6 week old pup how to train??

danois

I got a new pup today 2 weeks earlier than i should his mum was hit by a car :mad: i am guessing he is too young to housetrain yet, but i have no clue how to train him. Any tips greatly appreciated thanks in advance

andreac

Bring the pup outside after every mealtime, sleep, drink, play session and as often as you possibly can.

Use a command to encourage the pup to go and reward and lots of praise once the pup goes. Use really tasty treats so the pup realises that when it goes outside it gets rewarded.

You will have accidents though so be prepared. A pup cannot hold it for very long as their bladder isnt developed properly for a few months so if they want to go, they just will, so its up to you to bring the pup out as much as possible.
It can take months to fully train a pup so you need to be patient and consistant.
I wouldnt encourage using paper etc as this only confuses the pup and makes it hard to train them and takes longer too.

I highly recommend crate training.

danois

Thanks for reply. Whats crate training? Is there tasty treats a pup so young can eat?? Gard enough to even get him to eat puppy food

volvick

danois wrote: »

I got a new pup today 2 weeks earlier than i should his mum was hit by a car :mad: i am guessing he is too young to housetrain yet, but i have no clue how to train him. Any tips greatly appreciated thanks in advance

Ah the poor lil fella, glad he went to a good home. Speaking from my experience - I trained my pup on training pads, they are on offer now in pet world. My dog will always go on the training pad now she is inside. Lil rewards too and take your time with , it will take time and there will be lil mess but if you bring him to the pad or outside every 30 mins he will get the hang of it pretty handy.Good luck with it

volvick

danois wrote: »

Thanks for reply. Whats crate training? Is there tasty treats a pup so young can eat?? Gard enough to even get him to eat puppy food

Personally I don't like it but every person has different thoughts - links are:

http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.petcarevb.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/crate-training-puppies.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.petcarevb.com/wordpress/dogs/crate-traininghouse-training/&usg=__Rhy3iiCq-3ho58Ue0msCSi6xW-g=&h=209&w=260&sz=11&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=D34d6v8VB2Dr4M:&tbnh=136&tbnw=175&ei=gxnDTe66BoyJhQesn9mrBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcrate%2Btraining%2Bpuppies%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D709%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=152&vpy=94&dur=127&hovh=167&hovw=208&tx=129&ty=73&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

andreac

If you google crate training you will get lots of info on it.

http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=228

If you dont want the pup to go inside i dont advise using newspaper or training pads as the pup will just be confused and will not understand if you want it to go inside or outside so i suggest you just train for outside.

What kind of dog is it?

I would use boiled chicken or some sausage but not too much as it can be a little rich for a young puppy.

Try get a good quality puppy food from the pet shop and the pup needs to be fed at least 4 or 5 times a day at this young age.
Try to stay clear of any of the supermarket brands and the likes of pedigree and Bakers as its very poor quality and full of artificial colours and flavourings.

Oh_Noes

Ah you don't need to do anything with a six week old pup other than feed it and play with it.

In a few weeks bring him outside every time he starts to go, and bring him for a little run around the garden at the time everyday you intend to walk him when he's older. Once he associates outside with toilet he'll get the hang of it.

It's crazy to spend money on equipment for this purpose imo, every dog owner on the planet has had to do this since the beginning of time:pac:

are you serious

Crate training is where you leave your dog in the crate then let it out straight out tpo the garden when it goes to the toilet. The idea being that when in the crate your dog is in its own personel space which it will not wee or poo in so it will hold it longer, but for a 6wk old pup it will only be for 15mins at longest anyway so as andrea has already said it takes a lot of time and there will always be mistakes.

my fella took a few months to realise outside is where he is supposed to go to the toilet but every dog is different! what kind of dog is it.. put up some pics

LucyBliss

danois wrote: »

Thanks for reply. Whats crate training? Is there tasty treats a pup so young can eat?? Gard enough to even get him to eat puppy food

Crate training is where you have the dog in the crate at night and during the day if you have to pop out for example. It saves your furnishings from being destroyed when you have to leave them alone and as you teach the pup that the crate is a positive thing - use dog beds or sheets or old quilt as bedding - it will think of it as it's nest.
Dogs won't soil a place they consider their den so you don't come downstairs to piddles and surprises in the morning!

