Puppy Training Tips please

[Nightwing]

We just brought home two eight week old Pembroke Welsh Corgi's and I'm looking for advice on training. My wife is the cat person of the house while I'm a dog person. I researched corgi's before purchasing them and know they are a great breed; Excellent with kids, make great house pets, intelligent and very faithful.

We plan to crate train and hope to have them housebroke within 6 weeks if possible. Any advice is most welcome and thanks in advance.

[katsy]

1. Tip 1

when he smells a fundie... bite!

[MuseRider]

2. Teach them a signal

so they can tell you that they want outside. I had one puppy who I knew did not want to pee in the house and I finally figured out that she just did not know how to tell me she wanted out. I taught her to scratch on the glass door (dumb move) but after she figured that out, it only took a couple of times, she never made another mess. Some of them just don't know how to tell you.

[Nightwing]

3. Cool, I like that one

Never thought of that but it makes great sense; Thanks!

[sevendogs]

5. Clicker training

Google Karen Pryor. Get some of her books and videos. You won't be sorry. Look at my user name. I have tons of experience with dogs

[Scout1071]

27. i recommend a bell on the door knob. For pups, you can put it on a

long string. Teach them to ring the bell when they need to go out.

[Papillon]

7. That is very good advice.

I bought a sleigh bell (light weight from a craft store) and tied it at nose level for my 2 Westies. Every time I let them out, I would gently bump their nose against the bell to make it ring. It wasn't long before they both rang the bell to be let out. Benefit was that I could hear the bell in another part of the house.

[MuseRider]

11. I like the bell idea. n/t

[candle_bright]

12. Wow

The bell idea is GREAT!

I'll keep that in mind next time around. My dogs just come up to me and do an agitated dance with an "I gotta go" look on their faces. The bell sounds much better. :)

[Papa]

14. I hung a cow bell on the door

and the dog would smack it with her nose when she wanted to go out.

I love my doggie!

[tridim]

20. I hung up a jingle bell at the back door

Puppies love ringing bells, almost too much though. They tend to use it when they want to just go outside to play. I hate not having a yard and a doggie door.. That's the best way to potty train.

[Rainbowreflect]

4. Crate training always worked for me.

Just make sure & take him/her out very often at first & praise when he/she goes outside.

[elehhhhna]

15. by "praise" we mean "act like they won the lottery"

corgis are smart and it won't take long at all.

[phantom power]

6. avoid yelling at them.

When you catch them peeing on your floor, scoop them up, take them outside, and then praise them when they pee outside.

Also, whenever you see them pee outside (whether you took them there or not), praise them profusely!

Regarding crate-training, the same principle applies. Never, ever send them to the crate when you are angry with them. Always make it a positive experience, with lots of praise, treats, etc. Their natural love of "caves" will do the rest in a few sessions.

[greenbriar]

8. ummm

the lounge

[Dookus]

9. crate training works really well....

and you should be able to train them in far less than 6 weeks.

They stay in the crate, OR are literally attached to you by leash at ALL times. Never let them make a mistake in the house.

Take 'em out of the crate, then directly outside. When they go, praise 'em and give 'em treats. Take 'em out regularly - half an hour after meals, after any excited play, every two hours otherwise (except at night).

If you catch them sniffing around in the house as if they're about to go, clap your hands loud, yell OUTSIDE and scoop'em up and take 'em out. Praise and give treats when they go.

You should be able to do it in two weeks.

[TahitiNut]

10. No punishment

Puppies that young don't connect punishment with non-contemporaneous behavior. (Never use corporal punishment in any case.) You have to catch them peeing and rush them outdoors. Dogs won't pee or shit where they sleep if they can help it. Puppies that young cannot hold it overnight. Truly successful housebreaking can't happen until they're at least four months old, under the best of conditions. That's why newspaper works. It's convenient to them. They can get to it. Start by spreading newspaper over the entire area they're corralled in. Then reduce it and praise them lightly when they use it ... lightly scolding and quickly moving them when they start going elsewhere. Do it in REAL TIME. Even a minute or two afterward is too late ... even with the ritualistic sticking their nose in it. The 'nose' will only help as they get close to four months old ... and only to reinforce what you see they're understanding.

