Dog owners. Recommend me a book.
Discussion
Hi all. I am looking at getting myself a fluffy friend.
Having been around dogs all my life I know the everyday requirements etc but I would be interested in reading a good book on how to actually welcome one into the home and train it well, to poo outside for example. Training is something I have never had to do before.
Thanks
Having been around dogs all my life I know the everyday requirements etc but I would be interested in reading a good book on how to actually welcome one into the home and train it well, to poo outside for example. Training is something I have never had to do before.
Thanks
not quite what I was after.
Anything by Caesar Milan is a good starting point.
Regarding toilet training, I've had good success using a crate. Puppy will instinctively avoid messing his nest (the crate) so when you let him out in the morning, take him straight outside and reward him as soon as he goes to the loo and he'll start to associate the toilet with outside. Take him outside at regular intervals during the day and reward him when he goes to the toilet and he'll soon realise going to the toilet outside means good things will happen.
You could combine puppy training pads, put it near the door and take him outside when he looks like he's going to use it.
Basic dog training is simply rewarding good behaviour instantly, and ignoring or punishing (depending on the severity of the crime) bad behaviour instantly.
Regarding toilet training, I've had good success using a crate. Puppy will instinctively avoid messing his nest (the crate) so when you let him out in the morning, take him straight outside and reward him as soon as he goes to the loo and he'll start to associate the toilet with outside. Take him outside at regular intervals during the day and reward him when he goes to the toilet and he'll soon realise going to the toilet outside means good things will happen.
You could combine puppy training pads, put it near the door and take him outside when he looks like he's going to use it.
Basic dog training is simply rewarding good behaviour instantly, and ignoring or punishing (depending on the severity of the crime) bad behaviour instantly.
DOgs Trust web site, loads of stuff to download on there with all the basic starting advice you need. Caeser maybe a bit too much to take in initially (I haven't actually read it but you want step by step stuff to start with and I think he may get a bit to in depth)
Also if you are lucky a good vets will have hand outs re: how to avoid dodgy breeders and lots more. We have worked really hard to put this sort of info together (all free) as many mistakes are made before pup is even acquired.
Also if you are lucky a good vets will have hand outs re: how to avoid dodgy breeders and lots more. We have worked really hard to put this sort of info together (all free) as many mistakes are made before pup is even acquired.
Personally, I would avoid Cesar Milan or Jan Fennell books as I don't agree with all their methods.
We had a really good one when we got our first dog - by somebody (Ian?) Dunbar... Really clear step by step instructions with good illustrations. I can't find it at the moment, but will ask the OH in the morning (she is a COAPE qualified behaviourist). There is another book that is brilliant that we bought since, by Gwen Bailey - I'll try and find the title somewhere.
What breed are you going for? Don't know about others, but we always give a puppy guide to anyone who buys one of our puppies, along with samples of the same food as we weaned them on. We also operate an informal '24 hour' helpline to first time puppy owners, as we really care about all our pups... If the breeders you visit are not so helpful, be very wary!
Also, check puppies mum and dad are both hip-scored and eye tested and possibly DNA tested if it is a breed that has detectable health issues.
Very exciting getting a new puppy and I'm really pleased you are trying to do it all properly... I know quite a few breeders, so let me know what you are after and I may be able to recommend someone.
We had a really good one when we got our first dog - by somebody (Ian?) Dunbar... Really clear step by step instructions with good illustrations. I can't find it at the moment, but will ask the OH in the morning (she is a COAPE qualified behaviourist). There is another book that is brilliant that we bought since, by Gwen Bailey - I'll try and find the title somewhere.
What breed are you going for? Don't know about others, but we always give a puppy guide to anyone who buys one of our puppies, along with samples of the same food as we weaned them on. We also operate an informal '24 hour' helpline to first time puppy owners, as we really care about all our pups... If the breeders you visit are not so helpful, be very wary!
Also, check puppies mum and dad are both hip-scored and eye tested and possibly DNA tested if it is a breed that has detectable health issues.
Very exciting getting a new puppy and I'm really pleased you are trying to do it all properly... I know quite a few breeders, so let me know what you are after and I may be able to recommend someone.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Bought a Victoria Stilwell (sp?) book when we got ours for some useful stuff. I am sure there was a section on homing a puppy. TBH, it has been passed around and around various other Dog friends since. No idea where / who has it now.....
However learned a lot of tricks and tips and info just from other owners.
In the park, family, friends, here etc.
Baked liver as a treat etc...
Brilliant. However learned a lot of tricks and tips and info just from other owners.
In the park, family, friends, here etc.
Baked liver as a treat etc...
Bought a book, might be this woman.
Might be a section on puppys. Dunno though.
Don't even know where said book is.
Learned loads if tricks. Not going to tell you about them though.
Oh ok. Baked liver.
Remind me never to ask you any advice on anything! Ever.
GTIR said:
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Bought a Victoria Stilwell (sp?) book when we got ours for some useful stuff. I am sure there was a section on homing a puppy. TBH, it has been passed around and around various other Dog friends since. No idea where / who has it now.....
However learned a lot of tricks and tips and info just from other owners.
In the park, family, friends, here etc.
Baked liver as a treat etc...
Brilliant. However learned a lot of tricks and tips and info just from other owners.
In the park, family, friends, here etc.
