I've always had cats. I was finally convinced, after over a year of prodding and begging by my kids, to get a dog.

We now have a 2.5 month old puppy. Beagle/Lab mix, with maybe some Weiner Dog mixed in.

We got a good dvd about general training, but I'm wondering what your recommendations would be for the best website(s) to help us further with
1. crate training
2. commands training
3. potty training

Thanks!

Two general principles will help you through this more than anything.

1. Consistency is the only way canines learn. Everybody must mean the same thing and say the same thing. "Come" does not mean "C'mere" does not mean "Here boy!"

2. Patience Patience Patience Patience Patience.

More on specifics later.

Crate training:

Start now. Let puppy have his bed and some toys in the crate from day one. We put it by the back door for ease in housebreaking. When pup comes out of the crate, it goes outside to potty, every time.

Some pups, if they start late, will fuss about being in the crate. They don't come out until they quiet down.

The best website is AMHD Rick. The animals experts on this site really know their stuff. :)

You've picked an interesting mix. I own a beagle and a lab, so I'm familiar with both breeds. Dachshunds have been owned by family members and personality wise they are very similar to beagles, although not exact.

Your puppy is at a good age to start basic obedience, sit, stay, heel, and luckily the three breeds making up his DNA are all very intelligent breeds, although stubborn at times, especially the beagle part. ;)

A little bit about crate training. Like Cats said, patience, patience, patience. Remember that this is a scary time for you pup, he's used to being around his parents, his litter mates, and being alone in an unfamiliar place can be stressful. The general rule for crating, other than at night, is 1 hour for each month of age. So, during the day, when you're out, your puppy should not be crated for more than 2 1/2 hours.

The crate should represent his safe place, a place that he sleeps, a place that he can go to get away from it all. Never ever punish you puppy by putting him in the crate, that will make him view it as a negative place.

Make sure the crate is big enough, but not too big. He should be able to stand up, turn around, and lie down. A big crate is not a good idea, sadly at this age he's still growing, so you may have to upgrade your crate as he gets bigger.

We always found that having the crate in our bedroom for the first while, helped puppy to settle down. He could hear our voices, our breathing, hubby's snoring, and that calmed him. Putting a clock (one that ticks) wrapped in a towel can work too. The tick tock sounds like a heartbeat, and that's what he's used to hearing. You can also buy dog toys that heat up and have a beating device inside that sounds like a heartbeat. I've never tried one, but friends have and they say it made things easier.

Make sure puppy gets plenty of opportunities to go potty. At this age he will have to go more often than an adult dog. Tons of praise, never be negative. It's normal for a puppy to have accidents. He has to learn what you expect of him, what is acceptable. Repetition, praise, treats, lots and lots of positive reinforcement. This may take a while, especially because he's still fairly young and cannot hold it like an older puppy can. Usually they gain more bladder control at around 4 months of age.

As for commands, repetition and consistency. Choose the command word that you wish to represent the his training (sit, stay, rollover, speak, potty) and never ever change that word. Everyone has to be on the same page. He will learn to associate the word with the action you wish him to do. Treats work really well with scent hounds, and beagles and dachshunds are both scent hounds.

Last but not least, we demand pictures. Yes, demand. ;)

Last but not least, we demand pictures. Yes, demand. ;)

And we insist you post from ff style so you can teach us how.

OOooOO congrats on the new addition! Some helpful hints I have for when it comes to crating, is to make it a safe happy place, feed him in the crate, he gets his toys in the crate, treats are given in the crate. Never use it for punishment. Will you be crating while you are away during the day? (A great idea as it's the safest place for puppy while no one is home to keep a watchful eye) Will you be crating at night while you are sleeping?

The one fool proof key to house breaking is consistency. As soon as puppy eats or drinks he goes out side. And it helps if you wait out there with him until he does his business, and when he does it's time to praise, praise, praise! Even offer a small treat at first.

Don't use puppy pads or paper train, that only confuses puppy. He will have accidents, but unless you catch him red pawed in the act, there is no sense in "bad dogging" him.

The 3 basic commands to start with now are sit, stay and come. The rest will come shortly after.

Does he know any of these commands right now? Stay will be the most tedious, and the hardest for him to learn, but the earlier you start the higher your success rate will be.

How old is your pup now? Have you considered puppy socialization classes or obedience once he is up to date with vaccines?

Sorry for all the questions, but no sense in feeding you useless information! :)

Oh and I am with Alty, we want PICTURES! :D

And we insist you post from ff style so you can teach us how.

As if! :eek:

Every time someone asks how to post a picture I actually have to do it so I can give them the step by step instructions. Reminds me of Starby, no matter how hard I tried, she never could do it. I once spent an hour on the phone with her, walked her through it, and she still couldn't get it. After that, whenever she wanted a picture posted, she'd email me with the picture, her password, and beg me to do it. :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure Rick can figure it out. ;)

Congratulations on the new family member. :)

Yes, lots of pictures. We know you know how to post them so no excuses. :D

Be prepared for everything to end up in his/her mouth. Kittens are bad-puppies are worse. You have read the stories of remotes, shoes, books, etc. They are not exaggerated.

When the pup gets something you don't want it to have substitute an appropriate toy. If it is a person, a sharp yelp and moving away can tell the pup it crossed a boundary line.

Training is 24/7. Everyone is involved in training and caring for the pup.

Congratulations on the new family member. :)



Be prepared for everything to end up in his/her mouth. Kittens are bad-puppies are worse. You have read the stories of remotes, shoes, books, etc. They are not exaggerated.



Yes, not to mention your unmentionables. ;)

Congrats on the new addition Rick.

I have been making a website for what seems like forever now, I have just never got around to uploading it.
I'll cut and paste some of the information about training I have typed up

Toilet training.

When toilet training a puppy you have two options...
Start training the puppy to go do their business outside from the start, or get them to use puppy training pads.

Puppy training pads are cloth pads with a plastic backing, they encourage your dog to relieve themselves in one area only without damaging your carpet. You can use something like newspaper but unless you have it on a hard surface it will soak through.

If you have bought your puppy from a reputable breeder they will already have had some degree of toilet training. Most breeders will use pads or paper on one side of the room as well as having blankets for bedding on the other.
The puppies naturally train themselves to go on the paper and not their bed.

If you unfortunately bought your dog from a pet store it is much harder. These dogs are generally kept on completely newspapered areas with little or no bedding, encouraging them to just urinate wherever they please. It can be remedied, it just takes a little longer, same with a lot of rescue dogs.

You can usually tell when your dog needs to go to the toilet, even puppies. Most pups will 'sniff out' the perfect spot to potty so if you catch your pup sniffing the ground and walking in circles this is the perfect time to rush them to your designated toilet spot!

If you happen to catch your puppy urinating or defacating on the floor and not in the designated area then just tell the puppy "no" in a growly voice and pick them up and move them to where they are allowed to go.

Soe pups will be naturals and catch on very quickly, others can have quite a few accidents before finally learning what is expected of them. Never lose patience with them, they are not doing it to 'spite' you, they just simply don't understand what is expected of them.

When you dog does go in the correct place, whether it be on the paper or outside on the grass the most important thing is to praise praise praise! Make them think that they have just done the best thing in the entire world. Dogs respond a lot better being praised when they have done something right than scolded when they have done something wrong.

The biggest misconception when it comes to toilet training is to rub the dogs nose in its own excrement. DO NOT do this as it has no benefit whatsoever other than to show the dog that you are just being plain mean to it, they do not understand the concept of this sort of punishment.

The best time to take your dog out to urinate is after every nap time. Whether it be a designated nap time in a crate or the pup has just fallen asleep, you need to rush them to their 'spot' as soon as they are awake.

As for defacating, the best time would be around 20-30 minutes after eating, although this does vary a lot depending on the dog.



Separation anxiety.

Does your dog cry when you leave the room? Urinate only when you leave the house?
These are a few signs that your dog may be suffering from Separation Anxiety.

Some dogs do not like being left alone and some will think you are leaving them permanently and not coming back. Here are a few tips to help fix this problem.

When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available. Toys are also a wonderful training tool as it will keep the dog distracted, I use kong toys stuffed with yummy food as a cure for boredom, having special toys or treats that the dog gets only when you go out are also a wonderful idea.

When training my own dogs for separation anxiety I first distract my dogs with their favourite toy and then exit my house through the front door.
I only leave for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then re-enter the house and give them praise for not crying.

Next time I go out I leave for a few more minutes, again only entering the house if the dog is not crying and giving praise.

Increase the amount of time you leave for and always come back before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that you are going to come back and they are not being left alone forever.


Another technique is to not "baby" the dog.
Some dogs become overly attached to their owner and don't even like their owner being out of their line of sight, in this case the training needs to begin before you start going out

Start paying less attention to the dog, when he pushes for attention, don't give it to him
If he wants to be petted, make him wait.
As harsh as it sounds it is the only way to get the dog to start becoming less dependent on you.

After you have trained the dog to be less clingy you can move onto things like leaving the dog in the living room while you have a shower, or leaving him inside while you are out hanging up washing on the clothesline.


Crate Training.

This is very similar to separation anxiety training.
There are a few things to consider before actually starting the training:

Selecting a crate.
A dogs crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up in, turn around easily and be able to lay down comfortably.
Crates come in all shapes and sizes so shop around for one that best suits your dogs size.

I personally prefer to use all wire crates as to the plastic pet pack varieties as even though the plastic crates have ventilation they can become very hot.
When you leave, no matter how long for always have fresh water available, D-shaped water bowls are great for crates, they are shaped like a D and the flat part has clips to secure to the wire and prevent spills.

Toys are also a wonderful training tool as it will keep the dog distracted, I use kong toys stuffed with yummy food as a cure for boredom, having special toys or treats that the dog gets only when you go out are also a wonderful idea, it shows them that the crate is a good thing, not a punishment.

Another good idea for crates is to cover it with a blanket or sheet. You can leave the front open so the dog can see but having a blanket over the sides and back makes the dog feel more secure than a wire crate out in the open.
Another reason I prefer wire crates, you can adjust the covering to suit the weather.

When crate training my dogs I first coax them into the crate with a yummy treat, I let them eat the treat in the crate and play with a toy in there. Once they are comfortable with being in the crate I give them another treat then lock the crate and then go sit away from the crate and ignore the puppy.
I only sit down for a minute or two, just long enough so that the dog does not bark or cry.
I then walk over and let them out of the crate and give them praise for not crying.

Letting them out only if they are not crying is very important. If you let the dog out of the crate while it is crying it will only teach them that crying makes you come back and let them out.

Next time I sit down for a few more minutes, again only letting them out if the dog is not crying.

Increase the amount of time you sit for and always let them out before the dog starts crying (you will learn how long that threshold is pretty quickly)

This teaches the dog that they are not being left in the crate forever.

A lot of people prefer to leave the house while they are crating their dog to start with, this is purely personal preference, I have tried both and had more success with staying near the dog.

The only attention the dog shoulg get should be an angry "no" from you when it cries to show it that crying is naughty.
Just remember, however loud and hard your puppy is screaming do not let it out of the crate. It will calm down and then it can come out.


Sit.

