Yes crate training. All dogs should be crate trained.
Also, if you fence your yard, then a pet door is a very good idea. He can let himself out when he has to go. Or wants to play or sniff around the yard.
Pet doors are one my most favorite inventions ever. I am no longer the dog butler.
Edit: But I guess a pet door is only a good idea, if your cats are allowed out.
Nice looking puppy! Congratulations. I notice that's a really big bowl of food sitting next to him. I would advise against free feeding dogs, if that's what you are doing. It's not the best way to go, in my opinion, for a lot of reasons. Enjoy many great years with that lucky pup!!
Nice looking puppy! Congratulations. I notice that's a really big bowl of food sitting next to him. I would advise against free feeding dogs, if that's what you are doing. It's not the best way to go, in my opinion, for a lot of reasons. Enjoy many great years with that lucky pup!!
Fair point.
1 other point: When he's eating, make sure he's okay with someone messing with him. Try taking his food away from him, or just sticking your hand by his face. If he gets aggressive, growls, etc........at a minimum make sure your kids know that.
And also, unless he's going to be a guard dog, make sure he gets used to people other than your family. And also other dogs. Labs have a great overall personality, but any dog can, if allowed, become possessive. Have him socialize with other people, and other dogs, if at all possible.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I was going to make Arch's first point from above. My golden was extremely possessive and the only time he ever growled at a family member was when he was eating and my little niece stuck her hand down near his bowl.. I broke him of that pretty quickly.. I would take a scrap of something he loved and put it on the floor right in front of him and trained him not to touch it until I said it was ok, then I would pick it up and put it down, pick it up and put it down and he would just watch, then I would give it to him... In a matter of a few days, he knew that people were not a threat to his food.
Second tip, and this one is pretty easy too. I trained my golden to sit when we stopped if we were walking. Some people are threatened by bigger dogs and if you stop to talk to somebody and he instinctively sits, it makes them more comfortable, especially kids.
Third tip, (this one may have already been made, I haven't read the whole thread).. get the wife and especially the kids heavily involved in the training, just because the dog learns to respond to you and your commands doesn't mean he will respond the same way when they issue the same commands..
so i bought him from an amish community in Holmesville, ohio. cool place, nothing but farms, horses, cows, and buggy carts with warning triangles on them lol.
people were really cool, however right now the biggest problem i'm having with Jack isn't the potty training or him chewing on things, it's him using his water bowl like a slide n slide. he will drink, then just jump up and down with his front paws in his bowl. it's super cute, yet super annoying. anybody had similar issues? or is this just a typical puppy thing?
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
It might be temporary. Labs love water. Give him a kiddy pool in the backyard and he might stop.
Then again, one of my huskies loves to put her paws on the area rug and slide it around the wood floor. But only at feeding time. All dogs have quirks.
Pet doors are one my most favorite inventions ever. I am no longer the dog butler.
Edit: But I guess a pet door is only a good idea, if your cats are allowed out.
And, depends on the size of dog. My setters would require a big pet door that they could get in and out of making it vulnerable to burglars. Thus, the bell idea we trained ours to works a charm.
We did it with our current dog, AFTER crate training for a couple of weeks.
My only issue with that is, now he associates the bell with "going out". So, sometimes he'll just ring the bell so he can go outside.
Took ours about 3-4 weeks before they truly caught on to the bell but, it is well worth it and on reflection not that big of a deal, really.
I have no problem if they use it to just go outside rather than only for bathroom. But, in the summer we just keep our back door open all day and only close it when we go to bed or leave the house. So, they can go in and out when they please. In the winter, they pretty much only go out to do their business or when we take them for a walk. They don't choose to just hang in the yard when it is cold and rainy.
Do not get a pet door if you have cats. They love to bring live critters into the house and torture them. Coons, possums and skunks love to explore openings like that also.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
There is woods in my backyard and no critter has ever tried to come in the house.
And I have a "large pet door" because I have large dogs. But I can tell you no adult will fit through it. But by all means, continue with your paranoia.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
And I have a "large pet door" because I have large dogs. But I can tell you no adult will fit through it. But by all means, continue with your paranoia.
Dog doors are fantastic.
Nah...I'd rather just get off the couch and let my dog out than have 1/4 or a 1/3 of my door turned into a plastic pet door. As soon as you decide to have a pet all laziness should be put aside. You now have something else depending on you.
