# How long did it take you to kennel train



## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

So stressful because my dad is NOT happy with the kennel training process or her nightly crying, despite how much we try to explain she is a baby, needs to be taken out at night and this may make her cry, etc. If it was just me and my mom and siblings it’d be no big deal. Everyone is understanding except him.....😞😞

She was quiet for like 2 nights and has started crying again. Once TV is off and all noise is gone she stops crying after about 10 minutes. What I was doing initially was setting my alarm to go off every 3 hours to take her out. However, I noticed I just seemed to be waking her up each time and disrupting peaceful, quiet sleep. These nights were very noisy and long. It’s such a taxing process with her, some nights this week she’s slept perfectly all through the night, but most nights she cries sporadically at some point. We do our best to tire her out before bed and make sure she goes potty. We’ve put all kinds of comfy things in there like a towel and a blanket, we’ve put cuddly toys in there, a bone to chew on, everything. Her kennel is in the laundry room. I did not start with it in my room because we did that with our last dog & it was a disaster, she cried at me all night long every night because she wanted to be in bed with me, and when we moved her kennel out she was scared because she couldn’t see me anymore. It took soooo long to kennel train her. 

My other question aside from how long does it take for them to finally settle down at night is if she is crying at night, do I take her out then, or wait until she’s quiet? I don’t want to support her crying, but I also don’t want her to have an accident in her kennel! Ahh!!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Is it possible to put her crate beside your bed where you can reach down? When I first got Perry I put his crate right beside my bed and when he would get restless at night I would put my hand down touching the front of the crate (or sticking my finger in - the first night I slept with my hand resting on his crate for probably 1/2 the night), I never said anything or moved otherwise - he just needed some reassurance that I was there (though it could have the opposite effect and rile her up I guess). After a couple of weeks of that, I was able to move him to the other side of the bedroom. 

I would also try covering most/ all of the crate at night - it will start to be a signal to go to sleep. 

I don't remember how old she is, but she might also have to go out, but if she went before bed I imagine the first potty break would be somewhere in the middle of the night, not just a couple of hours after you put her in her crate. At that point, I'd say just do everything as quietly and matter-of-factly as possible - no extra lights (if you can help it), pick her up, take her out, put her back - no petting, no talking, etc.


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Thanks for reply I just did this a little while ago. Someone was noisy in the kitchen and it woke her and she was taking a bit too long to settle down so took her out, left all lights off this time and barely said anything aside from go potty and she went. It’s tough because we’re supposed to be housebreaking her and I don’t want her to think she’s being punished for going because she goes right in her kennel after. Normally she gets a treat and lots of praise for going outside, I can only hope the change is not too confusing for her.

She fell back asleep quickly after I put her back. I still do not want to keep her in my room after my last experience but the covering the kennel thing is a good idea. That’s actually what I ended up doing with my past dog like a bird and I think it did help, for whatever reason. (I mean it’s dark in the room either way makes no sense why a blanket/towel over the kennel would promote sleep but whatever works I guess)

Edit: it’s now 12:30, I took her out at 11:45, she is up and crying again after an hour of quiet, do I take her out again? Ugh.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I think you are forgetting how young your puppy is. The first few WEEKS with a puppy are like with an infant human. You are kind of on their schedule. It will get better with time. 

I would ALWAYS err on the side of taking a dog out if they cry during the night. Even with an older dog. The cosequences of making them eliminate in their crate because you guess wrong are just too dire. But do it with no fan-fare, gently, but with no talking or cuddles. Obviously, a quite good boy! For eliminating is OK. The puppy will NOT think he is being punished by being returned to his crate. The crate is not a punishment. It’s like putting a small child back in their crib after a diaper change. That’s not punishment either.

A cover over the crate not only makes it darker (if there is light in the room) but also makes it cozy and warm... no drafts.