Some dogs will learn ot sit almost immediately, others take a little more encouragement.
Take a small piece of your dogs favourite treat or use a toy.
Hold the treat above the dogs head and move it over them while saying the command "sit"
This will make the dog look up and backwards at the treat and many will naturally sit down.
As soon as they sit down give them the treat and lots of praise.

For dogs that will not sit just by doing this you can place your hand on their back just in front of their tail and gently push down while holding the food over their head.


Drop.

First teach your dog the 'sit' command.
Once they are in the sitting position, slowly lower the treat down to the ground just in front of the dog while saying the command "drop".
Most dogs will lower their head and the front legs will follow.

For dogs that do not drop straight away try moving the food away from their nose on the floor so they have to stretch after it.


Stay.

First teach your dog the 'sit' command.
Tell your dog to sit while standing right in front of them.
Hold out your hand in a 'stop motion' and take one step backward while saying the command "stay"
Hold this for 5 seconds and then give the dog a treat and praise.

Next repeat the first step but then take 2 steps backwards.
Hold for 5 seconds and then praise.

Eventually you should be able to work up to moving far away from the dog before giving them their treat and praise.

If your dog breaks the "stay" then go back and start again.



Come.

First teach your dog the 'stay' command.
Attach a long leash to your dogs collar (or a lightweight rope if you do not have a long enough leash) then tell them to stay and walk backwards away from them while letting the leash out.

Once you are a good few steps away from them say the commad "come" and gently tug on the lead, telling them that you want them to come towards you.
Once your dog reaches you give a treat and praise.


Shake hands.

First teach your dog the 'sit' command.
Once they are sitting gently take your dogs paw in your hand and lift it up while saying the command "shake"
Let the dogs paw go and praise them, withhold treats until they do it on their own.

With a bit (a lot in my case) of practice some dogs will learn to lift their paw on their own into your hand.

Excellent advice all the way down the line. I'll subscribe to the site, what's the link? I'd have put this in a comment but I'm in v2 right now and must spread the love.

Wow, awesome stuff, thank you! I'll take some pics and share them here.

Ahem. Rick, waiting for pictures. Trying to be patient. Hint, hint.

How's the little pup doing? Everything going okay? Any concerns? Any questions? Any pictures! ;)

We've had him for 2 weeks now.

He's doing pretty well with the potty training but we're not quite there yet. We typically take him out to pee and poop about 11pm but he still can't make it through the night, so the kids rotate on who gets up at 3am to take him out. Then my wife or one of the kids takes him out again about 6:30am.

He still yelps too much when we put him back in his cage, but we got an anti barking device that works fairly well. It's not the collar type, it's the type that we set outside of his crate that puts out a high pitched sound when he barks or yelps.

I'll try to get a pic or three up this weekend.

We thank ALL of you for the advice in this thread... we keep coming back to it.

Glad to help Rick.

Where do you have the crate? And is he crying at night?

The first month or so I had my new pup I kept his crate right next to our bed... it replaced my bedside table.
That way if he woke up through the night or when we first put him in there he could see that I was laying right next to him and it quietened him right down.
Over the next few weeks we gradually moved the crate further and further away from the bed and now he's happy to sleep in his crate wherever.

He will get there eventually it just takes time with a new puppy, the important thing is to try not to lose your patience with him (as hard as that is at times)

The crate is in our living room. We have 2 crates. I was tempted to use the 2nd crate at night in Maria's room but I did not want to "train" him that he could think that if he yelps a bit we'd let him out.

We want him to be able to roam the house a bit (or all day once he's potty trained) during the day when someone is home but as for the nights we want him to know that the crate is "his place" for the evening.

The crate is in our living room. We have 2 crates. I was tempted to use the 2nd crate at night in Maria's room but I did not want to "train" him that he could think that if he yelps a bit we'd let him out.

We want him to be able to roam the house a bit (or all day once he's potty trained) during the day when someone is home but as for the nights we want him to know that the crate is "his place" for the evening.

General principle #2 applies

General principle #2 applies

Patience. Ok.

But dog-gonnit (pun intentended) can't this training stuff be done with yesterday? :p

I will confess that patience is a virtue that I'm still working on :)

Thankfully I have a wonderful gang in my house that is doing most of the work.

They're all watching this thread and learning from it.

Patience. Ok.

But dog-gonnit (pun intentended) can't this training stuff be done with yesterday? :p

Let me name the dog "ff style." 'Nuff said?

Let me name the dog "ff style." 'Nuff said?

Shame on you Catsmine, you should know better than to hijack my thread! :p

You dirty dog you (again, pun intended! :) )

shame on you catsmine, you should know better than to hijack my thread! :p

you dirty dog you (again, pun intended! :) )

32720

Here are a couple pics of John:

He got a couple shots yesterday and the vet says he may be part Hound.

The shelter where we got him thought he was a Lab Beagle mix.

... so I guess he's multi cultural :)

Awww what a cutie, he looks like he has an evil streak though ;)

Well, he's definitely a lab mix that's for sure, when he is older you will probably be able to see another breed in there, puppies are just all big ears and sad eyes at that age!

Beagles and Dachshunds are Hounds (as grouped by the AKC). :)

He is absolutely adorable and that belly is just asking to be rubbed. :D

He's a cutie for sure. Mostly humble but if he gets excited he likes to try to nip at our face!

We're working on the crate training and potty training as priorities... and a close second is to get him to stop yapping and yelping when he first gets in the crate.

When we take him outside, he will NOT walk. We have to just let him run around by himself to pee and poop. We try to walk him but he won't go anywhere... so that will be next on our list I guess.

Hello rick and family, you sure have a cute little pup there! I'm with shazzy, he looks like he has an evil streak!

When he nips at your face try yelping yourself, this helps with bite inhibition training. Then you say "NO" in a firm no none-sense voice and he goes off the lap and you ignore him, turn your back or walk away from him for a few minutes. He will learn that the nipping gets him ignored and should stop it fairly soon.

He is coming along nicely... thanks for the support!

He is coming along nicely... thanks for the support!

That would be my beautiful and wonderful wife who works far harder on the training end of things than I have.

Hello and welcome Lida!
It's always up to the girls to do all the work :rolleyes: :p

Let us know if there's anything specific you would like help with, I have a 9 month old pup so I've just been through the puppy horrors with training.

Let us know if there's anything specific you would like help with, I have a 9 month old pup so I've just been through the puppy horrors with training.

The Hurricane is also nine months old, so the recent experience is available.

You've done well so far on Rick, Lida. Keep up the good work.

You've done well so far on Rick, Lida.

I should also thank my kids. They, also, help more than I do. They are

Sarah, Matthew, Molly, Mark, Luke and Maria. They are wonderful kids and trainers.

... So can you guess why we named the new male member of our family John? :)

...So can you guess why we named the new male member of our family John? :)

Only if the cat's named Saul

Sorry, but we have very mundane names for our cats: Big Kitty and Little Kitty (aka Zoie; pronounced "ZOH ee).

So now there is Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in our house :)

We did have Reggie (a Ball Python) but we gave him away to a good home just last week.

I thought Chloe was a lot older than 9 months! Oops! You know all to well then, and bigger dogs tend to be so much naughtier, probably because they can destroy more things!

Here we have: Brody, Prada, Cyrus (dogs) Dora the rabbit and Mint the rat.
Absolutely no theme there :D

I thought Chloe was a lot older than 9 months! Oops! You know all to well then, and bigger dogs tend to be so much naughtier, probably because they can destroy more things!

We got her some of the rag mats (a bunch of fabric strands tied into a welcome mat sized throw) that she just absolutely LOVED dis-assembling. Being a Doberman, a nine inch (30cm) rawhide bone lasts almost six hours. She has taken to trying out the hunks of marble in the back yard just for the challenge.

Thanks shazamataz... We have sit and come commands working about 80% of the time. Two other things are driving me a little crazy. I have tried my best to be consistent taking John to the door, ringing a bell announcing we are going outside and then I tell him to go potty... when will he pick up on this and go to the door when he has to pee?
Also- he does not want to go on walks. I take him out to the side walk and he sits there. I give him treats and praise when he does start walking but then he sits... He loves when I say lets go in.

Thanks shazamataz... We have sit and come commands working about 80% of the time. Two other things are driving me a little crazy. I have tried my best to be consistent taking John to the door, ringing a bell announcing we are going outside and then I tell him to go potty... when will he pick up on this and go to the door when he has to pee?
Also- he does not want to go on walks. I take him out to the side walk and he sits there. I give him treats and praise when he does start walking but then he sits... He loves when I say lets go in.

Hi Lida.

I took a few days off and this thread is 2 pages longer than when I left.

One tip to remember when training, you have a beagle mix. Beagles are scent hounds, their noses lead the way. Beagles are also very treat oriented. Treats with a beagle go a long way when it comes to training. I keep a fanny pack with treats with me when we go for a walk or have a training session. When he does what I want (or when he's learning a new trick) he gets a treat.

The potty training will take time. You have kids, so you know that potty training at a young age, almost impossible. It's when they get older and can actually hold their bladder, that's when they do well with potty training. Same thing with dogs. At John's age he's simply too little to hold his bladder. It's a "I'm playing, I'm playing, ooh a ball, ooh a treat, ooh, I have to pee. NOW!" Before long he'll learn to sense beforehand that it's time to potty and than all the work you're putting in now to train him to ask to go out, it will pay off. Right now you have to wait for nature to catch up with the training. :)

Walks are hard. He's still little, still getting used to wearing a collar around his neck. I have a few questions and than I'll give you a few tips.

Questions:

1. What kind of collar does he wear?

2. Do you keep the collar on at all times or just at walk time?

3. What kind of leash do you use?

4. When you go for a walk how do you approach it? Do you get all excited "Who wants to go for a walk? Who does? Do you? Do you?" or is it more relaxed?

5. Does he struggle when you try to put on the leash and/or collar?

Hi! Thanks for the response. John was wearing a nylon collar to start with however a neighbor with a beagle mix suggested a harness nylon. John has had that on for a week. I leave it on all the time ( it's just easier to take him out). He does not seem to mind... a little scratching here and there. We also use a light weight nylon leash.
When I take him for a walk it is usually after he goes potty I start to walk out to the sidewalk and say come John... I give him a treat and say let's walk ( in an up beat tone... ) sometimes he will walk a little but then he sits down and it becomes a tug of war or walk 5 steps... say come walk... he gets a treat walks a little sits and well that goes on until I give up!
I appreciate the encouragement on potty training. Yes I do remember the kids... I've thought about putting a diaper on him :) I know it just takes time... I have to keep reminding myself of that.

The thing with traditional harnesses is that they can actually encourage dogs to pull harder because of the opposition reflex. The reflex that makes sled dogs do what they do. But of course, you have a smaller breed dog, so this may not be an issue. I always like the gentle leaders, but a Martin gale collar would be a good choice for your breed as well.

As for the potty training, like Alty said, some "kids" learn at different paces. Some catch on quickly, others not so much. And at risk of sounding like a broken record, consistency and patience is key.

The bell is a great potty training tool, I have been meaning to teach mine to use one for quite a while now but have never got around to it.
One of mine will sit in the doorway when she needs to go out but she doesn't move and doesn't make a sound so sometimes we don't notice she is there waiting.

Just ring the bell every time you take him outside, eventually he will associate the noise with outside time and pottying.
Then once he knows that the bell means you can mount it at nose height near the back door and encourage him to ring it himself before you open the door and let him out.

