[Catsmine]

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

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

[RickJ]

Here are a couple pics of John:

[RickJ]

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 :)

[shazamataz]

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!

[Cat1864]

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

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

[RickJ]

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.

[Aurora_Bell]

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.

[Lida]

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

[RickJ]

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.

[shazamataz]

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.

[Catsmine]

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.

[RickJ]

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? :)

[Catsmine]

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

Only if the cat's named Saul

[RickJ]

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.

[shazamataz]

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

[Catsmine]

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.

[Lida]

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.

[Alty]

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?

[Lida]

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.

[Aurora_Bell]

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.