Problems with dog training.

[I.Dup.]

We got my dd11 a dog because she SWORE and promised and begged and pleaded and swore that she would take care of it. Even though it didn't go well with the last dog we had so we gave that dog to a friend. We decided to try again and got her a dog 3 months ago. She's plenty old enough to train a dog at 11 years old, right? With hardly any other responsibilities?

 

Well it's not going well. Her idea of training is leaving the puppy outside in the backyard all day so she doesn't pee/poop in the house. We were originally training her on the pad and she did well with that for the first few days, but then stopped going on the pad and started going all over the house. She does have free reign in the house when she's inside (mistake #1). My daughter doesn't want to watch her. So she leaves her outside.

 

The dog is outside all. of. the. time. now that the weather is nice because dd doesn't want to deal with her. The dog is being ignored all the time, my dd doesn't seem to care about her at all and when we instruct her she just blows up at us. The dog will only sleep in dd's bed and last night pooped right near her pillow. :confused1:

 

I'm tempted to just train the dog myself but I'm absent-minded just like dd is, so I feel for her, but I also have 3 humans in diapers and 2 others that I still wipe. So I have plenty of pee and poop to deal with in my normal, daily life.

 

Can someone spell out for me what we should be doing? And should I insist dd do it or should I just do it myself?

[Lara in Colo]

Well, you are the adult in this house and it is your house. Step up. This is a living being that even though you said it was for your daughter to take care of, she isn't an adult yet and you have to TEACH her how to care for a puppy. It is like any other chore, you have to constantly remind her to do it.

 

 

What you are making right now is a bored, unbonded, barking nightmare.

This cannot lead to anything good.

 

 

The dog needs a crate. This makes him feel safe and happy and keeps him from doing bad things(chewing, pooping etc...)

He needs to be in the crate, unless being played with or being walked.

 

A dog has a small bladder and needs to be walked outside every hour or so. (especially 20 minutes after meals)

 

Play with him, let him know his place in his new pack (bottom). Get some dog training manuals at the library.

 

First, get a crate ASAP.

[AK_Mom4]

Well, YMMV but my 11-almost-12yo is not ready to train a puppy all on her own. It takes consistency and patience.

 

Honestly? Since you have so much on your plate with little ones, I would find a good home for the dog. Yes, give it away. There are seasons for having pets and when you have a house full of tiny children may not be the right one for your family.

 

If you really really want to keep the puppy, you (not your 11yo) are going to have to take time to train it. Just like house-breaking kirds - set a timer. Take the puppy outside to do its business about 10 minutes after it eats. No more wandering loose in the house - puppy stays crated or on a leash until you get this training done. With pup on a leash, you can tell when it needs to go out (it will start sniffing around) and you can take it out and make a big fuss when it goes in the right place. And you have to be consistent - give it a week or two of doing it right every day and your pup should catch on.

[Murphy101]

No, the average 11 year old is not responsible enough to have complete care and training responsibilities of a dog.

 

Either step up and help her create the habits of doing so, which will take months, accept doing it yourself (if you want a job done your way - it's likely going to be you who should do it ;) ) or find another home for the dog and resolve that there will never be another dog brought into the house that an adult is not willing to care and train.

 

We bought an English mastiff puppy for my 15 year olds birth day. Puppy is now 3 months old. It's only been the last week that we have had no accidents. It took a lot of consistent vigilance of everyone in the home and lots of guidance and nagging from me. Our rule for pets is that they stay with us in the house. Unless she is using the tree, she is either with us in the house or on a leash with us outside. Outside animal = livestock. Inside animals = pets.

 

We do have a tiny crate for her during meals or when no one is home to watch her. She has just about outgrown it though. I suspect by the time she has outgrown it, she will be well trained enough to no longer need it at all.

 

But a dog requires consistent training and care. If you can't do it, then I don't think it particuliarly fair to expect more of the 11 year old. It sounds like a dog is not the right kind of pet for your family. :(

[Dory]

Training a puppy is a lot of work for those first 6 months (and sometimes the first year). An 11yo might be able to handle a lot of the responsibilities, with lots of reminding, but I would never expect an 11yo to be able to do it on her own. I don't even do it on my own. If a couple people work together on it, it is much, much easier to handle. My 8yo dd did do most of the training with her dog, but I crated the pup in my own room 2 out of 3 nights to make sure that my dd was getting enough of the responsibility to have to work for it, but not so much as to leave her hating the dog. I worked with her to help her learn how to teach the dog not to chew on our shoes, or pee inside, or how to sit and lay. I walked beside her through the whole process. Her dog is 2 now and they are inseparable. It took a lot of over seeing on my part, and helping, but it's been worth it.

[OrganicAnn]

Can you hire a dog trainer that can train your DD what to do? Our dog poops on its daily walk. Does your DD walk the dog at the same time every day?

 

But it sounds like you should find the dog a new home.

[Wendi]

A dog needs lots of supervision, training, and attention. A dog left outside alone most of the time is learning a lot of bad habits, and NOT learning what he needs to learn to be a happy and enjoyed member of the family. I say this not as a dog expert, but as someone who recently adopted an 18-month-old golden retriever who had been left outside in the backyard 24/7 by the previous owner for most of his life. (Thankfully, he had been housebroken, and he is an amazingly sweet dog.) We are working hard to socialize him with people and dogs, and teach proper behavior, break bad habits, etc.

