Byootaful said:
Excuse me? I said if the dog was an outdoor dog, keep it outside. I have many friends who have dogs that live outside, it's not banishment. It doesn't have to stay out there 24/7, just when they aren't home, or whatever.
I didn't mean to seem too harsh with that comment but you asked if it was an indoor dog and then suggested putting it outside. Too many people just get fed up with their animals and put them outside, which doesn't help the problem. In fact, dogs left outside all the time are much more likely to be poorly socialized and to bite. My parents keep their two dogs in a kennel outside when they are at work but they both spent their first year of life indoors all the time until they were completely trained and then they were shifted outdoors during the day. Putting the dog outside was the only training comment you made so I just figured you thought that was a solution.
chipmunk said:
When you crate train an animal does it learn to use the bathroom in the crate? And would that cause sanitation problems? I mean he's not going to get sick from having to share confined space with his excrement is he? I don't want him sick. I know when I was working at a vet hospital not all animals learned to keep their business to one corner. Is there anything else I need to know about crate training? Just put him in the crate and that's it? Try to train him to the paper like training a dog to go outside (I know how that works)?
Ok...wow...where to start....
First, you (and the roommates) have to realize that training a dog is a long process. Many people start to train their puppies and get frustrated when they are still having accidents or chewing, barking, jumping, etc after a month. 2 and 3 year olds don't learn quickly and neither do small puppies. That said though, at 16 weeks that puppy is getting "old" fast. You need to start setting up rules and training it now. It's not impossible to retrain a dog/puppy but it certainly is more difficult.
Second, you are going to need to have a conversation with the roommates no matter what. I commend you for wanting to train the dog, but if the other two aren't willing to train the puppy in exactly the same way (same commands, same rules, same reprimands, etc.) it will only make training harder. You may do a great job of housetraining, but if the roommates come home and don't watch the puppy that closely and he pottys on the floor, well that's just negated the good training you've instill.
Third- reprimands. They need to be swift. The tradition of rubbing a dog's nose in it's excrement hours after the dog went to the bathroom does absolutely nothing. Dog's do not remember what they did and they do not associate your anger with the poo and the bad deed. All they know is you are holding their head to the floor and yelling for no apparent reason- which will likely make them fearful. If you actually see the puppy going to the bathroom on the floor- actually catch him in the act- you can yell, shout, clap your hands, yell "NO", throw ping pong balls, squirt with water, anything like that to startle the dog. Then immediately take him outside and praise him for going to the bathroom.
You should also realize that a puppy that age and that size will need to go outside about every 15 minutes initially to get the idea of housetraining- remember how tiny he is. His bladder is little more than the size of a ping pong ball. When you're that tiny it's hard to hold anything for very long. Even when he gets the idea of housetraining (going to stand by the door, etc.) it may take a while for his anatomy to catch up. When he's an adult he'll probably be able to go the whole day but you need to set up a strict regimen right from the beginning. Set the oven timer for 15 minutes and take him out regularly. Also, take him out immediately after waking up in the morning, immediately after eating and right before bed.
Now, crate training. Crate training is actually the exact opposite of what you are thinking. You absolutely, positively do NOT want the puppy going to the bathroom in the crate. The idea isn't to train the dog to go in the crate- or on newspaper or puppy pads for that much matter- it's to go outside. Puppy pads and newspaper definitely have their merits, but I'm wary of something that makes it ok to go to the bathroom indoors, as long as it's on a pad. If your ultimate goal is for the dog to always go to the bathroom outside, using a puppy pad and allowing the dog to occasionally go indoors strikes me as counter productive. However, on days that I have to work or have to be otherwise away from my apartment for more than 12 hours I leave a pad out for my dog. They have their merits, but they shouldn't be your only choice of housetraining.
So, go and get a crate. You want it to be just big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around and lay down. Nothing else. Do not worry about room for food or water bowls. If you put food or water bowls in the cage the dog will be more likely to mess in the cage because he will be filling up his colon and bladder and need to empty it. The idea behind crate training is that dog's do not naturally want to go to the bathroom where they have to lay down or stay. Also, you want the puppy to eventually view the crate as a safe place, his den. It shouldn't be used for punishment because then the dog will resent going into the crate. Put the crate in the apartment and leave the door open. At first, just throw treats into the back to get the dog to go inside on his own. Don't shut the door at first. Let him get used to the idea of going in and out freely on his terms. Then once he's used to it (a couple days to a week) then start shutting him in (after throwing the treat it first) for short periods of time, 5 mins, 10 mins, and then more. Always take him outside immediately after letting him out of the crate, even if he was in there for just 5 minutes. Take him to the exact same spot every time. Give the exact same command every time (do your business, go potty, go pee-pee, whatever works). If he doesn't go to the bathroom, take him back inside and put him back in the crate. Don't give him free roam of the apartment until he's gone to the bathroom. That way he will learn that the only way to be "free" in the apartment is to go to the bathroom right away the first time you take him outside. No one likes to walk around forever in a rainstorm in January waiting for their dog to go to the bathroom. If you train immediacy into him it will help you in the long run. The key though is consistency. Puppies are easily confused and I guarantee he will learn very quickly if you use the exact same command, exact same routine, exact same reprimands, etc. But again, this is contingent on your roommates helping.
You should also look into formal obediance classes. They can offer good suggestions and help troubleshoot any problems you have along the way.
Hope all this helps. Let me know if you still have questions. I'm pretty busy but I try to respond as quickly as I can.
-Ashley
