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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Elaine has been training dogs professionally for 14 years. She is a CPDT as well as an endorsed member of NADOI. She is also certified in narcotics detection and is one half of a (twice) certified explosives detection team - the other half being her Dutch Shepherd Spawn, who is also titled in several protection sports. Elaine is the owner of Canine's Best Behavior, a Los Angeles based training company, offering Basic Manners, CGC, K9 Games (soon!) as well as behavior modification for aggression fears phobias etc.
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9/12/2006
Hi, I have a 3-month old puggle. He does OK, as far as house training, but occasionally he does make mistakes on the carpet. My question is, at what age should he and I go to a trainer? Is he too young now? I would like him to be obedient (all the time), use the bathroom in the right place and to stop begging for food all day. (kokopuff, Ohio )
Hi Kokopuff (or is that your dog's name?)
3 months old and making an occasional bathroom boo boo is not unusual. What may be happening is that you are mistaking luck for skill. Meaning that maybe you are assuming he is more proficient at knowing what to do when he has to go than he really is at this young age. Standardizing his bathroom schedule to say every 90 minutes (during the day while he is active) tells him "You will have the opportunity to go to the bathroom. If you "produce some results" then you gain 90 more minutes of freedom. If you go outside and get distracted by a butterfly, falling leaf, bird, molecule etc. and forget what you are there to do-Lock down!" No freedom until the next scheduled bathroom opportunity happens. In a few days you will be able to more accurately predict his pattern because even at 3 months he has one. Once he's successful within the 90 minute time frame you can start to increase that time.
As far as training goes, do it now! The biggest window of learning in his life is prior to 16 weeks. Fill his puggly brain with the information you want him to have all his life, particularly teach him to come to when you call him now! Before he becomes naturally curious and "Mighty Mouse" like at about 4 1/2- 5 months.
Begging for food is simple: don't cave!!! Remember, dogs do what works. If he begs and you fold like lawn chair, he will do it again. Yes, I am sure it is difficult to resist that face! But it will help him in the long run to learn some self-control. Go deaf, dumb and blind while you are eating now or put up with it forever! Know too, that he will most likely have an extinction burst (BIG brat attack) when you don't do what you normally do when he puggles you for food.
Make sure he is on a decent puppy food too. And that he has been dewormed properly. Along with the most learning he will ever do is also the most rapid growth he will do in the first 6 months of his life. He may be honest to God hungry.
A great book to read: The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell, it's all about how we relate to dogs and has great training information as well
Elaine Allison CPDT NADOI
Canine Behavior Consultant
Canine's Best Behavior
1.866.K9s.Best
www.caninesbestbehavior.com
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