 

With lots of littles in your house, it sounds like you're not really up for the job of training and socializing the puppy. I think he'd be better off somewhere else.

[Pawz4me]

I'm 50 and have yet to meet an 11-yo who could handle the responsibility of a dog. Dog crazy as I am, I certainly wasn't ready at that age for sole responsibility.

 

You need to either step up to the plate and really start working with the dog and your daughter or find him a good home where he'll get the attention he needs and deserves. Unless the dog truly enjoys being outside (most don't, but there are very rare exceptions) then IMO it's cruel to leave him out there alone with little/no attention and interaction. He's a living, breathing being who has needs that aren't being met.

 

As far as keeping him and what you need to do -- Ditto crate training. But you have to keep in mind that he can't stay in the crate for hours on end, and taking him out occasionally for a short potty break and right back into the crate isn't much better (if any) than being outside alone all the time. What you can do is crate at night and when necessary during the day. As much as possible during the day tether him to you or your DD. Keeping him with you all the time will prevent accidents. Of course you need to take him out regularly until he gets the hang of where he's supposed to potty. And the goal is that over time you need to tether less and crate less, as he matures and learns and can be trusted more and more to be free in the house.

[Parrothead]

Training a puppy takes more responsibility than the average 11 year old can handle. It is time to step up and train the dog. Otherwise give him away to someone who wants him.

[goldberry]

We got a dog when DD was 5 and it was a huge mistake. Our family was just not ready to devote the time and energy needed. We found the dog a new home but I still felt incredibly guilty about it. We now have two inside cats that we adore, and I still have to remind DD14 to clean the cat boxes. :( We decided no doggies until DD has left home and we have an empty nest ready to fill with an attention hogging doggie!

 

I agree with the others. Either you have to step up or you need to find a new home. And then learn the lesson of what a dog requires and when you might be truly ready for one.

[Plink]

You got a dog. You need to either train it or give it to someone who can. This is not your child's responsibility, and that never should have been a factor when deciding about getting the dog.

 

Sorry.

[AngieW in Texas]

While there are undoubtedly 11yo kids out there who are responsible enough to take complete oversight of a puppy for all training, most aren't. Honestly, having full responsibility for a puppy is very much like having full responsibility for toddler. An 11yo can do it for a few hours each day, but not 24/7. The difference is that dogs go from toddlers to teenagers in about one year and then become adults. But if they aren't trained well as puppies, they end up being nightmarish adults that nobody wants to be around.

 

You have two choices. You need to either take care of the training yourself or find another home for the dog ASAP.

 

If you do the training, your dd should go to the training sessions as well. Don't just try to train on your own. You already know that your plate is loaded. You need to go to puppy classes with your dd. You should also get a crate for the puppy.

 

We got our puppy back in September. It was a huge adjustment and required a lot of work from all of us despite the fact that we have always had dogs. Our last dog was almost 10yo when she died. She hadn't been a puppy in a very very long time. The first adjustment we had to make for having the puppy was that everything had to be off the floor and out of reach (just like with a toddler). We also had to gate off the stairs to keep her downstairs. Somebody had to be with her at all times. We took turns being the person downstairs with her. At night, she was in her crate, so nobody had to watch her then. Because she was ready to eat anything that she could get into her mouth, she could only be in the backyard with supervision. She really liked to eat acorns and wood, so somebody had to be watching to keep her from doing that. She is 9 months old now. We were able to take the gate down at 8 months. She knows that she isn't supposed to go upstairs and will stay downstairs by herself now. We still have to watch out for our pencils, socks, and shoes (she LOVES the crunch of a mechanical pencil), but aside from those things, most stuff is safe downstairs as long as it is not on the floor. She can be in the backyard unsupervised now, but she is actually out there by herself for more than about 20 minutes only when we are not home. She still sleeps in her crate at night. We are all looking forward to the 2 year mark, but she is already MUCH easier than she was when we first got her. Those first 6 months are especially hard.

[Guest mominindianapolis]

We also have a puppy. Just got him in Feb for dd's 13th birthday. She had been asking for one for 10 years and now that her brother has grown up and she is an only it seemed like a reasonable time to do this.

 

We have a crate and we use it. The dog now loves being in his crate and will go in there on his own sometimes. It is his own space. He sleeps in it nightly and is also in it when we leave the house and when we need to get things done and he isn't allowing that to happen. Dh works from home and dd and I are here so he is with people all the time.

 

We bought a dog training book before we even brought him home and we all read it so we would all be on the same page. We agreed on the rules - no dogs on beds or furniture, if he barks or begs at mealtimes he goes in the crate (no people food), and how we would deal with cleaning up messes, etc. We have bells on the back door he rings when he wants to go out. He learned that very quickly. The only issue is that he now rings them constantly when the weather is nice and he wants to be outside. Lol! He is a smart dog. :)

 

We paid for obedience school. The ladies who do it are also involved with the Humane Society and the Foster program he came from as well as working at the kennel we use if we need to board him. They are great. We can call or stop in any time with questions about dealing with different things.

 

Overall it is going well and dd is doing well with him. At her age, it is helping her with self-discipline. However, there are only 3 of us here, we are all involved, and the youngest one is 13. I would suggest having a serious talk with your dd and your dh and you all involved. Look into some training/obedience school and then realize if you keep the dog that you and dh are going to have to be involved. If your dd really doesn't care about the dog or you and dh are not able to help with its care, the kindest thing you could do is to find it a new home before it develops bad habits that might make that difficult.

