, praise and take for a little run around the yard, then let them have a bit of time to defecate as well. Since you have the pup on a regular schedule for feeding, you should be able to time the poop times! Don't expect the pup to be perfect right away. But after a few weeks of practice, it should be much, much better. Remember, if the dog has an accident in the house, it is because you didn't get it out in time. Not because the dog was being malicious or trying to get back at you for leaving it. Potty training 101! Joan

hi, we just bought a very small 4 month old female papillion. i have heard they are hard to house trian. is this true? any suggestions would be great. good luck w/ your surgery. I had mine on 8-9-05 & i have lost 28 lbs. yaaaaaa and i'm doing great. back to work & everything.

How nice to see you here. I have a question. I have a 5 year old, male - lab/chow mix. I have a 4 year old, female - german sheppard/chow mix. I have a 3 year old, female - pit bull/lab mix. How do I keep my sheppard and pit from fighting? The male and pit "play" fight but when the sheppard gets the least bit nervous, she takes it out on the pit. And sometimes the pit snaps at her just egging her on. They fight and draw blood and rip skin and leave puncture marks. I give them kava kava or St. Johns Wort and even Pet Calm but nothing seems to work. The time out cage didn't do anything either. The funny thing is, the day after the fight, they're on their sofa together...butt to butt taking a nap. Go figure. La Wanda

Hi La Wanda, If your dogs fighting is causing injury, you need to get the help of a positive trainer who has experience in aggression. This is not an easy fix, and could result in some very bad wounds. I would recommend you start your search for a trainer on the www.apdt.com web site. Good luck! Joan

sounds to me like they are competing for Alpha dog. Just a suggestion but when they fight, how do YOU handle it? (what do you do etc?) When dogs typically fight for alpha dog, (which is totally normal) it usually means that they are confused who is Alpha and are trying to establish pack order. The goal here is to let them know consistantly that YOU are alpha! I went through this with two female german shepherds and let me tell ya, it was a HUGE learning experience for me, HUGE vet bills later (from the fights) I finally invested in an animal behaivourist and whala! I saw results. What I had to do was first learn the "SAFE" way to break up a german shepherd fightlol. Then The SAFE way to do an alpha roll.