Puppy In Training

Puppy Training Tips

What Should I Teach My Puppy First?

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What should you teach your puppy first?
What should you teach your puppy first?

Question: What should I teach my puppy first?

Over 10 years ago I asked myself this question before I brought home my first puppy, Linus.  The only real experience I had raising/training a puppy at that point was working with my roommates two puppies, Stinky (Doberman Pinscher mix) and Pepper (Australian Shepherd mix).

I had seen what I liked about those two pups and what I didn’t like.  They were sweet dogs, but didn’t know a lick of obedience nor were they potty trained even though they lived in the house.  The carpet was ruined.  The patio cover posts were gnawed down to the size of toothpicks.  If you weren’t careful they’d snag your slice of pizza off the coffee table…but they were sweet dogs…

Fast forward 8 years to the months leading up to adopting my first pup, Linus.  I made a conscious decision that Linus would be a well trained dog.  I purchased several books on puppy training, had my veterinarian lined up, and I even had a professional dog trainer I planned to use for our puppy kindergarten and obedience classes.

What Should I Teach My Puppy First?

After my early experiences with puppies I was determined that my first puppy would be well-behaved, well-mannered puppy.  I vividly recall my puppy training goals at the time.  My puppy was going to learn:

  1. Potty Training – Growing up none of our family dogs were indoor dogs.  I wanted an indoor dog and in order to have an indoor dog I would have to potty train said dog.  Linus was my first puppy and surprisingly also the easiest of all my puppies to potty train.  Somewhere between 12-14 weeks old he totally got the potty training thing and hasn’t had an accident since (minus the couple times he had diarrhea)
  2. Crate Training – Not as easily mastered as potty training, but it was on my short list of things to accomplish with my first puppy.  The first few weeks Linus cried, yelped, howled in his crate.  I slept on the floor with him in his crate for several night and eventually he got it.  While I don’t crate Linus anymore I do still find him sleeping in Raven or Archer’s crate throughout the day.
  3. Basic Obedience – At the time I didn’t know exactly what basic skills I was going to teach Linus, but my list was very similar to the list of commands I teach my guide dog puppies: Sit, Down, Heel, Stay, and Come were on the top of my list.
  4. House Manners – No table scraps, no counter surfing, no jumping up on guests, and stay off the furniture.

Those were the big 4!  Guess what?  Linus was a brilliant puppy!  He learned all 4 skills in short order.  The only problems is I didn’t anticipate other behavior problems or secondary skills to teach him.

What Should I Teach My Puppy Second?

It’s not really what you should teach your puppy second, but instead an addendum to my original list.  Yes, I had a good start, but there’s more to raising and training a puppy then the big 4 from our list above.

Since Linus I’ve raised 10+ foster puppies, 4 guide dog puppies, and 2 service dog puppies.  That’s not to mention the countless number of guide and service dog puppies we’ve puppy sat over the years.

What does this all mean?  I now have oodles of experience raising and training puppies!  So in addition to the big 4 from the above list here are 3 other uber important skills and behaviors you should teach your puppy:

  1. Socialization – this should be on the list above with the big 4, but I hate to say it even though I knew socialization was important I did not have it on my list 10+ years ago.  It’s very important to introduce your puppy to new people, places, and things at an early age, but be aware not to over expose him.
  2. Door Manners – During his puppy years I never worked with Linus on door manners.  Today he enjoy barking every time he hears the door bell ring.  I’ve been working on keeping my dogs calm when people come over to the house (actually it’s mainly Raven and Linus).
  3. Multiple Surfaces – I learned through guide dogs that you should teach your puppy to walk on and potty on multiple surfaces.  A 9 month old Linus taught me this same lesson when I took him on a camping trip, but that’s a story for another day.

I think that’s about it.  Of course if you’re raising your puppy to be a service dog then you’ll have to add a few more skills and behaviors to the above lists.

What about you guys?  What skills and behaviors do you think are most important to teach your puppy first?  Did I miss anything?  Tell me about your experiences in the comment section below.

what should i teach my puppy first?
what should i teach my puppy first?

How To Choose A Name For Your New Puppy

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Puppy Siblings
Puppy Siblings

Actually I already talked about how to choose a name for your new puppy back on the puppy names page.  If you haven’t had a chance, go back and take a look at the directory of puppy names and how to name a puppy.

Today’s blog post is about how I decided to choose my most recent puppy’s name.  If you’ve been following for a while then you probably already know the name origins for my last few pups, but just in case here’s the cliff notes version of my pup’s names.