[Remudamom]

This is not a puppy training problem. It's a daughter training problem. I'd rip her a new one.

[Murphy101]

This is not a puppy training problem. It's a daughter training problem. I'd rip her a new one.

 

lolol. Yes. Well. That too. I've done that a time or three with ds the last few months. But there's no point ripping her if mom isn't willing or able to stitch her back with consistent instruction and help to make it work. Otherwise, it's simpler to focus on one major time consuming training situation at a time. Most wise moms are going to choose training the child over the dog. If mom can't handle both, then dog has to go. Nothing mean spirited in that at all. Just life lesson learned. :D

[Guest mominindianapolis]

Angie - if that is your dog in the picture. It looks a lot like ours. Right down to the clothes. :)

 

My dd and dh go to the obedience classes with our dog as you mentioned above. It is a great daddy/daughter activity. They also went to Humane Society volunteer training together (one of us has to be with dd per their guidelines until she is 14).

 

I have never had a dog in my entire life so I am learning a lot. It is something dh and I agreed we were willing to do for our dd even though it does complicate our ministry travel. Lol, so far the dog has spent the weekend touring with a college choir group in various churches and gone to another event we do with young people. He loves it and is traveling very well. (We use his crate secured in the van or a carseat harness for his safety). He is doing very well with people. Dh makes sure he gets out and meets one new person a day per the training manual we use. Dh and dd also are responsible for his doggie exercise. They are loving it and it is good for them too.

 

We do not have a fenced yard, but even if we did we would not leave him out there without someone at this point. We have already discovered he likes to dig and feel that would be disastrous not to mention, I think he would easily become a chronic barker and he dearly loves to chew and I would worry he would chew on something poisonous or choke. I sat out in the yard with him and a book for 2 hrs the other day and really enjoyed it. It was quite an adventure. :)

[boscopup]

Train the dog yourself or rehome the dog. And next time she asks for a dog, give her a stuffed one.

 

If you were to get a live dog, I would recommend an adult that is already house trained. Then I would recommend you (the responsible adult in charge of the dog) take the dog to obedience classes so you can learn how to train your dog. Daughter could also come and do training inbetween classes at home. She could also share some responsibility, such as feeding and such (with you making sure it's done), but ultimately, an adult is responsible for the dog.

 

I've gotten two dogs while having young kids, one when my youngest child was 3 weeks old. I purposely got young adults that would drop into my family with ease, because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle puppyhood and stay sane. BTDT before kids. I took both new dogs to obedience classes to get some basic manners. They're great family pets.

[Unicorn.]

Don't get rid of the dog. That's not the lesson your dd needs to learn. You've already done that, doing it again, will only teach her that animals are disposable... they aren't. It's not fair to the dog to get a cute puppy, then get rid of it when it isn't cute anymore. You agreed to the dog- you both have to step up.

 

 

1. get a leash

2. get a crate- the size you will need when the dog is fully grown

Keep the dog tomato staked to your dd's side at all times-if she's at the school table, the leash is on the dog, and the handle is around the table or chair leg. Take dog outside every two hours, or if it starts sniffing. She needs to have play time outside w/ the dog as well, several times a day- on or off leash, but interacting w/ her dog. Dog is crated at night, during mealtimes, when you leave the house, or if you need to crate to do something, and the dog needs to be contained (cleaning, eating, etc.) Dog is NOT to be abandoned to the crate. If dd is playing a video game or watching tv- the dog is right there w/ her, on leash!

 

Use treats for training and positive reinforcement, along w/ positive words and petting.

Make sure when dd takes dog out to do business- she takes dog to a certain spot- this helps teach dog not to go right off the steps, or on the porch.

 

Go here for some training advice (make dd do it) http://www.dogtraini...om/articles.htm

[RoughCollie]

I'm tempted to just train the dog myself but I'm absent-minded just like dd is, so I feel for her, but I also have 3 humans in diapers and 2 others that I still wipe. So I have plenty of pee and poop to deal with in my normal, daily life.

 

Can someone spell out for me what we should be doing? And should I insist dd do it or should I just do it myself?

 

 

Coming from the place of having had 4 kids in diapers at the same time, I have decided to spell it out for you. Please accept my sincere apologies if I am wrong.

 

You are overwhelmed with taking care of your kids, which is 100% understandable since you are a mother, a family manager, a teacher, and the chief cook and bottle washer with all that entails. This is the equivalent of having 2 or 3 full-time jobs. :grouphug:

 

Your life consists of constant interruptions which make it difficult for you to think deeply about anything, because those uninterrupted times are used for sleep. I bet you don't get enough sleep, too.

 

Because of your busyness, and your natural, loving desire to make your 11 year old happy, you agreed to get her a dog.

 

She is not old enough to be solely responsible for a dog and you are too busy to take on another toddler in the form of an untrained dog.

 

So, unless you have household staff to help you, I think it is time to find the dog a good home.

 

You are not Super Woman. Anyone who seems to be is somehow putting on a fake persona to those who don't live in their house, or they have a staff, or they have unusually compliant and mature kids. I have not met Super Woman yet, and I don't think one exists. No one can be all things to all people all the time.

[Ellie]

No, the average 11 year old is not responsible enough to have complete care and training responsibilities of a dog.

