Our fairly recent experience...
by Kbyrnes (2020-07-02 11:44:42)
Edited on 2020-07-02 11:47:26

In reply to: Suggestions for a new dog owner?  posted by El Kabong


...In March 2017 we adopted a rescue dog, sort of a Manchester terrier mix from Puerto Rico. You might recall my recounting here how she was supposed to have been spayed, had an incision, etc., but turned out to be pregnant and in April 2017 she had 6 puppies. We kept the first one that popped out and the rest went out via Magnificent Mutts of Hillside, IL, which is where we'd gotten the mother.

I started a regular routine of getting them outside to do their business and rewarding them with a treat and effusive praise instantly upon their producing the requisite #1 and/or #2. The treats and praise were reserved exclusively for that activity, and before long they were both trained in that respect. This training requires patience and observation. You can't let the pup out, then take yourself into the kitchen for orange juice, then look out and wonder if they did anything. You have to be an active part of the training. There will be bumps in the road--we had indoor accidents that tapered off over a few months. We have a well-established routine now, and all I need to do at around 9:30 or 10 p.m. is say "Out!" and they leap up and head to the back door, where I put them on their leads (we have no back yard fencing) and they go out. Once they were pretty well trained to pee and poop outside I stopped rewarding them on the spot; instead they get a little treat upon coming back in. Of course, this leads to the dogs wanting to turn the tables and wanting to go out just so they can come back in and get a treat! But I still watch them--no excretion, no treat.

You should expect that for some time this puppy will want to chew things you'd rather they didn't, so puppy-proof what you can. We had just gotten new fabric-covered furniture for our family room and the pup decided to chew on the small draped corner of fabric close to the floor. My wife was able to repair it by taking a hidden piece of the same fabric and grafting it, refolding, etc., so you don't see any damage, but my point is that when you have an animal living in your house with you, things are not going to be pristine. The chewing impulse eventually went pretty much away--we got her other things to safely chew on, and she sure loves to run around with a tennis ball in her mouth.

Good luck!

EDIT: We did keep the puppy in a crate for the first several months. Once she was fully trained to not go inside we let her sleep wherever she wanted, except in our bedroom--my wife wouldn't mind but I don't care for it.


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