Baked liver as a treat etc...
Bought a book, might be this woman.
Might be a section on puppys. Dunno though.
Don't even know where said book is.
Learned loads if tricks. Not going to tell you about them though.
Oh ok. Baked liver.
Remind me never to ask you any advice on anything! Ever.
Books. Dogs. No idea. Tricks. Baked liver.
I found toilet training our pup easy, although the breeder had done some groundwork.
Have commands like "go pee/poo" then reward when they do. Let the pup out every few hours (not easy if you work which makes toilet-training twice as hard!). Let pup out as late as possible and as early as possible.
Try not to go mental if they have an accident.We had a crate but never used it, didn't use newspaper or those puppy pads either as she just wanted to chew them.
I followed the above and had our pup trained by 10 weeks, with only about 3 accidents. Many people don't believe me but it was easy! I think someone being in the house most of the time helped lots!
Have commands like "go pee/poo" then reward when they do. Let the pup out every few hours (not easy if you work which makes toilet-training twice as hard!). Let pup out as late as possible and as early as possible.
Try not to go mental if they have an accident.We had a crate but never used it, didn't use newspaper or those puppy pads either as she just wanted to chew them.
I followed the above and had our pup trained by 10 weeks, with only about 3 accidents. Many people don't believe me but it was easy! I think someone being in the house most of the time helped lots!
Catz said:
I found toilet training our pup easy, although the breeder had done some groundwork.
Have commands like "go pee/poo" then reward when they do. Let the pup out every few hours (not easy if you work which makes toilet-training twice as hard!). Let pup out as late as possible and as early as possible.
Try not to go mental if they have an accident.We had a crate but never used it, didn't use newspaper or those puppy pads either as she just wanted to chew them.
I followed the above and had our pup trained by 10 weeks, with only about 3 accidents. Many people don't believe me but it was easy! I think someone being in the house most of the time helped lots!
Can depend on the breed as well. What do you have?Have commands like "go pee/poo" then reward when they do. Let the pup out every few hours (not easy if you work which makes toilet-training twice as hard!). Let pup out as late as possible and as early as possible.
Try not to go mental if they have an accident.We had a crate but never used it, didn't use newspaper or those puppy pads either as she just wanted to chew them.
I followed the above and had our pup trained by 10 weeks, with only about 3 accidents. Many people don't believe me but it was easy! I think someone being in the house most of the time helped lots!
Newspaper etc should only be used for a very short period of time, or pref not at all. Taking them out lots at the right time best, lots of excited praise treats when successful and no reaction if accident indoors.
Took a little while with ours but we took him on a bit older (after he'd been living in a barn) and at the time lived in a flat. We also found that it went well to start with then we relaxed to quickly as a result he relapsed slightly. Sorted it quickly once we were back on the case though
OK, the best book we have found (and the OH has read LOADS!) is 'The Perfect Puppy' by Gwen Bailey.
As far as toilet training goes, we use an indoor crate and usually have them fully house-trained in about 3-4 weeks max (even less in summer, when you can let them outside more easily). From the start, all our dogs have a command that means 'go to the toilet' as we do agility and they get eliminated for soiling the ring, so we need to make sure they go first! Be careful what word you use, as you may end up with unintended consequences of using that phrase in polite conversation!
Have you decided on a breed yet?
As far as toilet training goes, we use an indoor crate and usually have them fully house-trained in about 3-4 weeks max (even less in summer, when you can let them outside more easily). From the start, all our dogs have a command that means 'go to the toilet' as we do agility and they get eliminated for soiling the ring, so we need to make sure they go first! Be careful what word you use, as you may end up with unintended consequences of using that phrase in polite conversation!
Have you decided on a breed yet?
There are hundreds of dog training 'methods' out there, what I found useful was to understand what motivates a dog, and then to go to puppy training rather than slavishly following a method from a book.
A great place to start is Why Does My Dog...? by John Fisher which was recommended by a dog behaviourist friend as a good primer before we got our dog. It helped us understand how a dog thinks and so when ours arrived, we already knew a lot of what the thousands of different methods try to tell you - basically a dog can be motivated by pleasure or pain, he will try and seek more pleasurable times (so you can train by reward - essentially teaching him to do something to prolong the good times) or you can train by pain (and have a dog which is nervous and afraid of doing the wrong thing and having pain inflicted).
Once you understand how a dog's brain works, the prescribed method books all seem quite simplistic (all dogs are different and you need to determine what your particular dog finds pleasurable), but do book training for your dog, it helps to socialise them and you'll meet fellow novice dog owners locally which can be a big help.
A great place to start is Why Does My Dog...? by John Fisher which was recommended by a dog behaviourist friend as a good primer before we got our dog. It helped us understand how a dog thinks and so when ours arrived, we already knew a lot of what the thousands of different methods try to tell you - basically a dog can be motivated by pleasure or pain, he will try and seek more pleasurable times (so you can train by reward - essentially teaching him to do something to prolong the good times) or you can train by pain (and have a dog which is nervous and afraid of doing the wrong thing and having pain inflicted).
Once you understand how a dog's brain works, the prescribed method books all seem quite simplistic (all dogs are different and you need to determine what your particular dog finds pleasurable), but do book training for your dog, it helps to socialise them and you'll meet fellow novice dog owners locally which can be a big help.
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