Origins of our puppy names

  1. Linus (2004) – the Peanuts character!  Our Linus even had his very own little blue blankie.
  2. Stetson (2007) – my cousin’s ex-boyfriend was the guy in the Stetson cologne commercials.  For some reason Stetson-man was stuck in my head when I was told I would have an “S” litter puppy.  By the way, Snoopy was on my list…I could have ended up with a house full of Peanuts!
  3. Derby (2008) – I stuck with the hat theme for my second GDA pup.
  4. Dublin (2010) – Back to back “D” litters!  When playing the name game Dublin was right up there as one of the favorites.  I had recently visited Dublin and one of my best friends was from Dublin.
  5. Apache (2012) – I didn’t get to name Apache, but I probably would have done so with the Apache Web Server in mind (I know…NERD!)
  6. Adelle (2013) – I liked it because of the popular singer and considering her mother’s name was Cher!  Adelle was part of the CST “A” litter, but we were given only a handful of names to choose from.  I actually gave Ali (fiance) the final word.
  7. Camo-Green (2015) – This isn’t his name, but the color of his collar to separate him from his littermates.

Of course I had to name many other pups when volunteering at Cuddly Canines, but that’s for another article.  Let’s talk about Mr. Camo-Green!

What shall we name this puppy?

I decided to follow some of the rules laid out by Guide and Service Dog schools by choosing a letter for each litter starting with the letter “A”.  Step 2: get a list of potential “A” names for my next puppy in training.  A starter list can be found right here on the “A” puppy names page.  However, lucky for me I have the power of social media including the Puppy In Training communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I posed the question: “What would you name a male yellow Lab puppy that had to start with the letter “A”?”  Accompanied by the following pic of Mr. Camo-Green:

Camo-Green Puppy
Our Little Camo-Green Puppy

Over 400 responses later I narrowed my list of “A” puppy names down to two names.  By the way, thank you to everyone who participated and submitted names through social media.  I would not have had so many great ideas without your help.

The two finalists for our next puppy name:

Alpine

As one of my Facebook readers said: “He is all white, I would call him Alpine.”  Another reader brought up the name Aspen with similar reasoning.  However, Alpine has significance beyond the correlation to the color white.  Alpine is the name of the city where Mr. Camo-Green was born!  Yep, in my books that’s pretty cool and pushed Alpine towards the top of the list.

Archer

This name has a much more personal meaning.  If you guys are super nerds or Start Trek junkies like me then you may remember Jonathan Archer from the short lived series Enterprise.  Where the name Archer truly comes to light is from our first “D” litter pup, Derby.  You see, before guide dog pups get to go home with their puppy raisers they are given names during their stay in the nursery.  Some of the pups from Derby’s litter where given Star Trek character names.  Derby’s nursery name was Archer named after the first captain of the Starship Enterprise, Jonathan “Archer”!

Those are the two front runners!  So what do you think?  Archer or Alpine?  Alpine or Archer?  Which name do you prefer and why?  Or maybe you have another meaningful name?  One thing I failed to mention that may influence your decision… Mr. Camo-Green will be trained to be a service dog.

Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

Special thank you to Trident Manor Kennels and their pups featured in the pics in this blog post.

7 Steps To Puppy Proofing Your House

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Yes!  It’s definitely very important to puppy proof your house before you bring home a puppy.  In fact I have a 7 point checklist for puppy proofing my house that I go through every time before I bring home a new puppy.

When I rewind back 7 years and think about bringing home my first puppy, Linus for the first time I was ill-prepared.  There were many things I should have done before making the final decision to bring home a new puppy.  And this is from someone who did do some preparation including reading the  Puppies for Dummies book…twice!  Also, I did not bring home the first adorable puppy I came across and I actually did a ton of research on different breeds before picking Linus.  I also had a veterinarian and a puppy trainer already picked out for my new puppy.

