Keep him crated while you're out, no matter how much he whines and tries to make you feel guilty as you leave. His crate door should be open while you're home, so he can wander in and out as he pleases, he will begin to recognize that as his space.
I've helped train a lot of animals in my life, and the best thing for them is routine. For the first eight to ten months of their lives, keep their activities as regulated as possible (out at these times, training at these times, play at others). There is almost no such thing as too much posititve reinforcement, either. Praise him lavishly whenever he's done something right. Never hit him when he's done something wrong.
As for stepping on his foot, well... puppies are made of rubber. He'll be over any injustices within a few days. Xyrra fucked around with this message on 01-25-2005 at 09:38 PM.
Charlie got a nice new brush, a little puppy harness, some doggy shampoo, a book on Obedience, and some puppy training pads. Supposedly, this will limit the scope of where he goes potty.
As for me, I got a new camera
Charlie was so happy he went outside and pooped! I think he needs a good distance away so that he can be by himself while he does his business. Sort of a "I CAN'T GO IF I KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING ME ARG ARG" thing
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A sleep deprived Demos stammered:
We demand more pics! And your new camera only furthers the cause!
It's an SLR camera for my photography class.
Btw, here's Charlie guarding the door.
Its just a matter of getting them into habits, which is hard. Mostly you have to go with reinforcing the good stuff, so when he DOES go outside, give him hugs, rubs, and doggie treats. Err...more than usual 
quote:
Mr. Parcelan enlisted the help of an infinite number of monkeys to write:
How do I keep him from pooping in the house? They say don't scold him, but what do I do to discourage him from doing it?
Figure out when he's doing it and start taking him out a few minutes beforehand every time. If you are feeding him grocery store-bought dog food, expect him to go 4-6 times per day. If you are feeding him a high-quality dog food, like Nutro brand (excepting their low-end, low-cost version), he should be going about twice a day.
If he thinks of his crate as his bed/den, he can learn not to go in his crate. No dog wants to soil his own bedding. When he's been crated with the door shut for an extended period of time, he should be taken outside immediately to take care of his business.
If he's not pooping fast enough for you, take him for a walk. That should massage the bowels enough to go.
On another note, stock up on toys with a variety of textures. You'll need them for when he starts chewing and you may need to try giving him every one of them to find one that satisfies his chewing/teething.
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Vernaltemptress attempted to be funny by writing:
Figure out when he's doing it and start taking him out a few minutes beforehand every time. If you are feeding him grocery store-bought dog food, expect him to go 4-6 times per day. If you are feeding him a high-quality dog food, like Nutro brand (excepting their low-end, low-cost version), he should be going about twice a day.If he thinks of his crate as his bed/den, he can learn not to go in his crate. No dog wants to soil his own bedding. When he's been crated with the door shut for an extended period of time, he should be taken outside immediately to take care of his business.
If he's not pooping fast enough for you, take him for a walk. That should massage the bowels enough to go.
On another note, stock up on toys with a variety of textures. You'll need them for when he starts chewing and you may need to try giving him every one of them to find one that satisfies his chewing/teething.
All very good advice.
Puppies should be taken out as soon as they wake up in the morning, after a nap, and after any exercise or play. They will get into a routine, and you will get to know when they need to go. You need to get them outside and praise. Puppy mess is inevitable, but you can manage it to some degree by paying attention and being present all the time -- an unsupervised puppy is never a good thing.
And this is another reason crating is a good idea. Even puppies will only go in their crate as a last last resort. So, if you're getting them out on a schedule, you should be in better shape. Dogs are den animals and the crate is good for them, even into adulthood.
Thinking about your posts
(and billing you for it) since 2001
quote:
Verily, Gydyon doth proclaim:
Dogs are den animals and the crate is good for them, even into adulthood.
You just solved the mystery of why our dog chooses to sleep in the office when we are not home. He's a den animal. 
quote:
A sleep deprived Vernaltemptress stammered:
You just solved the mystery of why our dog chooses to sleep in the office when we are not home. He's a den animal.
DEAR LORD! Defensor, I blame you for this foolishness. She's caved into your punning! I can't bear it, and I will be forced to hound you for years to come.
Thinking about your posts
(and billing you for it) since 2001
quote:
Mr. Parcelan wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
Query: Is it better to have him live in his little crate or to corral him off into an enclosed area with papers?
The crate is better, especially when they're young.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
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It has been ordained by Primus, that there will be a Chosen One who will use the Matrix to "light our darkest hour." That darkest hour may come sooner if Gydyon keeps posting things like this:
DEAR LORD! Defensor, I blame you for this foolishness. She's caved into your punning! I can't bear it, and I will be forced to hound you for years to come.
Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. 
"Hound". * polite golf clap *
I admire your dogged determination, though. It will serve you well during these ruff times.
Charlie is recovering well from his war wound, but we have discovered something terrible.
