My Dumb Dog

As you start thinking about getting a new puppy it is important that you know what your expectations and requirements are when it comes to the personality and needs of your new friend. This step is essential if you are to have a long and happy relationship with your puppy and is an important piece of information about dogs.

Here are 3 things you should be thinking about…

Do You Have Children?

You should know the time commitment a young puppy demands. Quite often that amount of time may be more than the time your own child needs. And it can be difficult to have both a young child and a new puppy at the same time.

Having both of them together requires constant supervision. This is to make sure that none of them hurts the other. You should keep watch at all times to prevent roughhousing, pulling, biting, and other potential injuries.

Are They Ready for a Dog?

Most experts - both trainers and breeders - do not recommend getting one of the toy breeds if you have a toddler at home. This is because a toy breed puppy is so tiny that they run the risk of being squeezed too hard, being stepped on, or being dropped. However, if you really have your heart set on getting a toy breed then just to make sure you choose one of the gentler and easy going breeds.

Do you have the time to take care of a dog?

Dogs are naturally social by nature. This is one of the main reasons that they are so popular as pets and companions. Knowing this, please do not get a dog if you plan on keeping her outside all day long. This is even more important if you are getting a puppy since they need much more attention and supervision. They also demand more interaction and regular training so that they can become a more socialized member of your family.

On an average, most dogs will spend at least eight hours a day home alone. This is usually the case at least five days of the week. Some breeds are better suited to this type of lifestyle. Most terriers, for example, will find ways to entertain themselves if you provide them with enough space to roam. Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes are also pretty adaptable.

Are you looking for dog to provide security?

A dog that barks when someone approaches the door may be just enough for most dog owners. It provides them with a sense of security since a dog barking, whether she is a small breed or a large dog will serve to deter most burglars. Dachshunds and most other toy breeds make excellent watchdogs. Terriers are also good at being protective.

If you are looking for a dog that can provide protection through their bark as well as their appearance then consider choosing a puppy from the herding group or one of the working breeds. Dogs from these breeds are protective of their owners and have the appearance that will scare away a burglar. These breeds are usually high skilled and easily trained.

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The Havanese breed of small dogs is possibly one of the most fun breeds to train, provided the right approach is used. They are a playful animal and if training begins while they are puppies it can go quick and easy. Consider the puppy like a small child learning what the owner expects and despite a couple of Havanese problem behaviors is willing to learn and please their owner. However, time and patience can do wonders in its training.

Positive reinforcement goes a long way to help the puppy understand what is expected of it and if made to feel they are the center of attention during training exercises, they will be exceptionally happy to show off what they have learned. Most importantly, through patience and understanding the Havanese puppy has to know who is in charge of its training and once that is established will offer little resistance in learning new tricks.
Even the most experienced trainers may have some issues with a couple of Havanese problem behaviors such as understanding who is in charge of the training session and the need to be trained on where its bathroom is located. Using a litter box for the puppy can work well provided cat litter is not used. The puppy may tend to eat the litter, causing it to become ill, which is counterproductive to the training session.

Using paper litter pellets in a litter box is recommended, but the tough part may be to get the Havanese to remember when it is time to go to the bathroom. They are such a playful breed that they may become so wrapped up in their activities and forget about running to the box until it is too late. Since the Havanese enjoy learning new skills and tricks, letting the puppy know it is appreciated when it does use the box will have a positive impact on the training.
Training a new Havanese puppy can be exasperating at times as they may seem more interested in playing than in learning, but when they realize that their owner is happier with each new trick they learn, they become a more willing student. Havanese pups when left alone too long may start to entertain themselves, and that is not always a good thing as these frisky critters can have a destructive nature in their playing.

Providing plenty of chances to exercise the owner can help work through some of the Havanese problem behaviors with patience and gentle guidance. Similar to children these puppies react better to positive reinforcement than they do to harsh punishment. Their playful nature may belie the fact that they really do want to please their owner, yet once their role has been established and accepted, they are more than willing to become a vital part of the family.

Understanding the puppy’s needs is as important as the puppy understanding what its owner expects. This breed can be quick and willing to learn, but consistency is a necessary part of the Havanese training methods. Training a Havanese can be fun for the animal as well as its owner, but there may be some special needs of the breed that is not covered in generic dog training books.

