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.

Read More...

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?

Read More...

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?

Read More...

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!

Read More...

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!


View Larger Map

Read More...

Agility show

Watching some agility.. from far.. he wanted to jump in and go playing!

 

Read More...

Fun dog show!

Going here today!

Fun dog Show & agility show in aid of Dogs Aid

Read More...

Dog friendly pubs / bar in Dublin

I need your help!
I am trying to find where I can go to drink something with friends, without leaving Jago at home.
 

Obviously I am not talking about going to Pub on Friday night, but maybe an afternoon tea / drink in a quiet place.
I am quite sure that there aren't places that would allow dogs inside.
But I found difficult also to sit at the tables outside!
So I am starting my research!

I've been eating a couple of times in Malahide, sitting at the tables outside without issues.
Same thing in Donabate.
I had instead problems around St. Stephen Green, where even places with tables outside wouldn't allow me to have Jago with me on leash.
Another dog friendly pub is Schoolhouse hotel in Dublin 4. There is an outside area quite big and they didn't complain when I was there with Jago.



Today I have been in Dalkey. In front of the church car park there is a pub/restaurant with tables outside. We could not sit there but they have a patio at the back of the building with tables where dogs are allowed (unfortunately it just stopped raining and it was all wet)

There is an interesting thread here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056882890

I will update this post when I will find more information, if you know any dog friendly place let me know!

Read More...

Games to play with your dog - TUG O'WAR

***Please note that I am NOT a dog trainer, so I am just sharing my experience with my own dogs.. 
I may be doing wrong things and I am open to suggestions :) ***


When I decided to adopt a dog my main concern was: I don't want him to be aggressive!
For this reason until few weeks ago I never played "Tug O'War" with him.
I was sure it was a game that would teach him to be aggressive, to show aggressive behavior.
Then I started reading about the subject and I found out that it's not like I thought.
If we follow some rules and the dog is not already showing aggressive behavior it's ok to play Tug O'War and it's even good!
Again, it will help to create a good relationship with our dog.
We can play everywhere, also indoor.
We will use a lot of energies.
We will teach playing some commands and he will learn when he has to stop and self-control.

You should teach your dog "drop" or "release" to be able to stop the game.
And playing tug o'war it's a funny way to practice the commands!

If for any reason the dog teeth touch your hand, immediately stop playing, yelp to make him understand it's not good and ignore him for few minutes.
It happened to me yesterday and I think Jago understood :)
Your dog might be growling, it's good for him to release his "roughness" playing a game in a safe way.

There are many dog toys that you can use for Tug O'War, try to find one that is long enough to allow a safe game.
While you are playing sometimes ask him to "drop" or "release", you have to control the game.
Don't forget to let him win sometimes, or it will not be fun!!

Read More...

The peach stone experience!

Jago loves eating everything.
He loves fruit as well.
Especially clementines, but also apples and banana.
I don't give him too much fruit, only sometimes.

I had the brilliant idea to give him a peach.
Argh.
Intelligent idea.
He started eating it all happy.
I was looking at him and sure to be able to stop him.... but he then finished swallowing everything.. also the peach stone (pit).
!!!!
Panic!!!

He is a crazy dog, but I am sometimes an anxious owner, so obviously I started googling for "dog ate peach stone".
And obviously I found a lot of threads about dog deaths after eating peach stone and so on.
I spent hours.. while jago was running around all happy!

The day after I called the vet and explained my concerns.
She said to keep an eye on him, as he is not that small the stone could pass without problems.
Two days of constant checking jago and jago ahem poo..
The second day while I was cooking I heard him chewing something.. guess what? It was the peach stone!!
Still entire!!

Jago is perfectly fine, but take care if your dogs are eating fruit, I've been really stressed for two days!!

Read More...

Games to play with your dog - FETCH

***Please note that I am NOT a dog trainer, so I am just sharing my experience with my own dogs.. 

I may be doing wrong things and I am open to suggestions :) ***


We all know that playing with our dog is very important.

It’s important to keep them busy, active, entertained, to avoid boredom and to build a good relationship with the owner.

It’s important to set rules and to use the play time also for training.. but.. don’t forget to HAVE FUN!

Jago is very active.. I would say hyperactive.. he is never tired to play and in the evening he runs around the house looking for some activities to do.

For this reason I am always looking for new ways to keep him entertained.

Games to play alone and to play with me.

His favorite game is obviously fetch!

Everybody thinks that fetch is an easy game, that all the dogs would be able to play naturally and would bring you back the ball or the stick.

It’s wrong!

I’ve never been able to play fetch properly with my first dog.

With Jago.. we are learning!

In the beginning he wanted me to chase him...

When he was a very young puppy he was just retrieving the toy and hiding in his bed.

He didn't let me play.

I was not running to take the toy, because it would reinforce the wrong behavior.

After a while he realized that was boring, if he was just protecting his toy the game would end.

So he started to bring back the toy, but not dropping.

I don’t know how many days and how many treats I've used to teach him to drop the ball.

We are not still perfect, but it’s going better!

Now he is dropping the ball... but always a bit far away from me.

If I am not trowing it again he starts complaining, but luckily not barking.

We play fetch with all sort of dog toys.

His favorite are tennis balls, but if not available any other toy will make the job.

Don’t use sticks or stones because it could be dangerous.

Try to use your dog's favorite toy, make it interesting, using your voice, moving it, playing a quick tug o’war with him, then throw the toy.

He should run and take it hopefully.

Then call him, see if he brings the toy back.

You can use treats, or have a second toy, maybe the same, to use as exchange.

I started with two tennis ball.

If he was coming back to me I was throwing the 2nd one.

After a while he realized my trick and he was just running for a little while to take the ball, but stopping and running back to me waiting that I would throw the 2nd one!

So I tried with treats, but I had to use fantastic treats!
If he was coming back to me with the ball, I was showing the treat.. if not interested made him sniffing the treat.

In this way he would drop the ball ( say “drop it” to teach the command) and we were ready to continue the game!

Now he is really obsessed with fetch and I am happy because he have a lot of fun and he can use his energies!

You will find more information here:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/teaching-your-dog-play-fetch

Do you play fetch with your dog?

Which difficulties do you find?

Do you have any suggestions or ideas to share with us?

Read More...

Dog walks - Malahide beach

One of the first Jago’s walk has been Malahide beach!

He was only a 3 months old puppy and it has been fantastic watching him enjoying and discovering the water!

Since then we are going to Malahide beach often.

Malahide village is 16 km from Dublin, on the North side.

I usually go by car, there is a free public parking with a lot of space.

The town is served also by the DART and some buses going there (42, 32 if I am not wrong).

There is a nice coastal walk from Malahide town to the beach, however you will need to keep the walk on leash because the path is near the road.

During the weekend if the weather is nice there could be many people on the beach, but there is a lot of space so I never had problem leaving Jago running free!

We always meet other dogs, so Jago can socialize and play with them!

He learnt swimming after a while, and now he really run into the water as soon as we arrive there.

He loves as well the sand dunes.

He starts walking, running, sniffing, hiding and discovering things around.

The funny thing is that after his swim he rolls in the sand... like a breaded dog!!

I will post later more information about Malahide and our review about Malahide park and Castle!

Have you been there? Do you have any suggestion / story to tell us?



View Larger Map

Read More...

Don't we all love dogs paws?

Read More...