DescentBB

Sunday I brought home a 7 week old Miniature Dachshund. His name is Waffles (our family has a thing with naming pets after food, just continuing the tradition heh)

I've read various resources about house breaking puppies and the prevalent method is crate training. Keep the dog in the crate for 30 mins or so and at which time take them outdoors immediately to use the bathroom, if they do not they return to the crate for 30 more mins then go back out until they finally go.

I was curious how other dog owners have successfully trained their dogs.

Thanks!

First off, expect accidents to happen. Dogs don't have much control until they are 6-7 months old. I'm not so sure about crating during the day unless you are going out some place. I always just kept a eye on them and when they started shiffing around or heading towards the door I made sure to let them out. At night though crating is a good idea. After awhile the dog will view the crate as their own private safe area. A rottweiler I had would use the crate as her sleeping place. After the dog is house broken, just leave the door to the crate open at night and you'll find a dog will go there to sleep (I put the crate by the side of my bed).
Give them a lot of love especially when they do something right.

When you are away from extended periods of time, put him in the crate or a small emclosed area. I trained my dog using a "pee pee pad" and it worked wonders. If he has an accident, don't scold him for it but just pick him up when you see him do it and put him on the pad. The more often you do this the sooner he realizes this is where you want him to go. If you give him sh*t for pooing on carpet etc, he will still do it but eat it to hide the evidence.

The reason you lock him in a small place is so he doesn't get bored nd starts to chew things. Also, get about 6 toys and change them weekly so he doesn't get bored with it.

On the feeding, feed him when ti's convienent for you. Then within 30 min of him eating, take him for a walk till he goes poo/pee.

Good luck

A link has to be made (to him) between what he did and your reaction to it.

Dogs are so damned eager to please you (The MASTER) that they'll do anything to make you happy.

Show him the mess and then show your displeasure to his action. Show him that if he wants to do this (the mess) that he needs to go outside.

Show him the mess, ( the 'Bad Dog' routine), then take him to the door and outside.

He might even go while you're standing with him outside. At that point you praise him with the 'Good Dog' stuff, etc. etc. ad nauseum...

He'll fig'ur it out soon enough.

Rub their noses in it, and beat them with a rolled up newspaper. It doesn't hurt the dog - but very quickly they get the message: no poop in da house!

Same treatment works wonders on dogs that dig holes.

Remember, positive reinforcement works well, but takes a lot longer and does not work as well as negative reinforcement.

You have to understand the way a dog thinks - and to a dog you are simply "Boss Dog". All humans are "boss dogs" but you want to be THE boss dog.

Oh - a miniature dachshund??? Oh, a rolled up piece of toilet paper then. A full paper might kill the rat, err, I mean canine.

Mobius wrote:Rub their noses in it, and beat them with a rolled up newspaper. It doesn't hurt the dog - but very quickly they get the message: no poop in da house!

Chris, while for the most part I respect your opinions, this has to be the most asinine statement you've come up with. Any reputable dog trainer will tell you to never ever rub the dogs nose in his own excrement as it will induce the dog to eat it. I suggest you read up a little on the subject.

That, and it instills fear.

After that, every time you get mad he's gonna think the worst, ie. gettin his nose rubbed in it!

Don't use the crate. I know its accepted, but its cruel and the dog will cry a lot. A dog needs to form a bond with you and her. We kept our dog in certain parts of the house and when she did her duty, we pointed her nose at it (not in it) tapped her "gently" on the rear, said NO!, then put her outside immediately after the tap.

Dogs are smart. They catch on quick but you have to be patient. In a week she got the message.

Bettina

We did a lot of research on training before buying our dog (pure bred Springer Spaniel).

Crate training was highly recommended from many sources. A crate will eventually feel like a "den" to a dog. Once they grow accustomed to it, they feel secure and safe, allowing them to supress the subtle instinct to be wary of predators. The key is to train them as early as possible. Never, never, never let them out of the crate because they are crying (unless its potty time, see below).

Our pup only cried for one night and was fine after that. The trick: leave the crate wide open and easily accessible to pup. Put toys in it. Allow them to enter and exit the crate at their own leisure. Throw toys in - let them know the crate isn't something to be afraid of. Also, the crate should be just big enough to allow them to turn around and lay down.

Our dog is over two years old now and his crate is in our room. He often sleeps in it all night with the door wide open. He considers it his "den". Sometimes he will take naps in it. We call it his bedroom.

For potty training, many sources we found suggested clapping your hands loudly, close to the ears, and shouting "NO!" while they have been caught in the act. They did not recommend scolding pups if you don't catch them in the act. This method worked wonders for our pup. He would literally *jump* and stop, then we'd pick him up and put him outside where he would finish. We also used the pads.

Also be wary of timing for potty training. The age, size and feeding schedule will determine how often they will need to go. Food can also be a factor. Find a brand that they enjoy and consistently results in solid stool.

Of course, these methods depend greatly on the intelligence and stubborness of the dog. Some dogs won't be scared of a loud clap next to their ears and will just stare at you. Others will never learn to accept a crate as their den.

P.S. STFU Mobius. I have seen people get bitten by apparently "good dogs" using such a method.

Mobius wrote:no poop in da house!

Must need to work on the english a bit eh?

Don't forget to praise him and give him treats when he/she does what you wanted. Also make up a short list of commands - single words of your choice - the shorter the better and use only these commands when addressing him/her. Rewards go really far when they do the right thing along with some praise. The first 6 months of there life you will be convinced he/her is brain damaged or something but it gets alot better after they stop teething (around 5 to 7 months old). At 2 years old or so they settle down alot.

Mobius wrote:Rub their noses in it, and beat them with a rolled up newspaper. It doesn't hurt the dog - but very quickly they get the message: no poop in da house!