Proper training is important for all dogs, but especially so with Poodles. These are really great dogs, amazing dogs, but if they are not trained properly when they are young they will end up developing poor behavior problems, such as barking incessantly and chewing destructively. They will attack shoes, clothing and other things around the home if they are not trained.

Poodles also tend to be quite stubborn and dominant, especially if they are not shown who is in charge of the home, and so this can also cause a damper in their training. It often takes a lot more time and effort to train a Poodle than another breed of dog, and any potential Poodle owner definitely needs to be aware of this before they go through and decide to get one of these dogs as a pet. It is important to start training the dog as early on as possible in order to get the best and most permanent results.
There are a few important commands in particular which should be included in the most basic Poodle training. Heel is one of the first and to teach this command the owner needs to have the leash and collar on the dog, and command them to “Heel!” while at the same time walking out with the foot closest to the dog. The typical side to have the dog heel on is the left but of course this is up to the owner.

This is one of the easiest commands to teach a dog, and another one of the most important is the sit-stay command. To teach this lesson the owner needs to have the leash and collar on the dog and command them to “Sit!” while pushing their rump down and then pull the leash up. For the stay command the owner needs to put their hand out with their palm facing flat down towards the dog and they must command them to “Stay!” while stepping right in front of them at the same time.
The process of poodle training is one of great importance to stave off future Poodle problem behaviors and there are a few tips that every owner should remember. One is to be firm but friendly at the same time, because the dog is going to respond better to positive reinforcement and praise than to anger and frustration. Patience is a necessity here and really key when training not only a Poodle, but also any sort of dog. Owners need to remember to focus on a single command each session rather than trying to cram as many in as possible, so that the dog is not left confused and overwhelmed.

It is also very important to make sure that there are no distractions around while training the dog, such as toys and food, because then the dog will not be able to focus and this will make training them a great deal more difficult. Owners should also remember that there are many wonderful professional dog trainers out there who will be able to help out here and make sure that the dog is properly trained.

There are some really great Poodle training tips that an owner can use to help them through this process. There are some really great dog training books out there that a Poodle owner can buy to help with the training of their dog.

Just like any type of dog breed that you bring into your home, your new Pomeranian has to be trained to go potty where you see fit, as your new carpets just are not going to work for the job. You have to decide whether you want your little dog going outside or inside. While most people automatically answer outside, it is important to think about every situation that can come up.

Only choose outside if you are able to help your dog out every time and they have a safe yard that will keep danger out and keep them in. Either way, whether it’s inside or outside that is your goal. It is always easy to start with Pomeranian paper training as this is what you would use for the inside and it will help you guide your dog to the outside if done properly. Within a few short weeks, your training should be completed and your Pomeranian paper training will have been a wonderful success.
Now, if you are wanting to get your little one to use the yard as their potty location, you may want to use some Pomeranian paper training methods in order to get them there if they are seeming a little shy about going in the yard. Some animals take to the yard faster then others and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for it, as even dog training books will explain. By laying down paper, preferably in the place where your puppy has already gone inside your house when they had an accident, they will become accustomed to going to the paper.

Even papers, which are not treated with scent, are often a very attractive place for dogs to go on and the reasons behind it are not really known. It seems to be an instinct for the dogs to go on paper. Once your puppy is used to going on the paper in that certain location, you can move the paper everyday, slowly, towards the door you want the puppy to use to go out. Once outside, leave it there for a few days and then it can be taken away.
While we want instant success and results, we cannot jump the gun too much when going through Pomeranian paper training. It is important that we pay attention to the signs that your puppy is already giving you. More than likely, your dog has already had some mistakes in the home whether intentional or unintentional by them. And because of the scent left behind, no matter how well you cleaned the area, you may be noticing your dog goes back to the same spot over and over again.

By using that information, you can put your Pomeranian training off to a good start. Place a few papers down in the area that your puppy seems to already be partial to. Once they have started going on the paper for a few days, start to move it towards the place that you want the potty time to actually take place at. Never move it too far at once because this will only cause setbacks in your Pomeranian paper training and you may have to start again. In no time, your dog will be going where you want.

Pomeranian training should not take more then a few weeks if done properly with care and love. Even the newest of the dog training books on the market will explain who important proper Pomeranian paper training is.