As for lead training ,some great advice so far.
I have trained pups who 1)Flat out refuse to walk when you tug the lead and 2)Go absolutely crazy when you try, thrashing themselves about.

You might have to try a bit of tough love with him, give the lead a good tug and just be forceful.
With Cyrus his problem was he would stop and sniff things every 2 steps and he refused to move. A couple of sessions of me walking a good pace without stopping for him (meaning he got drug along behind me when he stopped) fixed the problem.
You can keep trying to improvise with the treats and encouraging him if you think that method is a bit harsh. You can also try adding weights or letting him drag around the leash attached to his collar if you think the problem might be the weight of the leash pulling on him. That way he can get used to the sensation without actually going on a formal walk.

At almost three months, consider puppy classes. Most include walking on a leash and with puppies, the more "friends" around the less trouble you'll have with him balking. There's just too many other things going on for his little brain to think about refusing to walk.

The harness was first invented for hunting and sled dogs. It allowed the dog to pull on the leash without choking. This made it possible for the hunter to allow the dog to go after the scent, while holding a leash but not choking the dog and thereby discouraging him to continue following the scent. That's also what the extendable leashes were made for.

A lot of people like using the harness because they feel it's more humane, or because it's more secure (the dog can't easily slip out of it), but as a training tool, it's not great.

My collar of choice is a leather buckle collar. It's like a little belt. This way you can tighten it to just the right tightness without fear of it expanding and slipping off, or fear that the clasp will break. It's important that it's secure because beagles (or any mix with beagle in it) are likely to run and keep running if they ever get loose. They find a scent and that's it, they're gone.

Putting the collar on the dog is almost as important as the walk. He has to learn to associate the collar with something fun, and going for a walk should be fun. When you get a new collar spend the first day or two getting him accustomed to it. Let him sniff it, inspect it. Get him good and tired (play catch, tug of war, whatever he enjoys) and than put him on your lap and try to put the collar on. If he resists, stop, but give him a treat for getting this far. Keep trying to put the collar on, give him every opportunity to slip his head in by himself. Lots of praise with every attempt, and a treat.

The object is to have him willingly have the collar placed on him.

Once it's on and he doesn't mind it, it's his, and stays on.

When going for a walk make sure the dog is calm, sitting, waiting by the door to have his leash put on. Do not start the walk by getting him overly excited. Yes, walks are great, but you are the leader and he is the follower. He has to sit patiently and wait for you to begin the walk. There shouldn't be a struggle to get the leash on. He shouldn't be jumping around, wriggling out of your reach. This isn't play time, this is walk time. He's at the perfect age to learn walk etiquette. Lots of treats and praise, but for this behavior we don't want to get too excited. It's not like potty training where you go overboard when he does what's expected. If he sits patiently waiting for the walk to begin a simple monotone "good boy" and a treat.

Once he's calm, sitting at your feet, put the leash on. Than open the door. You exit the door first, you're the leader. If he bolts out of the door first, go back in, calm him down, than try again.

My rule when we're walking is that we walk for 30 minutes with the dog beside me, or slightly behind me. We don't stop for sniffing, and if he tries to get ahead of me, I do a quick turn to get him to keep his eyes on me (because he has to watch where I'm going so he can follow).

After 30 minutes he's allowed a 10 minute sniff/potty break. When that 10 minutes is up he gets a treat, a "good boy" and we continue our walk. Your puppy is still little so 30 minutes without a potty break may be too much. I'd start at 15 minutes, 10 minute sniff/potty, 15 minute walk, another 10 minute sniff/potty, and than home.

He's really little still and the collar/leash experience is still really new, and a bit scary. He doesn't know that he's supposed to walk while this scary new thing is on his neck. Positive reinforcement, associating the collar and leash with something good (a treat) and patience, and he'll soon get the hang of it. :)

Wow that was a long post. Sorry. :o

I'm humbled that you'd spend the time that you have in helping us. Thank you so much!

The harness was first invented for hunting and sled dogs. It allowed the dog to pull on the leash without choking. This made it possible for the hunter to allow the dog to go after the scent, while holding a leash but not choking the dog and thereby discouraging him to continue following the scent. That's also what the extendable leashes were made for.

A lot of people like using the harness because they feel it's more humane, or because it's more secure (the dog can't easily slip out of it), but as a training tool, it's not great.

My collar of choice is a leather buckle collar. It's like a little belt. This way you can tighten it to just the right tightness without fear of it expanding and slipping off, or fear that the clasp will break. It's important that it's secure because beagles (or any mix with beagle in it) are likely to run and keep running if they ever get loose. They find a scent and that's it, they're gone.

Putting the collar on the dog is almost as important as the walk. He has to learn to associate the collar with something fun, and going for a walk should be fun. When you get a new collar spend the first day or two getting him accustomed to it. Let him sniff it, inspect it. Get him good and tired (play catch, tug of war, whatever he enjoys) and than put him on your lap and try to put the collar on. If he resists, stop, but give him a treat for getting this far. Keep trying to put the collar on, give him every opportunity to slip his head in by himself. Lots of praise with every attempt, and a treat.

The object is to have him willingly have the collar placed on him.

Once it's on and he doesn't mind it, it's his, and stays on.

When going for a walk make sure the dog is calm, sitting, waiting by the door to have his leash put on. Do not start the walk by getting him overly excited. Yes, walks are great, but you are the leader and he is the follower. He has to sit patiently and wait for you to begin the walk. There shouldn't be a struggle to get the leash on. He shouldn't be jumping around, wriggling out of your reach. This isn't play time, this is walk time. He's at the perfect age to learn walk etiquette. Lots of treats and praise, but for this behavior we don't want to get too excited. It's not like potty training where you go overboard when he does what's expected. If he sits patiently waiting for the walk to begin a simple monotone "good boy" and a treat.

Once he's calm, sitting at your feet, put the leash on. Than open the door. You exit the door first, you're the leader. If he bolts out of the door first, go back in, calm him down, than try again.

My rule when we're walking is that we walk for 30 minutes with the dog beside me, or slightly behind me. We don't stop for sniffing, and if he tries to get ahead of me, I do a quick turn to get him to keep his eyes on me (because he has to watch where I'm going so he can follow).

After 30 minutes he's allowed a 10 minute sniff/potty break. When that 10 minutes is up he gets a treat, a "good boy" and we continue our walk. Your puppy is still little so 30 minutes without a potty break may be too much. I'd start at 15 minutes, 10 minute sniff/potty, 15 minute walk, another 10 minute sniff/potty, and than home.

He's really little still and the collar/leash experience is still really new, and a bit scary. He doesn't know that he's supposed to walk while this scary new thing is on his neck. Positive reinforcement, associating the collar and leash with something good (a treat) and patience, and he'll soon get the hang of it. :)


Thank you again for the great advice, I'll try it and let you know how it goes.

Oh I guess I should have posted my comment here :) To All who are responding... thank you thank you. I am taking this all in and working with John ( It seems like on the hour!) I have found if I carry him a few houses down he walks towards home with me and does not stop... once we are in front of our house he makes a mad dash for the door! Just working it out!

It's best not to allow him to 'bolt' for home. It means he isn't thinking about anything but the door and inside. It can cause problems if he tries to dart across on-coming traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) to get there.

If he pulls on the leash, as Alty said, turn around and go in the opposite direction for a few feet. Then turn back the way you want to go. He gets where he wants to go at your pace not his.

It sounds like he is nervous and over-whelmed. This is a good time to work on 'focus' training. Getting him to focus on you and what you want him to do instead of what is going on around him. It doesn't mean that he isn't aware of what is going on. Only that he is looking to you for instructions.

Take a treat and hold it up beside your face and when he looks at you give him the command (focus, eyes front, etc.) and the treat. Like with all time related commands (stay, wait, etc.). Start with him just glancing at your face and treating him and gradually increase the amount of 'focus' time before he gets the treat.

When you take him out for the walk before he stops, you stop and get his attention. Start doing obedience exercises that he is familiar with. After a couple of sits and lays, go a few more feet. Repeat. It's slow but as he grows and becomes more confident with the world, you will look back on these days and remember them fondly.

Remember that just like your children, John will need to be taught how to approach a road and cross WITH you. When you get to the sidewalk or road, have him stop and sit until you say it is okay to cross or turn and walk.

I've always had cats. I was finally convinced, after over a year of prodding and begging by my kids, to get a dog.

They can be awfully convincing can't they?


We now have a 2.5 month old puppy. Beagle/Lab mix, with maybe some Weiner Dog mixed in.

We got a good dvd about general training, but I'm wondering what your recommendations would be for the best website(s)

Cesar Millan's Official Website | Achieving balance between people and dogs. (http://www.cesarsway.com/)


to help us further with
1. crate training
2. commands training
3. potty training

The first thing you need to do before you do any of that is establish your relationship with your dog. None of that will do any good unless your dog knows who is the leader in the pack and who is not. Therefore, you and your entire family must establish a sort of pecking order with your dog at the bottom. Most people don't do any training with cats, but it actually helps with cats as well. All your pets must know that they are at the bottom and all the people in your family are their leaders.

At that point you can begin any training you want. Before then, any training you begin will not be taken seriously by your pet as he will be trying to train you. And they are very good at that.


Thanks!

You're welcome. I hope that helps.

Sincerely,

... he gets a treat walks a little sits and well that goes on until I give up!.

Ah yes. The same old story, cute pup manipulates owner. And the story continues the rest of your life.

The time to nip that in the bud is now. And you will enjoy a healthy stable relationship with a healthy stable dog the rest of your life.

Your dog wants one thing from you. Leadership. And if you can't provide it. He will.

Dogs are born followers. They were bred by man for centuries to be obedient. But make no mistake, if you don't provide leadership, they will revert to their instincts.

If you provide the leadership, you will establish the law of love where everything is equitable and fair. He will be happy and stable and your family will enjoy a wonderful pet who respects them.

If he provides the leadership, he will provide the law of the wild where everything is his way and your way is the highway.


Hi! Thanks for the response. John was wearing a nylon collar to start with however a neighbor with a beagle mix suggested a harness nylon. John has had that on for a week. I leave it on all the time ( it's just easier to take him out). He does not seem to mind... a little scratching here and there. We also use a light weight nylon leash.
When I take him for a walk it is usually after he goes potty I start to walk out to the sidewalk and say come John... I give him a treat and say let's walk ( in an up beat tone... ) sometimes he will walk a little but then he sits down and it becomes a tug of war or walk 5 steps... say come walk... he gets a treat walks a little sits and well that goes on until I give up!
I appreciate the encouragement on potty training. Yes I do remember the kids... I've thought about putting a diaper on him :) I know it just takes time... I have to keep reminding myself of that.

I suggest you read one of these books as soon as you can:
Amazon.com: cesar milan books: Books (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cesar+milan+books&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=3543969145&ref=pd_sl_abhx8ll83_e)

And visit the author's website:
Cesar Millan's Official Website | Achieving balance between people and dogs. (http://www.cesarsway.com/)

If you guys are doing research a la De Maria's post, let me also recommend the other "school" of training currently in vogue, "Positive reinforcement." It's celebrity proponent(as opposed to Cesar), Victoria Stilwell, has this website up:


Victoria Stilwell Positively| The Books (http://positively.com/its-me-or-the-dog/the-books/)

There is a great divide on this website, some people love Caesar, some hate him... guess which side I'm on?