 

Either step up and help her create the habits of doing so, which will take months, accept doing it yourself (if you want a job done your way - it's likely going to be you who should do it ;) ) or find another home for the dog and resolve that there will never be another dog brought into the house that an adult is not willing to care and train.

 

<snip>

 

But a dog requires consistent training and care. If you can't do it, then I don't think it particularly fair to expect more of the 11 year old. It sounds like a dog is not the right kind of pet for your family. :(

 

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

[Ghee]

Different strokes for different folks, but none of my kids (9, 10, and a very responsible almost 14 year old) are in any way ready to tackle training a dog with no help. My advice, if you want a pet, is get a cat. I love my cats. They don't want to be walked, they darn sure don't want to fetch anything for me, and they take care of the potty themselves (I just clean it). We have toys, occasionally use them to play with the,, but they mostly just want to lie near me and snooze or bask in the sun. If/when I do get another dog, I want one that is an adult, not a puppy. I have found that puppies are adorable, but I don't enjoy them much. The neighbor's old and arthritic lab is a my dream dog lol

[unsinkable]

This is not a puppy training problem. It's a daughter training problem. I'd rip her a new one.

 

 

Rip her a new one?

 

What an ugly thing to say about an 11 year old girl.

[I.Dup.]

Coming from the place of having had 4 kids in diapers at the same time, I have decided to spell it out for you. Please accept my sincere apologies if I am wrong.

 

You are overwhelmed with taking care of your kids, which is 100% understandable since you are a mother, a family manager, a teacher, and the chief cook and bottle washer with all that entails. This is the equivalent of having 2 or 3 full-time jobs. :grouphug:

 

Your life consists of constant interruptions which make it difficult for you to think deeply about anything, because those uninterrupted times are used for sleep. I bet you don't get enough sleep, too.

 

Because of your busyness, and your natural, loving desire to make your 11 year old happy, you agreed to get her a dog.

 

She is not old enough to be solely responsible for a dog and you are too busy to take on another toddler in the form of an untrained dog.

 

So, unless you have household staff to help you, I think it is time to find the dog a good home.

 

You are not Super Woman. Anyone who seems to be is somehow putting on a fake persona to those who don't live in their house, or they have a staff, or they have unusually compliant and mature kids. I have not met Super Woman yet, and I don't think one exists. No one can be all things to all people all the time.

 

 

God bless you. Thank you.

 

Thank you all. This was clearly my mistake in thinking she was able to handle the responsibility. I DO remind her- constantly- and like I said, she just snaps about it. I thought that since she is home all day, has no other responsibilities other than a couple basic chores, that she could handle it, esp. since she seemed so motivated. But obviously I am wrong.

 

I will either take the responsibility on myself, or we will find the dog a new, loving home. I would really like to make this work, so I will keep in mind it just can't be left to her. Thank you!

[Remudamom]

Rip her a new one?

 

What an ugly thing to say about an 11 year old girl.

 

 

Simply an expression. Chill.

[Jennifer3141]

Rip her a new one?

 

What an ugly thing to say about an 11 year old girl.

 

 

 

And I don't see this as a daughter problem. This is a parenting/adult issue. As an adult, you don't bring an animal into your home unless an adult is going to take responsibility for that animal. How is an 11 year old girl supposed to handle veterinary care?? And taking care of an animal's health (let alone its behavior) is beyond the scope of an 11 year old CHILD.

 

Contact a rescue and rehome the dog ASAP. And don't get another until the grownups in the house have time to be grownups to a pet.

[I.Dup.]

 

 

And I don't see this as a daughter problem. This is a parenting/adult issue. As an adult, you don't bring an animal into your home unless an adult is going to take responsibility for that animal. How is an 11 year old girl supposed to handle veterinary care?? And taking care of an animal's health (let alone its behavior) is beyond the scope of an 11 year old CHILD.

 

Contact a rescue and rehome the dog ASAP. And don't get another until the grownups in the house have time to be grownups to a pet.

 

 

Of course we don't expect her to do the vet and health care. That is my job, always has been for our pets. By "her responsibility" I meant training. Obviously I was mistaken, that has been made clear. :)

[unsinkable]

 

 

Simply an exp<b></b>ression. Chill.

 

 

Oh, I'm chill. I'm the chilliest chiller, just ch-ch-c-chillin.

 

And I'm also free to express myself, just like you are.

 

And I think that rip her a new one, in the context of an 11 year old girl, is ugly.

[RoughCollie]

If you decide to keep the dog, I suggest several resources. First, see if there is an AKC obedience training club in your town ( http://www.akc.org/c...obed&display=on ), and failing that, look for a dog training place that does positive reinforcement training only. Find an adult who can accompany your daughter and the dog to the classes. The training will have to be reinforced at home in short increments of time several times a day (5-10 minutes), and play time with the dog should be included in those times. This is part of a homeschool class in Life Skills. Your job is supervise this, and to give positive reinforcement to your daughter!

 

Second, get a book on dog training, or go here to get ideas: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training

 

Third, it really helped me when we got an exercise pen for our dog and put his crate inside it. The ex-pen took up a lot of room, but saved the floors and carpet from accidents because I put a tarp under it and some old towels atop the tarp. http://www.amazon.co...se pen dog iris

 

Fourth, I don't know how big or old your dog is, but if it is a chewer, getting bully sticks can help with that. Rawhide bones and cooked bones are not recommended because they can cause major problems which create very high vet bills. https://www.bestbullysticks.com/

 

Fifth, this forum is a great place to go for information (lots of stickings in the dog training section) and advice: http://www.dogforums.com/

[duckens]

If you choose to keep the dog, take the daughter and the dog (and you, too, Mom!) to doggie obedience school. Then the dog will have consistent commands from the daughter AND from the adults in the house.