A Shih Tzu is a proud and regal dog that likes things very clean and doesn’t really get trained. You can show a Shih Tzu what you expect it to do, but in the end if it does not adopt the behavior then you have a long road ahead of you. Punishment and negative reinforcement will cause all of your training to be undone and you may even have to reconnect with your Shih Tzu after any punishment. Your Shih Tzu only understands positive reinforcement so be patient and use good training.

At some point some Shih Tzu owners think that Shih Tzu paper training may work in their house breaking attempts. Housebreaking a Shih Tzu is a long process that can take months and the one thing you do not want to do is keep introducing new things into the process. This will confuse your dog and set back your training by months.
Even under the most ideal conditions, with the best-behaved Shih Tzu ever, housebreaking can still take upwards of six months so patience is a virtue. Shih Tzu paper training could make housebreaking even more difficult so be certain that you have given all standard housebreaking methods a chance before resorting to the paper.

Since setting up a confined living area for your Shih Tzu is a standard first step in the housebreaking process it is assumed that the Shih Tzu is probably soiling in areas just outside the living area. If this is the case you can try expanding their living area to include the soiled area and move their bedding close to, but not on, the soiled spot. Shih Tzu dogs do not soil where they sleep so perhaps after moving it’s bedding near a soiled spot it may start to think that outside is a better option.
Shih Tzu paper training can take longer than housebreaking and can undo any housebreaking training you have already done. If you would like to try it then move their living area to the spot they are soiling the most and cover the soiled spot with layers of newspaper. Praise the dog when it uses the paper and clean the papers often but always leave behind a small soiled area so they know it is okay to use the papers. Then slowly move everything towards the door and then start getting the dog used to going outside.

Housebreaking a Shih Tzu can be one of the most frustrating things you have ever tried but you need to be patient and stick with a housebreaking routine. Breaking that routine by moving the living space and adding newspapers will probably set your housebreaking back to square one so be patient and stick with the standard methods before you try the papers.

You will find valuable Shih Tzu training information in this article. You can use this article as a supplement to dog training books.

Chihuahuas may be a tiny breed of dog, but they can be quite territorial and protective as well. Some people think there are few things cuter than a Chihuahua pup, but before you bring that adorable baby home from the breeder, you would be well advised to learn more about the best methods for training your Chihuahua puppy.

Like any puppy, a Chihuahua has to have a clear understanding of what is expected of him from day one. Many Chihuahua owners make the mistake of going easy on training their Chihuahua puppy, because of his tiny size. However, an untrained Chihuahua can create big problems for the owner if he is allowed full run of the house for too long. Like any breed of dog, Chihuahuas are pack animals that have to understand their status in the pecking order. If you do not establish authority by properly training your Chihuahua puppy right away, it is very likely that he will attempt to take charge of you.

House Training your Chihuahua Puppy
One of the first steps in training your Chihuahua puppy will be toilet training. Chihuahuas will react well to either the crate method of housebreaking or the paper technique. The key to effectivelytoilet training your Chihuahua puppy is in the patience and consistency that you bring to the process. The more frequently that you can show your puppy the proper place to go to the bathroom, and the more praise that you can give him when he gets it right, the more quickly the puppy will catch on to what is expected of him. When your puppy has run of the house, keep a close eye on him to make sure that he doesn’t go to the bathroom in the house. The first time that your puppy has an accident indoors, clean up the mess promptly and get rid of the smell as much as possible. Otherwise, the pet will return to this spot the next time he feels the need to eliminate.
Check out these articles for more tips on house breaking your puppy.
how to crate train a puppy
how to housebreak puppy
Puppy litter training a great house training method

Socializing your Chihuahua Puppy
Chihuahua puppies are clan animals, and that means they tend to get along better with their own kind than they do with other animals. They can also be skittish around strangers and children. Therfore, it is important to include socialization when training your Chihuahua puppy. This means that you have to teach your dog how to behave around other animals and people, as well as educate children in the house how to act around your pet. This may include approaching the dog slowly and letting him sniff before attempting to touch him. The more you expose your puppy to other people and pets, the easier it will be to socialize your dog properly.

A Chihuahua puppy can be a cute and enjoyable addition to your family. With proper training of your Chihuahua puppy, he will be a much more welcome addition as well.