Dublin On The Job Training
Dublin On The Job Training

However, here are a few things I didn’t do:

Make Sure You Puppy Proof Your House

By the time I decided to volunteer as a guide dog puppy raiser I made sure I puppy proofed my house before my home interview.  Every time I get a new puppy I go through the short ritual of crawling around the house and yard on my hands and knees looking for potential dangers.  I even mention this in the Dublin’s first Puppy In Training TV Video:

You probably already know that it’s extremely important to puppy proof your home for your puppy’s safety as a puppy is liable to pick up just about any and everything off the ground and eat it or chew on it.  Here’s a step by step guide on how I go about puppy proofing my house before bringing home a new puppy:

  1. The Basics – My first round of cleaning is just the basics.  Clean the house.  Pickup everything off the floor.  Vacuum.  Mop and clean the floor (make sure you don’t use harsh chemicals that might irritate your puppy).  Dust the house…you know the basics!
  2. Crawling the Floor – After the basics I get on my hands and knees and crawl all over the house inside and out to see from the same perspective as my puppy.  You can often find hidden dangers this way.  Keep your eye out for anything on the floor.  Also watch out for electrical cords and wall sockets (your pup may want to chew on these).
  3. In Home Workers – If you have workers who come over (cleaning people, gardeners, pool men, etc.) make sure to check that they didn’t inadvertently drop anything or leave doors ajar.
  4. The Garage – there’s lots of dangerous stuff in the garage.  Be very careful with antifreeze.  Pets like the taste, but it’s absolutely deadly.  I’ve had several friends lose their cats to antifreeze.  Always check for leaks.  Other harmful things for your puppy commonly found in the garage are pesticides, fertilizers, snail bait, batteries, cleaners and solvents, motor oil, gasoline, craft glues and cement mix.
  5. The Bathroom – Do not store dangerous items like medications and chemicals under the sink.  Move anything like toilet and drain cleaner up and away from the toilet.  Keep the toilet seat down, put trash up (or get one with a lid), and close shower/bathtubs.  Some people often put cleaners in the toilet that turn the water blue.  I never use these because even if it’s a rule to close the toilet lid not everyone in the house may follow through and I don’t want one of my pups or dogs drinking the chemical filled water on accident.
  6. The Living Area – Do your best to hide all wires and cables.  Make sure all paper shredders are unplugged.  There are many toxic plants, make sure if you have any toxic plants they are out of reach from your dogs and puppies.
  7. The Kitchen – Some of the major kitchen hazards include coffee grounds, spoiled foods, coffee grounds, bacteria and sharp objects.  Cover all trash cans.  Remove anything toxic from under the sink.  Store all foods on high shelves out of the reach of your puppy.   Keep your dishwasher closed.  Know all the common food that are toxic to dogs ie. chocolate, grapes, raisins, etc.

That’s about it!  If you’re about to bring home a new puppy I suggest you go through these 7 steps to puppy proofing your house.

What about you guys?  Am I missing anything?  Do you have a checklist you go through for puppy proofing your house?  Please tell me about it in the comment section below.

Puppy Starter Kit – 12 Essential Items For Your New Puppy

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There’s always a ton of excitement the day you bring home a puppy and it’s no different if your a puppy raiser. One advantage we as puppy raisers have over a regular new puppy owner is Guide Dogs of America sends us home with a GDA Puppy Starter Kit.

The GDA Puppy Starter Kit doesn’t have everything you need to raise a puppy, but it does have some of the essentials that are important for all puppy raisers.

QUICK TIP: If you want to see everything you’ll want before bringing home a new puppy then check out our Essential New Puppy Checklist.

If you didn’t see our first Puppy In Training TV video then you probably missed out on the short video that highlighted some of the items from our puppy kit. 

Take a look at around the 1 minute and 58 second mark of the video:

Puppy Starter Kit

A true puppy starter kit would have everything you need for your new puppy. However, this is our GDA Puppy Starter Kit which is more of a “Puppy Go Home Package”.

Anyhow here’s the list of the 12 items that we receive the day we bring home our new GDA puppies!

Puppy Starter Kit
Our GDA Puppy Starter Kit
  1. Stainless Steel Dog Bowl – these bowls are slight upgrade from what we get from GDA because they don’t slide and are flip resistant 🙂
  2. Sterilized Hollow Bone – we’ve had some puppies love these and others just ignore the bones. Stuffing them with cheese helps.
  3. 2 Nylon Dog Collars – GDA gives you a small (puppy) and large (adult) buckle collar. Boys get blue and girls get red.
  4. 4 ft Nylon Leash – we love the short light weight nylon leashes for the pups and they can work great as a drag line.
  5. Zoom Groom Brush (Labrador Retriever) or Slicker Brush (Golden Retriever)
  6. Small Puppy Blanket – the GDA blankets we’ve received are usually fleece. This is one we use from our Snuggle Puppy Starter Kit.
  7. Stuffed Toy – usually we just get a simple plush toy, but we send all of our Golden Retriever pups home with a Snuggle Puppy Snuggle Puppy w/ Heartbeat & Heat Pack
  8. Puppy Bib (see pic above) – the yellow puppy bib lets the public know that we are raising a guide dog puppy in training.
  9. Heartworm Medication – Consult your vet about Heartworm meds. We give our pups Heartgard.
  10. Puppy Food – GDA has changed foods quite often since we’ve been raisers. We currently feed our pups Wellness Core Puppy Food.
  11. GDA pet identification Tag – GDA issues special dog tags, but we also get our pups personal Dog ID Tags.
  12. Microchip ID Tag – GDA pups come microchipped we also microchip all of our golden retriever puppies before sending them to their homes.

