Connemara Kennels, Camus, Co. Galway | Email: info@madra.ie | Phone: 091 584 274
Expect confusion and mistakes in the first few days, even in a trained dog. It is vital to use a crate and/or a confinement area so as to not allow opportunities for accidents in the first week or two - this also helps chew-training efforts.
Set your dog up to succeed. If using a crate (highly recommended) it should be just large enough for dog to turn around in and stretch out. If using a confinement area, confine to one uncarpeted room with petproof gates. You can always relax the regime later, but it is very tough to start relaxed and then try to tighten up if there's a problem.
Provide extra opportunities to eliminate outside: First thing in the morning, after eating, every 2 - 3 hours, and last thing before bed.
If your dog doesn't eliminate on any particular outing, try again an hour later. Accompany your dog to eliminate - go with him rather than sending him so that you know whether he's gone or not. You can reward at the right instant - give praise and small food treat as he finishes. Go to the same spot to make it easier, or at least the same kind of surface. Praise and reward all outdoor elimination for the first few days - later you can slack off (it's okay to continue praising.)
You will need:
Train your puppy to love his crate by throwing treats in his crate for a few days so that he has to go in. After a few goes, close the door for 1 minute, then open and let out. Practise a few more goes of the puppy going in and out freely. (This can be over a day or a few days.) Every few goes, practise closing the door, increasing the amount of time the pup must stay inside, by a few minutes.
Many people think of a dog being loose in a garden as a cure-all. In reality, the garden can be a cause-all, leading to all sorts of behaviour problems. How many of you think you can't get a dog because you don't have a garden? Do you know that often, a dog will be given to someone without a garden, rather than someone with one?
People sometimes mistakenly believe that a dog, like livestock, will be happier with fresh air, grass and more room to "run around." But when did you last see a happy, relaxed backyard dog "running around" his yard? Such dogs are inevitably sad, bored and lonely, wanting only to be able to spend time with their families in the house. When they manage to get human contact, they are desperately over-excited from deprivation and are likely to misbehave. Because they behave like crazy animals, they are sent back to the yard. It's a vicious circle.
Remember - an injured dog may attempt to bite a helping hand from fear and pain. Always muzzle the dog before trying to offer assistance.
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