Dog Training

Question: I need help with dog training?

(Posted by: on 2012-01-08 19:03:19)

We have had him since he was 8 weeks. He is 1 year now. We are trying to pad train him. He is a chihuahua. When ever he is in the bathroom with the pads he goes on them, when ever he is in the hall and the bathroom with the pads is open, he goes on them. But whenever he is open to the whole house he goes EVERYWHERE! we have punished him by closing him in his crate, we have said NO, we have done so much and nothing is working. Are there any suggestions? we only crate- punished him once.and we can't take him outside, thats why we wanted to pad train him. I need suggestions about PAD TRAINING He knows he has done something wrong, as soon as you raise your voice he runs into the bathroom. He knows he went in the wrong spot because when you bring him to the spot where he went he is scared. We don't punish by hitting or sticking his face in the pee or poo. We just close him in the bathroom whenever he pees or poos. I tried taking him outside. I would walk him for 20 min then take him inside. I would in about 2 min find him pooping on the floor.

Posted by: Moondog on 2012-01-08, 19:19:51

You have already asked this question a short while ago. Sorry I can't help you with pee pad training because I wouldn't use pee pads. My dogs are all house trained to eliminate outside in the yard.

Posted by: acgasbus on 2012-01-08, 19:09:14

First, dogs don't KNOW when they go in the wrong spot. See this for more info on this sciencedirect.com/ science/ article/ pii/ S0376635709001004 See this dogstardaily.com/ training/ errorless-housetraining for crate training. Punishment will not work, you need to prevent and TRAIN.

Posted by: maxxiy on 2012-01-08, 19:12:17

Http:/ / caninecrib.com/ dog/ training/ train-puppy-pee-pad.asp I hope this will help!

Posted by: speedydogs on 2012-01-08, 19:17:09

Pad training is by definition less reliable than house training, since you are really teaching them that it's ok to go in the house. You *can* get a fairly reliable pad trained dog if there's really no way you can take him outside (which seems very strange to me). As you've discovered, punishment isn't a very fast or consistent way to teach a dog something. This can be due to a variety of reasons - usually, the problem is timing or lack of generalization. This means that he may not really understand what he's being punished for. He doesn't know the rules - he might think he's being punished for peeing in a certain area, peeing in front of you, peeing on hard floor, peeing on the rug, etc, even something silly like peeing while the TV is on. An easier way is to ignore his accidents (clean them up with enzyme cleaner, without punishment) and reward him when he pees in the right spot. For this to work, you'll need to watch him pretty much 24/ 7. Tether him to yourself with a leash if you need to. Whenever he gives signs that he needs to go potty (sniffing, circling, etc) pick him up immediately and place him on the peepad. The pad itself should be big enough that he can wander around a bit on it. Don't force him to stay on, but don't let him wander off either. If he pees on or close to the pad, praise him and give him a yummy treat. A small piece of cheese or hot dog works great. Also, put him on a schedule - feed him twice a day, and make sure you take him to the pad half an hour or so later. Crate training will also help a lot. Use the crate as a tool, not as punishment - crate him at night or when no one can watch him, so he doesn't have an accident.

Posted by: Beautiful Bride on 2012-01-08, 19:17:17

The crate is supposed to be a dogs safe spot, so try not to use it as punishment. Being repetitive over & over & over..every single time really works!! Go to the dog whisperer site, Ceasar Millan..he is amazing & you can write in with questions. They can be very trying but if you can with love and a strong but not loud voice take him to the correct spot & always always give lots of praise & maybe buy him his most fav treats & a new toy & he gets one every single time he does good!! He will want to make you happy. They all do but sometimes need a bit of help because of some little mix up they have in their mind. Being consistent every time is hard work but it works on animals & it works on people too. If you are really on it for a while he will pick it up. They really want to do & be good. Maybe after he goes then make a HUGE fuss, give him a treat & go for a short walk. That did it for mine. Walking kinda resets their mind. Doesn't have to be long with little dogs, I think they really enjoy the 1 on 1 time. I hope some of this helps.

Posted by: Alana on 2012-01-08, 19:22:57

1. NEVER punish an animal. They have no idea what they are being punished for. Was it entering the room? Peeing on the floor? Barking? It will not change the dog's behaviour. You need to learn more about positive reinforcement training-rewarding the good, ignoring the bad. This method is used by tiger trainers in Hollywood, killer whale trainers at SeaWorld-even people who train rats to go through mazes. I suggest you read the book Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor.It's the new method of teaching and training. 2. When the dog DOES pee where you want him to-make a HUGE fuss! Give treats. This will make the dog want to do as it's told. Make the pad training fun. Whenever he goes near it, reward him. Shape the behaviour through positive reinforcement and operant conditioning. (Operant conditioning is a form of psychological learning during which an individual modifies the occurrence and form of its own behaviour due to the association of the behaviour with a stimulus). Cheers :)

Posted by: Project Eternity on 2012-01-08, 19:54:51

I would say get off your lazy butt and take him outside to go to the bathroom. It isn't that hard