House Training your Puppy or Dog

Thursday, September 6, 2007

One of the best things about having a pet is the companionship they offer. Many of the idealized dreams of pet owners have been destroyed by the inability to properly house train a new puppy or dog. This is unfortunate because with very few exceptions, teaching a dog to relieve themselves outside is one of the easier things to do.
Understand that dogs are pack animals and in the wild, they choose to be very social and interact with a group. When you take on dog ownership, you are seen as part of the pack. Canines also prefer to sleep in a very clean, dry and warm place. This means that a dog or puppy will not purposely soil what they see as their home and sleeping area.
The key then is to take this natural preference and use it to develop a positive behavior of asking to go outside to relieve themselves. The absolute best way of getting the behavior you want is to use lots of praise and positive reinforcement.
Yelling, raising your voice, threatening and getting aggravated or physical with your puppy or dog will not nearly be as effective as positive reinforcement and consistency on your part. A dog simply has a difficult time associating an action with a consequence. It's their desire however to make you happy so anything like going outside to the bathroom should be seen as something that makes you happy. This means lots of praise will get your puppy housebroken a lot faster than getting upset.
It also means that if your dog has an accident inside your home and you do not see it while it's happening, you should not scold or say anything negative to your pup. And even better approach when you have to clean up a pile of poo is to ignore the dog completely. You don't want to show your displeasure because your puppy will not have the ability to associate your unhappiness with the bathroom accident. The reason for this is that you don't want to interact with the animal after finding something that you don't like.
You should also face the fact that your puppy or dog will have an occasional accident during the training. It's just a fact that there will be times when your puppy will not be able to control their bowels or bladder. If you catch them in the act of relieving themselves in your home however, simply pick them up and say firmly "NO" and take them directly outside to let them finish going to the bathroom.
Stay there with them and pay careful attention to make certain that they go. While outside, if they do indeed go potty, it's very important that you focus on that positive and offer them lots of praise and physical contact heading for doing a good job. This helps connect bathroom business with outside and pleasing you.
It's only through patience and understanding that you can successfully potty train your dog. Although it doesn't take a lot of time, it's important that you stay consistent with your training and realize that accidents will unfortunately happen.

Abigail Franks and her family love dogs of all sizes. Find out how to be successful with puppy potty training and crate training for your dog.

The Basics Of Crate Training Your Dog
I thought it's time we had a quick chat about CRATE TRAINING.
Have you heard much about it?
Crate training is a valuable training tool that is beneficial for training young puppies and adult dogs alike. No matter what age your dog is, you will come to find that a crate can be used for many purposes.
A crate acts like a private "den" for your dog, a safe and secure place that he can go to anytime of the day. For you, the dog owner, the crate is a safe and secure place for you to keep him when you are away from home.
A crate is a safe place to keep your dog when you need to leave the house. If you do not place him in a crate, your dog will not know what to do or how to act.
Therefore, he will become anxious and nervous and will take this nervous energy out on your rugs, plants, furniture, etc. He will do all of those bad habits that a dog does when he is scared or bored: dig, bark, chew, destroy, attempt to escape, pace back and forth, etc.
Your dog's response to the crate will all depend on how you introduce him to it.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS TO CRATE TRAINING
You"ve already learned that crate training is a safe place for your dog.
Other benefits include:
• A crate can help prevent behaviors such as digging and chewing, because it will serve as a "time out" spot.
• A crate provides as a safe sleeping environment for your dog so he stays put in one place at night.
• A crate can be used when you can"t watch a puppy for a certain amount of time.
• A crate is helpful in your dog"s house training, which you will learn about in the next chapter.
• A crate helps your dog adjust to a regular schedule for sleeping, going outside, etc.
• A crate is transportable so it can be moved from room to room, so your dog can always be with the rest of the family no matter where they are.
• A crate can be easily transported in a car or airplane.
In order for a crate to be beneficial in any of these ways, you need to help your dog adjust to it.
Your dog's first experience with a crate should be positive. Once you bring him home, you will introduce him to his crate.
Have some treats and toys waiting inside, with the door closed. Walk him to his crate and he will see the goodies inside. Once he is pawing at the crate, open it up and say "yes, good boy" and let him walk inside.
Don't close the crate door yet, just praise him for walking inside. When he exits the crate, don't praise him. You don't want him to think that being outside of the crate is better than being inside the crate.
Never force your dog inside the crate. He will interpret that as a form of punishment. So if you need to, toss in more treats.
Repeat the exercise a few times, each time increasing the amount of time that your dog is inside the crate. Continue to praise him. Then, start shutting the door behind him.
He may whine or bark and try to get out. If he does this, wait until he stops, then open the door to let him out. If you let him out while he is still whining or barking, he will think that you are rewarding his bad behavior. Let him in again, but this time for a shorter amount of time.
Once your dog is comfortable walking in and out of the crate, start adding the word "crate." Then, practice the command from farther distances and keep him in for longer periods of time.
For the first few days of crate training, you should increase time by short increments, but never over 30 minutes. The only time that he should be in the crate longer is when it is time for him to go to sleep.
OK, so we have touched on the idea of "crate training" and there is still so much you should really know to best maximize you use of a crate.
For a complete crate training coarse, visit us at SitStayFetch. For large dog breed information, large dog training tips, galleries, and much more, come by and visit us at largedogbreedz.com.