Housetraining is a gradual process. It's only a pup, it doesn't really understand right now but if you are consistent and bring it out a lot, it'll catch onto what you want in time. And sometimes a dog does know that it has to pee outside, but the owner totally misses the cues or doesn't let them out on time and the dog gets blamed for an accident.

Also, don't forget to enjoy your pup! Yes, puppy antics can be destructive and make you want to tear your hair out but they're such fun when they're bouncing around exploring everything or just falling over themselves. If you're relaxed about things, the dog will pick up what you're teaching it so much quicker.

There are treats that are specifically for puppies, like coachies. A lot of them out there say that they're not suitable for dogs under 9 months I think it is but I'm sure if you asked in a pet shop, they'd be able to direct to puppy treats. As regards puppy food, can I ask what you're giving him and how much? He's only six weeks and IIRC from the litter we had, they were still chancing their arm trying to suckle from the dam at that age as well as munching on solids. If you think he's not eating enough, perhaps he might need a check up from the vet to make sure all's well?


What breed is it? Do you have any pictures yet? I love seeing puppy pictures!

LucyBliss

Oops, sorry for the double post. I must have gotten too trigger happy with the post button.

danois

Thanks for replys. I am not expecting him to be trainable for a while yet just want to be ready. He i a husky lab cross my eldest says hes a huskador youngest says hes a labsky lol think id feel real mean puttin him in a crate ill stick to regular trips out back for now see how we go

danois

While im here can i ask when he needs injections he had his first yesterday for parvo i think whats next. How do i post pics

andreac

danois wrote: »

Thanks for replys. I am not expecting him to be trainable for a while yet just want to be ready. He i a husky lab cross my eldest says hes a huskador youngest says hes a labsky lol think id feel real mean puttin him in a crate ill stick to regular trips out back for now see how we go

Nothing mean about a crate at all, most dogs actually love them as they are their bed and their little den where they can curl up and go asleep and be all cosy.
My big male rottweiler, all 50kg of him, stands outside the crate, which im actually using for my young rottie, waiting for the door to be opened so he can go in and lie down in it.

Crates are very beneficial and they will prevent your house being all chewed up too when you arent around to supervise them and help with the toilet training process too so have lots of advantages to them, but they def arent mean.

andreac

danois wrote: »

While im here can i ask when he needs injections he had his first yesterday for parvo i think whats next. How do i post pics

Best to ask your vet as they will tell you when to come back, depending on what vaccinations he has actually been given.
Make sure not to bring the pup outside, apart from your own back garden, until he has had all of his vaccinations as he will be at risk of catching diseases such as parvo and letpo which can be very serious, even fatal in puppies so dont take the risk.

LucyBliss

danois, a lot of people do feel that way about crate training but it's really not. Obviously the dog isn't going to be cooped in there for hours on end and they do regard it as their bed.
I crate trained my three dogs and once they hit a year and a half and I was sure that the crazed chewing furniture instinct had passed, I put the crates away. So it's a training aid as opposed to a cage they're going to be shoved into.

But it's your decision obviously. I'm going to be facetious and say you might feel differently if he gets his teeth into the furnishings and skirting boards!

A husky/lab cross? He'll be a big dog so and gorgeous, I have no doubt. Wishing you and your newest arrival every health and long life together!

are you serious

to put up pics post reply and in the bar above where you write your message go to the paperclip symbol and upload the file from your computer

bryaner

+ 1 for crate training, we have a Shih-Tzu that are notorious to train and the crate worked a treat, she now uses it as a bed..

danois

I will post pics tomorow off pc this thing hates me grr never does wat i want it too lol bit like the kids and pup:)

ISDW

Great advice given about crates, trust me, with a husky/lab cross, you're going to need a safe, secure place for him to go if you need to leave him on his own. Two breeds very well known for chewing:D

I wouldn't use newspaper or pads for toilet training, otherwise you're training the dog twice, once to use the pads/paper, then to go outside, better for all concerned if you just train him to go outside. He will have a lot of accidents though. But, at least you're going to be doing this in warm weather, its very hard to do it in the middle of winter, standing outside in the cold, snow, howling winds etc.

