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The doghouse

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Original poster

If your puppy came home

27 replies

LandSharksAnonymous · 19/04/2025 08:54

knowing one command or skill, what would it be?

N.B - I had a frankly insane (no other way to describe it) conversation with someone yesterday. Now I am curious…

OP posts:
Meceme · 19/04/2025 09:10

Lie down.

Rowgtfc72 · 19/04/2025 09:13

Sleeping through. Thankfully ours mastered it after a week but it was a bloody long week on the sofa.
Anything else is doable and I can cope with during daylight hours after having slept 🙂

Jennalong · 19/04/2025 09:14

Having a good recall .

WorriedOnion · 19/04/2025 09:14

Leave it. Or stop. Both are essential.

LoopyLouLaLa · 19/04/2025 09:15

Toilet trained or sleeping through

Thatcannotberight · 19/04/2025 09:29

For safety reasons Stop/Stay. Although as pp Lie Down works too.

Ylvamoon · 19/04/2025 10:30

Toilet trained.
Sit, stop stay recall, ... is really easy to teach a 8 week old puppy. But toiletting outside takes a bit longer and can be messy.

Lascivious · 19/04/2025 10:35

Toilet trained.

Our pup was trained when he joined us at 9 weeks and didn’t need to go at night.

ItsCalledAConversation · 19/04/2025 10:37

Leave it and stay/wait.

faerietales · 19/04/2025 11:25

Stop/stay or recall.

Original poster
LandSharksAnonymous · 19/04/2025 12:11

Interesting that lots of people are using the different words or phrases which I think they are using to say the same thing (which is why I don't teach 'settle' or 'lie down' or 'stop').

As it is, it's house-training that I do - teaching the puppies to recognise when they need to go, what to do when they need to, and getting them used to peeing on command. I also do luring (getting the dogs to follow me in exchange for food - which is a basic for wider training).

The person I was talking to was horrified that I do any sort of training! Apparently I am taking the 'joy' out of dog training for new owners 😁Personally, I find there to be no joy in house-training a dog...but whatever floats their boat!

OP posts:
HarpieDuJour · 19/04/2025 12:50

I would pay extra for a toilet trained puppy! There is no joy in training a puppy not to pee in the house!

SpanielsGalore · 19/04/2025 15:01

I'd vote for toilet training. My last puppy came home in November on the weekend of a blizzard. There was absolutely no joy for either of us, standing outside in the snow. Never been more tempted to allow a dog to wee on the carpet in my life!

faerietales · 19/04/2025 15:23

Another thing would be separation training - getting them used to spending short periods alone and comfortable is so, so important, even at a young age.

lionbrain · 19/04/2025 17:17

My puppies are sent to new homes pretty much toilet trained, used to being on their own for short periods ie had time and are happy away from the other puppies and happy in a car.

Original poster
LandSharksAnonymous · 19/04/2025 17:28

SpanielsGalore · 19/04/2025 15:01

I'd vote for toilet training. My last puppy came home in November on the weekend of a blizzard. There was absolutely no joy for either of us, standing outside in the snow. Never been more tempted to allow a dog to wee on the carpet in my life!

Horrible isn't it!?

My last litter in 2022...the snow was 4 inches near me. Honestly, standing by the back door for hours on end was not my idea of fun. 😒

OP posts:
noctilucentcloud · 19/04/2025 17:43

LandSharksAnonymous · 19/04/2025 12:11

Interesting that lots of people are using the different words or phrases which I think they are using to say the same thing (which is why I don't teach 'settle' or 'lie down' or 'stop').

As it is, it's house-training that I do - teaching the puppies to recognise when they need to go, what to do when they need to, and getting them used to peeing on command. I also do luring (getting the dogs to follow me in exchange for food - which is a basic for wider training).

The person I was talking to was horrified that I do any sort of training! Apparently I am taking the 'joy' out of dog training for new owners 😁Personally, I find there to be no joy in house-training a dog...but whatever floats their boat!

It'd be toilet training for me. Training commands is fun and creates a great bond between the dog and handler. Toilet training is a bit of a slog.

EdithStourton · 19/04/2025 19:58

LandSharksAnonymous · 19/04/2025 12:11

Interesting that lots of people are using the different words or phrases which I think they are using to say the same thing (which is why I don't teach 'settle' or 'lie down' or 'stop').

As it is, it's house-training that I do - teaching the puppies to recognise when they need to go, what to do when they need to, and getting them used to peeing on command. I also do luring (getting the dogs to follow me in exchange for food - which is a basic for wider training).

The person I was talking to was horrified that I do any sort of training! Apparently I am taking the 'joy' out of dog training for new owners 😁Personally, I find there to be no joy in house-training a dog...but whatever floats their boat!

That's bonkers! I start training puppies the second they come home, and if someone else has made a start on house training, or luring, or responding to their name, then excellent.

I'd tend to agree with you on there being very little point in teaching specific commands, because everyone is different:
Come/here/FENTON!
Settle/bed/place
Stay/wait/sit (which are 3 different commands meaning 3 different things in this house)

FrangipaniBlue · 19/04/2025 20:38

Definitely toilet trained!

our first pup was a rescue and only around 8/9 weeks but she’d been away from her mum for a week or more already….. it was WEEKS of setting an alarm every few hours through night to come let her out.

current dog was 12 weeks when we brought him home (we weren’t supposed to have him originally) and he was not only fully house trained but he could go through night!

TheeNotoriousPIG · 19/04/2025 21:22

I would also say toilet training. I had one that was very easy to train, one that was better once she realised that going out and then racing back in to pee on the carpet was not on, and one that took MONTHS to realise that I did not appreciate messes in the house! It was hard work with her.

As for a command, I'd probably say "<Name> come!" as it helps with their recall. If they crack that, they can soon be off-lead when out and about, to investigate essential hedges and to socialise with other dogs (where permitted).

Eyesopenwideawake · 19/04/2025 21:24

Drop.

The things they put in their mouths are insane/disgusting/dangerous.

crouchendtigerr · 19/04/2025 22:15

I'd want a puppy that likes to play, is social and can sleep for six hours before needing to toilet. This makes for a dog that is easy to train, and very easy to live with. My female GsD was just like this. And is an absolute pleasure

Original poster
LandSharksAnonymous · 20/04/2025 08:51

@TheeNotoriousPIG ‘come’ is useful, but only if that’s the command you use. I use ‘here’ for recall for mine…

And likewise lots of people don’t name their dogs until they collect them. Or, in my case, until the pup is 12 weeks and you’ve finally decided between ‘Philip’ and ‘Kevin’ 😁

OP posts:
Fraaances · 20/04/2025 08:54

I use commands from my second language. I know I look like a knob but nobody’s going to lure my dog away from me.

minnienono · 20/04/2025 08:56

Mine slept al night on his own from day one and he was left for the 3 hours I needed to go out on day 2, never had any issues with leaving him his whole life. (In fact he would even as a pup push off to sleep elsewhere if we were noisy!)