We are looking at getting a puppy and have decided the breed and everything we want. We have decided that we are going to put the puppy through obedient classes. We are just not sure about what we need to do to do this... We want to put the puppy through the obedience classes and have heard they have potty training classes as well out there and I was just hoping someone out here would be able to give me some ideas what we need to do... We want a well behaved dog that our girls will grow up happy with and love just like a sibbling. We know everything we want but not sure where or how we are going to go about it, so before I go and pay for this puppy I want to get everything in order. Thanks for any and all advice :)
UPDATE: I have raised puppies before, but I want to do everything right. I do understand the classes are to train both the owner and the pup, but like I said want to make sure I do everything right. We are getting a Husky if that is any help to anyone. We know they are big and need lots of attention, but it is what we want :) I have done lots of research on the dogs and know what I am in for and I am OK with it.
Also if anyone has any recomendations on where to get a great dog please let me know! :)
I actually took Bobbi's advice. I was looking at a shelter dog but was worried about them not growing up around my kids as I heard they have to be raised around kids. We found some really great year old pups in foster homes and they have been fully trained around kids and potty and all types of stuff. I am happy we found a few that we could give a home to. The dog will be a house dog as we live in an apt and go to the park a lot :) Thanks for everyones Advice... We are trying to get everything in order for our new family member :)
You don't need to buy a puppy. You can get a dog already trained who needs a loving home.
http://adopt-a-husky.adoptapet.com/
Would you consider a shelter dog instead? There are so many abandoned animals in shelters, including adorable puppies. Rescuing one would be a great lesson in compassion for your girls. Just an idea.
We crate trained our dog. Start right away with a large crate that will hold the dog when he is full grown. They have dividers that you can use to make his space small at first when he is a pup. Then you can keep moving the divider back until he needs the entire space. It is the best way to keep to potty train the dog.
I agree with the post about teaching your dog where to poop. With kids, you do not want them not enjoying your backyard because of all the "surprises."
Consistency is the key. It takes a lot of time to train but so worth it. Make sure you take the dog on a walk a day, 2 walks if you don't have a large yard for him to roam. That size of dog needs a lot of exercise. Also, huskies are pack dogs and need interaction with another dog or even a cat. Take him to a dog park regularly if you can. If they don't get that interaction, they will get bored and start getting into mischief. Most often, when dogs do something we don't like, it's the owner's fault. Good thing to remember.
Are you near Dallas? http://www.adoptahusky.org/Available_Dogs/available_dogs.php They can help you find the exact dog for your situation. Also, you can google "husky rescue" to find more people to assist you.
Petsmart used to have training classes for a reasonable price. Its an owner/dog type of training and not just a you take your dog and drop it off to be trained. I recommend it, but remember the class is only as good as the time you put into your training at home. Good Luck.
Check at your vets office. We took a class offered through our vets, it was a puppy socialization class. It gave us crate training lessons and "good behavior techniques". Our dog was potty trained very quickly. It also taught the basic commands and the different dog behaviors (submissive, dominant, etc). It should be a class that your whole family can take part of (if your daughters are old enough). They usually recommend the weakest (the person the dog will listen to least) to do most of the techniques, so the dog learns to obey that person. They also made suggestions of things to do at home to prevent bad behavior. We didn't have any children when we got our dog, but they had us put our hands in her food while she ate so she would learn not to be protective of her food. These kind of things made her adjust very easy when our son came along.
We took our puppy to My Dog & Me (www.thinklikeadog.com) in Houston, but if you are in another area then do a google search on dog training. Be sure to read the reviews and ask for references of people who have taken their classes. I did not find the PetSmart or Petco classes to be very good since they take place in the store and in a small area - so there wasn't as much "practice room". The place we did our classes had a HUGE indoor training room with lots of space to really practice what we were learning. Be sure that the whole family attends the classes and practices as well so that the dog will understand that it needs to obey EVERYONE in the family!
And like someone else said - much like with children - make sure that the whole family is on the same page as for what is and is not allowed, otherwise the puppy will obey some family members and not others!
Crate training is the way to go - goes pretty quick, safe and secure for the dog, and another good way for everyone to get involved!
Good luck with the new little one!
blessings,
Stacy
Wowwie, We just got a puppies and oh boy what a lot of work. I'm was never as enthused as my hubby, and of course i am doing all the work, so maybe things will go smoother for you than with us.
First i would suggest, finding a vet before you do anything else, see if they will meet with you or if the front desk girls can answer questions. the classes offered by our vet were cheaper and smaller in size than the PetSmart classes. Hubby opted not to do the classes, so i can't say how they would have differed, but i would suggest checking with a vet first.
We were able to find lots of books from the library that my kids enjoyed before we brought the puppy home. But the best thing was a whole rack of how to train your puppy Video's that my library lends out for free. I found that to be much more helpful. again i would suggest watching this with your kids before you get the dog.
We have a Golden Retriever and i am amazed at how smart he is an how quickly he learns when i have the time to work with him. We've had a few in house accidents but only because i left him alone for 5 mins and wasn't watching his "schedule" and he does chew alot and that has been a problem with my kids, they want to pet him but he takes their hands in his mouth (not to bite) but his teeth are sharp and it hurts. I don't have any advice for that other than to tell you, we keep a chew toy and put that in his mouth while they pet him.
I hope you enjoy your pet.
I did research on line about house training before I got my dachshund puppy. I had heard so many horror stories and knew we would not be happy with a dog using it all over our house.
