Training Bell

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by POWERSCOL

volcano - Thanks, but I must disagree on potty accidents.

When I catch her leaving a puddle I gently rub her nose in it and sternly say "NO" and promptly take her to the outside spot.

Seriously? That's a really bad idea.

[volcano]

Maybe your puppy doesnt verbalize potty because she gets her face rubbed in it? That is how you likely learned to deal with it when you were a kid, its wrong and does not work. Youll be rubbing your dogs face in it for years if thats your technique. And your dog will be hiding the potty in corners and stuff where you dont even know it happened.
In the crate they hold it, they learn thats how its done. Then when you let her out witha full bladder she learns to ring the bell/ alert you however. You cant punish her though because if she potties in the house its your fault for not following those simple rules.

[POWERSCOL]

I need to clarify. Its not a face rub, and this is only when I catch her in the act or immediately afterword such as she is just walking away. I "GENTLY" place her nose in the puddle and quickly take her to the outside spot. I do not do this for found puddles. I have done this with all my dogs and was told to do this by several trainers in the past. Nothing very physical, just scoop her up, put nose towards puddle so she sniffs, the verbal "no, outside" - then outside to the spot. There is a big reward if she goes again outside.

She has never left puddles in hidden corners - never found any yet

No accidents yesterday or today so far and I am starting to get minor verbal clues.

She also slept through the night in her crate. So for 10 weeks old I think she is doing great - much faster than many of my other dogs.

As for using the crate during the day, per my trainer it denies the pup the instant ability to bond and socialize in the house as events happen, such as vacuuming, cleaning. people walking buy, etc. It gives time to correct bad behaviors such and the pant leg grab, and working on the bit inhibiting work. Emma is my new BFF and I want this to be a good learning time for her. The house is her home, not a crate to sit in and watch the world go by and only to be let out to play when I want to.

This morning as I was getting my coffee I kicked one of her balls - that led to about 20 minutes of fetch - then tug of war with her rope. Coffee got cold, but we had a lot of fun. Right now she is bonding with my daughter (spur of the moment fun attack for Emma). If she was in her crate she could not do that. I would rather risk a puddle then deny her the spontaneous fun.

However I appreciate all the comments and thoughts. That's how I learn. I take the comments and do a search. There is a huge amount of great information here. Thanks.

I did get a bell set up on the door this morning, so we will see if this works. I placed it low where I have seen her sometimes paw the door as I let her out. As soon as I put in it she thought it was a tug toy. Took a bit to convince her it was not. I have been ringing it and saying "outside" every time I open the door to let her out, but so far all I see out of her is a puzzled look. Hope I am doing this correctly.

Thanks again folks

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by POWERSCOL

I need to clarify. Its not a face rub, and this is only when I catch her in the act or immediately afterword such as she is just walking away. I "GENTLY" place her nose in the puddle and quickly take her to the outside spot. I do not do this for found puddles. I have done this with all my dogs and was told to do this by several trainers in the past.

I'm not surprised, this is a very old school method, and it's just not especially effective. I would submit that your previous dogs were housebroken in spite of this, not because of it. You know that the lesson you're trying to teach is not to pee in the house, but that may not be what she's actually learning. She may think that peeing in your presence is what's bad, not that WHERE she peed is the issue.

If you catch her in the act it's much better to interrupt her and whisk her quickly outside to finish, and then praise and give a treat. Because a young, un-housebroken puppy should never be out of your sight or away from your side, catching her in the act should be doable most of the time.

[POWERSCOL]

Debbie - thanks so much. I cannot fault the logic and I will admit I am very old school. Fortunately we keep a very close eye on Emma and she is constantly at my side or under my chair. However she can be sneaky.

Her tag makes a bit of noise so we know when she is moving, but sometimes we get distracted and that is when the puddles happen.

Ill stop the nose rubbing and continue the the praise and add in a treat. Today she has been perfect and even wined to go out. No bell use yet.

On a fun note we got about 6 inches of fresh snow - she loves to romp, and play and now makes sure to bring in snow all over her and then love me up.

Makes an old man young again.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by POWERSCOL

On a fun note we got about 6 inches of fresh snow - she loves to romp, and play and now makes sure to bring in snow all over her and then love me up.

Awww.... The thing about dog training is that the human always knows what we're trying to get across to the dog, so it's helpful to take a moment and try and look at everything from the dog's point of view. It requires a shift in thinking, but once you get the hang of it it's not that difficult. The more clear and consistent you can be, the faster she's going to learn, no matter what you're trying to teach her. In the case of housebreaking, like I mentioned, the dog doesn't know that peeing inside is "bad" and peeing outside is "good", all they know is that they were scolded for peeing. Eventually, with enough repetitions of being rewarded for going outside she'll figure it out, but for now that's a leap of logic that she's simply not capable of yet.

Anyway, good for you for being open to new ideas. And have fun with her!

[POWERSCOL]

Its working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is starting to hit the bell routinely now. At first it was a play toy but in the past few days she will ring it to go out.

Thanks folks