Check out Cats site, Victoria Stillwell has some great techniques, plus, she's more likeable :D

some people love Caesar, some hate him

I've known a lot of trainers in my time; some successful, some not. All of the successful ones used a combination of the two schools.

Some dogs need a pack leader's dominance demonstrated, others need to be shown what to do and that's all. They're happy to do it just to get attention.

There are other times when neither school's techniques will work. For example, a puppy will not follow his person or his pack leader onto a 110 degree sidewalk - it hurts his paws.

I appreciate all of your opinions and will look into the information. I would not be as far along with John today with out your input.

I like Cesar, and he does have many techniques and ideas that work really well, but I like to mix it up.

Cesar relies mainly on what he's deemed "dog psychology". Basically it's letting a dog be a dog, you being the leader, and working with the dogs basic instincts to teach him what you want him to learn.

I do like the idea of teaching your dog that you're the leader, and that part of the training does work, but I also believe in positive reinforcement and treat training (rewarding good behavior with a treat, not just the thought "you did good").

I find that the people that mix up the training techniques and don't just stick to one school of thought do the best when it comes to getting the dog they want.

Just something to keep in mind. :)

I use positive reinforcement to train my dog. But Caesar's method is not a DOG TRAINING method. It is more properly described as a method which teaches the pet owner to relate to his dog in a manner that his dog will understand AND MORE IMPORTANTLY a manner which his dog will respect.

So, it is more properly described as Dog OWNER training.

Rick, you might want to read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Marley-Me-Life-Worlds-Worst/dp/0060817089

It's a book about a dog that was taken to several obedience classes and failed them all. This isn't a rare case. I have friends who have not been able to train their dogs.

Its not that the dogs are untrainable. It is that the owners have a utopian view of dog ownership. They own a dog but they treat it as a human.

Let me give you an example. Have you ever seen those nature shows where they show the cubs playing and they say something like this, "Mammals are the only animals that play. This behaviour is very important. They are practicing their fighting skills and at the same time they are establishing their place in the pack." Generally, at that point, they show one cub on top of another.

ESTABLISHING THEIR PLACE IN THE PACK.

When most pet owners see a dog coming at them wagging his tail and jumping on them, they think the dog is doing it simply because he loves them. Yes, he does love them. But he is also establishing his place in the pack. What do most pet owners do when they their pup jumps on them? From my experience, they pick them up and PUT THEM ON THEIR LAP. ON TOP OF THEM.

Without being aware of it, they have unconsciously told the dog that he is the pack leader! And that message has seriously compromised their ability to ever train their dog to follow any of their commands.

The news is not all bad however. From centuries of breeding, most dogs are born natural followers of human beings. It is programmed in their dna. So if the dog owner provides even a minimum effort to give his dog rules, boundaries and limitations, he will probably succeed.

But not all dogs are that way. And too few dog owners know enough to establish a relationship of dominance over their dogs. And when they neglect to do this, the dog will not neglect to establish his relationship of dominance over the owner. I've seen it all too often.

Anyway, the point of my message is this. Caesar's methods ( as some people on this board refer to them) are the best foundation for any type of dog training. Be it positive reinforcement, clicker training (a form of positive reinforcement) or the Koehler method (the best known form of negative reinforcement).

As for me, I use dog psychology (Caesar is the best known representative of that body of knowledge) as a foundation for both positive and negative reinforcement. I use them all.

Sincerely,

De Maria

I have to say, I am not a Caesar fan... I don't agree with a lot of his methods, but there are a few friends of mine who have had success with his tecnique.

I am a fan of pos reinforcement. I know this sounds corny, but I like to try and ignore the bad, and praise the good. For example, my friends mixed breed dog is really aggressive. She runs out of the driveway barking and baring her teeth at people. My friend will say "Sammy NO!! come here", and when Sammy starts to come to her, she says "bad dog"... Well that to me sounds like she is disciplining her dog for coming. So I try and tell her, as soon as Sammy looks at her and stops barking, reward, either with lots of happy talk or a lure like a bone or a treat. Your essentially rewarding the behavior you want and expect.

I have to say, I am not a Caesar fan... I don't agree with a lot of his methods, but there are a few friends of mine who have had success with his tecnique.

I am a fan of pos reinforcement. I know this sounds corny, but I like to try and ignore the bad, and praise the good. For example, my friends mixed breed dog is really aggressive. She runs out of the driveway barking and baring her teeth at people. My friend will say "Sammy NO!! come here", and when Sammy starts to come to her, she says "bad dog".... Well that to me sounds like she is disciplining her dog for coming. So I try and tell her, as soon as Sammy looks at her and stops barking, reward, either with lots of happy talk or a lure like a bone or a treat. Your essentially rewarding the behavior you want and expect.

Hi, thanks for posting that example. Here's the difference using dog psychology before using any training method, positive or negative.

First, if you've used dog psychology from the beginning, your dog will be stable and well socialized. In other words, your dog will be polite. He won't attack anyone.

However, if you have not previously used dog psychology your dog will more than likely exhibit this type of behaviour as well as other unruly behaviours.

Why? Because dog aggression is a SYMPTOM of a larger problem. That problem is specifically called aggression dominance. Addressing the symptom will probably not correct the problem. And this is only one symptom of aggression dominance. There are many others which will probably accompany that symptom.
1. food aggression. The dog won't let anyone come close to his food. Ever heard of biting the hand that feeds them?
2. toy aggression. The dog will become possessive of anything that he plays with. Give him a ball and you won't get it back without a fight.
3. aggression towards children in the family. Dogs will view the children in the family as their subordinates and will forcefully and aggressively make their dominance felt.

So, to correct THE PROBLEM you must establish yourself and every member of your family as a pack leader. Remember that dog psychology is a method of TRAINING THE DOG OWNER how to interact with his dog more effectively. The dog already knows how to be a pack leader and how to be a pack follower. Humans are generally completely oblivious to both.

Before I begin. Verbal commands are discouraged. Using the dog's name is discouraged after you begin the walk.

Why? Because obviously the dog doesn't obey verbal commands, so they just add to the confusion. And using the dog's name is discouraged because you want the dog's name to be associated with positive reinforcement when you begin that training.

The easiest way to become your dogs leader is to take your dog on a power walk.

What is a power walk? A power walk is a walk wherein you will nonverbally communicate to your dog that you are in command of every aspect of his life. Including when and what he smells and when and where he relieves himself.

The control over when and what a dog smells is a big deal because the sense of smell takes up more than half of the dog's brain. If you control his sense of smell, you control the dog.

Here's what to do. First, plan your walk. Plan the time you will take your walk. The best time is after your dog has relieved his bowells. That way your walk won't be interrupted. Plan to take at least one hour. Next, decide your route include in it a place where your dog is permitted to relieve himself. Even though he has already done so, walking moves the bowells and your dog (as well as you) may need to go again.

Ok, now here's the instructions:

1. Observe your dog. When he is calm, get the leash. If your dog is typical of an alpha, he will get overly excited when he notices that you have the leash. DON'T DO ANYTHING. Don't look at him, don't acknowledge him UNTIL HE CALMS DOWN. No matter how long it takes. Go to the kitchen and have a snack if you want. Or read a book. But wait until he calms down.

2. After he calms down call him to you. DO NOT GO TO HIM. He must come to you. He wants to walk and the walk will be his reward for being calm and obedient.

Therefore I repeat again, do not acknowledge him until he calms down and do not go to him. He must come to you.

3. If he gets excited when you call, repeat step 2. Repeat it as often as it takes until your dog is calm.

4. ASSUMING THAT YOUR DOG REMAINS CALM AFTER YOU CALL, and assuming he has come to you when you called. Put the leash on him. If he hasn't come to you with a verbal call alone, you might want to entice him with a bit of food.

4a. For a leash, I prefer a choke collar of some sort. But use whatever is your preference. Only thing is, keep it high on the neck next to his head. Have you ever seen how dog handlers in dog shows place the leash. They do that so that they can have better control of the dog. And the dogs don't seem to mind.

5. Now with the leash on the dog, the dog might get excited again. You must become the strong silent type. Your communication with your dog will be through your leash. SAY NOT ONE WORD. Let me repeat, DO NOT SAY A WORD. Especially do not call the dog's name.

6. Now, observe your dog. He should be used to your waiting by now. But if he isn't and he is excited, simply observe him. Wait until he sits down AND drops his ears. Do not move if he is in an alert position. If his ears are up and he is looking at the door, do not move.

Wait until he is at ease and looking elsewhere. If he lies down that is even better.

7. Now the walk will begin. The alpha dog always leads, therefore you must be the first out the door. If he has beat you to it, return and start from step 6.

Let me give you a few preliminary instructions.

a. Begin to walk and do not stop except to obey traffic laws or UNLESS YOU WANT TO, in order to talk to a neighbor or whatever.
b. Do not let your dog pull you. But if he does, correct him by jerking the leash quickly but firmly to the side. This will throw him off balance.
c. If you must drag your dog, do so.
d. If your dog looks anywhere but at you or forward, correct him by jerking the leash.
e. Do not let your dog sniff the ground, sniff any bushes or trees.
f. Do not let your dog pee. Do not let your dog relieve himself.

8. Take your dog to an area where he can relieve his bowells, let him do so, then resume your walk. If he doesn't relieve his bowells after whatever amount of time you have planned begin to walk back home.

9. The walk back is the same as the walk home. Don't let him pull, sniff any bushes, trees, poles or anything. Don't let him become fixated on anything or anyone. If he does, correct him with a quick jerk of the leash and keep walking.

10. Finally you are near your house. FREQUENTLY, everything breaks down right here. Don't let that happen. If the dog begins to pull you to get home, jerk him to let him know that is unacceptable and stop. Do not proceed until he is calm and submissive again.

11. Now you are at the door. Stop. Do not move. If the dog pulls towards the door correct him. If he knows the sit command, command him to sit. When YOU are good and ready, open the door. You must enter through the door while your dogs sits and waits outside.

12. Invite your dog in the house. Remove his leash and proceed to live in your house.

If the power walk has worked, you will find that your dog has been transformed. He will become your shadow. He will obey your every command. Sometimes even without speaking. Dogs are either mind readers or they read our body language so well that they appear to be.

An easier version of the power walk is the power bike journey. Everything is the same except you ride a bike and the dog follows beside you. This is easier because the momentum created by the speed of the bike makes it harder to distract the dog. It also tires the dog more quickly so that you don't have to take an hour. And he is so tired that he is more submissive when he gets home.

This is not a one time thing. Do it as often as you can, everyday if possible.

WHY IT WORKS

Because you have proven yourself the leader by showing that you control his behaviour. Including when he relieves himself, whom he meets and what he sniffs and marks.

There are two types of dogs, followers or leaders. They are prepared to follow any human who will lead. But if their human won't lead, they are ready to do it.

If you don't lead them and you don't permit them to lead, they become insecure and all types of behavioral problems ensue.

Now, many people object that if you don't let a dog pee and sniff, you aren't letting them be a dog. But that isn't true. You are simply not letting them be a dominant dog. You are letting them be an obedient and well balanced dog who is confident that YOU his leader will protect him and take care of him.