 

Tomato-stake the dog to daughter. Make sure she plays with the dog several times a day and practices commands, too. A dog that is happy with and feels loved by their owner will try to please the owner.

 

DO NOT ignore the dog in the back yard. A dog is a pack animal and needs a pack. He is part of the family and needs to be treated as such.

 

If you choose to re-home the dog, find another option for your daughter to interact with dogs.

--At what age are kids able to volunteer at the animal shelter?

--I have known of two households that LOVED LOVED LOVED when a neighbor regularly took their dog for a walk in the middle of the day. Do you have a neighbor that has a dog that your daughter could give a good long walk of walking/training/playing on Saturday or Sunday afternoon?

 

If you don't know the neighbor well, but the neighbor agrees, just instruct your daughter that she not enter their house. She telephones as she is stepping out, and she meets the neighbor with the dog at the door. (In the modern age of the telephone, this is a good strategy. If your dd gets delayed or it is not a good day for the neighbor, this can be handled by phone).

 

In one the households I know of, the neighbor had a key and just came to walk the dog in the middle of day while the dog owner was at work. In the other, the retired neighbor telephoned the SAHM of very young kids and she opened the door for her dog to run out, barking and excited for her daily walk! Both situations worked out well for EVERYBODY: owners, walkers, and dogs!

[Whereneverever]

Train the dog yourself or rehome the dog. And next time she asks for a dog, give her a stuffed one.

If you were to get a live dog, I would recommend an adult that is already house trained. Then I would recommend you (the responsible adult in charge of the dog) take the dog to obedience classes so you can learn how to train your dog. Daughter could also come and do training inbetween classes at home. She could also share some responsibility, such as feeding and such (with you making sure it's done), but ultimately, an adult is responsible for the dog.

I've gotten two dogs while having young kids, one when my youngest child was 3 weeks old. I purposely got young adults that would drop into my family with ease, because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle puppyhood and stay sane. BTDT before kids. I took both new dogs to obedience classes to get some basic manners. They're great family pets.

 

 

This. Totally this. We just got a new dog a little while ago and I purposefully looked for a rescue that was past the puppy years, house broken (knowing to expect accidents as the dog transitioned), and calmer by virtue of age. It's been a fabulous success. Since she has basics down we are able to focus our time on other training.

 

I hope you can find a good solution!

[RoughCollie]

Dog training classes help reinforce and build a bond between dog and owner, and they essentially teach the owner how to train a dog.

[bzymom]

Congratulations--giving an 11 year old a puppy makes you a puppy mommy! It is a good age to teach her how to raise a puppy and then gradually raise your expectations of her caretaking. But she can't do it on her own, and the puppy can't wait.

 

Make it something you do together, buy you are ultimately responsible for this pup.

[Remudamom]

And btw, I don't think that's too young to care for an animal. Mine grew up taking care of cats, dogs and horses, without being nagged or having new ones ripped. They love their pets and care for them. I know a family with younger kids that cares for their cats. Our neighbor girl cares for her animals.

 

I don't see how an 11 yr old isn't old enough to care for an animal. Just my opinion.

[I.Dup.]

Congratulations--giving an 11 year old a puppy makes you a puppy mommy! It is a good age to teach her how to raise a puppy and then gradually raise your expectations of her caretaking. But she can't do it on her own, and the puppy can't wait.

 

Make it something you do together, buy you are ultimately responsible for this pup.

 

 

lol, got it.

 

We do have a crate. She really doesn't like to be locked in the crate. She won't sleep in the crate, she wants to sleep in bed with dd. We have left her in the crate if we were going to be gone for a couple of hours when it was still too cold outside. She's a lap dog and she absolutely ADORES dd. She won't really even let anyone else hold her if dd is around. She's tiny and she doesn't chew. She's definitely a lap dog. Is there a benefit to having her in the crate versus on my dd's lap when she's inside? Should we put her in the crate versus outside when we are all busy and no one can hold her?

 

She's not left totally alone outside, the kids play out there a couple hours a day and we have an outdoor cat and they wrestle and play tag and get along fabulously. But she has been outside far too much in the last couple of weeks and something needs to change, for sure.

 

When she's inside she wants to be held or roam the house. If we put her in the crate, she would bark and cry.

[Joker]

We've never crated our dog and we didn't do so growing up either. The first six months, though, are tough. We had to be aware of him at all times and take him out regularly, even during the night. When we did leave the house the first few months, he was put into the small bathroom with his bed. After the first few months, we were able to leave him home without putting him up anywhere. He has never chewed anything other than his toys and he doesn't have accidents unless he is sick. My dds were not able to completely take care of him theirselves, but they do take him for walks, feed/water him, and help with baths. I have to remind them and sometimes I have to make them do it even when they don't want to. They don't always do it happily, but they do it.

[RoughCollie]

You can google "crate games" and find suggestions for getting a dog to like being her crate. Otherwise, just get her housebroken and all will be fine. Having her used to a crate can come in handy, though. It can take awhile to housebreak a little dog, I hear.

