Help

[MaiseyPoo]

About 2-3 Weeks ago i got 2 new dogs. One is a 6 month old Pomeranian mix and the other is a 10 week old pomeranian mix...

i have 2 problems...

1) the older dog is terrified of a leash. we don't know why but i can't get her to go on walks or anything. i want to know if anyone has any suggestions to help me be able to train her to not be scared of them.

2) I haven't potty trained a dog in a long time...
Whats the best way to do that?

[tessa_s212]

1) the older dog is terrified of a leash. we don't know why but i can't get her to go on walks or anything. i want to know if anyone has any suggestions to help me be able to train her to not be scared of them.

Make sure it is a very smally leash. Snap the leash on her collar. Don't drag her with the leash, but put a treat in front of her nose and lure her forward. Give her a treat every few steps. Really encourage her with verbal praise. Always keep the leash slack. Soon she should gain more confidence with the leash.

2) I haven't potty trained a dog in a long time...
Whats the best way to do that?

Never leave the puppy alone. If you can't supervise, the puppy is in a crate. Make sure to feed on a regular schedule and give the puppy potty breaks at appropriate times. Don't give the puppy an oppurtunity to potty in the house, and you shouldn't have a problem. When taken out, select a certain spot. Take the puppy to this spot every time, and when the puppy relieves itself, name this behavior(trust me, this'll come in handy!). You can use "potty", "bathroom", or anythign else you'd like. When the puppy is done give lots of praise and treats.

If you do happen to catch the puppy in the act, NEVER punish it. Simply say "nooo"(DON'T shout it), pick it up, hurry it outside, and wait for it to finish outside. When it does, tons of praise and treats!

Goodluck!

[VTJess03]

1. Take baby steps with the leash. Whatever you do, never make it seem like something scary. It may just be that they are small, you are big, and when you reach down to leash her, she gets scared of the huge monster reaching towards her Another technique for leash training puppies is the one where you leave the leash on for a little while each day and let them drag it around for a while. If she is really afraid of the leash itself, you may have to just lay it on the floor with her and let her come to it and convince herself that it's not dangerous.

2. Just make sure not to make a fuss if you catch the pup 'in the act' when it's in the house. If they learn that they will be punished when they are caught going in the house, they may learn to be sneaky and hide from you to avoid being caught (one of mine was like this when we adopted her). Just be patient, clean up the mess and take her out regularly (like every hour at first). Dogs naturally want a clean 'nest', so just work with that behavior.