puppy tips?

[FyrFytrRyn]

i have an 11wk male black lab, i got him from a rescue shelter. hes a really good dog, when im @ home he will whine or go to the door when he needs to go take care of business, he sits and stays when i tell him, and hes even decent on a leash. his only fault, i think he may have separation anxiety or something. the moment i leave him alone, even for a minute to go to the bathroom, he barks like hes being attacked, and then pees and poos all over the place. i tried putting him in a kennel of an appropriate size (as recommended by the shelter and petco) because apparently if its not to big, the dog naturally doesn't want to defecate in its own space. well mine does. i left him for 20 minutes to go to the bank, i came home and he, and his toys/pad were covered in poo, as were the sides of the kennel. i know alot of you guys are animal lovers, and most of us have dogs, i thought you guys may be able to offer some tips. my last dog wasnt like this at all, he liked being alone. i know labs are highly active and like attention (reasons why i bought him) but this is ridiculous. i have to leave him for 3 days while i work, and my GF will be the one watching him, im afraid she wont know what do do with the little guy! help? thanks in advance guys, heres a pick of him, i named him "Seagrave"

[1TrackMind]

Crate training really is the best way to do it. I am surprised that he will go in there at all...it may be messy but you need to keep trying it. Labs do not like sitting in thier own sh!t so he will figure it out eventually. Make sure that he goes before you put him in there and don't forget that they can't last very long at that age. He should be sleeping in there and let him go in there for his food and h2o...make it a desireable place for him to be and he will be less likely to "go" in there.

Puppies are tough...good luck!

[b-40]

ooohhhhh i thought this was a HOW-TO BBQ tread

just kidding

well unfortunately everything you described is totaly normal with a puppy, i have had many of puppies in my time, some perfect little angels and others just seem to be a couple tacos short of a combo plater,

with the separation thing it's gona take time, put him in the kennal and leave for about 2 mins then come back don't take him out just talk to him and maybe pet him through the kennal for a couple of min then leave again for say 5 min then come back and do the same thing and progressivly spread out the time that you are away, he need to know that you are gona come back.

this worked for one of my pups that was way too clinggy.

patience is the key

[FyrFytrRyn]

i left him in the patio with my syberian/husky mix, and we was whining but he didnt poo all over. the only reason i dont leave him out there is the heat, i dont know how well labs do in the heat, especially as a puppy. my captain has a 1 year old male black lab and hes outside most all day and is fine, is it bad to leave a puppy outside for like 4 hours? he has access to clean cool water all day, but i dont leave the food out, i feed him in the morn and in the early evening.

[Pickettt]

What you're trying to do is eliminate the excitement that comes with your coming and going. The trick is to distract your dog before you leave. Give him a treat or toy to play with right before you take off, be it leaving the room, or out the door. Also don't play with him or give him affection immediately before your exit. Likewise, no immediate attention when you come back.

My wife is a vet and we have two dogs, arguably the best behaved I've ever come across. Just keep in mind, you have to be more disciplined than expect your dog to be. Be patient, it'll pay off. Good luck.

[HUGH]

All the info above is GREAT!! Does he have a favorite pad/pillow or blanket he likes to hang out on? If so put that into the crate when you leave. Also Its very important He sleeps and eats in the crate.


HUGH


Oh Lilo says hello!

[davemw]

OK, Having a yellow lab going on 3 years now I think I can help you out, the key is consistency and routine for dogs and crate training.

Before leaving your puppy in the crate, you must walk him and make sure he goes, use key words like "go potty" so he can associate a word with bowel movements. When he does go, it needs to be a big deal! lots of praise and hi pitched voices, you look crazy but he poops where you want him to.

After the walk, ts strait into the crate. with something to keep him busy. We used to pack carrot sticks and a little peanut butter into a kong and freeze it.
Start of with short amounts of time, right now the longest he can hold it is about 2 hours, anything more than that and it is torture for the little guy.

The crate needs to be small, only large enough for him to lay down comfortably and stand without crouching.

Start by putting him in the crate when you are home doing things around the house, 10- 20 minutes at a time. Then for short trips to the store.

When he comes out of the crate he needs to go strait outside to go to the bathroom, 10 minutes or two hours, do it every time!

With our lab we used to put a blanket over the crate so it felt more like a cave for him. he came to love it after a few months and would sleep in it with the door open when we were home too.

