<o></o>A new little puppy (will get to be about 10 pounds) joined our household last weekend and I’m feeling way out of my league ….. anyone out there have the low-down on puppy training for the ADDer??? <o></o>

I’ve read way too much information (I knew if I did that I’d just get more confused, and yet – duh, I still did it!!!). I'm getting stumped at every turn. Any suggestions??? She’s a Yorkshire terrier – poodle mix, very cute (naturally) and apparently very smart.
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I was a long-time 'dog neutral' person but am now enjoying the experience of having a “furry child.” (The cliff notes story if anyone’s interested: I was bit on face by a dog as a young child, terrified of dogs for years, slowly lost the fear but totally didn’t “get” why anyone would even want a dog, met my (now) husband and his “hates everyone dog” about 5 years ago, dog decided to “hate everyone except Rebs” and jumped in my lap the first moment he met me, I finally “got it” and was heartbroken when he had to be put down last year at the tender age of 17.)

Now we’ve got this amazing little bundle of fur and I’m totally clueless!!! I’m also the one doing most of the care and training (gotta love the hours and vacation schedule that being a teacher gives you!) which means I'm even more full of self-doubt and certainty that I'll make a mess of things.

She came to us partially litter box trained, but is very inconsistent in using it. We have a small foyer area where she stays if we're not home or not directly interacting with her.

I want her to be a happy, well-adjusted dog but something tells me I'm going to create a neurotic little monster because of my inabilities to be consistent and my tendency to cycle between being utterly neglectful and utterly overbearing! (Okay, that was an exaggeration. A slight one!)

Any words of wisdom? Tips and tricks? Good books to read?

The Oprah show has had several dog trainers, each with their own philosophy, on the show. This lady really caught my eye and if I ever get another puppy, I will use her method. It just makes sense.

http://www.amazon.com/Loved-Dog-Playful-Nonaggressive-Behavior/dp/1416938141/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206639248&sr=1-1

You might be able to still view a clip on the Oprah website.

I agree, she makes sense - thanks for the recommendation! There are several clips on Oprah's site that I was able to watch.... I've been doing the "jumping" part right, that felt good to know! (Now, how to train the husband to not allow the puppy to jump is another story, ha ha)

Thanks!

Hey, from what I've seen, Yorkies are adorable.

I went to a book store today with the goal of picking up the book you suggested, and wouldn't you know I only could remember the first name of the author!!! Ah well, next time.

I did pick up "Puppies for Dummies," though, which will be a good start.

Yorkies are very cute indeed! Once the poodle gets mixed in, you get smart, not-quite-as-stubborn, and curly-haired along with the cute. =)




http://http//addforums.com/forums/album.php?albumid=112&pictureid=779
http://addforums.com/forums/album.php?albumid=112&pictureid=779

Pictures? It would make a nice avatar.

Argh - I'm trying (so far in vain) to figure out how to put a picture into a post. I do have some in my album, though! =) Changing my avatar is a good idea, though, and I do know how to do that!

Edited to add - oops, maybe I don't know how to do that... looks like I'll be poking around a bit tomorrow!

In my experience, the key thing on the potty training is just to anticipate her need to go before she does it in the house. Then praise, praise, praise when she goes outside. Eventually she gets the idea that going outside = good. You don't need or want to "punish" her for going inside (only if you literally caught her in the act, and then no more than a "no," and quickly carry her outside). If you keep her in a closely enclosed area when you're not home (those little kennels are not cruel if they're not in there for too many hours at a time; our dog actually went to hers for "safety" now and then), then she'll naturally try to avoid peeing or pooping in her kennel anyway because they prefer not to be right next to it. So you can help train her to hold it that way.

She's cute. Have fun! I love puppies. Actually, I love pretty much any animal...

Hey Rebs, nice avatar.

Good advice, thank you! We're doing litter box training - she does us it about 75% of the time (she came to us willing/able to use it) but since I don't (ADD of course) pay consistent attention, I don't always catch her warning signs and she goes elsewhere. Or I'll find a puddle. So then I worry that it's me who is "training" her not to be consistent.

She's in a little foyer area (food, water, bed on one side and litter box about 5 feet away) when I'm not directly watching her, or she plays with us in a (blocked off) area of our living room. When she does run for the box (or gets scooped up and put in there) we say "Hurry Up" while she's going so that hopefully she'll learn to go on cue. I keep reading that this is possible - we'll see!!!

We're also acclimating her to being crated because it just makes sense to do so ("Kennel up"!) On Monday I go back to work and then she'll be on her own for a good amount of time each day - that's why we're doing the litter box instead of the crate at this time.

She's a smart little critter.... with one or two little training sessions for the past 5 or so days and she's already pretty consistent with "sit", "sit-stay" and "come". She also sits for us before she eats, before we pick her up out of her gated foyer area, and before we let her up on the couch with us.

I am definitely a worrier - sometimes it's helpful in problem solving but usually it's self-defeating. So I end up with all these questions racing around... am I leaving her alone too much? Not enough? Is she having a normal amount of accidents? Am I missing so many accidents that she'll forever be accustomed to going wherever she wants?

Thanks for your suggestions - definitely helped reassure me. Sorry for the long response!! =)


In my experience, the key thing on the potty training is just to anticipate her need to go before she does it in the house. Then praise, praise, praise when she goes outside. Eventually she gets the idea that going outside = good. You don't need or want to "punish" her for going inside (only if you literally caught her in the act, and then no more than a "no," and quickly carry her outside). If you keep her in a closely enclosed area when you're not home (those little kennels are not cruel if they're not in there for too many hours at a time; our dog actually went to hers for "safety" now and then), then she'll naturally try to avoid peeing or pooping in her kennel anyway because they prefer not to be right next to it. So you can help train her to hold it that way.

She's cute. Have fun! I love puppies. Actually, I love pretty much any animal...

Hey Rebs, nice avatar.

Hey Imnapl - thanks for the suggestion!! I had set up a profile picture when I first signed on to ADD Forums, thinking that was my avatar. Silly me for never even noticing that it wasn't there next to my name in posts!

Hi Rebs,

I'm in the process of raising a baby Boston terrier, also with a litter box because she has no fur to speak of and it's COLD this time of year.

When I am not home she lives in an ex-pen (exercise pen) in the kitchen, on the vinyl floor.http://www.ccchihuahuas.com/images/ex_pen_setup.jpg

I put a small crate (dog travel cage) in the ex-pen so she has a little den to sleep in.

My litter box, which has worked well for me, is a flat plastic bin, the kind you slide under the bed, about 6 inches deep
http://www.organizeit-online.com/images/3201.jpg
and filled with a mix of peat moss and potting soil. My dog recognized the dirt at once as a proper place to pee and poo, much more than the cat litter I tried earlier, or newspapers. Once I put the dirtbox in her ex-pen she has not messed anywhere else in the ex-pen. Of course, your mileage may vary. :p

Puppies are great fun, aren't they? Enjoy,

Ducky

Thanks hollyduck - the pictures are awesome. We're finding it's hit or miss with getting in the box. Probably 90% with urine (although I can't be positive... our rug has a pattern that could hide quite a bit), maybe 50% with solid waste. Again, I'm not sure if this is happening because of her age or because of me not being attentive enough!

I have to ask - do you have three dogs in that pen? It's hard to tell....

(and THANK YOU, by the way, I kept hearing about "X-pens" and thought they were in the shape of an "X".... thanks for the clarification!!)