Klynn7
Blaine, MN
MH
Posts:84
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| 08/24/2009 9:22 AM |
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Hello!
I'm a 1st time GSP owner! We got our little girl last week. She's now 10 weeks old and we LOVE HER! Training has been going well with a couple exceptions. The house training is okay, but it doesn't seem like she gets the deal. She doesn't ever let us know when she wants to go out. Also, she doesn't seem to get the lay down concept. I got her to sit in less than 15 minutes, but down just isn't working. Any tips on either of these would be appreciated!
This is Randi at 9 weeks fresh in the door!
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-Korbey
Randi
Stella
"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." -George Eliot
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flygirl
Muncy, PA
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Posts:409
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| 08/24/2009 9:26 AM |
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| Klynn7 your picture didn't come through on my end. Welcome to the board and congrats on your little girl. Maybe you can leash her to you so that she is not out of your sight. Make regular potty times. You will get a wealth of great tips from the members of this forum! |
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Benelli
Abby
RIP Dutchess - 2000-2010
Cheyney the cat |
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carlower1
Kansas
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Posts:1253
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| 08/24/2009 9:52 AM |
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congrats..
Your picture didn't come through.. you actually have to post in on something like photobucket and link through there.
down is relatively easy after you have sit...
get them into a sit then hold the tail so they can't move their behind, and offer a treat then slowly pull the treat away until the dog is in a down position. and give the treat with a command of "good down" you will find with this breed they pick up things quickly
As for potty training...at first it is more about training you than it is the puppy.. only feed/water the dog at certain times then immediately after they eat/drink take them out and do so every 5 minutes until he/she does something outside and praise for what they did.. I have a friend who has trained her dogs to ring a bell when they need to go out..she did so by hooking up a bell that they could hit and ringing the bell every time she took them outside. I know my dog learned to ring the doorbell on the back door at the old house when he wanted to come in, simply because every time he jumped up and pushed the button .. someone answered the door.
Carrie |
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Klynn7
Blaine, MN
MH
Posts:84
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| 08/24/2009 10:08 AM |
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I knew about pulling the treat away once she's in a sitting position, but I didn't know about holding her tail down. I'll have to give that a try! Thanks so much! The potty training is a work in progress. She eats at the same times everyday, and we get her out often but she's still having about one accident a day in the house. I guess that's not too bad for only having her a week.
Does this picture work?
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-Korbey
Randi
Stella
"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." -George Eliot
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dieterthegsp
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
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Posts:559
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| 08/24/2009 10:13 AM |
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That picture worked...she she has almost identical color/markings as my pup....even the tip of her tail. Im a first time gsp owner too...welcome |
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Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
Videos
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carlower1
Kansas
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Posts:1253
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| 08/24/2009 10:28 AM |
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she is a cutie!
What are you doing when she has the accident? how are you reacting to it.. that is also key to this.. if you catch her in the act you have to (and yes I know this is gross) tell her no.. grab her and run outside.. THEN let her finish her stuff. I know people will disagree with this but it shows her exactly what she is doing wrong WHEN she is doing it... mind you both you and the dog will need a sterilizing shower afterwards.
Carrie |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7846
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| 08/24/2009 10:37 AM |
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Cute pup. Look at those long legs and big feet. Very nice looking girl. Love the color. Of course I am a bit prejudice as she has the same coloring as my oldest shorthair, Belle.
The potty training is easy. Just take her out after she eats, plays or when she gets up from a nap. Praise her when she does her business outside. She will catch on. Don't fuss at her when she has an accident unless you catch her in the act. Then fuss a little and grab her up and put her outside. Praise when she goes outside. Keep her with you and watch for behavior like sniffing that may indicate she needs to go out. She will eventually catch on and let you know, but don't necessarily expect that right away. Also be sure you clean up good when she has an accident because if they smell where they have gone before they will potty in that place again. You can use off the shelf products or a solution of vinegar and water for cleanups.
Teaching the down is easy too. Just like Carrie said only I don't hold the tail. If you move the treat right she won't get up. The key is hold the treat right at her nose and lower is straight down and in slightly. When your hand gets to the floor pull your hand forward a little. Hold the treat with the right hand and with the left hand put it on her shoulders. You can use your left hand to knock her off balance a little bit and she will go down. Another way to teach down is to teach the folding down from a stand. Hold the treat in your right hand and the leash (keep the leash loose in both cases) in the left hand. Move the right hand toward the dog and down between her front legs. She will fold down to get the treat and as soon as she is down completely give her the treat. You may have to hold you hand down on the floor between her legs for a few seconds for her to get down. The folding down is a good one to teach if you ever want to do agility with her. It also looks really nice and teaches them to easily down from a stand.