Mostly, I think you need to relax, except that your puppy IS a puppy, and will do baby puppy things for a while to come. The first couple of months with a puppy are hard work, but there are some ”puppy things” that will continue for the next at least year, maybe two, depending on the puppy. The only way around this is to adopt an adult dog and skip puppyhood altogether. But even with an adult dog, there will still be a settling in period. Remember that you are raising a delightful well trained ADULT dog who will be with you for the next 10-15 years or more. It’s is very worth putting in the time and effort up front for the enjoyment you will have going forward. Remind your dad of that. And take lots of pictures. You may feel like this stage is lasting forever, but in the scheme of things, it goes by like lightning. ENJOY your puppy’s babyhood! It doesn’t last long.


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Thanks I wish my dad could understand this. So I should just be taking her out every time she cries, even if it’s like an hour after the first time?


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## pting619 (Jul 18, 2018)

The crate training I received was to make sure she goes potty before going into her crate at night. We also included the stuffed dog that makes a heart beat sound. When she first wakes crying, take her to go potty. After, put her back in her crate. If she starts again to cry, ignore her. Jessie’s first night..(her crate is in our room but not next to the bed) as instructed, I took her out to potty the first time she woke crying. The second time, I ignored her. She did fuss and whine for a while, but finally settled back down. That was the first and last night she fussed. Sleeps through the night with no problem. Jessie was 10 weeks old at the time. She is 15 weeks old and has no problem with being in her crate or sleeping through the night!

My understanding of this breed, is they want to be around you. Having the crate in another part of the house, isolates her! I can see you don’t want to get into the situation you had before. But if she is consistently kept in her crate at night, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s the on the bed this time, in the crate next time, that is confusing! When there is a choice, going to pick the bed every time.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

The "cover the crate" trick worked for Ricky. Now, after all these years, he prefers to sleep with the cover over his crate. He thinks of it as his secret cave. I would also suggest you keep the crate in your bedroom so you can hear the "fur ball"at night and take her out when she needs to go. Give her two or three minutes to perform maxium, and if not, back into the crate. No monkey business allowed in the middle of the night, that is "nite-nite" time. No treats either in the middle of the nights. Treats and praise are for daytime potty.

Another trick I learned from @krandall is I give Ricky a nite-nite cookie (in Ricky's case, a slice of dehydrated banana) right before he goes to bed. When I say "nite-nite time" Ricky goes charging to his crate and opens the crate door with his nose and jumps inside to get his cookie!

(I love you Tia Karen, muchas gracias.







Siempre su amigo, Ricky Ricardo)

As far as Dads go, maybe I could have a little talk with him! What I hate is when my daughter's 60lb. Aussie jumps on my bed and starts licking my face at 4:30am! :brick:

Ricky's Popi


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> The "cover the crate" trick worked for Ricky. Now, after all these years, he prefers to sleep with the cover over his crate. He thinks of it as his secret cave. I would also suggest you keep the crate in your bedroom so you can hear the "fur ball"at night and take her out when she needs to go. Give her two or three minutes to perform maxium, and if not, back into the crate. No monkey business allowed in the middle of the night, that is "nite-nite" time. No treats either in the middle of the nights. Treats and praise are for daytime potty.
> 
> Another trick I learned from @krandall is I give Ricky a nite-nite cookie (in Ricky's case, a slice of dehydrated banana) right before he goes to bed. When I say "nite-nite time" Ricky goes charging to his crate and opens the crate door with his nose and jumps inside to get his cookie!
> 
> ...


Hey thanks that reminds me that's how I taught my old dog to like her kennel, I gave her treats for going in. I do that with Stella....but she's a lot more hesitant to do it after having spent several nights in there.

I wonder if I can cover her crate with a towel/blanket that smells like me so that way she has the smell and can't see that I'm not in there with her. New idea!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PinkMellow said:


> Thanks I wish my dad could understand this. So I should just be taking her out every time she cries, even if it's like an hour after the first time?


For now, yes. But I WOULDN'T be setting an alarm or waking HER up. You will train her to go more often rather than less often that way. There is a saying, "Never wake a sleeping baby"... It applies to puppies too! LOL!

One thing, though, I read something about household noises waking her up. Is there any reason you are putting her to bed before the household? Probably shouldn't.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

pting619 said:


> The crate training I received was to make sure she goes potty before going into her crate at night. We also included the stuffed dog that makes a heart beat sound. When she first wakes crying, take her to go potty. After, put her back in her crate. If she starts again to cry, ignore her. Jessie's first night..(her crate is in our room but not next to the bed) as instructed, I took her out to potty the first time she woke crying. The second time, I ignored her. She did fuss and whine for a while, but finally settled back down. That was the first and last night she fussed. Sleeps through the night with no problem. Jessie was 10 weeks old at the time. She is 15 weeks old and has no problem with being in her crate or sleeping through the night!
> 
> 10-15 weeks is a lot different from an 8 week old puppy, and I'm not sure how old this one is. Mine usually slept through by 10 weeks too. But an 8 week old puppy probably can't make it through for the first couple of weeks.
> 
> ...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> The "cover the crate" trick worked for Ricky. Now, after all these years, he prefers to sleep with the cover over his crate. He thinks of it as his secret cave. I would also suggest you keep the crate in your bedroom so you can hear the "fur ball"at night and take her out when she needs to go. Give her two or three minutes to perform maxium, and if not, back into the crate. No monkey business allowed in the middle of the night, that is "nite-nite" time. No treats either in the middle of the nights. Treats and praise are for daytime potty.
> 
> Another trick I learned from @krandall is I give Ricky a nite-nite cookie (in Ricky's case, a slice of dehydrated banana) right before he goes to bed. When I say "nite-nite time" Ricky goes charging to his crate and opens the crate door with his nose and jumps inside to get his cookie!
> 
> ...


I love you too, Ricky, and I'm SURE glad we got Popi straightened out on those bed-time cookies! The Randall Threesome would be affronted if asked to go to bed without their nite-nite cookie!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

PinkMellow said:


> Hey thanks that reminds me that's how I taught my old dog to like her kennel, I gave her treats for going in. I do that with Stella....but she's a lot more hesitant to do it after having spent several nights in there.
> 
> I wonder if I can cover her crate with a towel/blanket that smells like me so that way she has the smell and can't see that I'm not in there with her. New idea!


Better yet, sleep in a T-shirt, then give it to her to cuddle with! My youngest girl really likes this when I go away. She's a "mama's girl"


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

PinkMellow said:


> Hey thanks that reminds me that's how I taught my old dog to like her kennel, I gave her treats for going in. I do that with Stella....but she's a lot more hesitant to do it after having spent several nights in there.


Here is another tip. I leave Ricky's crate unlatched during the day. He is free to come and go in the crate as he pleases. Sometimes he just likes to go inside for a nap during the day. He's got his blankie and teddy cow in there with him which he uses as a pillow (he has had it since he was born, it has never been washed, and it smells to high heaven I'm sure). Sometimes I will sneak a treat or a new toy into the crate when he is distracted elsewhere. He will randomly check the inside of his crate for possible surprises throughout the day.

I do lock his crate at night. I do not want him wandering the house at night. If Momi or Popi need to get up in the middle of the night, in the dark, I don't want him to get stepped on if he is out and about.

Ricky's Popi


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Update—>put towel over crate that Stella had been sleeping on for a while in her bed, she did not cry at all when I left the room and has been in bed an hour no crying. First night ever with her not crying at all being put to bed!! Wow!! Not sure if it was just a timing thing or if the towel really did help but I am happy. 

Her sleeping through the night is going to be another matter though. We’ll see!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yay!!!


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## wrldtravlr345 (Aug 14, 2017)

Your pup is adorable! Our pup is now 16 months and have followed the advice here since he was 2 weeks old and it works. He sleeps in the kitchen. The first week we brought him home he did sleep in our bedroom but was disruptive to my husband when he moved around in there so we moved him to the kitchen where his pen is. He hasnt made a peep in a year and half,. His bedtime routine is we put his cookie in his crate, he runs in, we lock and cover with a towel and nite nite. We still have commotion in the kitchen like dishes, kids settling for bed, etc and no problems. He is used to it now.

My girls now want to sleep with him and I said after a year I would. I really don’t want to mess with his great sleeping schedule.

Good luck!