[Papa]

13. here's a couple of tips....

I trained my dog myself . She knows about 30 commands, hand signals, and does not do the "crotch" thing.

1) Patience

2) NEVER get mad at the dog when you are training it. Always correct it's behavior in a positive way, don't raise your voice when you loose patience. It took me 2 days to train my dog to sit.

3) First thing you should train it to do is sit. Give it hand signals so it can put the two together.

4) Praise the dog, pet him etc when it follows the command. Do not hit the dog ever when you are training it. You don't want the dog to be afraid of you or of being punished during a training. It'll make it alot harder if the dog is terrified and assosciates training with punishment.

5) once you teach it how to sit, the dog should catch on and the following commands or tricks should come easier. The dog WANTS to please you so it gets easier.

6) if you have difficulty house traning it, when it makes mistakes, do not hit the dog, do not rub it's nose in it etc... just yell at it and make it sit in a corner for a few minutes. verbally abusing the dog to show your displeasure is the quickest way to stop him from going in the house. DO not hit the dog, you'll just have a sore hand and might actually hurt your dog.

Hope this helps a bit.

[caligirl]

18. wonderful advice. well said.

[caligirl]

16. Get a book, find a class, use their crates daily, get a cotton

leash and let them wear them around the house everday to get use to them, as long as you are around. Start puppy training classes ASAP. They will respond best with kind firmness and positive feedback. They can start learning sit stays now with rewards every single time they get it right. Liver peices.

We love the book "The other End of the Leash". Its insightful and funny too.

Your puppys are smart and it is really a matter of training you to train them. Hence the puppy classes to teach people how dogs respond and how they recognoize commands. So I say check with local dog clubs, humane society etc for a puppy class.
My relationship with my giant schnauzer was closer and happier from the shared experiences of training. He loves learning and performing. And I love a well trained loving companion dog.

The crates are important, they give a dog security. You can line them with baby blankets or shredded newspaper. Get some advice on housebreaking, you can serioudly screw a dog up mentally if you punissh him for accidents because you didn't let him out to pee. They can spend a couple hours in the crates without any problem. We always crate our dog for car rides, he prefers it now.

[EFerrari]

17. Prevention is all!

Set it up so you get to love and praise, not punish or be upset.

I sprayed, gelled, roped off every single place my then puppy wasn't allowed to relieve herself. So, she naturally went for the one spot that smelled good and was accessible.

I mean it. I SourAppled all the wooden cupboards she could reach while she was teething.

She's been our heart for 13 years and I have taken her everywhere. She's baby safe, cat safe, even chick safe! Once, we were franticly looking for a clutch of chicks that went missing at dusk. My Buddy found one and very gently scooped it up and brought it to me.

So, really scope out baby's environment and set it up so you all can win. Prevent, don't repent!

Congrats,
B.

[Lucille]

19. Crate train

I did this with my dog, who died recently due to cancer. He was a canine good citizen and on his way to becoming a therapy dog. I didn't actually have to "train" him, as dogs instinctively want to keep their crates clean. In the wild, dogs would be endangered by having a den that smelled of their waste. (This doesn't work as well with a dog that has been made to stay in a soiled location, like a crate in pet store, for example.) Of course, crate training means that you have to take your dog out frequently--after every meal, after play time, etc. If your dog starts to pee in the house, take him out, see if he continues peeing. If he does praise him. If you see that he peed or pooped in your house, don't bother with punishments, they just spoil your relationship. Unless of course, you wanted to hit yourself on the head with a rolled up newspaper and scold yourself for not being attentive enough to recognize that your dog needed to be toileted. That might help you remember better next time and also will amuse all who witness your strange but funny ritual. And yes, as soon as you can, teach him a cue for asking to go out. You might hang a bell by the door and teach him to ring it. I trained my dog to do this. It's really easy using positive reinforcement. Oh yeah: Always use the same door, always take him to the same potty place, at least at first.

