Comments on: Dog housetraining

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:31:06 +0000

Yeah a kennel should not be a punishment. Instead the dog should be conditioned to view the kennel as a good, relaxing place full of treats.

By: AnimatedPet

AnimatedPet — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:37:40 +0000

I hear stories about people getting frustrated with leaving the house with a puppy alone, and coming home to a mess. The biggest mistake is, they’ll then use the crate as punishment which doesn’t help correct the behavior. Instead, everything just repeats.

This is a great list of Do’s and Dont’s.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:52:07 +0000

Yep, that is what I figured. People need to understand that confining a dog for the first few months or years will allow more freedom for the dog later on.

By: Ty Brown

Ty Brown — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:59:33 +0000

The biggest mistake, without any doubt, is people give their dogs way too much freedom (ability to roam without being watched 100%) way before they are ready for that freedom.

That freedom may be while they are home and they allow the dog to sneak off or it may be while they are gone and they allow the dog to roam before the dog has earned that right.

There are several issues with any house training problem but this is the exact same issue that I have seen in 100% of the cases with my clients.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:55:59 +0000

Crate her, unless it is a matter of her not being able to hold it. If that’s the case, then don’t leave her as long or come home during your lunch breaks to let her out. Or, hire a dog walker.

If you crate her just for a few months while you are gone, you can probably break this habit so it won’t be an issue for life. The longer you tolerate it, the more likely you are going to have this problem for a long time and the harder it will be to break.

By: Mia Kissel

Mia Kissel — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:21:46 +0000

Great advise! What happens when you dog goes backwards (meaning she has been potty trained) and every time you leave she messes on the floor? When I get home she looks at me with the cutest eyes I can’t possible get mad. I want to avoid crating her. I just don’t know what to do!

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:31:53 +0000

What’s the biggest mistake you see people make?

By: Ty Brown

Ty Brown — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:50:33 +0000

You’re right. Done wrong it can take super long to get a dog house trained.

I recently worked with a client whose dog was 5 years old and still having accidents daily. Best to put in the effort at first and avoid years of problems.

By: Jenna Smith

Jenna Smith — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:00:55 +0000

Puppy training can be fun.

What a rewarding feeling you get from accomplishing something with your beloved mutt.

By: Lindsay Stordahl

Lindsay Stordahl — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:25:17 +0000

Thank you Bonnie and Apryl! I went with an adult dog because I knew I did not have time for training a puppy at the time. Training an adult dog with other issues is hard enough!

Hey Sweta! Perhaps you could adopt an older dog that would fit in well with your lifestyle. There are plenty of older, calm dogs out there. You just have to be patient and wait for the right dog.