Of course GDA sends you home with one other very important item…A cute, adorable, cuddly new puppy!

One that hopefully sleeps through the night and doesn’t have any accidents in the home. 🙂

If you’re bringing home a GDA puppy then you can expect to receive a nice littler puppy go home kit to get you started.

However, if you’re getting a new puppy on your own than this list is just the start.

I’d definitely recommend several other items including a basic book on how to train a puppy like Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution.

In the near future I’ll see what I can do about putting together a comprehensive list that would include all the items I think you should have in your puppy starter kit.

So that’s it!  What would you include in your puppy starter kit?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

The GDA Puppy Starter Kit only has a few of the items we’d recommend for new puppy owners.

Check out our complete New Puppy Checklist that has everything we’d recommend before brining home a puppy.

Top 10 Tips For New Puppy Owners

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If you’re on the verge of becoming a new puppy owner then I’d first like to congratulate you on your new puppy!  The second thing I’d like to do is give you a list of the top 10 tips for new puppy owners.

I’ve been raising guide dog puppies for over  5 years now.  Before I was raising and training guide dog puppies I fostered several litters of puppies and worked on their training and socialization.  Needless to say over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about what to expect when bringing home a new puppy.  Of course there is the bringing home of a new puppy, but you should also think about some of the things you should do before you bring home that new puppy and what you can expect once that new puppy gets to his new home and is anointed the latest member of your family.

New Puppy
Dublin – A New Puppy

Hopefully some of these puppy training tips will help you out when you bring home that bundle of joy.

Top 10 Tips For New Puppy Owners

Without further adieu…today’s top 10 list given in classic David Letterman style (descending order):

Tip #10 –  Puppy Proof The House

I never had a chance to puppy proof the house when I brought Linus home over 7 year ago, but since then puppy proofing at the Morita household has become a bit of an art every time we get a new guide dog puppy in training.  One of the easiest ways for me to determine if my house is puppy proof is to get down on my hands and knees so I have the point of view of a puppy then I check out anything that I can get my pup can get with his mouth or paws.  Some places to keep a close eye on are electrical cords, wall sockets, coffee tables, table clothes, trash cans…basically anything low or hanging low that a mischievous puppy might be able to get into.

Tip #9 –  Get These Essential Puppy Products

A while back I listed a few of the must have puppy products all new puppy owners should have.  The top 5 must have puppy products:

  1. Dog Crate (affiliate link) – an essential item for crate training your dog.  Make sure you get the correct size for your puppy.  I like the one the metal crates with divider.  The main benefit of this crate (check out the link) is that you can use the larger crate with a smaller puppy and let your pup grow into it.  This crate also folds up for portability.
  2. Durable Nylabone (affiliate link) – I’m not sure if you’ve noticed yet, but puppies have tiny little sharp dagger like teeth.  they are like little vampires when they are young.  I always like to have several different dog toys with different textures and make sure my puppies learn to chew on the toys and not on my hand, furniture, or tv remote.
  3. Bitter Apple Spray (affiliate link) – a great deterrent if your puppy is bent on chewing his leash, the leg on your sofa, or your arm.  Just spray a little on the leash and most puppies will find the taste of the spray repulsive (for some reason some pups like the taste…hopefully this is not your pup).  Keep doing this for a few weeks and eventually your puppy will learn that chewing on the leash is not a good thing.
  4. Large Classic Plush Mallard (affiliate link) – as I mentioned I like to get many different textured toys and the plush dog toys are a favorite of just about every puppy.  However, make sure you keep an eye on your puppy because some voracious chewers like to not only tear these things to shreds, but will also swallow the stuffing, squeaker, and all which could require a visit to the vet. 🙁
  5. Nature’s Miracle Stain & Odor Remover (affiliate link) – finally, just about every puppy will have at least one potty accident in the house.  Nature’s Miracle completely removes pet stains without leaving any stinky pet odor behind which is very important because puppy’s will often find the stinky spots and pee in the same place.