I like this version of paper training a puppy: If the pup has an accident inside the house, get some newspaper, roll it up and then hit yourself over the head with it, its your fault for not getting the dog outside in time;)

At 6 weeks, he will have just had his parvo vaccination, you will need to take him for his 'proper' vacc at 8 weeks (or some people say 10 weeks) then again 2 weeks after that for the second lot of vaccinations. Ask your vet.

Socialisation could be an issue for him, being taken away from his mum and littermates so young, if you have any family or friends with a fully vaccinated, friendly dog, I would suggest you bring it to your house regularly and let them play together. It has to be a friendly dog, who will teach your pup manners, but without hurting him. This time of his life is very important for socialisation. Also try and get him used to as many noises as possible around the home, washing machine, hoover, toilet flushing etc. I'd even go as far as to say drop some pots and pans on the floor near to him, and don't react to him, if he jumps or seems scared, don't comfort him at all, just carry on, so that he will learn to accept things like that without feeling fear.

Best of luck with the pup.

Cú Giobach

Great advice above, remember dogs live by "action-reaction", they do something and if the result is positive they will do it again and if negative they will be less inclined to repeat the action.
With house training if you catch the pup in the action make it negative, a loud sudden noise to startle the pup and make it clench, when it goes outside plenty of praise and "glee" . Don't get angry if you catch it in the act inside, as this can lead the pup to hide from you to do it, and you'll start finding "messages" hidden around the house.

You'd be amazed at how quickly a pup can learn things, I got an 8wk old 4 wks ago and she is now sleeping in my bedroom without any morning surprises and makes her way to the door then sits and looks at me if she needs to go during the day.

A great example of the "action-reaction" with her is, on our first day together as I was feeding her I held her bowl up and didn't put it down till she sat down, I didn't say anything but just waited till she did it herself and the moment her bum hit the ground, down went the bowl, did this 3 times for her 3 meals. By the second day she automatically sat when the bowl was presented and even when she wanted a toy off one of my other dogs she sat down in front of him expecting him to give it to her (it didn't take her long to learn this doesn't work with other dogs though )

I now have a 12 wk old pup who has learned to sit, lie down, stay, wait, come and leave it, and I haven't ever even raised my voice to her. (she is a collie and I understand not all dogs will learn this fast, but most puppies will soak up information like a sponge and with the proper techniques, can amaze with their ability to learn ) .

danois

scrappy.jpg

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Here are some pics of the new addition. Had a very good night last night he howled a bit for about 2 min then went asleep and only had one wee during the night.

I meant to ask I have one section of my garden scrubbed that i let him into but wont let him walk in the rest of it cause it hasnt been washed since our old dog left. Last dog was fully vacinated would it be ok to let scrappy walk around or will I have to clean it all and spray jeyes fluid or something.

danois

scrappy4.jpg

cruizer101

I have absolutly no advice for you but I just wanted to say how gorgeous he is. He's so cute with his on the big teddy, I'm going to be happy all day after seeing that. Make sure and post lots more.

danois

have been looking online for some crates to get an idea of price and i seen this one http://www.sjebbandsons.com/animal--livestock-20-c.asp?gclid=CMXPjKSH06gCFQoa4QodFmr7gw seems like a good price has anyone heard of this site or used it??? thanks

andreac

Havent heard of it but the prices look very good. Id imagine you need to go for the biggest size crate for your dog.

danois

Thanks for that yes ill deffo get as big a one as i can just a bit weary about buying from a site ive never heard of

ppink

I have one similar to these Danois and it is great. Especially as the door opens either end so you can fit it in whichever way you want.

The only thing I wonder is will it be very large for him when he is so small, ie will he have ample room to pee and lie down in such a big cage? maybe you could block off half of it until he gets bigger?
Dont forget to take him out every few hours. When our girl was a pup we took her every 2-3 hours night and day to the toilet. when you start this you can also get her to go in one specific area which can be a Godsend later. Loads of praise and no negative i found to be very fast.

I think the term "crate" sounds cruel but really the dogs love their den. ours zoom in and will stay there unless there is something happening! we do close the door when not there though or at night as a couple of ours do not get along together adn another one is a bin raider:rolleyes:

With our cage I put a nice coloured throw over three sides to give it more of a cosy den like feel to it.

Scrappy is going to be fab! he is very cute:)

danois

http://www.petshome.biz/root%20mc/collCages.html just picked up the giant crate for €79 so going to try crate training wish me luck:eek: