getting training help in this forum.

[stephen turklay]

I would like to help as many of you folks as possible, and im sure there will be great advice given by others on this site. May I recomend that when asking for help please give some info in your question . things that would be helpfull but not limited to.

1. dog breed
2. age
3. is it leash trained, crate trained, multiple dogs in the house
4. is it a inside or outside dog
5. you get the point good luck

[Sharon Hunt]

Hi Steven, I have 5 dogs living with me. 4 are mine and 1 is my son-in-laws. He will be with us about 1 year. I have a 12 year old shtzpoo mix 2 chuahuaha 5 years old and a 11 month pug. 4 of the dogs are male. In the past they weren't taken out the way they should have been by are 2 sons. they are pretty good about going outside when we take them. I try to take them about every 2 hours. The males are always marking their territorty. I will bring them in and the will go in the other room and mark. I am going to buy 2 gates and keep them in whatever room I am in so I can always watch them. Right now I always keep dry food out for them but I am thinking about feeding the once in the am and once in the pm. Do you thinkthis is a goo idea? and if so how do I go about the transition? they don't get canned food. We feed them Iams.I am starting to train the pug with a clicker and a treat. The others mind pretty good. I want to remodle my home and get new carpet so I need them to stop marking and peeing and pooping in the house. I would be grateful for and help you can give me. Thank you Sharon.

[stephen turklay]

This can be a very difficult thing when you have such array of ages and breeds. you clearly have to define yourselfe as the leader. My first suggestion for marking issues would be have the dogs fixed if thier not already, secindly I would suggest that each of your canine friends have thier own crate this will give them a good sense of relaxation for them away from the other dogs and a place to be when they dont desire to be bothered and a place you can place them when you cant supervise thier activities. please feel free to ask me specific questions if needed good luck.

Sharon Hunt said:

Hi Steven, I have 5 dogs living with me. 4 are mine and 1 is my son-in-laws. He will be with us about 1 year. I have a 12 year old shtzpoo mix 2 chuahuaha 5 years old and a 11 month pug. 4 of the dogs are male. In the past they weren't taken out the way they should have been by are 2 sons. they are pretty good about going outside when we take them. I try to take them about every 2 hours. The males are always marking their territorty. I will bring them in and the will go in the other room and mark. I am going to buy 2 gates and keep them in whatever room I am in so I can always watch them. Right now I always keep dry food out for them but I am thinking about feeding the once in the am and once in the pm. Do you thinkthis is a goo idea? and if so how do I go about the transition? they don't get canned food. We feed them Iams.I am starting to train the pug with a clicker and a treat. The others mind pretty good. I want to remodle my home and get new carpet so I need them to stop marking and peeing and pooping in the house. I would be grateful for and help you can give me. Thank you Sharon.

[Karen White]

my dog is a chow and collie mix... she is a inside dog that has a yard and goes for a walk. She brack a knock on door and peolpe coing in the home but after they arein she is friendly. Sandy is very play ful and loving. I need help on potting to avoid giving her away. Does nuturing stop potting in the home? I know dum question. sandy is the only dog but we have a cat about 6yrs old we got sandy at 11 weeks.

mom

[pamela Cain]

My dog is a bull mastiff & red nose pit mixed breed, he's 6mths live in the house, but has started to chew on everything and my husband is ready to get rid of him. I've brought toys but he has chewed up the cushions in my sunroom.

[stephen turklay]

I am really confused why you would wtch your puppy chew your furniture up.