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## HavaCoco (Aug 31, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Another trick I learned from @krandall is I give Ricky a nite-nite cookie (in Ricky's case, a slice of dehydrated banana) right before he goes to bed. When I say "nite-nite time" Ricky goes charging to his crate and opens the crate door with his nose and jumps inside to get his cookie!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


Total newbie question - do you dehydrate food on your own or is this a puppy treat you can purchase?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

HavaCoco said:


> Total newbie question - do you dehydrate food on your own or is this a puppy treat you can purchase?


You can do it either way. I have a "dog friend" with a dehydrator, and we trade off. She lends it to me and I make a bunch then give it back. But they aren't expensive for a base model.

But you can find lots of healthy freezedried treats. There is nothing special about banana exceptthat Ricky likes it, and that has become their routine. My dogs get Merrick's Back Country Freeze Dried Raw Chicken at bed time. Ricky's Popi and I like to use something that is good quality food, but the DOGS would be just as happy with a Milk Bone dog biscuit. It's the routine that makes them happy.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

HavaCoco said:


> Total newbie question - do you dehydrate food on your own or is this a puppy treat you can purchase?


We purchased an inexpensive, bare bones Nesco Food Dehydrator from BB&B. It was very reasonable with the 20% off coupon. Works great! I am dehydrating another bunch of bananas right now. It takes about 12+ hours to get them to the crispy cookie consistency Ricky likes. Momi said bananas are cheap right now so she bought three big bunches that are in the cooker now. I use a hard boiled egg slicer to get all pieces the same thickness so they dry evenly.

I could dehydrate chicken too and I may try that soon. I am too cheap to buy the packaged dehydrated/freeze dried stuff at the store!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> We purchased an inexpensive, bare bones Nesco Food Dehydrator from BB&B. It was very reasonable with the 20% off coupon. Works great! I am dehydrating another bunch of bananas right now. It takes about 12+ hours to get them to the crispy cookie consistency Ricky likes. Momi said bananas are cheap right now so she bought three big bunches that are in the cooker now. I use a hard boiled egg slicer to get all pieces the same thickness so they dry evenly.
> 
> I could dehydrate chicken too and I may try that soon. I am too cheap to buy the packaged dehydrated/freeze dried stuff at the store!


Yep! The dehydrator saves a LOT of money!!! You can do meat on low in the oven to dry it out, but I don't think that would work for fruit!


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## HavaCoco (Aug 31, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> We purchased an inexpensive, bare bones Nesco Food Dehydrator from BB&B. It was very reasonable with the 20% off coupon. Works great! I am dehydrating another bunch of bananas right now. It takes about 12+ hours to get them to the crispy cookie consistency Ricky likes. Momi said bananas are cheap right now so she bought three big bunches that are in the cooker now. I use a hard boiled egg slicer to get all pieces the same thickness so they dry evenly.
> 
> I could dehydrate chicken too and I may try that soon. I am too cheap to buy the packaged dehydrated/freeze dried stuff at the store!


Thanks for the tip! That's genius!!! I've bought a few bags of treats to see what she will like, but it's pricey. I guess we could make dehydrated liver too? The dogs love that, right? Or is liver too rich for a puppy?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

HavaCoco said:


> Thanks for the tip! That's genius!!! I've bought a few bags of treats to see what she will like, but it's pricey. I guess we could make dehydrated liver too? The dogs love that, right? Or is liver too rich for a puppy?


You can certainly dehydrate liver. Just be careful to only use TINY BITS when she is so small. She'll be able to tolerate a bit more when she's older, but too much rich food too young can give them loose stools.


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Just know once he goes in the bed he’s not going to go back in the kennel! Lol!! 

This is the 2nd night in a row Stella slept totally through the night, no crying at all! 🙂 We got a long and I put it in her kennel with her last night. I wanna make that like her special treat because she loves it. I don’t put that much in there because I don’t want her to have to poop, just like one scrap of chicken and then a bit of peanut butter over the top to cover it.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

PinkMellow said:


> This is the 2nd night in a row Stella slept totally through the night, no crying at all!


You are on your way, easy peasy! Congrats!



> just like one scrap of chicken and then a bit of peanut butter over the top to cover it.


Please be very careful giving peanut butter to a puppy. Yes, dogs love it but Ricky's Vet is totally opposed. It can give a dog pancreatitis, which can cause significant health issues and is even lethal in some cases.. The same goes for cheese of any type. I would not give either of these to a puppy. P.B. and cheese could be another reason for soft stools in a puppy. Wait until their internal organs have had a chance to mature, at least a year. And then give only in very small amounts (smaller than a pea) and only infrequently. There are much better, healthier treats for dogs that they will like equally well. Search this forum for "treats" for a lot of good suggestions.

Ricky's Popi


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## PinkMellow (Aug 23, 2018)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> PinkMellow said:
> 
> 
> > This is the 2nd night in a row Stella slept totally through the night, no crying at all!
> ...


Thank you so much for the info I had no clue! I feel so bad as she loves her kong, I'll have to figure out what else I could cover it with. Does this include peanut butter flavored treats? As I have some dog treats that are for small dogs that are peanut butter flavored. They were in the petsmart coupon book for good puppy treats which is why I got them & she enjoys them quite a bit.

She has been sleeping through the night well no crying at all 3 nights in a row now, hope to keep the streak going!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Peanut butter flavored treats are fine. 

She’s growing up!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*Cookies*



krandall said:


> I love you too, Ricky, and I'm SURE glad we got Popi straightened out on those bed-time cookies! The Randall Threesome would be affronted if asked to go to bed without their nite-nite cookie!


Perry wasn't convinced by the cookies - but I started feeding him his breakfast in the crate when I left and that made the crate a happier place and now will go into it on his own much more often.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*T-shirt*



krandall said:


> Better yet, sleep in a T-shirt, then give it to her to cuddle with! My youngest girl really likes this when I go away. She's a "mama's girl"


I did that for Perry when he was barking a lot when we'd leave him in his crate when we left the house. I'm not sure if that was the reason we got over that, but I think it did contribute.

It does remind me though that I should do it again when we're at hotels and he's in his crate in the hotel room alone since we do still have barking issues there.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> Perry wasn't convinced by the cookies - but I started feeding him his breakfast in the crate when I left and that made the crate a happier place and now will go into it on his own much more often.


My guys are all happy in their crates. They would go in without a cookie. It's just a "family tradition".


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## pting619 (Jul 18, 2018)

Never really had a problem with using the crate. First night put her in the crate after going potty. She woke in the middle of the night. Took her right out to go potty and back in her crate. This time she starter whining and howling....just ignored her. Finally fell asleep, and that was the end of it. No trouble after that....sleeps through the night!

However, as easy as that was....I’m having a time with biting my feet as I walk. Stoping with a “no” command, stamping my feet, picking her up and putting her in her expen (solves the problem while in the pen), then it’s back at my feet. She mouths them with her pointy baby teeth and sometimes trips me up! She thinks it’s some sort of a game! I need help before she really trips me up!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

pting619 said:


> However, as easy as that was....I'm having a time with biting my feet as I walk. Stoping with a "no" command, stamping my feet, picking her up and putting her in her expen (solves the problem while in the pen), then it's back at my feet. She mouths them with her pointy baby teeth and sometimes trips me up! She thinks it's some sort of a game! I need help before she really trips me up!


You need to be ABSOLUTELY CONSISTENT about putting her back in her pen every time she even comes toward your feet. Same with anyone else in the family. Puppies can be relentless, you have to be even more so!


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## pting619 (Jul 18, 2018)

Ok, I hope being consistent will do the trick. Sometimes when I’m walking and she is going for my feet, I have my hands full so I can’t easily pick her up to put her in the expen. So when I do, will she understand the expen means stop biting my feet. Should I say “no” to the biting before putting her in the expen. Will that connect the punishment to the “crime” so to speak! I know she thinks it’s a game, jumping, biting and some puppy growling. However, I would like to put a stop to it. Thank you for your previous suggestions, and I’ll certainly be consistent with my training.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

pting619 said:


> Ok, I hope being consistent will do the trick. Sometimes when I'm walking and she is going for my feet, I have my hands full so I can't easily pick her up to put her in the expen. So when I do, will she understand the expen means stop biting my feet. Should I say "no" to the biting before putting her in the expen. Will that connect the punishment to the "crime" so to speak! I know she thinks it's a game, jumping, biting and some puppy growling. However, I would like to put a stop to it. Thank you for your previous suggestions, and I'll certainly be consistent with my training.