That is the difference. A dominant dog is sure of himself and UNSURE OF YOU. That is why he attacks anyone that comes near the house. He has to protect it.

A calm and submissive dog is confident that his master will protect and take care of him. He will no longer need to show aggression to anyone unless you train him to do so.

Ok, but what if the power walk doesn't work? It worked for me with three dogs. So I have no experience with it not working. However, I have heard that it doesn't always work completely. In that case, I would simply have to address the specific problem.

Lets say you want to address the people aggression. You prepare to take your walk as before. Now you simply walk into your front yard following all the instructions for the power walk. You go out of the door first and you make sure your dog is calm and submissive before you do anything.

Now you just wait leash in hand. Your dog will go into waiting mode. When you see someone coming you CALMLY observe your dog. If his ears prick, you immediately correct with a quick jerk of the leash and send him back to waiting mode. You do this for as long as you desire. Never permit the dog to escalate to an excited state. Not even if you think he is being friendly. You want him to ignore passersby.

I hope that helps.

Sincerely,

De Maria

A lot of people here are big on rescue, where using dog psychology isn't always feasible. Sorry Rick and Lida, I am only going to hijack for one quick second :D

When dogs come through my house, they are usually trouble children to begin with, deemed un-trainable. I usually foster/adopt the staffy bully breeds, which on their own can be very bull headed. A lot of times I (or we at the shelter) don't have time to psycho analyze the dog, we have a short period to prove that this dog, despite the lack or previous training or being tied to a shed for it's miserable 5 years of exsistance, can in fact be trained and excel as a loving family pet.

There are different training methods some work and some don't. No two dogs are the same, and the learning curve and train-ability will always be different. I think there is great stuff on this thread about training ideas!

With that explanation, I'm surprised my dog doesn't attack everyone considering he gets excited when I get the leash out and I let him take his time and sniff and do his thing during the first 10 minutes of our walk... I must have some horrible dominant, aggressive dog.

Ok wow, long post but here goes...


Hi, thanks for posting that example. Here's the difference using dog psychology before using any training method, positive or negative.

First, if you've used dog psychology from the beginning, your dog will be stable and well socialized. In other words, your dog will be polite. He won't attack anyone.

Unless of course your dog has inherited aggression, then no amount of 'dog psycology' will help, this includes fear biting. Although I do understand where you are coming from, sometimes aggression is a learned behaviour and in that case training from the beginning will help.



However, if you have not previously used dog psychology your dog will more than likely exhibit this type of behaviour as well as other unruly behaviours.

Unruly behaviour yes, but temperament is temperament, by not using it you can't say a dog will most likely be aggressive.



Why? Because dog aggression is a SYMPTOM of a larger problem. That problem is specifically called aggression dominance. Addressing the symptom will probably not correct the problem. And this is only one symptom of aggression dominance. There are many others which will probably accompany that symptom.
1. food aggression. The dog won't let anyone come close to his food. Ever heard of biting the hand that feeds them?
2. toy aggression. The dog will become possessive of anything that he plays with. Give him a ball and you won't get it back without a fight.
3. aggression towards children in the family. Dogs will view the children in the family as their subordinates and will forcefully and aggressively make their dominance felt.

So, to correct THE PROBLEM you must establish yourself and every member of your family as a pack leader. Remember that dog psychology is a method of TRAINING THE DOG OWNER how to interact with his dog more effectively. The dog already knows how to be a pack leader and how to be a pack follower. Humans are generally completely oblivious to both.


Agreed on the symptoms, they are the main reasons for aggression and do sometimes coincide (food aggression being the most common).
However, I'm a little confused on your definition of dog psychology... do you mean it is more like just the owner being educated in how to train and react around a dog? Dog psychology is more to do with how a dog thinks and behaves than the owner.



Before I begin. Verbal commands are discouraged. Using the dog's name is discouraged after you begin the walk.

Why? Because obviously the dog doesn't obey verbal commands, so they just add to the confusion. And using the dog's name is discouraged because you want the dog's name to be associated with positive reinforcement when you begin that training.


If we are talking about the dog in Auroras example the dog isn't on leash so I don't know how that would help? :confused: How would the dog know what it is doing is wrong if it's up the other end of the yard and you can't use commands?
In that situation I would recommend obedience training including learning the command "come" and "wait"



The easiest way to become your dogs leader is to take your dog on a power walk.

What is a power walk? A power walk is a walk wherein you will nonverbally communicate to your dog that you are in command of every aspect of his life. Including when and what he smells and when and where he relieves himself.

The control over when and what a dog smells is a big deal because the sense of smell takes up more than half of the dog's brain. If you control his sense of smell, you control the dog.

Here's what to do. First, plan your walk. Plan the time you will take your walk. The best time is after your dog has relieved his bowells. That way your walk won't be interrupted. Plan to take at least one hour. Next, decide your route include in it a place where your dog is permitted to relieve himself. Even though he has already done so, walking moves the bowells and your dog (as well as you) may need to go again.

Makes sense to me, although I would like to hear the Beagle owner on this sites opinion hehe :D



Ok, now here's the instructions:

1. Observe your dog. When he is calm, get the leash. If your dog is typical of an alpha, he will get overly excited when he notices that you have the leash. DON'T DO ANYTHING. Don't look at him, don't acknowledge him UNTIL HE CALMS DOWN. No matter how long it takes. Go to the kitchen and have a snack if you want. Or read a book. But wait until he calms down.

Nothing worse than an overly excitable dog jumping all over you to get to the leash... I have 2 of those :rolleyes:



2. After he calms down call him to you. DO NOT GO TO HIM. He must come to you. He wants to walk and the walk will be his reward for being calm and obedient.

Therefore I repeat again, do not acknowledge him until he calms down and do not go to him. He must come to you.

3. If he gets excited when you call, repeat step 2. Repeat it as often as it takes until your dog is calm.

4. ASSUMING THAT YOUR DOG REMAINS CALM AFTER YOU CALL, and assuming he has come to you when you called. Put the leash on him. If he hasn't come to you with a verbal call alone, you might want to entice him with a bit of food.

4a. For a leash, I prefer a choke collar of some sort. But use whatever is your preference. Only thing is, keep it high on the neck next to his head. Have you ever seen how dog handlers in dog shows place the leash. They do that so that they can have better control of the dog. And the dogs don't seem to mind.


Choke collars shouldn't be used for long walks unless you really know what you are doing. Unless you have been trained in how to use one they can do a lot of damage to the dogs throat, espacially a long walk with an untrained dog.
Show dogs are used to wearing choke chains and only wear them for the few minutes they are in the ring... after that off they come and on goes a soft collar.
For the kind of training you are suggesting a martingale collar would be better, they have a soft front but can still give corrections.



5. Now with the leash on the dog, the dog might get excited again. You must become the strong silent type. Your communication with your dog will be through your leash. SAY NOT ONE WORD. Let me repeat, DO NOT SAY A WORD. Especially do not call the dog's name.


How about "sit" or "stay" to calm the dog down? In stead of just waiting it out for the dogs to calm down on its own.



6. Now, observe your dog. He should be used to your waiting by now. But if he isn't and he is excited, simply observe him. Wait until he sits down AND drops his ears. Do not move if he is in an alert position. If his ears are up and he is looking at the door, do not move.

Wait until he is at ease and looking elsewhere. If he lies down that is even better.


Again... why wait until the dog sits or lays down... why not give them the command to? If I waited until my dogs laid down on their own when they know a walk is coming I'd be there all day. If I asked them to "drop" however and lay on the ground we'd be out the door in less than a minute.
Laying their ears down is pretty irrelevant IMO, but I digress.



7. Now the walk will begin. The alpha dog always leads, therefore you must be the first out the door. If he has beat you to it, return and start from step 6.

Let me give you a few preliminary instructions.

a. Begin to walk and do not stop except to obey traffic laws or UNLESS YOU WANT TO, in order to talk to a neighbor or whatever.
b. Do not let your dog pull you. But if he does, correct him by jerking the leash quickly but firmly to the side. This will throw him off balance.
c. If you must drag your dog, do so.
d. If your dog looks anywhere but at you or forward, correct him by jerking the leash.
e. Do not let your dog sniff the ground, sniff any bushes or trees.
f. Do not let your dog pee. Do not let your dog relieve himself.


I'm sure you have very well trained dogs but I personally think that's a little over the top. Walking should be enjoyable for both the dog and the owner and by taking away every little bit of enjoyment a dog has on a walk doesn't sound very fun. Do you go to the gym, get on a treadmill for an hour and just stare blankly ahead of you? Of course not, you have music to listen to and if you need to use the bathroom you stop and use it before getting back on.




8. Take your dog to an area where he can relieve his bowells, let him do so, then resume your walk. If he doesn't relieve his bowells after whatever amount of time you have planned begin to walk back home.

9. The walk back is the same as the walk home. Don't let him pull, sniff any bushes, trees, poles or anything. Don't let him become fixated on anything or anyone. If he does, correct him with a quick jerk of the leash and keep walking.

10. Finally you are near your house. FREQUENTLY, everything breaks down right here. Don't let that happen. If the dog begins to pull you to get home, jerk him to let him know that is unacceptable and stop. Do not proceed until he is calm and submissive again.

11. Now you are at the door. Stop. Do not move. If the dog pulls towards the door correct him. If he knows the sit command, command him to sit. When YOU are good and ready, open the door. You must enter through the door while your dogs sits and waits outside.

12. Invite your dog in the house. Remove his leash and proceed to live in your house.

If the power walk has worked, you will find that your dog has been transformed. He will become your shadow. He will obey your every command. Sometimes even without speaking. Dogs are either mind readers or they read our body language so well that they appear to be.

An easier version of the power walk is the power bike journey. Everything is the same except you ride a bike and the dog follows beside you. This is easier because the momentum created by the speed of the bike makes it harder to distract the dog. It also tires the dog more quickly so that you don't have to take an hour. And he is so tired that he is more submissive when he gets home.

This is not a one time thing. Do it as often as you can, everyday if possible.

WHY IT WORKS

Because you have proven yourself the leader by showing that you control his behaviour. Including when he relieves himself, whom he meets and what he sniffs and marks.

There are two types of dogs, followers or leaders. They are prepared to follow any human who will lead. But if their human won't lead, they are ready to do it.

If you don't lead them and you don't permit them to lead, they become insecure and all types of behavioral problems ensue.


Ummm, but you aren't permitting them to lead... at all... you keep them on a very tight leash by the sounds of it. And if anyone approaches them on walks they could possibly lash out because you have not allowed them to interact or even look at anything but what is in front of them.
If you don't allow a dog to expereince a variety of different things on a walk when something does happen such as a dog suddenly appearing from around a corner or a child running out from behind a gate how do you know how the dog will react?
Yes, you have trained them how to walk calmly beside you and not to stop and sniff but you need to always expect the unexpected and I try to expose my dogs to as much as I can during a walk. This includes how to greet people, and if the dog is trained to just look straight ahead of them someone suddenly appearing from beside them could startle them easily. By allowing the dog to look at its surroundings and become familiar with them it's more calming and they can see people approaching.




Now, many people object that if you don't let a dog pee and sniff, you aren't letting them be a dog. But that isn't true. You are simply not letting them be a dominant dog. You are letting them be an obedient and well balanced dog who is confident that YOU his leader will protect him and take care of him.