Obv I am being facisious First of all your pup has not earned the right to have free roam of your home, without complete and total supervision your pup does not know the diffrence between a che toy and your couch leg they both serve the same purpose, eases the bordome. My first recomendation if you dont already have one is introduce your pup to his new safty place his friend the crate for inside the home and a outside kennel for when its nice and he will be left alone for longer periods then 4 hrs. his crate should and will become his favorite place if used correctly this is not to hollor and punish him in just a place he can be when hes not being supervised by his alpha dogs(you guys) then when supervising him if he chews on anything other then whats allowed this will alllow a immediate correction. Personaly I have been raising and training shepherds for 25yrs and do not allow even my best trained dogs full access to my home untill about 2 yrs of age good luck (remember pups only do what you allow them to do)

[Liz Palermo]

I have a 4 month old Shiffon (shih tzu/brussels griffon). She has pooped in her crate the last 4 nights! What do I do??? Is it ok to feed her only once a day, in the morning, to see if I can get her to stop? She has been getting her breakfast between 7:30 and 8:00 am and dinner around 4:00 and no food after that. She also poops between 8:00 and 9:00pm. I have been putting her in her crate around 10:30 and getting her up around 7:00am. She is quiet all night. I have had her for 3 weeks and she was doing great, with an occasional bad night. I don't want this to become her nightly habit.

[tyisha smith]

my dog is a chihuahua and she 12 weeks old and leash trained, first puppie and the only dog in the house,shes a inside dog

[stephen turklay]

you absolutly have to have her on a schedule that works for both of you It takes paitence but you have to get her on a schedule where you can insure that you walk her untill she does her business before putting her back in her crate after a few days you will know within a few minutes how long after she eat before she will relieve, insure also that the crate is not to large where she feels she can seperate living space with pooping space, Its not natural for a dog to want to deficate in thier crate but if she was bread in a puppy mill setting its possible she had no choice and became a habit but probably just a timing issue.

Liz Palermo said:

I have a 4 month old Shiffon (shih tzu/brussels griffon). She has pooped in her crate the last 4 nights! What do I do??? Is it ok to feed her only once a day, in the morning, to see if I can get her to stop? She has been getting her breakfast between 7:30 and 8:00 am and dinner around 4:00 and no food after that. She also poops between 8:00 and 9:00pm. I have been putting her in her crate around 10:30 and getting her up around 7:00am. She is quiet all night. I have had her for 3 weeks and she was doing great, with an occasional bad night. I don't want this to become her nightly habit.

[Courtney Murphy]

Hi Stephen,
I have two dogs a yellow labrador (Cooper, 4 years old, leash trained, unneutered, inside dog) and a black labrador
(Murphy, 20 months old, leash trained, unneutered, inside dog). Cooper is very stubborn and sometimes dog aggressive. He never goes for Murphy in fact I think Murphy is the dominant dog. I know a lot about dogs but I cant think of anything to get Cooper to just generally respond quicker and better to me and the commands I tell him. Any ideas?

They both are kept in a big cage in the house due to the fact there is a main road right outside and we can't risk them getting out. They are brilliant getting in and out of the cage and they go out the back yard on regular intervals. They are walked three times a day. Thankyou.

[TaWanna Dione Threlkeld-Patrick]

Hi Stephen, I just got a 6week old Shih Tzu. I tried potty training him by when he eats I take him outside until he poops, but he hasn't done it yet. When I bring him back in 10min later there he goes. I figure maybe he doesn't like going outside because it's cold. I've put newspaper in one spot, he does good with poop (sometimes), but pee-pee's everywhere. What suggestions do u have? Please Help Me!! TaWanna

[Matthew Gross]

We have two dogs. A three year old female beagle and a two year old yorkie-poo. They are trained to go to sleep everynight in a crate and spend most of thier time inside.
Among the biggest snags we have with them is that we own a family business. We love to have them around in everything we do including come to the store however, they get extremely excited when customers some in (ie barking, running up to them begging to be pet). So far none of the customers mind but I'm worried one day our luck will run out. I don't mind that they want to say hello but I don't want them to be loud and seem intimidating. The Yorkie-poo seems to be the biggest problem because for some reason she's scared of everything since a time when she was a puppy she was chased by my four year old cousin. We tried to stop him but the damage was too late.
Other than that I guess basic stuff. I would enjoy having the Beagle walk along side when she walks with or without a leash. I would love to take her hunting with me as well with her staying nearby (not as a "hunting dog" just a companion to come along) although this may be impossible considering her breed.

Thanks alot!
Merry Christmas!