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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Never had one one before. Our puppy arrived today....tips please!

37 replies

Indaba · 23/09/2011 21:12

Think subject line says it all.

And am sure this has been done a million times, but any handy hints for complete novice in the dog world. Got loads of books to read but am interested in any little things you have learned.

Much appreciated!!!!!

OP posts:

Rhinestone · 23/09/2011 21:17

Puppy classes.

Establish house training as soon as you can. Take puppy outside every 20-30 mins and go wild with happiness when they go. Give treats.

Buy copy of "30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog" by Tamar Geller and follow it. Do not, repeat, not listen to anything Cesar Milan says.

LeBOF · 23/09/2011 21:20

Never let them on your bed, or even upstairs.

Ignore all crying resolutely.

Be as chilled as possible.

LeBOF · 23/09/2011 21:21

What type have you got, by the way?

FrauLindor · 23/09/2011 21:22

Take the time to train now, it will save you lots of hassle in the long run.

Put a pic on your profile so we can all go "awwwwwwwwwwwwwww"

pingdriver · 23/09/2011 21:28

get a crate for the little bundle of joy! It gets its own home which no one else comes into. You get a safe place to leave said bundle while going out/house training it (dogs will not mess in their own bed). I have found crates to be invaluable but aware not everyone thinks they are great. If you do have one, never put the puppy in there as punishment or when you have simply had enough however - it is not a cage.

House train from start - as already said above is good advice - need to do through the night as well!

Not sure what breed. While it will be very cute be very consistant from start with rules - not jumping, nipping etc.

Everyone in family needs to be consistent with words and actions as well - whatever you choose for going to toilet, and other commands.

Rhinestone · 23/09/2011 21:28

Be as chilled as possible but never even let them upstairs?

Doesn't sound very 'chilled' if I'm honest.

Pudding2be · 23/09/2011 21:30

Buy a crate and make it lovely and cosy for him. Best thing we ever bought

If he doesn't sleep at night try to not let him sleep as much in the day.

Enjoy him while he is little, take loads of pictures and videos as they don't stay like that for very long

Pudding2be · 23/09/2011 21:32

Oh and we found puppy pads invaluable, esp in his crate at night

LeBOF · 23/09/2011 21:37

Rhinestone- I was so chilled that I DID let her upstairs. My sex life has been decimated

Prevention is better than cure!

LeBOF · 23/09/2011 21:39

Oh, but to clarify, I mean don't feel like you've got to constantly entertain etc.

I got my pup about the same time as Solo2, and she has had a lot of stress from setting the bar very high for herself, i think.

coccyx · 23/09/2011 21:42

my dog keeps me warm on my bed.
Get a warm dressing gown for those night wees and practise "WHAT a good girl/boy | in a shrill voice

Rhinestone · 23/09/2011 21:46

Oh definitely shut them out of the bedroom for that!!

MartyrStewart · 23/09/2011 21:50

Discard the Pack Leader theory, but treat them like a dog, not a child. If you have sons, however, boys are like dogs, so go ahead.

LeBOF · 23/09/2011 21:51

Rhinestone, it's terrible- there's no way I can do it with her looking at me; it's worse than a baby! And we have to sneak upstairs and put the baby gate on, but she clocks on every time, and scratches at the carpet at the bottom of the stairs- it's ruined

tooearlytobeup · 23/09/2011 21:55

LeBof PMSL!

When we got our pup, I bought stairgates, using the excuse that my then 3 year old needed to have a place to get away from the pup and play with her toys in peace.

Really it was so we could shag without being disturbed. I could not have coped with spaniel eyes watching me and pleading to sleep on the bed

Original poster

Indaba · 23/09/2011 22:21

A Hungarian Vizsla.

He is in his crate now. Asleep.

Like the mother of a new born child I think I should be getting my sleep now, whilst he is, instead of MNing.

OP posts:

MartyrStewart · 23/09/2011 22:33

love Love LOVE Vizslas

Just praise and treat every time he does something you want him to. Clicker training works well with intelligent dogs.

Take him out into the garden every half an hour - then go CRAZY when he does a wee outside. If it all becomes too much for you - PM me and I will be happy to take him off your hands

Original poster

Indaba · 23/09/2011 23:35

whats clicker training? forgive my ignorance

OP posts:

Sarah009 · 23/09/2011 23:58

Ooh I love vizlas, not the easiest dog tho! They learn quickly both good and bad habits. We don't give our dog any attention when we enter a room or arrive home until he's calm. Stops him getting over excited thinking he's it. Don't look at him or talk to him, then when he's calm give him lots of attention. Have fun with your viz.

