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8 Weeks Old
Let the training begin!
Crate games, potty training, oh my!
There are SO MANY Crate games to choose from. I like to keep it nice and simple. Show the puppy where he needs to go - reward then wait and see if he offers to go inside. Once he continuously offers the correct behavior, I will go ahead and add a cue to the behavior and eventually make it more complex. For example I would ask for a sit or down once he got into the Kennel.
Puppies should go outside every 10-15 mins or so, plus after eating, drinking, playing, napping, or immediately following anything exciting. This ensures success, for both the owner and the dog. Overnight, a new puppy should be going outside every 2-3 hours. I always tell new puppy owners that they should be getting up in the middle of the night twice until about 12 weeks of age, and then once around that age. Then, getting up should be faded out to a later and later time until the pup holds it through the night. Generally, every week, you can increase the total time by about 30 minutes.
Potty training is something that happens as soon as you bring your new puppy home. Since Loki was super young when I got him we didn't start till he was a little older. It started out being every two-three hours I would take him outside and reward for any effort of pottying outside. He caught on quickly and started to whine in the kennel when he had to go out. Eventually it went up to every four-six hours.
As you can see from the video, As soon as I get outside he has already patterned exactly where he needs to go potty. It look less than a minute for him to do his business and then get rewarded!
Backup Tutorial
Filming each sessions I have put together a training video so hopefully you can sucessfully teach your dogs how to backup!
With this trick I like using two surfaces so the dog can easily understand what is being rewarded and hopefully they offer the behaviour on their own.
In this case I am using hardwoodflooring and having Loki back up onto the carpet. In my first session I somewhat lure him onto the carpet and reward. I do this for less than 5 min and than allow him to take a nap and get some water.
For the next few sessions I continue to lure until I feel he is starting to understand what is being rewarded. On my fifth session I start to wait till he offers even just one step backwards and I reward.
This trick shouldnt take very long but keep it fun and be patient!
Don't forget to share your thoughts and training questions!
Loki's first BarkBox!
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"SuperCollies"
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