How to Get Organized for a New Year of Horse Shows
Copyright (c) 2007 Kathy Keeley
Mom's Perspective:
By the time December rolls around each year, we all get slightly crabby during those first two shows of the month. We really need this time to regroup and maybe even celebrate the holidays! So, traditionally we've taken off from mid-December to mid-February. The horse, the trainer, and the rider all need a break from a tough show schedule.
This break is also a great time to regroup and reorganize. We take a complete break for two weeks with almost no riding or jumping. Our horses get to go out to the pasture, roll, get dirty, and just be horses. We sleep late (no 4:30 mornings!), my daughter catches up on her homework, and we just take rest and relax and go to movies or to the mall, or my daughter spends time with her boyfriend. Eventually, we even start to feel like normal people with a normal life!
Then, reality sets in when the trainer starts talking about the winter circuit being only six weeks away and we go into training mode. We are riding daily, six days a week and two lessons a week, and begin planning for our trips.
We do not clip our horses during this time. Between the extra stall lights that are on for five hours a night and blankets we have to use, the horses do not get fuzzy. Because we live in the southeast and experience varying temperatures during the winter months, that means using winter blankets one day and sheets the next. My job is to keep the show blankets separate from the barn blankets as the teenagers whiz through.
In late January, we start organizing lists and beginning to plan what has to be done for the upcoming season. We start sorting, cleaning, and reorganizing our show items. Since I am working with a teenager, my first step is to engage her in a discussion of what we need to do to prepare for a show. At this point, we can develop joint lists and distribute the work. When she was younger, I did more of the organizing and would give her tasks. Each year, however, she has taken on more responsibility.
The Daughter's View:
Getting ready for a show can be more stressful and time-consuming than the show itself. I usually spend a week doing nothing but talking to my teachers and getting all my horse stuff in order. When I'm speaking to my teachers, I begin telling them about the shows and how many/ which days I'll be missing class. Because of my extended absences, I usually have to take quizzes and tests ahead of schedule and have to turn in projects/research before I leave, which always really sucks! But I still get to rub it in my friend's faces that I get to miss so much school.
Getting the horse stuff ready is especially crazy. I usually have the entire front of my barn floor filled with stuff while I'm trying to get my tack trunk and other stuff organized. I have to decide which coolers to bring, what needs to be washed, which pads to bring, and pack all the grooming supplies.
The next step is getting the horses ready, which means I am extra hairy at the end of this process. I clip their ears, noises/throats, legs, bridle paths and pull manes. I think this task is the easiest and fastest thing I do to get ready for the show. Last, but not least, I have to pack myself. Some of my most important items include the tall boots, the tall boots socks, jeans, sports bras, to name a few.
No matter how much I double-check and go over in my head of what I have packed, I always forget something. On one of my trips I forgot all my show clothes! Yup, I couldn't believe it. But thankfully my mom (the best mom in the world!) brought them down with her! Another time, I forgot my saddle!! We discovered that fact when we were seven hours away from home. It meant a call to Dad and delivering the saddle to a friend who was coming down a day later. Dad was not too happy! The whole process of getting to me was crazy and involved lots of extra driving -- it wasn't a good time.
Our Shared Perspective:
We both share in these duties:
-- Put steel shoes on the horses to give their feet a break. Our farrier is thrilled when we put on steel for the two months off.
-- Clean out the tack trunk -- take everything out and vacuum out all the hay and dust. This is a daughter project with my mom inspecting.
-- Check all the tack cleaning supplies and make sure we have sponges, soaps and oils.
-- Check the show clothes -- determine what fits and does not as well as what needs cleaning, mending, or selling at the used tack store. (My daughter does this from the angle of starting her list of what to buy at her favorite stores at the shows.)
-- Check the reins, martingale, bridle and other tack for any tears, weak spots or repairs needed. Check the girth and clean it well.
-- Get the boots professionally cleaned and make sure there is a supply of good black shoe polish in the trunk.
-- Wash all the show collars. We keep ours in a plastic box in the trunk. Twice a year I wash all of them.
-- Toss the hair nets and replace them with four new ones.
--Wash all the show pads and check them for wear, and cross your fingers that a whole new style will not be in style in the upcoming year.
-- Wash all of the polo wraps, shipping bandages, and leg boots. Clean the leather ones.
-- Order feed, supplements, and any other supplies needed for the immediate show.
-- Get a tune up on the golf cart and make sure that it is in working order. Check the trailer that hauls the cart to make sure the brakes and lights are working.
-- If you drive your own truck and trailer, now is the time to have a tune up. Check out the tires and brakes on both and get a tune up for the truck. Wash and wax both. We strip out the inside, hose it down and scrub the sides with a brush. We usually have something broken and take a trip to our repair place. Last year we had a window broken by our new horse.
One week before the show:
-- Wash all the blankets, coolers, rain sheets, quarter sheets, and stable sheets. (Ever ask yourself how one animal can have so many coats???)
-- Take the wool coolers to the dry cleaners -- and write yourself a note to pick them up.
-- Check to make sure there are still spurs and functioning leathers, a riding crop, and a clean show helmet in the tack trunk. (How many spurs can you lose in one year?!)
-- Wash out all of the water buckets with a mild bleach solution. We use three per stall at a show and they get grimy by the end of the year.
In order to be as prepared as you can for show season, start assembling your lists of what you are going to take well before the season. Don't forget to include a trailer list and a horse/rider list. Oh - and don't forget the horses, the feed and comfortable chairs!

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Veteran show mom Kathy Keeley is founder of ShowMom.com, the first online community created especially for horseshow mothers and daughters who want to learn how to successfully navigate the horseshow circuit and maintain a great mother-daughter relationship. Sign up for our free email newsletter, The Savvy Show Mom, at ShowMom.com .