My dogs love it. They come and go as they please at all hours of the day and night. Whether I am home or not. I no longer need to board them at a kennel when I go out of town. Because they can let themselves out. All that is needed is a pet sitter to come over and feed them. Its a billion times better than boarding.
You can call it lazy, but I call it smart.
And I know plenty of other smart people with dog doors who will laugh at you while you are the dog butler, and rush home to let the dog out. Have fun with that.
I don't rush home....First, I take for a long walk in the morning and I have a high school kid who gets home before me so, he lets them out. We also hike with them every day off leash so they can run. It's a life that I bought into when I decided to get a bird dog that needs to run rather than be restricted to a life on a leash or a back yard.
I call it being a responsible dog owner. Plus, my health has never been better. You should try it.
There is woods in my backyard and no critter has ever tried to come in the house.
And I have a "large pet door" because I have large dogs. But I can tell you no adult will fit through it. But by all means, continue with your paranoia.
Dog doors are fantastic.
No paranoia here. My dad's cat brought in birds, mice, chipmunks, even a baby rabbit. One morning he got up to shower and there was a small bluejay perched on the shower curtain rod. Then there's this:
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Do not get a pet door if you have cats. They love to bring live critters into the house and torture them. Coons, possums and skunks love to explore openings like that also.
I've lived in my home since the 70's and during that time I've killed 9 rattler's in the yard. Two of those snakes were killed on the front porch and one on the back deck. During late spring, summer and early fall I take my dog out and walk him...no pet doors for my house.
Nice looking puppy! Congratulations. I notice that's a really big bowl of food sitting next to him. I would advise against free feeding dogs, if that's what you are doing. It's not the best way to go, in my opinion, for a lot of reasons. Enjoy many great years with that lucky pup!!
I agree on the food thing and what arch said about testing the dog if it growls when somebody approaches the bowl. It will depend on how much it had to fight for food where you got him from.
We feed our ADULT dogs twice a day...morning and evening and we measure it so they get exactly what it says to give them as per weight/age. We give them grain free food (very important! Costco makes a decent one for $30 for a 30lb bag) and we only give grain free treats as well as carrots as a treat (treats are for always reinforcing their "come to call" training as we walk them off leash). Find out how much your puppy needs and feed them just that amount. As they are a puppy you can break it up to 3-4 times a day and then gradually wean it to less times p/day. Very important to watch their weight....there are many obese dogs in the US and it isn't healthy for them. Our vet always comments on how fit our guys are. But, we do exercise them a lot.
Very good point about buying your dog good dog food. We use Nutro, which is feed clean. It's made with non-GMO ingredients. It's very expensive, but it's worth it.
Also Swish, don't give your dog "people" food. Stuff is terrible for dogs. I know it's "cute" and seems "nice," but human food is awful for dogs.
Swish, another thing you may want to consider is building a training table. You can use it for all kinds of training purposes, but one of the first [and best] ones is to teach your dog the "Woah" command. That's very important in raising a disciplined dog.
I'll explain the table first. Go to lumber store and buy an 8' long piece of plywood. You can cut it at home if you have a table saw or circular saw or you can have them cut it at the store. Lowes and Home Depot make the cuts for free. Cut the width to 2'. This will leave you w/a 2' x 8' piece. Attach two 4' long ramps to the table. I used hinges so they could be folded up. Nail some furring strips to the ramps to provide some traction for your dog. Use 2 x 4s for your legs. You can make the height anywhere from 24" to 27". I was comfortable w/the 2' high table.
So, here is what you do. You walk your dog all ovre the yard on a leash. Use two hands on the leash and always keep the pup on one side of your body. I always preferred the left side. You hold the end of the leash w/your right hand and then grab another part of the leash about a foot above his collar. You keep your pup just off of your left leg while saying "heel" every 10 seconds or so. It's also a good idea to pat that left leg while saying "heel." The dog associates this w/staying close to your side.
After that is mastered, approach the the table and try to get him to walk up the ramps. He might be scared at first. That's normal. Don't worry about it. Be very supportive w/your voice and firm w/your body language. Dogs enjoy a master they can respect.