Tip #8 –  Be Prepared For Some Sleepless Nights

If you haven’t already read How To Handle Your Puppy’s First Night At Home then click the link and check out my story and some of the other stories in the comment section below.  Hopefully you get a puppy like Derby or Dublin who wakes up maybe 2 or 3 times the first night home and after about a week falls right a sleep in his kennel and doesn’t wake up until morning.  If you’re not so lucky then you’ll get a Stetson puppy who didn’t allow me to sleep for more than 2 hours in a row for over 4 weeks.  The good news is all of my puppies eventually got used to sleeping through the night and are all now happily crate trained and sleep well through the night.

Tip #7 –  Take Lots Of Pictures And Video

I actually talked about this in detail just over a week ago when I talked about tips on bringing home a new puppy.  Your puppy will grow up fast (seriously).  Just keep snapping pictures and shooting video every chance you get because in no time he’ll be a full grown dog and all you’ll have left is your memories, the pictures, and the videos you shot of his puppy years.

Tip #6 –  Bring Some Essential Things During Pickup Like A Plush Toy And Blanket

Another item that I deem essential is getting the scent of your puppies mother and littermates if at all possible.  Make sure you bring a plush dog toy and blanket when you go to pickup your puppy and rub the 2 items all over your pups littermates and mother.  When you get home put the toy and blanket in his kennel and when it’s time to go to sleep he’ll feel more at home with the scent of his littermates all over the blanket and toy.

Tip #5 –  Read A Great Puppy Training Book like Puppies For Dummies (affiliate link)

I highly recommend reading at minimum the Puppies For Dummies (affiliate link) book before you start looking for a new puppy.  It’s a great resource and even to this day I still look at some of the advice in this book.  If you’re an over achiever I have tons of great articles on this blog and you are more then welcome to read the nearly 500 (probably more by the time you read this) articles in the archive.

Tip #4 –  Find A Great Veterinarian And Great Dog Trainer

I’d talk to family and friends to see if they know of a great veterinarian and a great dog trainer.  Lucky for me a good friend of ours is a great veterinarian and if something serious happens I call him with questions otherwise we visit the local vet.  As far as a great dog trainer I’m lucky enough to be involved with our local Orange County guide dog group and anytime I have questions about dog training I’m able to consult with the great dog trainers at GDA.

Tip #3 –  Train Your Puppy At A Puppy Kindergarten Class

Linus went to puppy kindergarten class with Sue Myles in Tustin which was a great experience for both Linus and myself.  Stetson, Derby, and Dublin all attend Guide Dogs of America puppy kindergarten.  Not only is it a great experience for your puppy and a good time for him to socialize with pups of different color, shape, size, and dog breed, but it’s also a great learning experience for you, the puppy owner.

TIp #2 –  Socialize Your Puppy

A good puppy kindergarten will get you started on how to introduce your puppy to other puppies.  Your dog trainer should also instruct you on some things you should be doing to socialize your puppy outside of puppy class.  A few things I like to do with my pups early on is introduce him to some of my friends dogs who I know are properly vaccinated and friendly.  I also like to introduce them to new people by giving people treats and having them feed and praise my puppy when he’s accepting of people.  When my puppy is a little older I also work on taking him to new places especially my guide dog pups.  I start introducing my guide pups to restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls, movie theaters, etc.  Of course if you’re not raising a guide dog puppy then you might try some different socialization strategies just make sure your puppy is properly vaccinated and is at an age where these experiences will be beneficial to your puppy and not frightening.

Tip #1 –  BE PATIENT, PERSISTENT, AND CONSISTENT with your puppy

This is my mantra whenever I bring home a new puppy.  Be Patient, Persistent, and Consistent with your puppy.  Puppies are cute and adorable, but just wait until you get one home.  You need to be patient while you teach your puppy and your puppy learns.  Persistent as your puppy will continue to test you.  Finally make sure you are consistent with your puppy training as your puppy will learn much quicker if you and your family are consistent with his training.

There you go!  10 tips for new puppy owners!  It can be a long, difficult road for the new puppy owner as your pup will test you every step of the way.  However, when you have that well-behaved dog and your friends and family are complimenting him on his excellent behavior you can think back to the time when he was a little terror during puppyhood.  I, myself love the puppy years because I feel like I form a stronger bond with each puppy as we’ve had the opportunity to work through the good, the bad, and the ugly (Stetson, I’m thinking of you and your crate training days when I say UGLY).