Teaching puppies (and adult dogs) NOT to do something is MUCH harder than teaching them to DO something. So one thing you could work on with her is a "go to your mat" cue. Here is a great video by Kikopup for teaching that: 




The key is that you MUST teach this (or any other "incompatible behavior") SEPARATELY. You can't be teaching it when she's in the middle of doing what you don't like. That's a pretty sure recipe for failure. But "go to mat" is a GREAT one, because it can be used to interrupt (or prevent) almost any behavior once it is learned well and has been strongly reinforced.

In the meantime, it's up to you to think ahead, If you are going to be carrying laundry up and down the stairs or carrying in groceries, pop her in her pen ahead of time, with a quick snuggle and some kind words.

And, no, saying "no". means absolutely NOTHING to your puppy. It is a WAY over-used word that just becomes background noise. (because it doesn't really work, does it? ...and that's all you teach them by continuing to say it.  ) You need to be able to tell them WHAT to do, and that behavior has to be trained, well, before you can use it. Just as with small children, a lot of raising a puppy is management as much as training.


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## Milo Finn (Jul 20, 2018)

*Nipping and tripping*

Milo did the same thing with the nipping and getting underfoot. I am still working at stopping this behavior but Milo has a different agenda. He's just 4 months and is doing this less. I've become a bit more aware of his presence and am less "tripped". I just figured this is puppy behavior and in time he will "outgrow" this behavior. I still say "no, or stop it" and it works when he wants to listen. That's the Havanese personality!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Milo Finn said:


> Milo did the same thing with the nipping and getting underfoot. I am still working at stopping this behavior but Milo has a different agenda. He's just 4 months and is doing this less. I've become a bit more aware of his presence and am less "tripped". I just figured this is puppy behavior and in time he will "outgrow" this behavior. I still say "no, or stop it" and it works when he wants to listen. That's the Havanese personality!


 IF it works it is as an "interrupter" because of your tone of voice, not the word (which doesn't really mean anything that they can comprehend".

And "when he wants to listen" isn't a "thing", nor is is specific to Havanese. They "LISTEN" is a.) when they understand the cue (and "no" is about as unspecific as you can get, so really ISN'T a cue) and b.) they are in an emotional state where they are ABLE to "listen". Dogs do not process verbal language well, so it really does take work for them. Puppies are busy learning SO much about the world that your verbal utterances often don't rise to a level where they even notice them if they are arroused.

The fact that it doesn't ALWAYS work shows that he hasn't really learned it yet, at least under those circumstances.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*emotional state*



krandall said:


> ...They "LISTEN" is a.) when they understand the cue (and "no" is about as unspecific as you can get, so really ISN'T a cue) and b.) they are in an emotional state where they are ABLE to "listen".


I think this point is important. Perry is pretty solid on some commands including 'come' EXCEPT when he's worked up about something (like standing at the bottom of the garden stairs barking at the neighbors dog) at which point I might have to physically go to him and "break" his concentration/ emotional state to get him to pay attention again. Whether it's excitement or upset, when he's in an emotional state all he knows goes out the window.

For example, his 'sit' is pretty solid, so lately I've been making him sit and wait for his food (he's never been pushy about it but decided to add that in). I'll tell him to sit, he will, I'll start to put the food down and he'll get so excited that he pops back up and telling him to sit again either gets nothing or he pops between a sit, lying down, back up. It takes some time (maybe 20 seconds, maybe a minute) for him to chill out enough again to "listen".

