little advice please

long shank · #1 02-25-2007, 07:24 PM

Hello eveyone,

we are yet to pick our new puppie,
I would love to know some basic training methods, on all areas,
and what i should stamp out as soon as we get him home, as hard as it is when you first get them home, as they are very cute.
i know you should stop bad habbits straight away.

Anyones own experinces and tips and hints, would be great as we want the best for our new family member.

StellaBee · #2 02-25-2007, 07:39 PM

I think the most important thing is to decide whether you are going to crate train your puppy or not. If you need advice on how to do that, you can do a search - a lot of people have posted about it. You must be excited to get your puppy!

**Jan** · #3 02-25-2007, 09:10 PM

The best advice that I can give is to never let them do anything that you don't want them doing as an adult. It is more difficult than you would think. They are just so cute when they are puppies, it is hard to say no.

tianthai · #4 02-26-2007, 02:04 AM

Enforce positive training www.clickersolutions.com. Crate train your puppy, that helps quite a lot in potty training and keep you dog safe (and your house). There are a few commands that dogs should know such as HEEL, COME, STAY (I found these three are very helpful in many situations), SIT, DOWN.
Good luck and congratulations on your new pup!

Maxwell's Ma · #5 02-26-2007, 04:43 AM

I think the best thing that helped me was NILIF (Nothing in life is free). My babies have to do something to get something. Sit and wait before eating, going for a walk, meeting someone, greeting at the door. You get the pic.

Max knew how to sit very young. Riley learned from me and Max. Both of mine never get up on the furniture or us until invited. If you start young they will have this as their guide. They want to please you.

As far as the crate--couldn't have done it without. It really helped to potty train them. Make it small enough just for them to go in and turn around. Mine would not potty in their crate. Of course, when they were small I would set my alarm for every 2 hours.

Reward the behavior you want. This is the only way they know.

nswain · #6 02-26-2007, 08:16 AM

Agree about the NILIF. Grumpy learned sit her second day home with us and we made her sit for food, going outside, before we gave her a toy, etc. Really helped her to learn that we were in charge, not her.
Crate training helped us too, not so much for potty (Grumpy seemed to arrive home already housebroken) but just for my own peace of mind - I know she has a safe, comfy place to be when she is home alone. She loves her crate and goes in on her own when she is scared or sleepy.
Good luck with the new puppy - you'll have to post some pics when you find one!