So I got everything they said before hand, the crate just big enough for the dog etc. and was sooooo consistent.
My puppy was six weeks old when I got it and I totally devoted myself to socializing it and kennel training it. I did not let it on carpeted floor at all because I heard once they "mark" a spot in the house they will go back to it, so we got a gate and only kept it on tile and consistently did the kennel training and it took 6 weeks and she just got it. You could almost see the light bulb go off.
She then slept with our kids and was a great member of our family. Our kids are gone now and she sleeps on her bed in our bedroom and we adore her and take her everywhere. BUT you must be consistent and firm with the training at first or you will have a mess that never ends.
My sister in laws' dog is three years old and they had to throw away all of the carpet in their entire house because of their dog. Yuck.
Obedience training class should be a class that trains YOU how to train your dog. Simply dropping a dog off and expecting someone else to teach it will not work. Depending on the breed, it really needs to see YOU as the alpha-dog. I would also get the kids involved in obedience training since the dog will need consistency in commands to know what to do. The training class teaches people the correct way to teach and how to be consistent. Most training classes start when the dog is about age 6 months. You will need to do the house-breaking yourself. A method I have used successfully is to contain the puppy (especially at night) in a smaller room at first (downstairs bathroom or mud room) and leave the area covered in newspapers. Then when the dog goes on the newspaper you show him where you want him to go in the yard and dump the poop there. Eventually you should be able to just have a newspaper area near the back door so he knows to go on the paper by the back door. If the puppy does that consistently for some time, then don't leave newspaper and he will go to the back door and ask to be let out, or if you see him about to go on the paper lead him to the bathroom spot. Also when he is out and poops in the yard, scoop it and put it where you want him to go and praise him lavishly. He will get the idea eventually, but it does take time. It sounds like you have done your homework to make sure you are aware of how much work it will take and what to expect from your breed as a puppy and once it is grown. Enjoy your new puppy!
Hi A.,
Classes will never work, unless a puppy begins in a structured home setting (much like our kids - lol).
Our dogs have been a blessing to our family, and good behavior, you are right, is the key.
We used, "The Art of Raising a Puppy." It is a quick read, and takes you through all the steps of giving your puppy a structured and joyful home to come to, including potty training.
Just a suggestion ;)
t
My biggest advice to you is to crate train. This is the simplest form of potty training with a very fast and high success rate. I have crate trained five dogs the youngest being two. I cannot remember the last time I had an accident.
The basic theory behind th is is that the crate is the dog's den. They feel secure in it and they will hold their business as long as they can because they do NOT want to make a mess in their den. You do have to make sure that the crate is not too big, because if they have too large a roaming area they will go in one place and just stay away from it.
When our dogs were puppies they slept in their crates. Also I would crate whenever I would leave. As soon as you return home - outside you go. When they do their business - praise praise praise. You should have regular words. We just used potty. "Go potty." "Good potty". An accident in the house was "bad potty" and then immediately the dog was taken outside and set in our potty spot and told "good potty". Quickly the dogs learned to go to the door and stand when they had to go. Our yorkie paws the door. My sister-in-law who has two levels taught her dogs to ring a bell on a string by the door. :)
There are many easy to follow dog training books out there. I would go to an actual bookstore instead of online so you can browse through them. The ones I bought online I eneded up being disappointed in. Also Petsmart (hope they have one in Texas) has an excellent program that is inexpensive.
Good luck.
C.
Go to PetSmart and get a brochure or ask some questions. They have all of these classes on a regular basis. I will let you know though that you generally have to attend the classes WITH your dog so both of you can be "trained". You have to be trained in what commands to give and how to read their body language and the dog has to be trained in obeying the signals you give. I do think it would be worth it though.
If you don't have a PetSmart nearby, then ask your veterinarian. They will probably have recommendations and referrals for you.
Please consider getting your puppy from a shelter, they have a lot of great dogs just waiting for their perfect home. There are too many animals in this world to keep supporting breeders. Sorry I don't have any advice on obedience classes, just wanted to maybe open your eyes to the thought of a shelter pet.
I would suggest you crate train your puppy to start with.....depending on what you are getting....you can buy books for potty training, but mostly it's about taking them out a lot to start, and seeing if there is a pattern for their going potty, and then work a lot down slowly to less time. Most dogs do not go in their crate......which is a small black cage for them usually at night. DO NOT use it as punishment. This is their little puppy cave (like man cave) to feel safe.
There are many places that offer classes, vets, PetSmart, etc... I went and talked to the trainers before I made a decision. I went to puppy kindergarten, and yes, they train YOU, not the dog..........Dogs run in packs, and you need to be the alpha dog as explained in the bottom reply.
Most dogs catch on fairly fast, some faster than others, but it mostly depends on you and how much your work with the puppy.
They will teach you to use only certain words, like Leave IT......not NO, or Stop.....these mean lots of different things.........Leave it, means just that, leave it, go away.....everyone has their own set of words..
Puppies chew, so make sure you have things for them to chew on continuously. And move toys, shoes, etc, out of harms way......there's child proofing and then there is puppy proofing.......
Oh, and turkey hot dogs, in little bits, make great training treats! Just an FYI
I'm sure you will have much joy and love from your new furry little friend. Take care and good luck.
If you are looking for a good board and train program, Capital City Dog Training in Austin is really good. The owner has three huskey's of her own, so she is very familiar with the breed.
In terms of potty training, crate training is the only way to go.