Training a dog to use a litter pan is perfectly unnatural to canine instinct. However, living in an apartment and not having to hunt or scavenge their food is also perfectly unnatural to canine behavior. But dogs have adapted happily and thrive in an urban or small home environment. One of the breeds of small doge that have taken any adaptations in their care are Havanese. Training them are usually easier than in other small dog breeds.

And now the demands of modern work schedules mean that Havanese will be called on to adapt yet again; this time, to Havanese litter box training. In the last few years, there has been a push by dog owners to litter train small dogs. Big pet manufacturers have listened, such as Purina with their Second Nature product line of pans, litter, and really funny promotional videos. Never has it been easier to try Havanese litter box training.
If you’ve ever had to housetrain a puppy, then you already have the basic training down for teaching your Havanese to use a litter pan. You watch for the signs that your Havanese has to go – sniffing, circling, whining, scratching at the door – and then you lead the Havanese to the litter box. But you can lead a Havanese to the litter box, but you can’t always make them go. Never yell, hit or swear at your dog. They confused enough as to where they are supposed to go as it is.

Some things you can do to encourage and reassure your Havanese that using a litter pan is okay is to place newspaper with the dog’s urine on it in the pan. You can also teach your dog to eliminate on command. Although dog training books will usually not have information specifically about Havanese litter box training, they will on how to teach your dog to eliminate on command.
You need patience and consistency when teaching your dog to eliminate by verbal command. You need everyone in the family to follow along and use the same command. You need to use this short command like “Show time,” or “Go, please,” EVERY time the dog pees or poops. Yes – every single time. Give the command, praise the dog and treat. Eventually, they associate the command with the act of elimination.

If this sounds familiar, it should be. This Havanese litter box training tip is a variation of the conditioned response old Pavlov did in his famous experiments of teaching a dog to drool at the sound of a bell. Every dog learns at his or her own rate. Some take a lot longer to learn than others. If your dog seems to get the idea but still has accidents, a trip to the vet is on order to rule out any medical conditions.

This author believes that if you can learn Havanese training, you have the capacity to train any dog. All animal shelters and recues should be giving away free dog training books to each dog’s adoptive family.

How To Feed Your Puppy

A puppy always tells his dog owner whether he is getting too much or too little food in several ways. Crying is one of the most often recognized, but least likely to be always accurate. Although hungry puppies do cry, so do cold puppies, hot puppies, puppies that were disturbed from a nap, lost puppies, sad puppies, etc.

Crying is simply nature’s way of giving a puppy a means of telling everybody that he is unhappy. Anything that makes a puppy unhappy will probably also make him cry, even having his tummy too full. Therefore, to say that a puppy is crying because he is hungry requires a judgment on the owner’s part. And since we do not think like a puppy, we have to use the reactions of the puppy’s system to determine whether or not he is getting enough to eat.

Every time you feed a puppy, two things should happen. First, he should have a bowel movement and second, he should urinate. Sometimes a puppy may need a little encouragement by rubbing his anal area, but he should always perform both acts if everything is going right. The makeup and amount of his feces and urine are important clues that tell you how well you are doing when it comes to properly feeding your pet. For one thing, the puppy’s stool should be formed as it is expelled, but its consistency should be soft and pasty. The color will depend to some extent on what you are feeding him. But in every case, it should not vary from a pale tan to a mahogany brown. The inside of the stool may be yellow-brown in many cases. Stools that are green, bluish-white or clear signal trouble.

Even tan or brownish stools that are watery, lumpy, hard or curdled may indicate something is not right.

Begin the following feeding with a formula that has been diluted one-half with boiled water. Continue to feed the same quantity as you did the undiluted food. If this fails to produce an improvement in the stool, reduce the quantity you are feeding by 25 % at each stool.

The quantity should be about the same each time the puppy urinates. It might be pale yellow to almost clear, but should never be deep yellow or orange. Also, it should always be like water and never like syrup and should smell like urine. Urine that is scanty, dark in color, or syrupy, indicates that the pup is not getting enough water. More water should be supplied, either added to the formula or fed separately. If the urine seems excessive in amount, unduly clear, or thin, the water concentration of the formula should be re-checked to make sure that he is not getting too much water. If urine production stops altogether for longer than four feedings, take the puppy to a vet as soon as poss puppy care.

