Can anyone answer stupid questions?

[PariahHairy]

I have many .

Right we have an approx 14 week old whippet/gh/saluki cross puppy named blue. Before getting him I did research and read a lot about training but obviously, like a baby it's a bit different once you have the actual babydog in front of you with it's own little quirks and agenda.

He is 9 days post his 2nd vaccination and has been on a few walks now (paths rather than parks etc) we did carry him out and about with us when able before this though.


Ok so now the questions, training, is it better to concentrate on one command until learnt, or say practice a few different commands in one day (separate short sessions). Also do I use the clicker for toilet training? He got sit first time, drop is improving with the clicker although he doesn't yet associate the word with the action.

House training, any tips? He is slowly getting better, will do both wee and poo on walks/trips to the garden during the day, although still does it freely inside the house. Especially at night, when I take him out he whines and sits near the door looking pathetic refusing to budge, wind is especially scary apparently.

He seems to love people and strains to meet newbies, loves the attention and gets much admiration (he is terribly cute), not so much crowds yet. However not so keen on dog kind, hinds behind my legs, I'm researching puppy classes,will this come with time?

Finally food, vet sold us like mugs hills science diet, it's nearly run out though now and tbh I'm loathe to spend that amount of money again because he doesn't really like it. He will eat it reluctantly, but only in dribs and drabs, even when only offering it 4 times a day with nothing else.

I tried mixing it with wet food, but he just gulps the bit of wet food and ignores the kibble.

I'd like him to enjoy his meals, lets face it it's the main reason for living for most dogs . Any reccomendations? I got some of those frozen chunk things from p@h and he goes mental for those, but they only had adult dog things, so I'm not sure if they are suitable for puppies.

He looks 100% better thn he did when we got him, sorry for the essay feel free to answer any small part .

[Callisto]

Take him to puppy training classes. I can't emphasise enough how good it is for the puppy's socialisation and the trainer will give you lots of help on training at home. Also, find a trainer that uses positive reinforcement methods.

Take him outside whenever he wakes up, stops playing, starts sniffing around (you'll being to learn the signals) and praise him whenever he goes outside. At night go out with him on a lead or take him round the block. He is only a baby and the dark is scary.

My two terriers are on Eukanuba which is also expensive but only because one of the terriers has a wheat allergy (hmm). When I had two greyhounds and a terrier they were on Countrywide own brand complete (£15 for a 15kg bag) and did very well on it.

Good luck, he sounds lovely.

[Scuttlebutter]

Another vote for puppy classes. The more work you do on training and socialisation when young, the better. Look on the APDT website and you'll find a well qualified positive dog trainer near you.

You also need to be aware that your sighthound (who sounds utterly gorgeous by the way) will probably have a very strong chase instinct/prey drive so you will need to be aware of this when training. Could be worth joining a forum like Lurcher Link where there will be many, many specialist and v friendly lurcher owners who can advise and support. Personally I wouldn't bother with Hills. If you want to stick to dry food there are several good ones - Burns is excellent, or James Wellbeloved, or Harringtons. Burns have a v helpful phone line - worht giving them a call and I think they will even send you a free sample to see if your dog likes it.

Raw is certainly worth looking into though it's not everyone's cup of tea (metaphorically!) I'm a big fan personally but am aware it doesn't suit everyone. Can't advise on right quantities for pups as we have all adult dogs - again LL might be a good source of wisdom.

[FragileTitanium]

My breeder recommended beta puppy mixed with fresh. My 10 week old puppy LOVES it. 3 small meals a day, according to the breeder plus some training treats and chews. She's doubled in size in the last two weeks!

[tabulahrasa]

'is it better to concentrate on one command until learnt, or say practice a few different commands in one day (separate short sessions).'

Whichever suits you both - as long as neither of you are getting bored or frustrated it doesn't really matter.

'Also do I use the clicker for toilet training?'

I don't see why not? I don't because I didn't start clicker training until he was older, but I don't see any reason not to.

'House training, any tips?'

Just stick at it, lol.

'However not so keen on dog kind, hinds behind my legs, I'm researching puppy classes,will this come with time?'

Definitely go to classes - they're great for socialisation. Also slightly scared but interested in other dogs is fairly normal for puppies, you just want to make sure that he gets positive experiences.

Food...

It's absolutely up to you what you feed him, vets do encourage certain kinds and certain brands -they're not the best tbh. There's no real issue with adult food, lots of people don't subscribe to the idea that they need different food.

The frozen stuff from PAH - make sure it's a complete food, some of the frozen ones aren't. For raw feeding puppies, it's 10% of their current weight or 2-3% of their expected adult weight, whichever is smallest at the time.

This is a comparison site for dog food, it's great.

[LadyTurmoil]

You must put some photos up here - he sounds soooo sweet!

[idirdog]

I think most of your questions have been answered but do not use a clicker for toilet training.

if you think what the clicker does eg mark the exact behaviour, you can not click the entire wee or poo so the dog will get mega confused.

So take outside to allocated spot you want the dog to wee, give command word and quietly gently praise whilst in action with a big treat at the end. No clicker.

I would work on several behaviours in different sessions throughout the day, this gets the dog used to thinking things out. But look at puppy games rather than structured training.

Click and treat the dog responding to their name
Click and treat the dog when it is close to you - great for heel work and recall at a later date
Click and treat for going into crate - make this a game and a race
Click and treat for running after you when you have a toy etc.

[PariahHairy]

Thanks so much for your advice, very helpful, not having much luck finding a training class, there is one an hours bus ride away, but will pop into the vets and see if they know of any closer. Will try the local pet shop and see what foods they have, or maybe order online, Fragile, when you say mixed with fresh what exactly do you feed?

I'm liking the sound of burns too, will put up photos when I get a new camera, haven't even got a decent phone .

He is very sweet although is a pukey git, was sick twice tonight, not sure if he had ferreted something out that disagreed with him, or maybe I gave him too much dinner poor love. I find it very a little freaky that you can actually feel his intestines and see the passage of food around them , strangely hypnotic .

He is also still a bit on the bitey side, play bitey but bitey nonetheless, he seems to have a mad half hour at 11pm, I have given up wearing my furry type pj bottoms because I can't walk anywhere in them without him thinking I am giant stuffed toy and hanging off the buggers . Read a link on here about bite inhibition which made sense so trying that.