Springyknickersohnovicars · 24/09/2011 09:44

Get a crate:

Ignore crying, never remove puppy from crate when crying it will be seen as a reward by the pup and encourage it.

When you wake take puppy straight out.

Take puppy out after each feed.

When puppy starts to sniff take the puppy out.

Whatever you want from a grown dog allow or encourage as a puppy, so if you want a large dog lying on you on the sofa, let the puppy lie on you on the sofa. If you want her on your bed as a large dog let the puppy on your bed and ditto if you don't.

Now that I have given you the benefit of my wisdom can you please let me a couple of matchsticks to keep my eyes open with. My puppy has now been home for three nights, one night crying, one night quiet until 7 and tonight up at 5 am.

So although extremely inexperienced all of the above tips were received from the RSPCA as she's a rescue dog.

DooinMeCleanin · 24/09/2011 10:29

Clicker training is simple. You'll need a clicker and treats.

'Charge' the clicker for the first few sessions by clicking and then giving a treat. The pup will start to associate the sound of the click with something good happening.

After that use the click to mark behaviours you want. As an example I am clicker training my parents dog to get off the sofa. I call her up, point to the floor and when she gets down I click and treat. Once she is getting better at it I'll add a command i.e. "Off". The clicker is just a faster way of marking the correct behaviour so the dog tends to learn what you want from them a lot quicker.

This book explains more about positive training and clicker training. You can even train your dc although they tend to get annoyed if you use the dogs clicker on them . The principle is the still the same e.g "Well done, you've walked all the way to school without whining, have a chocolate button". Works on husbands too. I plan on using positive training to take over the world [evilgrin]

rogersmellyonthetelly · 24/09/2011 10:33

Second pp, if you don't want them to do it when they are full grown, don't let them do it now. Re the crate thing, I got one after a couple of weeks, it saved my sanity, my house and my sex life. Crate is in our bedroom, and she Is allowed on the bed when I say so, but not unless invited.
Make your rules now and stick to them. I found toilet training the hardest thing, as I work at home in the day and found I got distracted, but take her outside as soon as she wakes, after every meal and whenever she gets excited or starts to fidget.
Personally I never used puppy pads in the crate, as puppies will not soil their den unless desperate and I found that because she was in my room in the night that I heard her start to fidget and whine a little, at that point I got up took her to wee then came straight back into the crate with no other attention, and she would settle straight back to sleep. Gradually she went from waking at 2 am and 5 am for a wee to waking at 3 am and then up at 6, then at 4 etc, she stuck at 5 for a while but when i noticed that she wasn't weeing straight away when I took her out, I asked on here and everyone said she was old enough to go through the night holding it. That was about 5 months. She is 6 months now and starts to stir whenever we do in the morning, she has never cried except when we leave her to go out and then not for long.

smartyparts · 24/09/2011 10:34

We have a 6 month old pup.

Agree with clicker training (although haven't tried it on the kids yet ).

It has been fantastic for getting him to come back on walks unless there's another dog

swallowedAfly · 24/09/2011 10:43

lots of good advice - definitely start training right away and rewarding good behaviour. lots of treat and rewards in early days (it feels ridiculous because you find yourself thinking i can't be giving treats constantly forever, they're only doing it for the treat but it isn't like that - i used to alternate treats with really over the top praise and affection - as in both or just the affection. eventually the treats can just be occasional and they're still obedient).

one thing i would say is don't be too cautious about letting them off the lead - i personally think the younger the better as it builds both of your confidence and gets recall working great so that you have a fantastic walking companion who you can let roam and run and get loads of exercise confident they'll come back when you call. i always feel sorry for dogs not allowed off lead in safe spaces because their owner was never confident enough to train them. out in the fields i let my lab off lead right from the start and she is fab to walk with - so much fun. good start is to make you the exciting figure - run with them, leg it along with them and then stop suddenly and get them to drop to the floor and fuss like mad. run in a circle with a treat in your hand or ball or whatever they love and get them running and doing turns with you.

yes i'd say as soon as immunised and safe get out there with them in the open and do off lead training and make it fun and fast and varied.

swallowedAfly · 24/09/2011 10:45

no comment on the upstairs issue as i'd be a hypocrite. dog sleeps with me every night in my bed and the first night i couldn't bear the screaming so slept with her on my chest on the sofa

it's not a problem as i'm single and i have a dog blanket over the bed to reduce the hairy issues. would hate to think what she'd do if i attempted to bring a man into bed.

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