 

My housebreaking method is simple. I take the dog out when it wakes up, after it eats, after it plays, and every 45 minutes otherwise. At night, my dogs have always awakened me to go out - easy enough because they sleep next to me in a crate. DH won't let a dog sleep on our bed. Plus my dogs have always been puppies who think that sleeping with me means it is play time, including nipping me -- not much sleep gets accomplished, so it is into the crate they go.

 

I use a leash (not a retractible one because they are dangerous) and take the dog to the same area of the yard each time. When the dog starts to go to the bathroom, I give a command ("potty") and immediately give it a small treat. That way, at the end of this laborious process, I have a housebroken dog who will pee on command (which comes in handy on trips).

 

With small dogs, to avoid a trachea-crushing injury if they pull too hard on the leash, it is helpful to use a harness instead.

 

It is only in the past few weeks that my 50 lb. dog decided to be a lap dog. He manages to squish himself entirely on my lap and then he just sits there until I remove him. This only happens when I am on a chair because being a couch dwelling lap dog would be too easy.

[I.Dup.]

You can google "crate games" and find suggestions for getting a dog to like being her crate. Otherwise, just get her housebroken and all will be fine. Having her used to a crate can come in handy, though. It can take awhile to housebreak a little dog, I hear.

 

My housebreaking method is simple. I take the dog out when it wakes up, after it eats, after it plays, and every 45 minutes otherwise. At night, my dogs have always awakened me to go out - easy enough because they sleep next to me in a crate. DH won't let a dog sleep on our bed. Plus my dogs have always been puppies who think that sleeping with me means it is play time, including nipping me -- not much sleep gets accomplished, so it is into the crate they go.

 

I use a leash (not a retractible one because they are dangerous) and take the dog to the same area of the yard each time. When the dog starts to go to the bathroom, I give a command ("potty") and immediately give it a small treat. That way, at the end of this laborious process, I have a housebroken dog who will pee on command (which comes in handy on trips).

 

With small dogs, to avoid a trachea-crushing injury if they pull too hard on the leash, it is helpful to use a harness instead.

 

It is only in the past few weeks that my 50 lb. dog decided to be a lap dog. He manages to squish himself entirely on my lap and then he just sits there until I remove him. This only happens when I am on a chair because being a couch dwelling lap dog would be too easy.

 

LOL about your chair lap dog.

 

We do have a harness and your tips for housebreaking are very helpful. How do you know they're actually getting it and you don't have to continue to take them out every 45 minutes? Do they eventually start going over and sitting by the back door? Thank you for your kindness and help!

[Whereneverever]

 

 

LOL about your chair lap dog.

 

We do have a harness and your tips for housebreaking are very helpful. How do you know they're actually getting it and you don't have to continue to take them out every 45 minutes? Do they eventually start going over and sitting by the back door? Thank you for your kindness and help!

 

You can put a little bell by the door and help them paw or nose it each time you take them out. They should pretty quickly associate going outside with ringing the bell. Hth!

[AngieW in Texas]

Get hanging sleigh bells for the door that hang low enough for your dog to reach. It took Kylie 5 days to figure out the bells, but once she made the connection, she only had two more accidents afterwards and those were when nobody could get to the door fast enough. She was 11 weeks old at the time.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Warner-Decorative-Brass-Plated-Sleigh/dp/B005HJ6PGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365884876&sr=8-1&keywords=hanging+sleigh+bells

 

We got ours for just $2 in the Christmas decoration section at Big Lots, but they aren't likely to have them in stock right now.

[RoughCollie]

The sleigh bell idea works very well, or a little bell hung at paw level.

 

Aidan never got the hang of that, though. He came up with his own method: He asks me by placing his head in my lap and looking soulfully at me. This also means he wants his water bowl refilled, wants to play, wants me to stand next to him as we look out the window hoping to spot the neighbor's cat, or he wants me to scoot the rack cookies are cooling on within his reach. I just follow him to figure out which.

 

And no! I don't always obey my dog! :D

[shanvan]

I agree that an 11 year old is plenty old enough to learn how to care for a dog. I've got an 11 year old who has had quite a bit of the care for her dog for the past 2 years. BUT, I knew I needed to teach her to handle the responsibility. We worked together on the housebreaking, leash and crate training and obedience. She now handles the dog entirely by herself at obedience, showmanship, and agility classes, practices with him at home, feeds him, helps with bathing and grooming, exercises him on the treadmill daily and cleans his bedding.

 

If you are willing to step up and work with your Dd, you have an excellent opportunity to teach her responsibility which will be great preparation for her future.

 

We had a schedule posted on the fridge and specific activities on the schedule when her dog was a puppy. Dd did most of the obedience type training (with supervision from me so she didn't train bad habits) in short 5-10 minute sessions. The housebreaking was a family affair.

 

I think you need to read some dog training books so your entire family will be on the same page and be consistent with in the way the dog is trained and handled. Caesar Millan is somewhat controversial, but I think his book A Member of the Family was a pretty decent guide to getting the entire family on board.

 

One last thing...in the beginning (meaning for quite a few months, maybe more depending on the dog) the training can consume a lot of your day. I cut Dd's schoolwork for a while in order to allow time for the dog training. Because of the focus and timing needed to train her dog, her attention eventually improved in other areas--like schoolwork. It was important to me that she learn to be responsible and know how to go about training a dog. Dog training principles transfer into many aspects of life.

