HOUSE TRAINING YOUR PUPPY – my experience

Here we are!

The puppy is beautiful and cute... but how difficult is to house train him?

Obviously it depends!
I got my first dog when he was 6 months old, coming from a pound.
We were living in an apartment and he was NEVER soiling in the apartment!
Incredible! 

I don’t know how he learnt himself... but he was brilliant!
I spoke with a friend that got his Labrador from the breeder when he was a tiny pup.

He learnt alone as well to don’t pee in the house!

With Jago… another story!

He needed to pee? Everywhere was good… except for the garden!!!

In the first week I was at home, so I started the “crate training”.

The pup should be in the crate and hourly (or every 30-45 minutes, depends from the age) you should bring him outside, maybe running a bit and hopefully he will pee. When he finishes you should give him the command, a treat and praise him a lot.

It was December when Jago arrived.

So, following the directions, I had him in the crate with toys and every hour we were going outside... he was staring at me like asking: “now what?” And I was just standing there … freezing … for 20 minutes!!!

 2 on 3 times he was not doing his pee... we were going back inside frustrated…. and YEAH! PEE TIME!

J

I went back to work.
I didn't want to lock him in a crate for 4 hours, so I gave him access to the garden and the kitchen.
Obviously coming back from work the kitchen was dirty, so the training was proceeding slower than expected, as I wasn't always there to teach him which was the right place.

DO NOT use aggressive strategies, don’t be angry or upset, and don’t put his face in the pee. He won’t understand, he will lose confidence in you, he will be scared and think he needs to hide his pee and it will make everything worse! If you catch him on the act just say a no and take him outside, hopefully he will finish there...

It is very important the product that you use to clean. It shouldn't contain ammonia or other perfumes that will stimulate him to go toilet there again.
It’s very important to cover the smell or he will use that place as his favorite spot.

I think that for at least 3 or 4 months I had ALWAYS the cleaning instruments ready to clean the floor.

The key to house training is preventing "mistakes" and rewarding the puppy for going in your chosen spot.

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Dog sick in the car

Jago used to be always sick in the car.

Since the first time I brought him home, he started… vomiting :S
It continued for EVERY trip, no matter how long and no matter if he had food or not before.
Obviously I started  to carry around a lot of blankets, napkins, and cleaning products..

I have been asking around on forums and to the vet.

He didn't have any health issue, but he was very stressed obviously and he started hating the car.

Every time that he saw me taking the car keys he was running away, hiding, laying on the floor desperate!!

I spoke with his trainers from the puppy classes and they told me that the first thing to do was to get him used to the car.

The stress plays a big role.

So we started to spend time every day in the car, even just for few minutes.

He never wanted to enter, so I used to carry him, but that’s wrong because he has to “choose” to go in the car.

So again, I tried to make the car an “attractive place”.

I brought toys and treats and we were going for just few meters every day.

They say to begin with the engine off, after few days to start the engine, and after few days to start moving.

I bought a seat belt for dogs and I let him sit outside his crate.
I was trying to keep him busy with Kong and treats.

The dog should associate a car trip with something nice, like a park, beach, fun and not only the vet or stressful situations.

The vet also told me that growing older he could start to feel better, as when puppies they have the internal ear very sensitive.

I can say that at 11 months now he is not sick anymore!!

He doesn't like the car too much, but he is going inside on his own (very slowly and I have to “convince” him a bit) and he sleep very quiet (and a bit sad).

I tried some natural tablets but to be honest never worked.

Anyway I still avoid giving food before going for a car trip.

Do you have any suggestion or experience to share about dogs and car travel?

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Games to play with your dog: FIND IT

FIND IT!

Playing this game with our dog we will help him to "use his nose", it will provide mental stimulation, training commands and will make him happy for the treats and praises he will receive!

1. Ask your dog to sit and stay
2. Show him a treat
3. Move away from him and hide the treat - if it's the first time show him where are you "hiding" the treat
4. Ask him "find it" and praise him!

It is important to start slowly with easy steps or you will just confuse him.
The first times the dog should see where you are hiding the treat.
When he is used to the commands and the game, you can start hiding where he can't see the treat (beside a chair, in a corner and so on).
Make it always more difficult!
Hide the treat in another room, under a cushion or under a cup.

Obviously don't forget to praise him a lot when he can find the treat!
He will have a double satisfaction: the treat and your hugs!

I use to play this game quite a lot with my dog.
Especially when I am tired of fetch :D
Or when I see that he is too excited, this game helps him to calm down.
There is a routine, mental stimulation, self-control and he is busy and engaged in a rewarding activity!

The next step would be to teach our dogs to find other objects, not only treats.
Like the car keys for example :D
Never tried to be honest, what you think about that?

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Games to play with your dog: HIDE AND SEEK

Another way to play and train your dog!
It's a very nice game and it is a great mental exercise!
I've seen that Jago not only needs to release his energies, but also to feel engaged in something more "mental".
And Hide and seek it's also good fun!!

Your dog should already know the command "stay".
1. Show a treat to your dog or his favorite toy
2. Ask him to "stay".
3. Go to another room and hide somewhere.
4. Call your dog and wait until he finds you!
5. When he finally finds you praise him a lot and give him the treat / toy.

My house is not big, so Jago know salready  all my secrete places :)
One of the first times he took a long time to find me, I was hiding in the wardrobe!!
It was so funny to see him looking around, sniffing in the room but not able to understand where I was!

A different variant is "find it", where you will hide some treats or toys..
I will write about it later!

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Dog Walks - St. Catherine's Park

*** UPDATE ***
Now there is an enclosed area in the park!
Finally also dogs with no recall can run free and socialize with their friends!
***************

Another beautiful dog walk where I bring Jago often is St. Catherine's Park.


It is a very nice and big park between Lucan and Leixlip.

In the main entrance there is a public car park with enough spaces and toilette.

The park is 200 acres and has many different areas.
In the southern part there is a "woodland walk" that Jago really loves.
And after running he loves to stop for a swim in the river.
In the northern part there are more open grass areas and sport pitches.
I never had problems leaving Jago running free, obviously taking care if there are kids / dog on leash and cleaning after him!
There is a "dog run", but to be honest is very small and not well maintained.

It's a nice place for running / rollerblading / cycling.
There are also all the fitness outdoor equipment!

St. Catherine's Park Opening times
November, December January 9am –5pm

February, March 9am –6pm

April 9am –7pm

May 9am –8pm

June, July, August, 9am –9pm

September 9am –8pm

October 9am –7pm

I am going there few times a week now. I am bringing my bike and Jago is running after me.
We always meet friendly dogs, it's a good opportunity for exercising and socializing!

I will add more photos of the woodland area soon!


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