Post more picts when you get a chance, and welcome to the forum. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Klynn7
Blaine, MN
MH
Posts:84
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| 08/24/2009 10:38 AM |
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| That's exactlly what we are doing! I take her out as soon as she wakes up, again about 5 minutes after she's done eating her morning meal and then usually wait another 20 minutes depending on what the result of the previous trip outside was. So we did all that, she pee's on command pretty much now, even if she doesn't need to go (just to humor me) but about 10 minutes after we got back in from a successful trip, she took a dump on the floor with no warning that she needed to go out. We will just need to keep training eachother I guess! |
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-Korbey
Randi
Stella
"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." -George Eliot
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MelB
MH
Posts:1217
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| 08/24/2009 10:41 AM |
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she's adorable! look at those big ol floppy ears! Love her markings, and such an intelligent expression in her eyes!
I teach the sit first and then from there the down is pretty easy. I use a treat, put the pup in a sit, place your hand on her back between her shoulders and GENTLY push down while you move the treat towards her chest, not too far or she will try to back up, but enough she has to tuck her chin a bit to reach it. Move the treat towards her chest, and downward at the same time while gently pushing downward on her shoulders and say "Down", as she lowers herself down slowly begin moving the treat back out towards youself so that when she is down she is laying in a natural position,when her elbows touch the the ground instantly give her huge praise and the treat. In the beginning she may lay off to the side as her head tucks down, that's ok, you can perfect her position once she's understanding the word down and associating to the action.
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7846
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| 08/24/2009 10:43 AM |
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| The typically will have a bowel movement about 20 to 30 minutes after a meal. As pup you are probably feeding three times a day, so be sure and take her out and wait her out. If you watch you will also be able to tell when she is getting ready to do number two. They sniff around looking for the right place. If you see that behavior pick her up and take her outside immediately. Don't talk to her, let her sniff and get into the mood. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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FrancisMcGee
Ann Arbor, MI
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Posts:114
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| 08/24/2009 10:59 AM |
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Also, be patient with the potty training. 10 weeks is still pretty young. I was very happy to have #2 (poo) completely under control by 12 weeks...#1 (the pee) took until about 4 months (completely proofed...even excitement factor). Just remember to take them out at frequent intervals when they are young. You will avoid a LOT of messes this way.
You will eventually be able to learn the times they need to go out by behavior and habit.
Randi is very cute. I love her pink collar. |
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TessaGA
Georgia
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Posts:2387
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| 08/24/2009 1:26 PM |
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Cute puppy, welcome to the forum, I am a first-timer too, although now a one-year GSP owner. It's been a lively year!
Re advice, I think the others said it all.
My Tessa was a wiggle butt, the whoa was best, the sit was good, the down was impossible. Each dog is very different, and you may just have to feel your way through the training process and most of all, be patient. She'll come around just fine! |
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To live without dogs would mean accepting a form of blindness. [Thomas McGuane]
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4451
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| 08/24/2009 1:31 PM |
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I didn't fully read the other posts so maybe they have said this already. Down is a pretty serious command and I wouldn't start with it until sometime in the 4th month and that would be early. I like sit,whoa/stay,walking on a loose leash,here and generally working on cooperation skills. Potty training is not difficult but she is young. At this age I walk every 2 hours around the clock even if they don't look like they want to go I will wake a puppy up to take them out, otherwise they will wake up and go to fast. The pee in the middle of playing so I take them out during play time as well. I find it is easier to stop the pooping the then peeing. There is just to much pressure on the bladder,poor babies. They're just little pee-pee machines.
And welcome to the site,
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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WiscoCooper
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
MH
Posts:112
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| 08/24/2009 2:20 PM |
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I am also a first-time GSP owner. Our pup is 19 weeks old; we brought him home at 9 weeks. We had similar potty-training experience as you. Cooper would always pee immediately after being taken outside. We've had only a handful of accidents in our home. But it took a while before he gave us any signal that he needed to go. Now, he sits by the door and waits to be let out. Sometimes he might whine, but rarely, so I pay close attention to his signals. He has never had an accident in his crate; when he is roaming the house we try to keep him close to us, keep an eye on him, and take him outside often. I think that combination will help your girl to get a hang of housetraining in no time. And like others said, make sure that when you catch her in the act you startle her so she stops, and take her outside right away. We used a vinegar/water solution on the floor; he's never pottied in the same place inside twice.
As for "Down", we're still working on it. Cooper gets it, but he doesn't always choose to obey. We tried the method that others mentioned, using a treat and forcing him to get into a down position through his nose. We’re not crazy about it. In our obedience class we learned to get the dog into a sit, then say "Down" while motioning your hand (opened flat, knuckle-side up) down to the flow. As you do this, place your forefinger and thumb (using your other hand) across her back, just behind her shoulder blades, and gently push her down to the floor. We were taught that doing this throws them off balance and their natural reaction is to go down. Make sure that you do not push down on her shoulder blades or above them (i.e. on her neck). This has worked well for us as a long-term solution, as we can get him to go down without relying on treats, and after some practice he learned to obey the command and/or the hand signal.
