Manners Monday

This week is about where your dog sleeps.

When I first got Duke I didn't allow him up on any furniture or the bed. I did this for several reasons.

1. He is hairy- I didn't want hair all over the couch.
2. He is large- There isn't room for a huge dog and a person
3. Visitors- I didn't want visitors to worry about a dog jumping up on the couch, also I didn't want him to think it was ok to jump up on other people's furniture when visiting.

Of course, when he was a puppy he tried to jump up on the couch and bed all the time. I taught him the off command.

Now 5 plus years later I have relaxed a little. He still is not allowed on the furniture, but at times I will call him up on the bed.

Because of this rule, I do have many comfortable large dog beds laying all over the house so that he doesn't have to sleep on the hard floor.

Is your dog allowed up on the furniture or bed?

Manners Monday

House training is this weeks Manners Monday.

With the new puppy this is definitely on my mind. I asked for some of the best secrets on our Poochieheaven Facebook Page and got some good responses. Below are the suggestions for those looking to potty train your dog.

1. Many, many bathroom breaks then slowly spread them out to breaks that fit the schedule
2. The most important thing I learned is NEVER get mad if your puppy has an accident. By being matter of fact when she had an accident, and just relocating her to the place she was supposed to have gone, we were able to limit the amount of accidents to just a very few. And non after the age of 7 months. Plus she isn't afraid of us and still trusts us.
3. I always sit outside with them for a while and whenever they go potty outside they get a treat then if they do it in the house no treat and a loud noise. Usually only takes me a week to potty train them.
4. Start as small as you can. I know that taking home is 8 weeks but as a breeder if you can find one that starts outside potty training at 4-5 weeks and sends home a schedule of when they eat sleep and potty is super. Otherwise start the moment you pick up the pup and if you have other dogs in the home they also help teach the little ones.
   
5. Consistency and not giving too much freedom. If you aren't actively watching the puppy put them in their crate or exercise pen...don't give them the opportunity to have an accident.
   
6. We had a "bells" system. We attached little jingly bells to a rope and hung it on the door. Whenever we took our dog out, we'd jingle the bells very loudly and when he did a potty outside, he got a treat. We continued this until he started ringing the bells on his own to go outside!
   

Potty training a new puppy can be a lot of work, but with the tips above from our facebook fans, hopefully it can be much easier!

Manners Monday

Manners Monday is a new feature on Poochieheaven's blog where we will discuss different manners that make living with your pet easier. If you have anything you would like discussed, email info@poochieheaven.com with your comments.

My favorite command.

One of my all time favorite commands that make living with Duke much easier is the command "bed".

For those that crate their dog, it can be an extension of the "go to your crate" command. I really like this command because whether he is in trouble, annoying me, or waiting to get a really good treat, all I have to say is "bed" and he goes to his bed and lays down (or sit if he is really excited).

How to do:

1. Make sure your dog knows what their bed is. Start by taking them to their bed and saying "good boy, lay on your bed" or when they are laying on their bed, gives them treats and praise them more for laying on their bed.

2. After they know that their bed, is there bed, start with lots of good situations to have them go on their bed. Before giving them their night time treat, have them go to their bed and wait. Before going for walks, have them go to their bed and wait and put their leash on their.

3. After they have successfully gotten down the "bed" command for a treat or other positive reward, try working in the command where they don't always get a positive reward. Make it every other time, then once every four times, etc. This way they come to do the command without always expecting a treat.

4. Finally the last step is to use the "bed" command when it is not something good. I use the bed command when Duke is doing something naughty, when I need to vacuum and he gets in the way, or when people come over who are not as dog friendly as others.

Again, I love this command because it works so well in many different situations.

Duke is laying on this Bessie and Barnie Dog Bed.