Read more about pitbull dogs and how to house train dog.

Housebreaking your beagle, regardless of the age, can be a very difficult thing to do if the dog is not responding to traditional methods. It can be frustrating when you think you have tried everything and your dog still goes wherever it wants to. One important thing to remember is that striking the dog is the absolute worst thing you can do and locking them in a pen all night when they are having issues going in the house can be very counter productive. Remember that you do not want to cause other bad habits in an effort to try and stop this bad habit.

You may have to resort to beagle paper training and if you do it right it should work, but the key is to do it right and be very patient. Your real first step should be a trip to the vet because there could be a physical reason why your beagle is going in the house. Once you get a clean bill of health from the vet then it is time to try alternatives.
You should try to avoid beagle paper training at all costs. One way to avoid the papers is to set aside a 48-hour period where you can take your dog to the spot outside you want them to use every hour on the hour. When they do their business in that spot then offer a great deal of positive reinforcement. After forty-eight straight hours they should get the idea of what you are trying to teach them.

A second idea is to simply watch your dog every minute for two complete days. If they start to show signs that they are going to make a mess then walk to your dog, do not lunge at them, and point at them and say a firm one word command like “No” and then take them to their outside spot. When they are done make them feel like they just saved a life with massive positive reinforcement.
If beagle paper training is your only option then lay several layers of papers in the area that the dog uses for their personal toilet and try and surround this area with a pen. When the dog uses the papers then use positive reinforcement. After a while they will know they can use the papers and they will use them every time. Gradually move the papers towards the door and gradually put parts of the papers outside and a smaller part of the papers inside. The beagle should be begging to go outside on the papers when there isn’t enough paper inside. From there you still have to train your dog on being able to hold their business in until it is time to go out and then where in the yard to do it.

Paper training really only does a small part of the job and you are still not getting the dog used to waiting until you get home to do its business. But it can work if done right. Remember that when you clean the papers to always leave a small amount of soiled papers in the new pile so they know to use the papers still. Good luck.

You will find good beagle training advice in this article. This article is a good secondary source to dog training books on housebreaking your beagle.

The Havanese are a great breed of dog for your family, they are loyal, fun and very cute. However one of the major concerns about the Havanese breed is how to housebreak them so they don’t make a mess. This is why it is necessary to paper-train them, and the earlier the better. The other benefit of Havanese paper training is that you won’t have to worry about taking your dog outside every few hours; this alone is well worth the effort of training.

The training process can be made much easier if a small crate, training pads and an exercise pen are purchased and used. These little tools help in the adjustment process for the dog and make starting out with it much simpler. Due to the fact that the Havanese is a toy breed, they take a while longer to develop bladder control. However if they were larger, paper training would not be an option, so it is well worth it.
Due to the very playful nature of the Havanese breed, when you are not enjoying its company, it is best to restrain it in a pen if you purchased one. Make sure you cover the whole floor of the pen with training pads if these were bought, or newspaper if not. The point of these pads is to tell the dog that anywhere in the pen is suitable to excrete on. Also place the small crate in the pen with the door removed, make this as comfortable as you wish.

After time you will notice that the dog is choosing a specific area to do its business and at this time you can start removing pads or paper from the opposite side from where it has chosen its spot. Make sure you do not rush this process as Havanese paper training takes at least a week to get fully going. Continue removing pieces of paper or pads until the dog is left with an area, the size of an open newspaper. At this stage you can stop.
Now that your puppy is sticking to his chosen area, you can increase the size of the pen slowly like how you decreased the size of the papers. In a while you should be able to let the dog travel several rooms of your house while always coming back to the paper to relieve itself. Another advantage of your dog being trained in this is that wherever you take it, you have the option of finding a quiet spot and letting it do its business on a piece of paper or a pad.

Hopefully by now you have a cute playful dog that is very clean due to its Havanese paper training. Also remember the dog may forget his training sometime along the way, and if this happens just step back a few steps and slowly guide the dog through its training once more.

Havanese training, including paper training, is very useful for any home of the small toy dog. The method is easy if the correct steps are known. If you want to know how to paper train your pooch, this article along with some dog training books will get you to perfect your dog’s household manner.