 

I'll see if I can dig up my old posts with more specifics about how we did it.

[Murphy101]

And btw, I don't think that's too young to care for an animal. Mine grew up taking care of cats, dogs and horses, without being nagged or having new ones ripped. They love their pets and care for them. I know a family with younger kids that cares for their cats. Our neighbor girl cares for her animals.

 

I don't see how an 11 yr old isn't old enough to care for an animal. Just my opinion.

 

 

I actually agree with you. BUT!

 

But your kids were also trained by you consistently on how to do it and do it properly. When they needed help, I bet you helped. When they needed some cattle prodding to keep from typical occasional kid slacking, you prodded.

 

This mom hasn't trained her daughter consistently and with reenforcement and regular guidance on how to train this dog.

 

Do the real question is can the average 11 year old that's not had a dog before, much less complete responsibility for care and training of one, be expected to swim in this sunk or swim situation?

 

IMO, no.

 

Unrelated random opinion, I prefer pups. I can train them from the start in my own way and rules. It's tremendously easier to ME than correcting behavior a dog has had for a year or more or coping with the side affects of their previous abuses and traumas. YMMV. But I think a few months of diligent work with a pup is worth it.

[I.Dup.]

But your kids were also trained by you consistently on how to do it and do it properly. When they needed help, I bet you helped. When they needed some cattle prodding to keep from typical occasional kid slacking, you prodded.

 

I have absolutely done this. I help her when she needs help. At first I did all of the cleaning up and all of the baths but she has taken that over now. I tell her exactly what to do and when to do it. I remind her several times throughout the day. It's a battle that she chooses not to engage in, so I guess it has now become solely my responsibility or the dog leaves.

 

I agree that an 11 year old is plenty old enough to learn how to care for a dog. I've got an 11 year old who has had quite a bit of the care for her dog for the past 2 years. BUT, I knew I needed to teach her to handle the responsibility. We worked together on the housebreaking, leash and crate training and obedience. She now handles the dog entirely by herself at obedience, showmanship, and agility classes, practices with him at home, feeds him, helps with bathing and grooming, exercises him on the treadmill daily and cleans his bedding.

 

If you are willing to step up and work with your Dd, you have an excellent opportunity to teach her responsibility which will be great preparation for her future.

 

We had a schedule posted on the fridge and specific activities on the schedule when her dog was a puppy. Dd did most of the obedience type training (with supervision from me so she didn't train bad habits) in short 5-10 minute sessions. The housebreaking was a family affair.

 

I think you need to read some dog training books so your entire family will be on the same page and be consistent with in the way the dog is trained and handled. Caesar Millan is somewhat controversial, but I think his book A Member of the Family was a pretty decent guide to getting the entire family on board.

 

One last thing...in the beginning (meaning for quite a few months, maybe more depending on the dog) the training can consume a lot of your day. I cut Dd's schoolwork for a while in order to allow time for the dog training. Because of the focus and timing needed to train her dog, her attention eventually improved in other areas--like schoolwork. It was important to me that she learn to be responsible and know how to go about training a dog. Dog training principles transfer into many aspects of life.

 

I'll see if I can dig up my old posts with more specifics about how we did it.

 

This is exactly what I was hoping for. She needed something to do, something to be responsible for, and seemed obsessed and committed to dogs so I let her have at it (again). I am absolutely willing to step in and help her more. Today we went out and got more supplies, we set up a schedule, I can print one out and post it on the fridge if that would be helpful (unless it would be too much to ask her to follow that schedule?) instead of just reminding her at random times.

 

She had way too much time and negative energy on her hands and I KNOW she is capable.

 

This parenting thing is so hard, I never seem to get the balance right.

[Unicorn.]

 

 

When she's inside she wants to be held or roam the house. If we put her in the crate, she would bark and cry.

 

 

Yep, they'll do that for a while. Ignore, or tell her to hush, then ignore. It will probably take 2 weeks (maybe longer since she has been allowed to sleep w/ dd for 3 months). Give her a treat when she goes in her crate, and tell her it's time to go nigh-night. Give her a stuffed animal to snuggle w/ and something to chew on. Do not let her out/give in. If you must- take her immediately outside to potty-then right back in the crate. She'll learn, but your dd may be very tired until doggy gets the hang of it!

[Pawz4me]

The WalMart nearest me has potty bells in the pet section. But I have no idea if that's something that's stocked in all WalMarts.

 

As far as crate training -- You want to make the crate a happy place for the dog. Since you say she doesn't chew, make sure there's some soft bedding. Give her a special treat when she goes in. Feed her in the crate. Anything you can do to make her associate the crate with good stuff will be helpful.

 

Being a tiny lap dog makes it even more important (IMO) that you don't leave her outside alone. Lap dogs are bred to be human companions. That's their job. It's genetic, just like following scents is for beagles or bloodhounds or herding is for Border Collies. It's mental torture for a companion dog to be away from their people. Being away from their people isn't mentally healthy for any dog, but some may find a bit of enjoyment being outside (like some of the sporting breeds or hounds). But not a dog who has been bred to be a companion to their people. There's also the potential for theft. It happens a LOT more than many people would believe, and often in very "good" neighborhoods (because those types of neighborhoods tend to have dogs that are valuable to theft rings). Dogs are stolen and then "rehomed" (for a high adoption fee) via Craigslist, sold for research purposes or sold to be bait dogs for training fighting dogs.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have absolutely done this. I help her when she needs help. At first I did all of the cleaning up and all of the baths but she has taken that over now. I tell her exactly what to do and when to do it. I remind her several times throughout the day. It's a battle that she chooses not to engage in, so I guess it has now become solely my responsibility or the dog leaves.