Those are 10 tips that come straight to my mind when I think about getting a new puppy, but how about you?  Do you have any tips for new puppy owners?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

5 Easy Steps To House Training Your Puppy

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Before I picked up Linus from the shelter the one thing that stuck in my mind was “Make Sure You House Training Your Puppy!” It really isn’t that difficult. If you’re raising an indoor dog then it is an absolute requirement that your dog be house trained. One thing to remember is every puppy/dog is different. Some will be house trained in a short period of time while others will require more effort. The difference was very noticeable between my two dogs.

This little guy sure looks like he’s concentrating hard. Remember to praise lavishly when your puppy pees or poops outside in their designated spot.

Puppy Going Pee

The Basics Of House Training Your Puppy

Probably one of the most important and first things you want to teach your puppy is house training. If done properly, house training your puppy is not difficult to master. As always you need to be consistent and persistent with your puppy’s training.

  1. Never allow the puppy to be unattended or out of your sight – If you are unable to do this remember to use confinement as a means of prevention.
  2. Feed him at regular times and always give him a chance to relieve himself right after being fed.
  3. Using a designated area in your yard, let your puppy have plenty of time (fifteen minutes) to relieve itself. Encourage the puppy to go by using words such as “Get Busy” (That is the command used by Guide Dogs of America).
  4. When the puppy has done his business, praise him lavishly.
  5. Keep your puppy on a schedule and give him a chance to relieve himself at a minimum at these times: first thing in the morning, after each meal, after a nap, after playtime, right before you and your puppy retire for the night.

If you’re raising a guide dog then your puppy should always relieve on leash. It is important to train the puppies to relieve on leash in a variety of surfaces (grass, gravel, cement etc…)

House Training Your Puppy – My Puppies, Stetson And Linus

Linus

I picked up Linus from the shelter when he was about 8 weeks old. I wrote the article Dedicated To My Dog Linus chronicling this experience. As I said…at the top of my list was house training my new puppy. I read the Puppies For Dummies book by Sarah Hodgson to help prepare me. I highly recommend Puppies For Dummies for any new puppy owner. It helped me get through that first year with Linus.

Linus was a very easy puppy to raise. His only fault was his hatred for the crate. We’ll get to that another time. As for his house training I’d say he was nearly perfect. He probably had less than 5 accidents in the house. After having him for 1 month (he was only about 12 weeks old at the time) he no longer had accidents in the house.

What was the key to my success with Linus? Keeping a close eye on him and I probably took him out to “Get Busy” at least once an hour during his first few weeks with me. When I couldn’t watch him I put him in his crate. I had pretty much my full trust in him when he was 12 weeks old which is pretty amazing considering some dogs don’t have full bladder control until they’re about 12 weeks old.

Stetson

Stetson was a different story. I was very confident going in to his house training after having such great success with Linus. In addition, I read the entire Guide Dogs of America puppy raiser training manual twice and re-read Puppies For Dummies. I tried to take Stetson out as often as possible…probably about once every half hour for the first few days. He did okay, but sometimes he was stubborn and wouldn’t “Get Busy” outside then come into the house and immediately pee on the tile. I stopped keeping track of how many accidents he had in the house.

After using the five training steps mentioned above Stetson got better, but I still didn’t have full trust in him. He started warning me when he had to poop by running head first into the sliding glass door. When I’d hear a “Boom!” I knew Stetson had to poop. I just don’t think Stetson had the same kind of bladder control as Linus. When I finally gave him my full trust (he was about 6 months old) he went ahead and surprised me by peeing in the house on the carpet. He did the same thing when he was about 9 months old. I was pretty sure Stetson understood that he wasn’t to go in the house, but he just couldn’t hold it.

At 12 months of age I finally had full trust in Stetson’s house training and he hasn’t let me down. He’s 14 months old now and I can’t remember his last accident (it’s been at least 4 months with an accident-free house).

How Do I Know They Have To Go?

As I said earlier Stetson used to run into the sliding glass door when he was ready to poop. Now he just goes to the front door and paces back and forth until I relieve him. Linus just sits patiently at the front door until I notice him. You can also teach your puppy to ring a bell or scratch the door, but I’ve neglected to do this with my puppies.

What experiences have you had house training your puppy? Tell me your story in the comments area.

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