Dog Training – chewing, digging, crate training

CHEWING: (another natural & highly pleasurable part of dogs life)
However,  CHEWING can become a destructive behaviour if left untreated.
Shouldnt try & STOP a dog from chewing all together :  just need to RECHANNEL onto appropriate things

Provide things that your dog is allowed to chew(make sure they’re tough & safe: always supervise).
Kong toys are ideal as they’re hollow, which means you can stuff them full of goddies & are far more interesting.
Provide a raw bone (do not give them cooked or roasted bones as they can splinter & are highly dangerous).
Raw bones also keep the dogs teeth/gums  healthy and clean.

Treatment
There are bitter sprays & repellents around to spray on valuable things.
Keep them out of rooms with items of high value.
keep things off the floor and off low level shelving.
If he chews something inappropriate, quietly take it from him & say “LEAVE IT” & replace with something else.
Dont get into the game of “Chase Puppy” as he’ll see this as a fun game.

  TOILET TRAINING
Common problem with many owners.
Good news is that puppys come Pre-Programmed to be toilet trained.
Watch any litter of pups,(young as 3wks) NOTICE that mums already taught them leave bed/sleeping when need to toilet.

The bad news is we generally (unknowingly) undo all the good work once get them home.

EASY:  follow the rules mum has already taught them and build on them.
Puppies should already know not to dirty their sleeping area. 
The secret of good toilet training is to limit the area the puppy has to sleep in.

*As soon as you bring puppy home, be very clear where the toilet is.
*Restict  areas of the house he has access to for the first few days to prevent mistakes.

*Take him to the area you want him to use as the toilet
*Wait and hopefully he should need to go.
*Be prepared to wait.   Easily distracted by sights, sounds, smells, movement etc
*As hes going,   say toilet command word: “wee wee”, “toilet”, “busy”
*Always reward toileting in the right place.

*If he makes a mistake, don’t punish him, IGNORE IT,  quietly clean it up.
* Don’t expect miracles too soon – be patient.

CRATE TRAINING:

STEP 1.
Invest in an indoor box / crate.
May look like a prison to us, but to a puppy (whos properly introduced to a box)nhaven to rest from 
Should be big enough pup to stand up, turn around, lay down again.

(a) A wire cage crate:    more visibility of the environment but less privacy.

               OR           

(b) A plastic travel crate:  less visibility of environment but more privacy.
     *performs double duty.
Make it comfortable.
Always leave door open at first:  come & go at will.
If he doesnt go inside, DONT FORCE him to.
Place couple of treats inside or LURE him in there with one.
Try throwing a toy or treat in there using an overexaggerated arm movement (eventually become hand signal)
Try feeding him all his meals in there.
Once in a while, let him DISCOVER a favourite treat or toy in there.
DISCOVERY will keep him coming back time after time to see whats new?

**Make the whole experience a positive one for him. 
**Once hes happy in there, do not allow anyone to disturb the pup as this is his sanctuary.

AFTER couple weeks  :   may shut the door for a while.
Whenever hes sleepy, put him in there  (so gets used to taking a nap in there.)
Once happy and relaxed,   put in there to spend the night.
STEP 2:
add a word command to go in there “KENNEL UP”  etc combined with the Hand Signal.
Once comfortable in there, briefly close the door : Praise, Treat & Let out.
Repeat several times, gradually extending his time in the crate.
DO NOT let him out if hes Barking:  wait until hes quiet  before you open the door.
UNLESS hes been quietly resting, wakes up, barks. He may then need to go Potty.

Pups will generally not soil their resting area if given adequate opportunity to elimate.
Temporarily confining puppy to a small area strongly inhibits the tendency to pee or poo.
BUT if confimed for long periods of time & nature calls, they will go in the crate.

General rule of thumb for confinement:
3months – no longer than 3hours in the crate
4months –                          4 hours
5months –                          5hours

Crate Training will develop his muscles as he tries to hold on for longer and longer periods of time.
Puppys dont usually have muscle control until around 5months.

The more time you spend with your pup, the quicker he will be housetrained.
Accompany him everytime he goes Potty.
Dont leave him in a place (unsupervised) where he can have an accident.
Take him on a leash, Ask him to go, Praise as he goes, Treat when finished.
When done business,  PERFECT time : offleash game etc  (a reward for going in the right place)

WATCH FOR SIGNS: He’ll need to go: (CIRCLING,   SNIFFING)
– after each meal or drink
  – after every play session
  – after a nap

You’re guarantedd success if you take him first thing in the morning & just before you go to bed.
**its worth much more to him to go in your presence & in the right place than NOT  (ie treats, praise, belly rub, game)

Give him 5mins to go and if not either:
– tie his lead to your belt loop and let him accompany you in the house for a little while (up to 1hour).
OR
– confine him to his crate until its convenient for you again.

NO MATTER what happens DO NOT scold or reprimand him.
If you punish your pup he’ll likely be too scared to do in yr presence &therefore hold on til yr out of sight.
PROBLEM SOLVING:
If hes soiling in his crate its too big.
You may want to block part of the space off.
Most crates come with and internal panel / divider.
If not, just use cardboard instead.
As puppy grows, expand the divider to offer more space.
Before leaving him, let him go potty
Take off his collar/lead as this can be dangerous.
Only leave 1 or 2 of his favourite toys in there & remove the rest.
Rotate toys to keep it an interesting place to be.
When at  work (if possible) come home for lunch to let him out.
If not, enlist the help of a neighour/friend or dog sitter to visit.
Dont bother him in there (this is his sanctuary).
When hes not in there, ALWAYS leave the door open so he can have access for time out or space.

Once your pup is crate trained, he will generally do his best not to toilet in there and will hang on to go outside
the bed as mum taught him.

PREVENT MISTAKES:
Be aware pups cannot hang on for very long, and nor should you expect him to.
Heres general rules:
* Don’t feed him after 6pm
* Take him out as late as possible for his last toilet stop: 11pm or later is ideal.
* Get up in the middle of the night if you hear your pup is awake and take him
outside.
* Get up early in the morning (around 6am) and take him out straight away.

As your pup starts to understand this (and gets a bit older), you can slowly
start to leave him in his crate a bit longer. *The fewer mistakes he makes, the more successful his toilet training will be & the quicker you’ll have restful night.

Never punish your pup if he makes a mistake.
These hiccups are your fault for not being more watchful or expecting too much too soon.

Your job is to convince your pup that you love wee and poo – providing its in the right place.

REMEMBER: Dogs have no idea that you’re telling them off for something they did hours ago.
*May look guilty when you shout at them but they’re only reacting to your tone of voice, negative energy and body language.
*Some dogs even think its their poo that upsets you and therefore resort to eating it so you don’t discover it!

*Set him up for success, not failure.

*If mistakes continue, check with your vet to make sure there’s no health reason behind this problem.

*LASTLY:  could try and use a sample off his wee or poo on a newspaper or a puppy pad and put it in
his toilet area so he thinks this is somewhere he’s toileted before.

Hi Paws and Licks all around!
Leah & Angela OMeara
(Houndog – specialists in Pet sitting, Dog Minding & Dog Daycare Brisbane)