Please click on the The Puppy Log link and look at the Training section of the log for stories of our recent personal experiences of training a good dog. While we do have fairly extensive experience with dog training we have recently decided to completely change our methods. The puppy log will show some of our struggles with that.
The main dog training section here will give our current conclusions and methods we recommend. This will lag behind The Puppy Log by a good bit since the puppy is part of our laboratory to develop our methods. None the less, please read our disclaimer. We don't know everything, are still forming our opinions, and nothing we say is to be taken as absolute. You must do your own research, make your own observations, and use methods that make the most sense to you and your dog.
How does a puppy learn where to go to the bathroom? He learns through social interaction. From birth, the mother cleans up the den but does not clean up outside of it. The pup naturally learns that the personal living space is to be kept clean. From there, it’s just a matter of extending the pups idea of what the personal living space is.
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Nothing written here is very original; I want to be clear about that. This is simply my understanding of things that many other people have observed and written or spoken about. Crate training is becoming more and more of a necessity in the modern world. There may be places that you absolutely have to bring your dog or cat that they are not allowed unless in a crate and car transport is safer in a crate too. Sometimes it is necessary to crate a sick animal at home or at the vet. A dog or cat may need to be crated at events such as breed shows or agility trials during thee time they are not competing. There are also a lot times when it is just so much more convenient for the owner that you will choose to do it. Housebreaking is easier using a crate, and sometimes, especially with a new puppy, you just need a brake and the crate is the only thing that will serve. There are a lot of resources available to help you decide what type of dog will fit well in your life. It really is a good idea to do your research before deciding what kind of dog to get, however, and here is the sticky point, it is far more important to do your research on what kind of a person you are yourself. I recently heard from someone whose was having trouble with one of their dogs attacking the other whenever he greeted them after an absence. The apparent reason for this was a desire to be the first (only?) one to get attention. This person received advice from several people to “alpha-roll” the attacker. The idea being to make it clear that the owner was the pack leader and was displeased by fighting. |
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