At one point I had thought that he's just not good yet around distractions because most of our training is in a pretty quiet/ distraction free environment, but I think the 'distractions' are linked to Karen's point on 'emotional state'


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> I think this point is important. Perry is pretty solid on some commands including 'come' EXCEPT when he's worked up about something (like standing at the bottom of the garden stairs barking at the neighbors dog) at which point I might have to physically go to him and "break" his concentration/ emotional state to get him to pay attention again. Whether it's excitement or upset, when he's in an emotional state all he knows goes out the window.
> 
> For example, his 'sit' is pretty solid, so lately I've been making him sit and wait for his food (he's never been pushy about it but decided to add that in). I'll tell him to sit, he will, I'll start to put the food down and he'll get so excited that he pops back up and telling him to sit again either gets nothing or he pops between a sit, lying down, back up. It takes some time (maybe 20 seconds, maybe a minute) for him to chill out enough again to "listen".
> 
> At one point I had thought that he's just not good yet around distractions because most of our training is in a pretty quiet/ distraction free environment, but I think the 'distractions' are linked to Karen's point on 'emotional state'


There is a reason that the average number of times in the ring (at Utility level) to get your Utility title in Obedience is so high. (The "Q" rate in Utility "A" is something like 40%) it's because when we ask dogs to do complicated behaviors, it is SO easy for distraction, which includes internal, "emotional" distraction), to interfere with the dog's ability to process and complete the task. Dogs really WANT to please us. They do the best they can, at that time, under those conditions.

"Stop attacking my feet" may SEEM like a simple request to the human making the request, but it is NOT simple to a baby puppy, who has only been on earth for a few short weeks or months, and is being bombarded with new sensations, emotions and learning on a daily basis.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

The last portion of this thread is really interesting because it’s actually surprisingly similar to working with children. I worked as a behavioral specialist and so much of what I did was teaching parents to stop trying to explain everything with long lectures and show their kids what they wanted them to do, and to show them replacement behavior. It’s amazing to see the turnaround in kids who seem to not listen to “no” when they have a task or steps to follow instead. Same thing with the emotional state- you can’t expect a kid throwing a tantrum to respond logically because they don’t care anymore about losing tv. They have to learn strategies to manage their emotions first. We have a tendency to make things very complicated and project adult thought processes and emotions on children, and I can see how easy it is to do that with dogs. It makes me stop and evaluate how I’m handling behaviors. 

The way this is framed is so eye opening to me. I really appreciate the perspective!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> The last portion of this thread is really interesting because it's actually surprisingly similar to working with children. I worked as a behavioral specialist and so much of what I did was teaching parents to stop trying to explain everything with long lectures and show their kids what they wanted them to do, and to show them replacement behavior. It's amazing to see the turnaround in kids who seem to not listen to "no" when they have a task or steps to follow instead. Same thing with the emotional state- you can't expect a kid throwing a tantrum to respond logically because they don't care anymore about losing tv. They have to learn strategies to manage their emotions first. We have a tendency to make things very complicated and project adult thought processes and emotions on children, and I can see how easy it is to do that with dogs. It makes me stop and evaluate how I'm handling behaviors.
> 
> The way this is framed is so eye opening to me. I really appreciate the perspective!


YES!!!


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

:nerd:So many good parenting skills can be transferred to out pets. For example: spend at least twenty minutes of one on one time with your pet each day, making eye contact and interacting with just that one animal by doing something the pet likes.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Marni said:


> :nerd:So many good parenting skills can be transferred to out pets. For example: spend at least twenty minutes of one on one time with your pet each day, making eye contact and interacting with just that one animal by doing something the pet likes.


I love this comment. Made me laugh. :grin2: My husband and I are retired and do give our 10 month old quit a bit of attention. In addition, we have an inter-generational home with 2 teenage grandkids and daughter who all love Patti.

However, I do spend quit a bit of time on the computer in the mornings reading the newspapers. Patti now reaches up with her paws and pulls on my lap top and gives a little Ruf! Ruf! bark.

Today, while my husband was reading the paper she was sitting on the chair beside him and starting Ruffing! Ruf! Ruf! Pay attention me.

Hysterical!


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## Marni (Apr 1, 2017)

Mikki said:


> I love this comment. Made me laugh. :grin2: My husband and I are retired and do give our 10 month old quit a bit of attention. In addition, we have an inter-generational home with 2 teenage grandkids and daughter who all love Patti.
> 
> However, I do spend quit a bit of time on the computer in the mornings reading the newspapers. Patti now reaches up with her paws and pulls on my lap top and gives a little Ruf! Ruf! bark.
> 
> ...


I am familiar with that gruff little "ruff ruff". Makes me laugh always. My doggies hate it when I am rude.:grin2:


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