Hi all

[SpellBound2004]

Well I'm new here so I thought I would write and say hi. I currently have a cat and a dog. The cat is Domesticated short hair and the dog is German Shepherd/pitbull cross. The cat rulez the dog, for now but things have begun to change lately. Rocky (dog) is about 9 weeks old and very active. He is already 80% house trained

Does anyone have any advise as to how to train Rocky?

Chris Mindy and Wade
Salem, Rocky, and Stuart (he's a mouse)

[KYS]

A warm welcome to PT SpellBound2004.

I have a dog named Rocky too.

[wolfsoul]

Hi there! Welcome to PT! Do you have any pictures?

For advice, I suggest crate-training. Is that what you're doing already? Keep him in a dog crate/kennel while you are away or when you are too busy to pay attention to him. It will be his "den," or "safety-zone," and shouldn't pee or poo in it if it is small enough. Hang a bell by your that leads to where he should go pee. And whenever you take him out, ring the bell first. Soon he will learn that if he wants to go out, he should ring the bell to let you know.

Good luck!

[Dogz]

I used crate training to train Prince.

Welcome to Pet Talk! I would LOVE to see pictures of your dog, I love both breeds.

Good luck with training Rocky!

[trayi52]

Welcome to Pet Talk SpellBound2004!! I do hope you post some pictures of Salem, Rocky and Stuart! We just love pictures.

I agree with wolfsoul, I think crate-training is the best way to housebreak a puppy. Thats how I trained my Rottweiler and it worked great.

Willie

[SpellBound2004]

Well my cam is on the fritz right now so cant give ya any pics as of yet. Im workin on it though. Well We dont use a crate. But h e has his own lil corner in the living room and he sleeps in ou r room on the bed. He is a total suck. When we go out and have to leave him. Which aint that often we have a baby gate and gate him in the kitchen. He just lays down and sleeps. Which is his life (sleep that is)
Right now I am unsure how much I am supposed to be feeding him. I am giving him a puppy food I give him one cup in the morning and one cup at around 4. That way I know when he has to use the bathroom. Whats your th oughts on how much he should be ea ting and when????
Thanks again for your replies
Mindy Chris Wade Rocky Salem and Stuart

[wolfsoul]

I'd be giving him four meals a day until he is 4-6 months, then give him 3 meals, and then start him one two meals when he is a year. I'm not sure how many cups to feed though...

Because he has GSD in him, I'd skip the puppy food and go right on to adult food, or atleast give him half puppy and half adult. GSDs are prone to ALOT of bone/joint problems, and puppy food is filled with excess nutrients that can make the bones grow too fast. They should grow at a slow and steady pace to ensure that they do it properly.

[clara4457]

Well if he is 9 weeks old and 80% house trained, it sounds like you are doing something right! You are definitely doing the right thing by keeping him on a strict feeding schedule - makes training easier.

The advantage of using a crate for housebreaking is that you don't have to watch them 24/7. Since most dogs instinctively will not go where they sleep, it gives them an area where you do not have to be constantly on guard. When they are outside of their small sleeping area (it doesn't have to be a crate if you don't want), you just need to watch for signals. If he starts sniffing - pick him up and immediately take him outside. If he goes potty praise like he is the second coming - GOOD BOY - GREAT PUPPY - WHAT A GOOD BOY.

If you are talking about training SIT - DOWN - STAY - etc., I would suggest Ian Dunbar's Puppy training books, or if you want to do clicker training - Karen Pryors books are excellent.

To teach SIT - I would suggest the following ( I like to use a clicker for training - so I spend a day establishing the relationship between clicking and treats):

Use a small peice of soft treat such as a piece of hot dog, cheese or liver treat. Have a clicker in the opposite hand and hold the treat between your thumb and forefinger and hold it about a half inch from his nose. Bring it up and over his head and in a calm no nonsense voice say SIT . As he focuses on the treat over his head, his butt should hit the ground. The exact moment it hits, click the clicker, praise and give the dog the treat. The click should be within a second of his butt hitting the ground. This assumes you have already established the association between the click and the treat, because over time you will want to decrease the treat (gradually) and have them work for the click. Use constant treats the first few days, then on start varying when he receives the treats. Don't be predicable or you could train the dog to sit on every third command if he is used to getting treats every third time. Every once in a give the jackpot. Give five or six treats to signify a job well done.

Common problems:

If the dog jumps, you are holding the food too high.

If the dog backs up, try working with his back against a wall.

If the dog nips at your fingers, you might have to use a food that he likes a little less.

Since it is a puppy, you could also take one hand and gently move your hand along his hind end to tuck his butt in and push in on his back leg joints to bend them. You should never push straight down on his but as this could cause damage if you push too hard.

Good Luck

[tikeyas_mom]

pics??