That is the difference. A dominant dog is sure of himself and UNSURE OF YOU. That is why he attacks anyone that comes near the house. He has to protect it.

A calm and submissive dog is confident that his master will protect and take care of him. He will no longer need to show aggression to anyone unless you train him to do so.


Nah, you are just being a killjoy, letting a dog pee on things doesn't make them any more dominant of you, obedience is the key IMO. Getting a dog to follow what you say and do commands the second you give them to them is much more important.
If there is a small fluffy dog running up behind you off-leash would you rather have your dog trained so that it doesn't turn around and that small dog could possibly jump on it, startle it and be killed. Or would you rather allow your dog to turn arouns... see the small dog coming and be able to tell you dog to sit and stay ignoring the approching dog.



Ok, but what if the power walk doesn't work? It worked for me with three dogs. So I have no experience with it not working. However, I have heard that it doesn't always work completely. In that case, I would simply have to address the specific problem.


Yep, every dog is different and every owner is different




Lets say you want to address the people aggression. You prepare to take your walk as before. Now you simply walk into your front yard following all the instructions for the power walk. You go out of the door first and you make sure your dog is calm and submissive before you do anything.

Now you just wait leash in hand. Your dog will go into waiting mode. When you see someone coming you CALMLY observe your dog. If his ears prick, you immediately correct with a quick jerk of the leash and send him back to waiting mode. You do this for as long as you desire. Never permit the dog to escalate to an excited state. Not even if you think he is being friendly. You want him to ignore passersby.


A power walk will not fix aggression, it may aid along with other methods sure, but simply getting your dog to walk beside you will not make it not want to attack people, it will just hopefully give you more control over it.



I hope that helps.

Sincerely,

De Maria

It does, it's another point of view which is great. Hopefully we can discuss our different techniques and ideas about training. I think everyone on this site does things differently, in fact everyone in the world probably does things differently.
The more ideas and techniques we can get the better, just be prepared for a good discussion about them :D

Aurora, Thank goodness you are there for those animals. I can hardly watch "Animal Cops"... I can not imagine having a pet and not taking good care of it. I agree with you, there are some great post on here and I imagine each person does what works for them. I love having all the post and information so we can see what will work for John. Thanks again

And one thing for Rick and Lida to remember, you are raising a family pet, not a show dog, not a attack or watch dog. Yes I know all dogs need to be well behaved and well adjusted, properly socialized etc, but even though it's best to have one pack leader, training CAN be a family event! And it sounds like you guys are loving having John in your home and loving the task of making him a well adjusted family member! Keep up the great work!

My dog suffers from interbreed aggression, not something that a power walk or psycho analyzing is not going cure or help. Just patience and hard work. She also has 5 years of previous (non) training I need to fix. :rolleyes:

I'm sure the kids would love helping train him and it helps build a strong bond between them.

I think we are on the same page here Bella :)

Sorry to go off on a tangent up there, didn't realise how loooong that post was until I had to scroll down :o

Ok wow, long post but here goes...

Thanks for posting this. It will allow me to highlight what I believe to be many common misconceptions concerning dogs, dog training and dog psychology.


Unless of course your dog has inherited aggression, then no amount of 'dog psycology' will help, this includes fear biting.

Actually, fear biting is very easily handled with dog psychology. Fear biting stems from the fact that a dog needs to feel that his leader is providing a safe and secure environment. If he doesn't, then he takes his protection into his own hands by biting those whom he considers a threat.

Also, I believe that fear biting is frequently misdiagnosed. It is simply another case of dominance. The dog is letting his followers know when and where he will be touched.

In both cases, the best way to resolve the problem is to establish your leadership role.

As for so called "inherited" aggression, I suppose such a thing may exist. But I've owned several dogs (5 pit bulls) which were supposed to be inherently vicious and in the end, they were simply dogs.


Although I do understand where you are coming from, sometimes aggression is a learned behaviour and in that case training from the beginning will help.

Actually, aggression is sometimes learned, as when a dog is attack trained. But it is mostly instinctive. It is part of the fight or flight instinct which almost every single living thing possesses except maybe opossums which neither fight nor run, but play dead when they perceive danger. At least, that is what I've heard.

In animals which are descended from predators, it is also part of the hunting instinct. And of course, it is also part of the self preservation instinct associated with parental care. In other words, the instinct to protect family and possessions such as food.


Unruly behaviour yes, but temperament is temperament, by not using it you can't say a dog will most likely be aggressive.

I don't know any of these dogs. I'm simply generalizing from my personal experience with dogs I've seen in the past. That's why I ask questions which the individual can use to ascertain whether dominance is the problem.


Agreed on the symptoms, they are the main reasons for aggression and do sometimes coincide (food aggression being the most common).

Good.


However, I'm a little confused on your definition of dog psychology... do you mean it is more like just the owner being educated in how to train and react around a dog?

Yes.


Dog psychology is more to do with how a dog thinks and behaves than the owner.

Precisely. Dog psychology teaches the owner how the dog thinks and behaves so that the owner may know how to respond accordingly.


If we are talking about the dog in Auroras example the dog isn't on leash so I don't know how that would help? :confused:

You take time to plan the session. Part of the plan is to put the dog on leash.


How would the dog know what it is doing is wrong if it's up the other end of the yard and you can't use commands?

Keep reading.


In that situation I would recommend obedience training including learning the command "come" and "wait"

Those commands will be much more easily taught the dog after you establish a leadership relationship.


Makes sense to me, although I would like to hear the Beagle owner on this sites opinion hehe :D

Nothing worse than an overly excitable dog jumping all over you to get to the leash... I have 2 of those :rolleyes:

Choke collars shouldn't be used for long walks unless you really know what you are doing. Unless you have been trained in how to use one they can do a lot of damage to the dogs throat, espacially a long walk with an untrained dog.

I prefer choke collars. I find that they are "self correcting." What does that mean? Well, if you put the collar on the dog high on the neck, as do the show dog handlers, the dog will naturally carry his head high.

If he decides to lower his head to sniff the ground, the choke will tighten automatically and the dog will immediately raise his head again to carry it in the most comfortable position.


Show dogs are used to wearing choke chains and only wear them for the few minutes they are in the ring... after that off they come and on goes a soft collar.

For the kind of training you are suggesting a martingale collar would be better, they have a soft front but can still give corrections.


Be that as it may, I favor the choke collar.


How about "sit" or "stay" to calm the dog down? In stead of just waiting it out for the dogs to calm down on its own.

As I explained before, if the dog is too excited to obey verbal commands or if he considers himself the alpha dog and simply ignores your commands, your verbalizations will simply add to the confusion and create frustration for you and the dog.


Again... why wait until the dog sits or lays down... why not give them the command to? If I waited until my dogs laid down on their own when they know a walk is coming I'd be there all day. If I asked them to "drop" however and lay on the ground we'd be out the door in less than a minute.

Apparently you already have an obedient dog who accepts you as a leader.


Laying their ears down is pretty irrelevant IMO, but I digress.

It is a very prominent sign of being relaxed. Dogs who have their ears pricked are at attention or excited and frequently they are fixated on something which they want.


I'm sure you have very well trained dogs but I personally think that's a little over the top.

Yes. I have never had any complaints about my dogs misbehaving.


Walking should be enjoyable for both the dog and the owner and by taking away every little bit of enjoyment a dog has on a walk doesn't sound very fun.

Thanks for bringing this up. This is possibly the biggest misconception that dog owners have about what their dog is enjoying.

A dog who is sniffing every plant and is aware of every animal and person that is around him is not a dog who is enjoying himself. He is a dog who is concerned about his own safety and yours. He thinks he is the pack leader and is trying to make certain that nothing happens to his pack.

Its like when a human has to walk into a dark alley way. What does he do? Well, we don't have a very good sense of smell. But we try to look behind every nook and cranny that we are approaching. This is the position in which you put your dog every time you leave the house if you have not proven to him that you know what you are doing.

"But he's wagging his tail", you might object. A wagging tail is as significant as a smile on someone's face or as someone who whistles in the dark. Has a strange person ever approached you asking for money? What's the first thing you do? Most people smile to give the impression of not being concerned. Have you ever heard the expression, "whistling in the dark?" Why do people whistle in the dark? Is it because they are happy or to give the impression that they aren't afraid?


Do you go to the gym, get on a treadmill for an hour and just stare blankly ahead of you? Of course not, you have music to listen to and if you need to use the bathroom you stop and use it before getting back on.

I'm not a dog. And no one is trying to prove they are my leader.

Have you ever been in the army or marines? Have you ever been in any organized sports, basketball, football? Did the drill instructor or coach permit you to play your walkman or to go to the bathroom whenever you wanted?


Ummm, but you aren't permitting them to lead... at all... you keep them on a very tight leash by the sounds of it.

I guess that was a bit confusing. And it's a bit difficult to explain. But I'll try.

The main problem with most dog owners is their complete and utter ignorance of what their dog is communicating. So let me break down and explain my statement. I said:

If you don't lead them

Because most people don't communicate to their dog that they are the pack leader. In fact, because they treat dogs as they though they are four legged people, they inadvertently communicate to the dog that the dog is the pack leader.


and you don't permit them to lead,

But most people don't take the follower role very well either. Have you ever heard the saying, "lead, follow or get out of the way"? Most of us are so inept at dog psychology that we neither lead nor follow nor get out of the way. That is why so many people have dogs which are neurotic. We give them all the signals which they recognize as assigning them the leadership role, but then we lock them up in this huge kennel and leave them all day long. Or we open the door and let people in whom they haven't approved. Or we take their bowl of food. And many, many other things which subordinates are not supposed to do.

The result is that we raise anxious and neurotic dogs.

Let me give you an example that you might identify with. Lets say you have a five year old son. And one day you wake up and your five year old says, "Sorry dad, but I tied you up and I'm going out for the rest of the day. Don't know what time I'll be back."

How will you respond? I imagine that first, you will probably be upset. The first thing that will cross your mind is, "when I get loose I'll give that boy such a tanning that he won't be able to sit for a week."
But then, you will begin to worry about your son being out in the world all by himself, without you to protect him. And you will do your best to get untied so that you can go protect the one you love or die trying.

That is the position you put your dog in when you let him think that he is the leader of your pack and you leave him in the house. Yes, your dog will become accustomed to this, but why put him through it?


they become insecure and all types of behavioral problems ensue.

And if anyone approaches them on walks they could possibly lash out because you have not allowed them to interact or even look at anything but what is in front of them.

That's not been my experience. In every case, when people approach me on walks, my dog simply ignores them. In fact, my dog is usually off leash when I'm in my front yard and the mail carriers love to interact with him. And its been the same with all the dogs I've owned as an adult.

My dogs respond the same when people approach with their own dogs. My dog is calm and submissive. The other people are generally pulling their dogs with all their might trying to prevent an incident. I control mine with a single gesture or word.


If you don't allow a dog to expereince a variety of different things on a walk when something does happen such as a dog suddenly appearing from around a corner or a child running out from behind a gate how do you know how the dog will react?

That's a strange question. Please tell me how to prevent my dog from experiencing a variety of different things on a walk. Especially since I live in the city and strange dogs and children and pigeons and frogs and loud cars and motorcycles run up on us ALL THE TIME.


how do you know how the dog will react?