Good luck with her, she's a cutie!! |
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Robyn, David & Cooper |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7846
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| 08/24/2009 2:26 PM |
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| Either method for down will work if you are consistent. Some dogs are more stubborn than other and resist the hand on the shoulder option. Some are too food motivated and will follow your hand everywhere. In that case the hand on the shoulder may work better. You just have to see what works best for you. Remember though these are smart dogs and get bored easily with too much repetition. So keep short and fun, and be consistent. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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Klynn7
Blaine, MN
MH
Posts:84
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| 08/24/2009 3:00 PM |
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Thank you everyone for the good advise! It sounds like Randi is right on track with her training so I dont' feel so bad! She's such a good pup on everyinth else I was wondering why these two areas were taking a little longer....BUT I've only had her for a week. I've just been so impressed with how smart she is already! Once we ship her off to puppy college for a couple weeks when she's 5 months I'm sure the training at home will go alot smoother too.
One more thing....In the morning, she is so excited to be up that I'm having a hard time getting her to focus on eating. I only have a couple hours with her before I head off to work, so I need her to eat so I can get her out to the bathroom enough times before she's kenneled. She'll grab amouth full of food and walk away from the bowl to go play and I have to get her back to the bowl and remind her to eat. I read somewhere that the food dish shouldn't be down for more than 30 minutes. |
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-Korbey
Randi
Stella
"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." -George Eliot
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7846
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| 08/24/2009 3:43 PM |
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Feed her in her crate. No distractions and she will continue to associate the crate with good things (food). My routine in the morning (I have three shorthairs ages 5 yrs, 4 yrs and 1 yr, but I started this when they were all puppies) is out as soon as they get up. After they all pee they come in and eat, and then back out to do their business again. While they are out, I get dressed. Now that they are all grown they stay out until the afternoon, then they come in for a nap. I feed them at 4:40PM and they go back out again until it is time for whoever is going to dog training. The rest come in and stay inside while I am gone. When I get home we all go outside for some prowling time (I sit on the patio and drink a glass of wine, they prowl and look for critters). After that we all go in for the night. If you can puppy proof your yard so she can't get out, it will work great. I had to put up chicken wire when my boy was a pup last year because he figured out how to get through the front part of the fence.
The bottom line is figure out a routine that works for you and Randi and it will help you a ton with feeding and potty training. If she doesn't eat after 30 minutes, pick it up. She will quickly figure out she needs to eat when it is offered. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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WiscoCooper
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
MH
Posts:112
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| 08/24/2009 3:52 PM |
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Again, we had the same experience with Cooper the first few weeks he was home! I think the new environment coupled with new toys made eating fall low on his priority list. Others on this site suggested picking up toys during feedings to reduce distractions, adding something yummy to his dish (i.e. a dollop of plain yogurt or cottage cheese), and picking up the bowl after a set amount of time. We followed these instructions and his interest in food perked up right away. If there is a spoonful of cottage cheese or yogurt in his food (I try to stir it up well before serving) he will gobble up his portion. But even now he doesn't always finish all of his food. The advice I received was that if he's hungry, he will eat. So as long as he is eating something, don't be too worried if he doesn't finish his portion each time.
If you are feeding a lot of treats throughout the day, this might be spoiling her appetite a bit at meal time. But my guess is she just needs to acclimate to your house and get comfortable before her appetite peaks. |
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Robyn, David & Cooper |
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carlower1
Kansas
MH
Posts:1253
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| 08/24/2009 4:04 PM |
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there is a lot of good advice here... but one thing I havent really seen yet is
1. you have a young pup so remember to keep it short and keep it fun!!
2. REMEMBER PLAYTIME!
3. start the way you mean to go.. you can teach simple behaviors.. like wait until I tell you to eat, sit, down, etc.. but wait on the major commands like stay until they are older..
4. REMEMBER PLAYTIME!
5. you can work on heel, come etc.. and some of those concepts on a daily basis by using them and praising her every time she succeeds.
6. REMEMBER PLAYTIME.
5. there was a recent article that stated the average dog has the intelligence level of a 2 year old.. keep that in mind when disciplining.. time out for 5 minutes is going to be an eternity for your puppy at this age.
oh and in case I forget to mention... REMEMBER PLAYTIME!!!
Carrie |
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Klynn7
Blaine, MN
MH
Posts:84
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| 08/28/2009 7:01 AM |
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So I just wanted to gloat for a minute about Randi. We have had 2 days with no accidents in the house, with the exception of in her crate because she can't hold it that long during the day! AND she seems to be catching on that if she goes and sits by the door that we'll let her out! That's still a work in progress but she's done it a few times now.
Yesterday I took her to the dog part for the 1st time. She was really scared at 1st because the other dogs are bigger than she is, but there were only 3 of them so after a little while she seemed more comfortable to be on the ground. Eventually there where about 8 big dogs and 3 basset hounds and she wasn't feeling it too much. Though she really liked to watch from my lap. The other dogs are just too big yet to play with her. I think we'll go back today for a while.
HAPPY FRIDAY! |
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-Korbey
Randi
Stella
"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment." -George Eliot
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