Heck, I hate any animal that can exist outside a cage, and I wouldn't even do that. Doing that they wind up fearing you and the newspaper, meaning every time you grab a paper, they run. That makes them a skittish animal and they wind up dying young from the stress.

I've hit animals with large heavy objects, but with good reason. I wanted to keep the animals out of my room so I rigged an old calculus book to fall on them if they sneak in. When I take the book out of the room they keep their distance, all 4 of them. I keep the book just inside the door to my room and the animals stay clear.

Yes, it's cruel to hit an animal with a book bigger than it is, but I have hundreds of dollars worth of crystal and gold statues in my room, most of which are handmade and impossible to replace.

The way to get an animal to stop leaving turds in the house is to stick their nose in it and kick them outside for a while. We have 2 dogs and even a nearly psycotic Keeshound and we havn't had a stray turd in a while. (frikken dog is scared of frogs)

Mobius wrote:Rub their noses in it

Mobius, we have been doing this to YOU for the past several months and it obviously is not working.

Have you tried telling your dog to say hello(you know, the dog waves his paw) after he sits and give him a biscuit.

My dog usually sits and say hello when I give him a biscuit(did I spell it right)

Mobius, you are so full of it that its spewing out every possible outlet. Rubbing their noses in it, and then beating the snot out of 'em with a newspaper only makes them AFRAID of you. Dogs respond more to verbal tones, noise, and body posture than anything else. Its called pack mentality you idiot. I've raised dogs all my life, so unlike you I know wtf I'm talking about.

The best thing you could do JMEaT is to show your dog that you are the "alpha dog". Love on him all you want, but when he misbehaves you gently grab his muzzle. Point his face to what he did wrong (ie: leave a gift) and tell him "NO! Bad Puppy!" a few times. At the most tap his nose a little (don't do it too hard because their noses are very sensitive) and repeat the verbal punishment. Then take him outside and walk him around on the grass. Even if all he does is piddle a little bit outside, when he's finished you pick him up and you praise the stew out of him. Let him see that what he did was a GOOD thing and that he will get a positive response from it. It won't take long at all for him to get the idea. Just also keep in mind that their bladders are small so accidents will happen. Especially if you're gone for a long period of time. Don't forget to play with him often. Get him a few toys (some of those minature tennis balls make great toys! They're about two inches in diameter which makes them large enough for small dogs to pick up, but not so small that they'll be in danger of swallowing them.) DO NOT get a rawhide chewtoy. Those aren't good for their digestive system. ESPECIALLY for smaller breeds of dogs like yours. See if you can get a small beef bone (your local major pet store should have them) instead. Those will last for a LONG time. NEVER under any circumstances give a dog chicken bone (or from any bird for that matter!). Those can break into little slivers and become lodged in their throats.

You also might want to get him a couple rope toys, so you'll have something to play tug of war with. Don't use an old sock unless you're prepared to have him make off with any sock in range of his teeth. Also be prepared to take him outside after a play session.

I also suggest you get a crate. Get one thats large enough for him to move around in, but not one so small that it won't be usable when he's fully grown.

Well what can I tell you? That is how we stopped our german shep/Labrador puppy pooping in da house and digging holes. She was the happiest, most non-scared dog it'd ever be your pleasure to meet. She never ate her shite, never bit anyone, didn't bark without reason, was very obedient (after obedience training a little later in life) and never showed any signs of being any worse off for having been given a few minor scares and a bit of newspaper to the backside.

Sweet baby jebus - you guys have taken politically correctness to a new, and obscene level. Dogs are not people, they can, and do expect to be disciplined. Hell, how do you think top dogs handle the underlings in the wild? You can guarantee the treatment she got from my Dad was infinitely less agressive, painful and injurous than what a pack-leader would have done to get the same effect.

I'm not talking about abusing a dog, or hurting it, or making it into some fear-ravaged monster. This dog was a wonderful animal, and given she was constantly surrounded by small children (me included).

Please try to remember, this happened in 1971.

Not to worry as soon as I see Mobius' name, I just skip over his posts.

Thanks for all the replies folks. It is slow going and he may be a little young still to properly begin learning about house training.

Here is a pic of the little guy:

Jan Fennell - The Dog Listener.

Buy this book. best training book i've ever read. the first section is all about becomming the master and why it's important. It also describes the nature of "the pack" in the wild.
The book has some basic techniques, like sit, heal and stay. No tricks, but it does give VERY good disaplinery skills; sounds harsh some of them, but works very well.

"I'd like to think we're above hitting our loved ones, there is no need to ever lay a finger on your dog"

Cute dog.

Nice dog Jmeat, haveing that little blankie there will gime him a sense of security. i'd suggest enver giving him hell when he's on it. Let him know it's his "safe" zone.

And I thing should be done with Mobi, he's becoming a real pain on here.

CDN_Merlin wrote:And I thing should be done with Mobi, he's becoming a real pain on here.

x2 (i think...)

grammar nazi ... dog abusing nazi ... dog insulting nazi (that's the one that really pisses me off)

What about crying when you leave the room and return? I've read that you shouldn't make over them until they stop crying when you return or it reinforces the fear they feal when you leave?

Wow jmeat, your dog looks almost EXACTLY as mine does, is yours a shorthaired though?

My only advise is to get a cat. They're much easier.

XSabre wrote:Wow jmeat, your dog looks almost EXACTLY as mine does, is yours a shorthaired though?

Yup

JMEaT wrote:What about crying when you leave the room and return? I've read that you shouldn't make over them until they stop crying when you return or it reinforces the fear they feal when you leave?

The crying is normal because they're scared. I don't recommend that you encourage this behavior though, or you're going to have very annoyed neighbors. You don't have to hit him or anything. Just verbally punish him for it. When he quits, reward him with a good hug or something.