Once you get him up the ramp, keep walking and saying "heel." Walk him all the way across the table and down the the opposite ramp. Do an about face, and approach the ramp just as you did the first time. Do this over and over until the pup feels comfortable walking up the ramp and across the table. Give him a ton of praise. I mean.........constant praise.
After the pup is cool w/this, you start walking him across the table and say "Woah" in a firm [not loud] voice. As you speak, take one of your two hands off the leash and put it right in front of his face. The universal stop sign w/the hand. Hold him tightly and try not to let him move. This part takes patience by you. LOL........Then, say "Come" w/enthusiasm and lead him off the table and down the other ramp. Do this routine over and over and over.
Eventually, you will let go of the leash while your pup is in the "Woah" position. He should be completely still. Again, this takes some patience. Dani used to try and move her front legs a bit. You continue to face the pup as you back away all the while w/your hand up in the stop position and saying "Woah" continuously. Once you get the pup to stay in the Woah position, say "Come" w/your happiest voice and let her come to you and you love him/her as much as possible w/hugs, kisess, and praise.
This stuff works, bro. I got to the point that I could walk around the entire house and be out of sight for quite some time and my dogs would not move off of a spot.
Let me know if this is the type of the training you are interested in. If so, I will provide more training techniques that actually work. This all takes time and work, but it's well worth it, bro.
Swish, one of the hardest things to train a young dog is not to jump all over guests when they come to your house. When it is a puppy people say "it's ok, he is so cute". But, when he weighs 80lbs it wont be so cute and potentially harmful to somebody old, frail or very young. Dogs get super excited when people visit and can't contain themselves. People often also walk in and make a big fuss about the dog, which in turn winds them up and gets them even more excited. They naturally want to smell the person and they do that via your breath thus, the jumping. It will take time and it will take a while....it may happen quicker if you have a lot of people visiting your house but, if you don't the behavior could last until the dog is a mature adult. So I would advise on starting training/correcting Jack now as the sooner he realizes the quicker he will want to please you and not jump when you have house guests.
Yea we already have an issue with him jumping on the girls when they are sitting down.
So far I've used the bathroom technique you guys posted. He kind of just lays by the door right now when he had to go. So far we've eliminated day time accidents, but the night time accidents still happen cause he's a puppy and can't really hold it that long.
He's awesome to walk cause he just walks beside me all the time. However he still hates the leash. We put the leash on and he will sit there and absolutely refuses to move lol. But as soon as we take it off he walks by me like he has a leash on. Odd but whatever, we will get it down.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I took him there once, ad he got so excited by the smells that he pooped. Did they offer to clean it up? Nope. They got me a bucket and a mop, and offered to hold my dog. As far as house training, take the dog out frequently at 1st, and praise him when he goes. Don't leave him out any longer than it takes. Once he goes, take him back in. You want outside to become associated with the bathroom.
Once he learns, then you can take him out for longer times.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
You actually believe they should have cleaned up your dogs poop? Seriously?
Nope. If they had offered, I would have asked for a scooper and a bucket. However, the way they did it was uncalled for. The guy said, to another employee. something like "Watch this guy while I get a bucket so he can clean up after his dog. Don't let him leave." It was the way they acted.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Yea we already have an issue with him jumping on the girls when they are sitting down.
So far I've used the bathroom technique you guys posted. He kind of just lays by the door right now when he had to go. So far we've eliminated day time accidents, but the night time accidents still happen cause he's a puppy and can't really hold it that long.
He's awesome to walk cause he just walks beside me all the time. However he still hates the leash. We put the leash on and he will sit there and absolutely refuses to move lol. But as soon as we take it off he walks by me like he has a leash on. Odd but whatever, we will get it down.
You could put newspaper or "wee wee pads" by the front door when you go to bed. OR, crate train for the evening and then when you go out you can also put him in the crate. We crate trained ours when they were puppies and when they were finished with the chew phase and totally housebroken we got rid of the crates. The crates that break down to a flat are good as you can re-use if and when you get another dog. Also, if you decide to crate train make sure it is a crate they can stand and turn around in when they are an adult. So, it will be big at first but, before you know it Jack will fit perfectly. There is nothing wrong with crates and if you don't want it filling the room it is you certainly don't need to use it their entire life.
lol thanks man. he definitely seemed happy to be there, but was even more happy when he saw the girls who ends up giving him all the belly rubs.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