Just remember to make the crate a good thing, no punishment in the crate.
Also if this is your first puppy I have some books you are welcome to borrow about clicker training and puppy training

[FyrFytrRyn]

what ive also noticed, when we are outside and i walk around the corner and hide, he howls and looks anxious. somehting to do with it, he also follows me EVERYWHERE. puppy thing too?

[Mommie Mayhem]

Get a kitten

[speckledtrout]

what they said. ^ don't coo and ooh when you come home (and make sure your girlfriend doesn't either. you don't want the pup to get mixed messages while trying to train.) make it so it's not a big deal when you get home. put down your bags/groceries etc. do your thing and then approach the dog and say hello.

if you are crating him, the area should be full of his toys and snacks (get him a kong) to make the area fun and appealing. that way when you leave and put him in there, he's happy with it. put treats and toys in there and leave the door open when you're home so that he goes in and out of the crate to nap or whatever. you're just trying to get the message to him that it's a safe and fun place.

p.s. that puppy is dang diddly cute

[FyrFytrRyn]

thanks for the tips guys. as far as literature goes, i bought every book petco had on labs, and puppy training. im doing pretty much what everyone mentions, maybe im expecting too much too soon?

[davemw]

OH and another thing to add is to hang a bell on the door that you use to take him out. Each time you go though the door for a potty break, get him to hit it with his paw or nose so you can hear it ring. He will pick up quickly that going outside is associated with ringing the bell. When we lived in a condo with our lab he would not only ring the bell to go out to the bathroom, but to also let us know that the neighbors were out with their dogs and he wanted to play!

[Evil Chocula]

Take the Pet Training class at Petsmart. Costs $100 for 6-8 weeks, and the face to face interaction with the trainers really helps.

[b-40]

Originally Posted by Mommie Mayhem

Get a kitten

or get...........nothing....nothing to worry about

jk we all need companionship of some sorts.

[denmother]

Both my Australian Shepherds went to Doggy Boot Camp at K-9 Companions in Lake Mathews. It was quite pricey but well worth the money. In 3 weeks they accomplished what it takes 10 weeks for the average person to do (obedience, crate and kennel training).

My dogs live in a dog run outside during the day when I am not home. In the evenings, they have beds in the living room where they hang out with us and then they have crates in the house where they sleep at night. They are not allowed to roam free in the house and are only loose in the back yard with supervision. Food, water and toys are kept in the dog run.

[FyrFytrRyn]

Originally Posted by denmother

Both my Australian Shepherds went to Doggy Boot Camp at K-9 Companions in Lake Mathews. It was quite pricey but well worth the money. In 3 weeks they accomplished what it takes 10 weeks for the average person to do (obedience, crate and kennel training).

My dogs live in a dog run outside during the day when I am not home. In the evenings, they have beds in the living room where they hang out with us and then they have crates in the house where they sleep at night. They are not allowed to roam free in the house and are only loose in the back yard with supervision. Food, water and toys are kept in the dog run.

so, how much did that cost? PM me if you'd like.

[denmother]

Originally Posted by FyrFytrRyn

so, how much did that cost? PM me if you'd like.

\

PM sent!

[FyrFytrRyn]

i cant even get him near the crate, maybe hes scared of it? his favorite place to be is under my computer table.

[BrewMaster]

Puppy training at Pet Smart is awesome. We put our dog through that. She's about 9 months old and just graduated from the intermediate class. Finding treats your dog really likes makes training early on a breeze. You have to be diligent to train your dog though.

Strong discipline is incredibly important. Your dog is not human, don't treat it like a human. Your dog also does not speak English, so don't expect them to know what you want them to do simply because you raise your voice. You have to teach each command.

To get him used to the crate, just leave it open with some of his toys in there where ever you are hanging out. He may just explore it and come to like it. That's what our puppy did.

Here's our little monkey. She's been known to knock back a few:

[scottay]

Originally Posted by FyrFytrRyn

i cant even get him near the crate, maybe hes scared of it? his favorite place to be is under my computer table.

Toss some treats in there. Feed him in there....

Bury some treats in the blanket and let him search for them.
If he fetches, toss the toy in the crate.

My chessie never got used to the crate, I dog-proofed the garage and let her be with my lab. We have a screen door between the house and garage, so the dogs always knew we were nearby.