I highly recommend Karen Pryor's method of clicker training (not really her method, but she popularized it.) Go to www.clickertraining.com to learn more.

Congratulations and good luck!

[caligirl]

22. So sorry your dog died, we also lost one last Sept. eom

[Lucille]

25. Thanks

It's tough, as you know--and I'm sorry about your loss as well.

Our new pup arrives this fri. I can hardly wait. But I'll never forget Cooper.

[driver8]

30. It sucks that our pooches can't live with us forever...

It is so hard when they pass away. I've lost four dogs in my life and it never gets easier. They add so much to our lives, though...I cannot imagine ever not having a dog.

Off topic...my wife tells me that I could be "the dog whisperer" as she has never seen a dog that did not take to me right away. What can I say? I love dogs so much and I think they can sense that.

[elehhhhna]

21. Best tip for weird tricks:

WHENEVER they do anything that you want them to do on command, give them the command and praise them. Our elkhound would wink, spin, corral the cat, and often pee on command. Why? Because we told him to do it while he did it anyway! Dogs are sorta simple. Use it to your advantage.

[TahitiNut]

26. This is gospel. It works like a charm

I had my Labrador 'trained' to do all sorts of stuff this way. My favorite (and maybe his) was "crazy dog!" He'd run around in circles and around and under furniture with his tail down and a wild-eyed look. As soon as I said "OK" (his release command), he'd come over to me with his tail wagging as calm and happy as could be.

[Redstone]

23. I'm REALLY not joking with this...guaranteed to help

What you do with the puppies is to roll them onto their backs (One at a time, of course) and grab a piece of the skin on their throat between your teeth and give them a little nip.

Not enough to hurt, just enough so that it gets their attention.

Do this once a day for about five days, and you will be God to those pups.

This works (I'm really not joking) because a dog's instinct on meeting up with a higher-ranking dog (such as the alpha) is to roll over on its back and allow the higher-ranking dog to nip its throat. By nipping the pup, you become, in its mind, the alpha.

Try it. It's worked for me and for other people who have done it for over thirty years on all kinds of puppies. No idea if it would work on an older dog.

Redstone

[jswordy]

24. NEVER BEAT YER PUPPY WITH AN ANVIL!

Unless you plan on puppyburgers later.

Just -- tryin' -- to -- help!

[welshTerrier2]

28. here's a few ...

1. get them to the vet ASAP for checkups ...
2. never, never, never leave their collars on in the crate ...
3. we unplug electrical cords when our pup is alone
4. puppy kindergarten is great at 3 months and then again at around 9 months ...
5. the "special" word ... this was the best training tip we ever got ... we taught our pup a special word to call her to come to us in emergencies ... pups get so used to hearing you say "come" that they often ignore it ... but when we call our special word, she comes flying from wherever she is ... the trick to making this work is that she is always rewarded with a "super treat" (like a big hunk of cheese) and never, ever gets yelled at for disappearing ... fwiw, we use "ici" which is French for "here" ...

other tips: both onions and chocolate can be fatal ... stick with dog food and don't share people food ... if you decide to change dog food brands, do so very slowly ... mix a little of the new stuff in with mostly old stuff ... change the proportions over a week to 10 days ... start training right away (sit, stay, come) ... if the pups each have their own crate, make the crate smaller (add a cardboard box) so that there is just enough room to sleep in ... this helps with housebreaking because they don't like to go where they sleep ... take them outside as soon as you take them out of the crate ... never hit your dogs ... if they have accidents in the house, use something (we use a product called Simple Solution) that completely gets out the smell ... otherwise, that becomes their "special place" ... stay away from rawhide chew toys ... rawhide is dangerous for dogs ... try nylabones ... make a list of a thousand questions to ask the vet ... we have coyotes in the woods behind our house ... small dogs should never be left unattended if they could be attacked by wild animals ... our pup especially loves high-quality stuffed animals that squeak ...

that's it for the top of the head stuff ... congratulations on the new pups !!! if you learn all you can from your dogs you'll grow very, very wise ...

[caligirl]

29. I wanted to add foods you should never give a dog: grapes,

macadamia nuts, raisins Salmon type fish.