That is precisely why I consider the power walk so important. We, both I and my dog, learn by experience. When such things happen, I give my dog physical cues as to how I expect him to behave. And he obeys.


Yes, you have trained them how to walk calmly beside you and not to stop and sniff but you need to always expect the unexpected and I try to expose my dogs to as much as I can during a walk. This includes how to greet people, and if the dog is trained to just look straight ahead of them someone suddenly appearing from beside them could startle them easily. By allowing the dog to look at its surroundings and become familiar with them it's more calming and they can see people approaching.

My experience has been exactly the opposite.


Nah, you are just being a killjoy,

Killjoy? If my dog could speak, he'd probably tell you that you are crazy.

My dog and I have a very loving relationship based on trust and affection. He doesn't have to worry about what he is going to do, he knows I will tell him what to do.

But you may have misinterpreted my advice to mean that you can never play with your dog. I thought it went without saying, but I guess I need to explain every little bit.

First of all, when you raise a stable dog that knows you are boss, you won't have to worry about him nipping and biting when you play with him. He will know his rules, boundaries and limitations.

Secondly, the power walk which I described has a step in which I say:
a. Begin to walk and do not stop except to obey traffic laws or UNLESS YOU WANT TO, in order to talk to a neighbor or whatever.

Here's what I do. I take my dog to a nearby parking lot and I let him loose. He sits down and looks at me. Then I wave my hand dramatically and say, "Go play!" And he takes off like a shot. I'm usually with my children and they are usually on bikes, so they race him and they go in circles until he gets tired and starts to walk. Then he usually goes to the grass area and sniffs the trees and whatever he wants. There's a small incline drive there and my kids love to ride up and glide down over and over again. Sometimes he likes to trot beside them as they go up and down.

Oh and people and dogs come by all the time. My dog simply ignores them.

I normally pull out my rosary and pray at least one set of mysteries. It takes approximately 15 minutes to pray each set. After each set of mysteries, I ask if anyone is ready to go home yet. Usually after the second set, everyone is ready. By that time the dog is laying around waiting for us to make the move home.

At that point, I call him, he comes to me and sits in front of me waiting for me to slip the collar around his neck. I do so and we head for home. No sniffing, no peeing unless I permit it. When we get to the door, the dog sits in front until everyone files in. Then one of us turns around and tells him to come in.

Works pretty well.


letting a dog pee on things doesn't make them any more dominant of you, obedience is the key IMO. Getting a dog to follow what you say and do commands the second you give them to them is much more important.

I find that dogs are more obedient when they know you are boss.

continued

Continued


If there is a small fluffy dog running up behind you off-leash would you rather have your dog trained so that it doesn't turn around and that small dog could possibly jump on it, startle it and be killed. Or would you rather allow your dog to turn arouns... see the small dog coming and be able to tell you dog to sit and stay ignoring the approching dog.

Small fluffy dogs approach my dog all the time. Normally they are unruly, misbehaving dogs whose owners care nothing about training them. I normally permit a little sniffing, but since I'm concerned about any disease they might be carrying, since they normally have no indication that they have been vaccinated, I chase them away and continue about our business.


Yep, every dog is different and every owner is different

What does that have to do with the price of rice in China?


A power walk will not fix aggression, it may aid along with other methods sure, but simply getting your dog to walk beside you will not make it not want to attack people, it will just hopefully give you more control over it.

Back when I was young, I had a couple of dogs with aggression problems. Obedience training didn't fix it.

Ever since I've been applying dog psychology methods, I've never had a dog with aggression problems again.

Whether a power walk will fix aggression problems? Not by itself. If you prove that you are a leader on the walk and only on the walk, your dog will fill the leadership void in the other aspects of your life.

If I gave the impression that a power walk was some sort of magical cure all, I am sorry. I didn't intend to. That is why I also recommended Cesar Milan's books and website. I believe he makes dog psychology more understandable to people than any other source.


It does, it's another point of view which is great. Hopefully we can discuss our different techniques and ideas about training. I think everyone on this site does things differently, in fact everyone in the world probably does things differently.

The more ideas and techniques we can get the better, just be prepared for a good discussion about them :D

Always ready for that.

Sincerely,

You seem to know quite a bit about Dogs Maria and it's obvious we have pretty much completely opposite views, strange how people can be brought up learning totally different ideas for the one thing.

I won't go through and highlight all of your post as I don't want to completely take over Ricks thread although your first statement jumped out at me:

Thanks for posting this. It will allow me to highlight what I believe to be many common misconceptions concerning dogs, dog training and dog psychology.
Just wondering why you think I have many misconceptions about dogs?

How did you learn the methods you use out of curiosity?

I would also like to know how many and what breeds you work with Maria?

I can honestly say with 100% assurance that Shaz has no mis-conseptiopn of dogs.

Remember when you are watching Caesar or Brad, these are condensed shows. These dogs aren't cured in a half hour like the show portrays. These dogs can take weeks, months, even years to obtain the result.

I'm sure the kids would love helping train him and it helps build a strong bond between them.

I think we are on the same page here Bella :)

Sorry to go off on a tangent up there, didn't realise how loooong that post was until I had to scroll down :o


I appreciated your time!

Wow, this thread is becoming a book. Lots of info for Rick, Lida and family.

DeMaria, I can see that you definitely love Cesar's methods, and when he does his 1/2 hour show making people believe that his methods are really that easy and that attainable, yes, it does look impressive. It isn't reality.

Most of the dogs he works with have never had any type of training at all. I'm not saying that his methods are wrong, many of the things he does are not a bad idea at all, but, had the dogs on his show had training of any kind from their owners, they wouldn't need dog psychology.

I won't go through all of your posts because, like Shazzy, I don't want to completely take over Ricks thread and I want Rick and his family to get positive, good, workable advice.

Cesar Millans show is great. It's fun to see all the different dogs and families that love them. I love his accent and he's a very handsome man. Many of his techniques are worth trying, but the majority aren't, unless you already have a very unbalanced dog, in which case you shouldn't attempt Cesars methods on your own.

There is more than one right way to raise a puppy, but, I'm sure there are some things every dog lover can agree on. Never hit, never dominate, never yell.

I am curious to know DeMaria, how do you come by the information you've posted? How many dogs do you have? How long have you been training dogs? What breeds, and what were the results?

I currently have 3 dogs in my home, a 15 year old lab cross, an 8 year old border collie cross and our little devil the 2 year old beagle. I've had dogs all my life, since birth actually. Cesar's show wasn't around back then, we just went with what was logical, and we still do. I have 3 very balanced very happy, very well behaved dogs. The whole family is involved with their every day care, training, walking, you name it. I've used the methods I've stated in this thread, and they've worked very well.

Yes you have to have leadership, but you also have to enjoy your dog, otherwise what's the point of having one?

Rick, Lida, you two have good hearts, a great family, and you obviously care about little John. You are doing the right things with him. Patience, love, consistency, training, and letting the entire family enjoy this little guy. You'll get there and I doubt very much you'll have to call in a psychologist. ;)

On a different subject, have you trimmed John's toenails, yet or brushed his teeth?

I think I must be the only one here who doesn't brush their dogs teeth :o

Brodys are squeeky clean and white as snow but Pradas are looking a little grungy, maybe I will have to cave in and give it a shot :eek:

I don't! Haha. I wish I could, but my dog does noooot tolerate it. I'll just make sure he gets his teeth cleaned before they get too bad, they were cleaned when I got him neutered at 1.5years.

I do, but only because I have been at the receiving end of a very costly vet bill for pulled teeth.

Crunchy dog food, bones and treats are all supposed to do the same thing, but I still brush their teeth. But don't use me as an example, I just spent $30 on a separate tank for a sick fish I didn't even want to begin with...

My dad wraps a piece of rough gauze around his thumb and just flicks the tartar off with a combination of gauze and his own nail.
I don't have strong enough fingers for that but it does work.

Anyone got any home-made doggy toothpaste recipes?

1. 6 teaspoons of baking soda
2. 1/3 teaspoon of salt
3. 4 teaspoons of glycerin. If you are a vegetarian or vegan dog owner, you can opt for the glycerin that comes from plants.
4. In addition to these ingredients, you can either mix in 2 teaspoons of organic, low-sodium beef broth or 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract.


You can skip the glycerin, it's just a looser paste..

OR...

Sweet and simple and oh so good!
Take a liver treat, smoosh it up in a small cup or dish. Add a drop or two of water and rub the bristles of a toothbrush in it. It's the brush that does the work.

Darn had to spread the rep Bella but thanks! I'd rather make my own so I know exactly what goes in it.

I think I must be the only one here who doesn't brush their dogs teeth :o

Brodys are squeeky clean and white as snow but Pradas are looking a little grungy, maybe I will have to cave in and give it a shot :eek:

The Hurricane's teeth are blinding white. We use one of the doggie-floss ropes to play tug-o-war which she loves. With a little luck it will make it to six months before disintegrating.

You seem to know quite a bit about Dogs Maria and it's obvious we have pretty much completely opposite views, strange how people can be brought up learning totally different ideas for the one thing.

I won't go through and highlight all of your post as I don't want to completely take over Ricks thread although your first statement jumped out at me:

Just wondering why you think I have many misconceptions about dogs?

I get that impression from your messages to me. For instance, you seem to confuse Dog Psychology with Dog Training. You didn't know that Dog Psychology is primarily for teaching the dog owner how to relate to his dog.
Differences between dog trainers and dog behaviorists (http://hubpages.com/hub/Difference-between-dog-trainers-and-dog-behaviorists)

Along with other things which you said. But as you said, no need to go over the entire message again.


How did you learn the methods you use out of curiosity?

Personal study and experience with my personal dogs. I am not a professional dog behaviorist nor dog trainer. However, I am quite satisfied with the results I've had with my dogs and I believe others can learn from my experience.

Sincerely,

Oh yes, forgive me, I have no idea what the difference between training and behavior is.

Again I ask, what breeds and how many dogs do you work with Maria?

I find it highly insulting that you would come here and insult an Experts knowledge. She has been deemed an expert after proving her self to be VERY knowledgeable.

Oh, whether it's dog behavior or dog training, it's teaching the owner how to act and re act with specific issues and commands. Yes we all know the difference between a behaviorist and a trainer, and had you spent any time reading previous posts and threads or any time on these dog forums, you would already know that.

This is exactly why I decided not to get into dog training, haha. I'll keep with strictly medical knowledge.

I love dog training, I love the obstacles and I love the difference of opinion, I just don't like a 'looking down my nose' attitude.

I would also like to know how many and what breeds you work with Maria?

I've owned 10 dogs in my life. Five of which were pit bulls. I currently own only one dog. A rescue which the pound said was a german shepherd/lab mix, but which physically is identical to a Louisiana Catahoula leopard dog.


I can honestly say with 100% assurance that Shaz has no mis-conseptiopn of dogs.

Good for Shaz.


Remember when you are watching Caesar or Brad, these are condensed shows. These dogs aren't cured in a half hour like the show portrays. These dogs can take weeks, months, even years to obtain the result.

You and others keep bringing up Cesar as though I've only and always used Cesar's techniques. It is true today because I have proven the methods at home.