 

 

 

 

Yes, you are correct. It is your responsibility - if not to do the actual care, to require the child to take care of the dog. A dog is a living creature. It isn't up to a child to choose not to take care of it.

[Happy]

Would it help to know my 22 year old son (still lives at home) is learning to be a pup parent, too? Our new little guy is a six week old part beagle, part chihuahua. We've had dogs, cats, horses, and other assorted critters all this kid's life. He has been very responsible with feeding and all over the years. However, being in charge of a tiny little puppy is still an adjustment.

 

My dh and I have instructed, encouraged, reminded, given the evil eye, and praised our son in his learning to deal with the pup. I've also pitched in quite a bit. Ds understands more now how much WORK a young living thing is after this past week.

 

I believe all this work is worth the effort. Yes, we will get a charming and easy to live with dog as a result of our energy investment. Even better...we get a son who more fully understands committment to another living creature.

 

Hang in there. The results are worth the effort.

[shanvan]

Below is the only post I could find where I described what we did. I used a list inside of a page protector so she could check off (with dry erase marker)when she had done either training or pottying the puppy. BUT..I took him out sometimes too and so did Ds and Dh. It's a big job and I know even as an adult, I appreciated help. It's a lot to expect of a kid.

 

We communicated with one another about whether puppy had 'done anything' outside and what he had done so that I would have an idea of whether or not he needed to go out again soon or could have some time out of his crate for play.

 

We also had a mother daughter doggy training session at least 2-3 times every day where I helped her with commands. Later, as her puppy grew, we also began taking a walk together in the mornings, and Dh did the walk at night.

 

It took an effort and seemed time consuming, but the investment pays off b/c at some point in the future you have a kid who has learned how to work with a dog and you can be less involved--especially once the dog is housebroken. And, as I mentioned, I cut down some schoolwork so we could accomplish what we needed to with the puppy.

 

For obedience commands we started with sit and added down, also walking well on a lead. We looked for little successes and ended the training as soon as we saw progress. Sessions were short. I changed the list as needed.

 

If you can find a good trainer, class, or 4H club that would help too b/c it would give her a reason to practice.

 

Include some training books in her schoolwork. Make it her reading for the day so she is learning what to do with her dog and also covering reading at the same time. Just make sure she doesn't get big ideas and overwhelm her dog with too much too soon--baby steps.

 

You can PM me if you think she might be helped by corresponding with another dog crazy girl.

 

http://forums.welltr...og#entry4720770

[I.Dup.]

Would it help to know my 22 year old son (still lives at home) is learning to be a pup parent, too? Our new little guy is a six week old part beagle, part chihuahua. We've had dogs, cats, horses, and other assorted critters all this kid's life. He has been very responsible with feeding and all over the years. However, being in charge of a tiny little puppy is still an adjustment.

 

My dh and I have instructed, encouraged, reminded, given the evil eye, and praised our son in his learning to deal with the pup. I've also pitched in quite a bit. Ds understands more now how much WORK a young living thing is after this past week.

 

I believe all this work is worth the effort. Yes, we will get a charming and easy to live with dog as a result of our energy investment. Even better...we get a son who more fully understands committment to another living creature.

 

Hang in there. The results are worth the effort.

 

 

Yes, that does help, thank you!

 

Below is the only post I could find where I described what we did. I used a list inside of a page protector so she could check off (with dry erase marker)when she had done either training or pottying the puppy. BUT..I took him out sometimes too and so did Ds and Dh. It's a big job and I know even as an adult, I appreciated help. It's a lot to expect of a kid.

 

We communicated with one another about whether puppy had 'done anything' outside and what he had done so that I would have an idea of whether or not he needed to go out again soon or could have some time out of his crate for play.

 

We also had a mother daughter doggy training session at least 2-3 times every day where I helped her with commands. Later, as her puppy grew, we also began taking a walk together in the mornings, and Dh did the walk at night.

 

It took an effort and seemed time consuming, but the investment pays off b/c at some point in the future you have a kid who has learned how to work with a dog and you can be less involved--especially once the dog is housebroken. And, as I mentioned, I cut down some schoolwork so we could accomplish what we needed to with the puppy.

 

For obedience commands we started with sit and added down, also walking well on a lead. We looked for little successes and ended the training as soon as we saw progress. Sessions were short. I changed the list as needed.

 

If you can find a good trainer, class, or 4H club that would help too b/c it would give her a reason to practice.

 

Include some training books in her schoolwork. Make it her reading for the day so she is learning what to do with her dog and also covering reading at the same time. Just make sure she doesn't get big ideas and overwhelm her dog with too much too soon--baby steps.

 

You can PM me if you think she might be helped by corresponding with another dog crazy girl.

 

http://forums.welltr...og#entry4720770

 

 

Thank you, this is very helpful!

[RoughCollie]

Gee, I forgot to tell you about a marvelous resource. Search Kikopup on YouTube. She has tons of great dog training videos. http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

 

Also, look for instructions about the"watch me" or "look" command. http://www.dogguide.net/watch-me-command.php