I need some advice regarding a new puppy...

Is it fair to any dog to not be allowed outside to galumph, sniff, play and use the toilet? Perhaps you should get a cat instead.

I’m an outdoor person and the dog will be outdoors pretty much all the time. The reason it will be indoor is because its a smaller dog and I wouldnt want it to get heat stroke from out here in the desert. The question was not advice on what kind of pet I should get but advice on what is the best method for training a dog. Thank you.

Every dog owner I have ever known trains his dog to go outside. As long as you walk him in the early morning and after sunset, he should get the point. I think sprays that try to change the instinctual behavior of a pet are a waste of time.

Thats what I was thinking too, I’m not too fond of that “new age” training stuff and I really feel like people are just lazy and dont want to put the effort into actually training the dogs you know?

A friend told me that 8–10 minutes after feeding, I should walk the pup for about 10–15 minutes so that it gets used to going while on the leash. Does that make sense?

Growing up we always just let the dogs out in the yard but that was in a place where its okay for the dogs health to be outside constantly. never had a strictly indoor dog before, they were always in and out.

What do you guys think of “training pads”???

When my dog had puppies we started with things called potty pads, but they’re mostly for young puppies that don’t quite go outside yet or small dogs. For a big dog, or one as old as 3 months they should be able to tell where they can and can’t “go”. As long as you give the dog enough time he should have no problem and you shouldn’t have to use the pads

Awesome, thanks @sevenfourteen

I don’t like the idea of pads. It trains the dog to “go” indoors. If you can go outside with it a few times each day, at 3 months the dog should be fine to be left home while you work. I suggest crating your puppy however, for his own safety. He won’t be able to get into something that could harm him.

I’d skip the pads. I’ve always been fond of crate training, as in my opinion it uses the dog’s natural tendencies instead of trying to enforce a novel framework on an uncomprehending pup.

All my friends who have done “crate” training have had success. I wasn’t allowed to crate train my dog and he’s an inconsistent booger when it comes to potty, he does or he doesn’t where he’s supposed to and it drives me nuts. The spray stuffs, I’ve bought them and tried them but with no results. Using a snap together frame that sandwiches square diaper pads, that worked for a while but I’d have to stand close by and move my arms up and down towards the “target” like guiding a plane into place on the runway. Good luck.

Crate training is definitely the way to go. Not only for house breaking but also takes care of the chewing problem as well.

When you cannot be watching the pup, put it in the crate. When you can be watching for signs of impending poop then let it out.

Plenty of early morning and late evening walks. I live in the tropics so not only have heat but high humidity to contend with. My dogs have their own door so can go in and out as they please. I often find them outside snoozing in the sun no matter what the temp, but they come in when they want.

@hungryhungryhortence That’s funny. GA.

I’m another fan of crate training. I have used bitter apple to keep a pup from chewing stuff, but you need to also provide things that are OK to chew, like rope toys, Nylabones etc. I had a dog who loved plastic & Nylabones were a godsend!!! What kind of pup is it?

@rooeytoo One of my girls is a real sun worshiper! Living in England we don’t get much really hot weather but at the first sign of sunshine she is outside “sunbathing” on the patio!

@Leanne1986 – the sun creates the only problem I have ever had with choke chains, sometimes when they come in their chains are very hot to the touch. I have considered using woven type chokers but they also love to swim and then the cloth gets wet and stays wet forever in the humidity.

The little brown dog and the dingo mutt are the main sun bathers these days, the old akita spends most of his time sleeping in the air con!

The “no chew” stuff does not work for many dogs. Our pup had this issue and we tried nearly everything before being told it was a puppy phase. We hated believing that but it turned out to be true. In the meantime we employed a training technique that helped quite a bit. We trained her to recognize her toys. So we would say toy and when she would pick one up she would be immediately rewarded. After she learned the toy command we made sure that whenever we came home she had a toy in her mouth. This helps prevent chewing because you are giving the dog an alternative to chewing on bad stuff and rewarding her when she has the right thing in her mouth.

In terms of potty training keep a couple things in mind. Punishment rarely works unless you see the dog pottying (catch them in the moment). Dogs simply don’t think in retrospect. The best thing to do is take them out often and each time they potty outside reward them immediately. The immediate reward is quite important. If you do catch them pottying in the moment then pick them up and put them outside while giving them a stern “NO”.

Also we did not crate train our dog and she does great. I don’t have much experience with it but just to put a note in on the side of you can do it without the crate if you so wish.

@rooeytoo I hear you! Thankfully I don’t have a choke chain on my Staffy (who is the sun worshiper), she just has a leather coller so I don’t have that problem. The Retrievers (who do have choke chains) all have heavy black coats so they don’t appreciate the sun as much as little Zara and stay indoors where I will often trip over them while they spread out on the cool kitchen floor!

@ccrow Its a sheltie. He’s bi-blue and i’m picking him up from a breeder in New Mexico. :)

For all of you pro-crate trainers, whats a good method so that the pup doesnt think of the crate as punishment? I know if you make it “his” home it helps but I’ve never crate trained before, we’ve always had free-roamers. Any good advice??

I started out giving my dog a small treat when she went in. I also give her a kong with peanut butter and a toy to snuggle with. She goes in her crate by herself now and also goes in and just hangs out in there when she wants to nap. It’s her safe haven. You might not want to put a stuffed toy in there at first as the puppy may shred it and eat the stuffing or the squeek box if it is a squeek toy. It just takes awhile and you have to be patient with the whole process.

@chyna A friend of mine told me that if I kept a tupperware in my fridge with small dry towels in it to put them in with the pup during the summer to help keep him cool and that during the winter to throw a towel in the dryer so that he can stay warm at night. I have seen the Kongs before but have never actually used one. Are they difficult to keep clean? Is regular shelf peanut butter okay for dogs or do you use a specific doggie type?

That’s a good idea with the towels. I have noticed when I take my dogs blankets out of the dryer, she runs right to the crate and lays on them. My dog keeps her kong pretty clean by licking all the peanut butter out. I just rinse it off with hot water. I use the shelf peanut butter, but the really cheap stuff, Kroger or Walmart brand, the Jif is for me. Another thing I do is freeze the kong after I put the peanut butter in at night, so it is like a frozen peanut butter pop and lasts much longer.

@chyna that frozen peanut butter kong sounds great! i’m going to have to try that. here in arizona it gets really hot and to avoid making an obvious “duh” statement you can assume what time of year is the worst, so the more ideas i get for keeping my pup cool the better. I’m going to keep him fairly short groomed to avoid him over heating but not too short because he is after all a sheltie.

@bright_eyes00 Post a picture of him when you get a chance. I want to see him.

@chyna I have some that the breeder sent me. How do I post them??

@bright_eyes00 You are asking the wrong person on this matter. Let me see if I can get someone else to help you.

@chyna thank you very much, i appreciate it. i will let y’all know when i get those pics