However, I first began using the Koehler Method of Natural Guard dog training. Anyone who has studied Koehler's methods will possibly see the resemblance with what I call the power walk. I was quite satisfied with the results using that method. But I also love Sea World. And I began to wonder how they trained even THEIR CATS to be so obedient.

I began to study positive reinforcement training. Including clicker training which I couldn't grasp at all. Failed totally with the clicker.

But positive reinforcement worked pretty well and although Koehler condemns the idea of training your dog to work for rewards, I combined positive reinforcement with Koehler methods. I felt as though the results were even better.

Then I heard about dog psychology about ten years ago. I read a book by a woman whose name escapes me, but the title of the book was something like, "Become your dog's pack leader". The title intrigued me. So I read as much as I could on the subject. I realized that much of what was being taught was already in the Koehler method and a small amount was already part of the positive reinforcement method. And even though I had no behavioral problems to correct, I began to apply those methods. They seemed to work. But I had no point of reference to compare. As far as I was aware, my dogs had no problems to resolve. But the dog psychology did no harm.

Along came Cesar.

Although I had heard of Cesar's existence many years ago. He was an enigma. I knew there was this child who seemingly could communicate with dogs and who had come to the US to take care of dogs for celebrities, but I had not heard of any of his methods until about three years ago.

A picture is worth a thousand words. The first time I saw Cesar's show I was astounded. Here I could see what I had only been reading about put into action. I learned what I was doing well and what I was doing wrong and I learned to read my dog's body language and attitudes.

I learned that I was giving my dog mixed signals by my behavior. And I considered myself a fairly knowledgeable dog person. In fact, in the years I've had this dog, I had only one issue which I couldn't resolve.

Anxiety and trembling at the sound of thunder.

Thanks to God, Cesar had a show with a dog exhibiting the same behaviour. And he said all we need to do is to quit reassuring the dog verbally and physically (stroking) when he is exhibiting this behavior.

That is exactly what we had been doing. Since we felt sorry for the dog, whenever he became anxious and fearful, we coocooed him and stroked him. But if anything, the behaviour seemed to be getting worse.

So, we talked about it and applied Cesar's method. When the next storm came around, the dog came to me trembling and whining, I got up and walked away. My wife and children did the same. So the dog simply laid down and trembled by himself. We don't know when it happened exactly, but soon the dog got up and walked to the living room where we were seated and curled up at our feet. No more trembling or whining.

And that behaviour has not been seen again.

So, Cesar has made a believer out of me.

That's good for you, so can you respect others opinions on this thread please?

With that explanation, I'm surprised my dog doesn't attack everyone considering he gets excited when I get the leash out and I let him take his time and sniff and do his thing during the first 10 minutes of our walk... I must have some horrible dominant, aggressive dog.

I'm assuming you're referring to my post about walking. :)

The main reason I've taught my dogs to sit and wait for a walk, walk and wait to sniff, is because I have 3 dogs, 2 of which are larger breeds. When we go for walks I usually go alone, with the 3 dogs. If I had three dogs jumping on me to get their leashes on, I'd never get a leash on. If I had three dogs sniffing every tree we come upon, I'd be walking 24/7.

Chewy (the beagle) is a very dominant dog. It's his way or the highway most times, and he's been the hardest to train. He's also still young and beagles as a breed are known for their pigheadedness. He's taken a lot more work, a lot more patience, and a lot more time to train than the other two, but we've stuck by it and now he's a really great family member.

Going for a walk should be enjoyable, but not only for the dog, for you too. I don't like being pulled around like a sled, or stopping every two seconds to sniff a blade of grass. That's why I've trained my dogs to sit calmly at the door before the walk, wait to get their leashes on, and than walk calmly along my side until I say it's time for a break.

Dogs are natural followers, they just have to learn who to follow. In our house it's the humans, not just me. My kids can walk all three dogs and not have a problem. Even my 8 year old can walk the three of them alone (if she was allowed to cross the street by herself). ;)

It wasn't directed at your post, Alty :)

I think I must be the only one here who doesn't brush their dogs teeth :o

Brodys are squeeky clean and white as snow but Pradas are looking a little grungy, maybe I will have to cave in and give it a shot :eek:

Shazzy, I've never brushed my dogs teeth. Indy is 15 years old, has never even had a teeth cleaning done at the vet, and he still has all his teeth. In fact, the vet always comments that he has the teeth of a 2 year old.

On the flip side, our poodle Silver had his teeth brushed (by us) every week, went for teeth cleaning at the vet once a year and died with one tooth left in his mouth.

The difference between my dogs and Silver. My dogs get dry dog food. Once in a while I'll mix the wet dog food in as a treat, but for every day diet it's the dry. The vet swears this is why all my dogs have very healthy teeth.

Just an fyi. :)

I do notice that a lot with dogs teeth by the way. The ones on soft food tend to build up tartar much faster.
And I know a lot of people have the OMFGHORRIBLE mentality on veterinary diets, but since we've started selling a Dental diet by Medi Cal, the clients who put their pets on it... holy CRAP a difference! Works wonders for those who don't want to/can't brush their pets teeth.

Again I ask, what breeds and how many dogs do you work with Maria?

Answered.


I find it highly insulting that you would come here and insult an Experts knowledge. She has been deemed an expert after proving her self to be VERY knowledgeable.

Was I the one challenging her messages? Or is she the one challenging mine?


Oh, whether it's dog behavior or dog training, it's teaching the owner how to act and re act with specific issues and commands. Yes we all know the difference between a behaviorist and a trainer, and had you spent any time reading previous posts and threads or any time on these dog forums, you would already know that.

Not in my opinion. I do have the right to express my own opinion, don't I?

You said:
Oh, whether it's dog behavior or dog training, it's teaching the owner how to act and re act with specific issues and commands.

That is dog training.

Dog psychology is training the dog owner to recognize what his dog is communicating by his behaviour. It also trains the dog owner to communicate non verbally with his dog.

Implementing dog psychology methods is a foundation for dog training.

Soft food does contribute a lot but so goes genetics.

The saliva causes the decay and tartar and just like other inherited traits, the acidity of a dogs saliva can also be inherited.
So that's why you can have 2 dogs that eat the same food but one has good teeth and the other bad... fun fact.

Of course, if you do have a dog with 'bad' saliva dry biscuits are a must to help keep them cleaner.

That's good for you, so can you respect others opinions on this thread please?

Was I the one who began to challenge your opinions? Or are you the one who began to challenge mine?

If I did not challenge you, why do you characterize me as disrespecting your opinions? Did you not call me out and try to prove that my methods were wrong?

Soft food does contribute a lot but so goes genetics.

TRUE. Oh my lord some breeds. All of our Chihuahuas at the clinic who have had dental work done look like they never had it done in the first place a year later.

Quote: Shazamataz
However, I'm a little confused on your definition of dog psychology... do you mean it is more like just the owner being educated in how to train and react around a dog?


Quote: De Maria: Yes.

You said it.

Was I the one who began to challenge your opinions? Or are you the one who began to challenge mine?

If I did not challenge you, why do you characterize me as disrespecting your opinions? Did you not call me out and try to prove that my methods were wrong?

I offered a differing opinion and asked for a discussion, not for you to say I have many misconceptions about dogs.
So again, I ask you to respect others opinions, you can offer a differing one sure, I believe I told you it was great you were offering a different opinion, but that's doesn't mean you are right and everyone else is wrong.

I am going to bow out of this thread for now before it gets completely hijacked.

Can somebody please alert me if and when Rick or Luda come back?

Thanks.

Before this all gets out of hand, I'll address this one time and then can we can get back to helping Rick, Lida, the kids and little John (why do I feel like I'm in a robin hood movie? Little John. Giggle).

DeMaria, you're not new to this site but this is the very first time I've ever seen you on the dog forum. I have to wonder why, but no matter what, your input is welcome, but... yes, there's a but, you seem to have your way and only your way, disregarding what others have said.

Meet 5 people in the dog park, discuss training techniques, and all 5 will tell you something different. There is no sure fire, cut and dry, do this and only this method. Just like not all methods of education work for every child, not every method of training, or psychology, works for every dog. It's trial and error, learning what works for you and for your dog.

There are four amazing animal experts on this site and there are also many amazing members (without the Expert title) that are dog and other animal experts as well. One thing that's different about the dog forums is that we all respect each others opinions. If you read our posts, we have many different views, many different techniques, but we all respect others opinions, and we all love dogs.

There is no step by step instruction book on raising a puppy that will solve all your problems. I've read many (too many), and not one has solved every issue. I don't rely on glorified methods to teach my dogs to be family members. I've taken bits and pieces of others work, added methods that work for me, and have come up with completely different methods based on the dog in question. I am not a dog trainer or a dog psychologist, I'm simply a person that's never been without a dog, and has learned through trial and error how to work with the dogs that live with me and my family and make them the best dogs I can.

As a group, Shazzy, Bella, myself and others have used many different techniques. A few things are tried, tested, and true, other things have been used by different members and worked for their dog, but not others. Dog training, dog psychology, it isn't a sure thing, it's work, and you have to be willing to listen to many different opinions, try many different techniques, before you find what works for you and your dog.

I welcome you to the forum, and I know that Shazzy and Bella do as well, but please keep in mind that we did not get our Expert status because we're cute (even though we're adorable). We got it because we know what we're talking about, and we know how to listen.

Please respect other opinions on this forum. You've already stepped on a few toes because it seems to be your way or the highway. That's not helpful and it doesn't make for a good team. That's what we all are. Everyone who posts in the animal forum is a team, working together to help the OP, in this case Rick and his family.

By all means, post your advice, but when someone posts theirs, please do not put it down because unless you've tried that technique with every dog, you cannot say it doesn't work.

Now, back to helping Rick, Lida, kids and fur baby.

For all those that want to discuss training techniques without further hijacking this thread;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/dog-training-techniques-big-debate-503320.html

Rick and Lida, I surely hope that this discussion hasn't turned you off asking for advice. I will wait until you ask a specific question before I post here again.

As you can see, we're all passionate about our dogs. I do have to say that this kind of disagreement is not the norm for the dogs forum and I apologize that it happened in your thread.

In the end, we can only offer you advice, it's up to you to choose what you want to use and to figure out which techniques work not only for you, but for John.

I hope you're not discouraged from coming back. Also, we need more pictures. :)

...

We got a good dvd about general training,...

Thanks!

I forgot to mention that Cesar also has dvd's. So you don't have to wait for the weekly show:

Amazon.com: cesar millan dvd (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cesar+millan+dvd&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1102713281&ref=pd_sl_9g48cqsqs8_b)

New dog owner
Asked by RickJ On Aug 17, 2010

I've always had cats. I was finally convinced, after over a year of prodding and begging by my kids, to get a dog.

We now have a 2.5 month old puppy. Beagle/Lab mix, with maybe some Weiner Dog mixed in.

We got a good dvd about general training, but I'm wondering what your recommendations would be for the best website(s) to help us further with
1. crate training
2. commands training
3. potty training

Thanks!

Rick, I forgot to mention that Cesar has dvd's for sale. That way you won't have to wait for the show to come one once a week:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=cesar+millan+dvd&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1102713281&ref=pd_sl_9g48cqsqs8_b

DeMaria, you only have to post it once. :)

DeMaria, you only have to post it once. :)

Oh, I didn't see it before. I thought I'd forgot.