For some reason, he also hates and fears plastic soda bottles with the same passion that he hates forks.
Also, he cuts some really rancid farts.
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Mr. Parcelan wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
Also, he cuts some really rancid farts.
Plain yogurt's good for that. Give him about a tablespoon a day for a few days and they go away. Repeat as necessary.
Tip: Get a squirt bottle. When you see him doing a behavior that you don't approve up, squirt him with the squirt bottle to interrupt the undesirable behavior. He'll learn that behavior isn't good.
I know some people that have crates for the dogs, and that leave their crates open when they are home and closed when they aren't. I can't really attest to the usefulness in these, as both of my dogs have free run of the house during the day and at night, sleep in my mom's room.
Tip: Take him for walks around campus. Girls love puppies, and are likely to stop and pet him...and perhaps talk with the owner. 
Not only will this socialize him with strangers and allow you to teach him what is good and what isn't about dealing with unfamiliar people. And actually, most dogs will actually use the bathroom after they have exercised some. Use a leash and chest halter if you have one (Chest halters make the dog easier to control and it's easier physically on the animal -- No compressing of the throat should he start to run or lunge. Use a leash. Most counties across the U.S. have leash laws, and either have an Animal Control unit, or the local police enforcing it.
Tip: Dog food. I've asked vets and vet techs this question and I've always gotten the same answer. Dry food. Dry food contains a lot more balanced nutrients for the dog than just plain canned dog food. It is also easier on the dog's gastro-intestinal tract. It's alright to give him a treat once in a while and give him some canned dog food though, otherwise, dry.
Tip: Get him vaccinated as soon as he's old enough. Definitely Rabies, Distemper, and Parvo (If available). Those are the Big 3, you could say. I think Rabies is the only one that is require by law, at least in North Carolina, but you might want to check with your Vet to find out what are the laws in your area, he should be well versed with that sort of thing. Anyway, it's just common sense. If Charlie ever got Rabies he'd have to be euthanized, no contest. Distemper is a viral infection that affects the respiratory, central nervous, & gastrointestinal systems of canines. It's a very bad disease to get, to which there is only treatment for secondary infections. There's no cure available for Distemper. It's generally more humane to euthanize. Parvo is another bad one. It's a 3 day killer. After a dog shows signs of Parvo they either must be immediately treated or euthanized. However, there is no cure for Parvo, only supportive treatment. There is a vaccine though -- Same with Distemper.
Charlie is at his most vulnerable right now. Right now the only thing supporting his immune system are the antibodies that he recieved when he was nursing milk from his mother. He needs to be vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent some of these horrible diseases from possibly occuring.
Not trying to scare ya Parce, well maybe I am a little, but just make sure you get in contact with a Vet and find out when would be a good time to be vaccinated. I'm sure you know all this already Parce, heck I remember a few pics a long while back where I think you had 2-3 dogs? Anyway, I guess I'm just saying it as a reminder really.
That's all I can think of at 4:30AM in the morning; I'm sure I'll think of more. Ryuujin fucked around with this message on 01-27-2005 at 05:05 AM.
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Ryuujin had this to say about Captain Planet:
Don't be afraid to rub his nose in his accidents, it's a tried and true method
So is burning witches at the stake.
Rubbing their nose in it doesn't make them think, "Oops! I forgot to pee outside again!" It makes them think "Hey! wtf did I do?!"
And since when does burning witches = training puppies? Ryuujin fucked around with this message on 01-27-2005 at 05:08 AM.
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Ryuujin painfully thought these words up:
It's the method that I've used for training all my dogs. You seem to think that I mean 2 hours later come around and rub their nose in it. No. When you catch them doing it is when you would rub their nose in it.And since when does burning witches = training puppies?
It might work for you. However, the problem with the method is that the puppy/dog is not able to connect the "rubbing the nose in it" with the idea that it's the location that's bad, not his taking care of business. This leads many dogs to start "hiding" when they go to the bathroom out of fear and/or shame of doing what he's supposed to be doing, regardless of the fact that there is an appropriate place to go and there are inappropriate places to go.
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Mr. Parcelan had this to say about Duck Tales:
For some reason, he also hates and fears plastic soda bottles with the same passion that he hates forks.
Ours is most scared of brooms and belts.
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Everyone wondered WTF when Densetsu wrote:
So is burning witches at the stake.
What should I do about Jania? She won't hold still to be tied to a stake and when I try to rub her nose in the messes she makes, she attempts to bite me.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
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Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael got all f'ed up on Angel Dust and wrote:
What should I do about Jania? She won't hold still to be tied to a stake and when I try to rub her nose in the messes she makes, she attempts to bite me.
Lots and lots of positive attention when she does things you like and neutral attention otherwise.
quote:
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
What should I do about Jania? She won't hold still to be tied to a stake and when I try to rub her nose in the messes she makes, she attempts to bite me.
See, therein lies my point!
