Dog Training Help

[Hunter's Moon]

We have a three-year-old Bichon Maltese mix. His personality is very true to his breed - lively and affectionate. Smart as a whip (for a dog :tongue_smilie:) and very kind and loving to strangers once he gets to know them.

 

We have been lacking in the dog training dept. When he came home at 12 weeks, he developed a bad case of kennel cough that almost killed him, so for his first months at home he was nurtured back to health and loved on. The only commands we taught him were sit, stay, and come.

 

He is an incessant barker when someone is on his turf (pretty much the whole danged street because we live on the second floor, so he can see out the window pretty far). He also barks if two people are having a conversation without paying him attention. He will jump up and put his paws on our legs, which is sometimes painful with his nails.

 

Today I began training him with the "down" command for when he jumps up for attention. Whenever he jumped up, I said "down" and then gave him a small bit of a treat and said "good boy" when he sat back down. Once I ran out of the treat, he was following me around and jumping up, but as soon as I said "down" he sat down and I said "good boy". Is this the right way to go with this? I will do the training again tomorrow with a treat to reinforce. Is this the proper way to train him? How long until the command is a given, like it it already with "sit," "stay," and "come"?

 

Also, how do we deal with the barking. I've seen two approaches online. One is to teach the dog to bark on command, so he'll be positively reinforced when commanded, but when he is barking at passerby, he won't be reinforced because I didn't command it. Is that really effective? The other was while barking, put a treat in front of their nose because they will stop barking to sniff. Say "quiet" and then give the treat. Continue and soon they'll associate "quiet" with positive reinforcement. Which way is best, or if neither, what would you suggest?

 

Oh, and another is potty training. Because it was November when we got him, and therefore pretty cold for a 12 week pup plus his kennel cough, he got used to using "puppy pads". My mother thinks it is a lost cause trying to potty train, but I'm sure it is possible, though I know small breeds are pretty stubborn with potty training. How do we go about this? We don't have a yard we can just let him out to, so we'll have to take him out I know, but I'm just not sure the proper way to go about it.

 

Please, no judgement. I've seen a few knowledgeable dog-folk on here, so I'm looking forward to some input :001_smile:

[Mothersweets]

Have you ever watched the Dog Whisperer? I know some people on here have a vehement dislike of him, but his methods have worked beautifully for us.

[LuvingLife]

The Dog Whisperer is amazing! We have used many of his techniques on our dog and it works beautifully. Treat training is one way to go, but we gave uo treats with our dog when he turned one, so instead of a treat use praise. Like you have been doing, also keep a short lead on your dog and whenever he begins to bark tell him "NO!" in a firm vocie and lead him away from the window. So you have a kennel? If so put him in there for about 15 minutes to half an hour every time he starts barking.

 

If you are consistant, then you should start to see results soon. But just because you see them doesn't mean you stop, continue it until the day he dies in other words!:001_smile:

 

Good Luck!!

[Doran5]

We have a bark collar. I know it's not exactly humane, but when you have 4 dogs that bark when the wind blows and only one that won't stop when you tell him, you do what you have to. There are plug in things that will emit a high frequency noise every time they bark. We do not use food at all as a reward for behavior. We show them more affection when they do what they are supposed to, and ignore them when they don't. After a while they will only listen if you give them a treat.

I have never had small dogs. Our vet told us to step on their back feet when they jump up while saying off. We don't use down because that is their command to lay down.

Potty training is hard for that age. Kennel training is best when you are away. When you are home, I would take him out every couple of hours, make a huge deal when he goes outside. Eventually he will tell you that he needs out and reward him with lots of praise when he does!

[southernm]

Look around for training classes that cater to older dogs. They are very popular. Your trainer should be able to work with you on all your problem areas!

[ChandlerMom]

I would pick up a few books on dog training from the library first. Skim through until you find a style you like and go from there. Dog training is more about people training than training the dog. :001_smile:

 

I'm no expert, but I think when you are better able to establish your leadership/dominance with the dog a lot of these issues will improve. As to the housebreaking, crate training seems to be a requirement for this type of dog, which means taking some time to provide constant attention, keeping track of when the dog wants to go, and diligently crating and taking the dog out.