just pick our new pug up today, best ways to train it... help??

[lolapeanut]

hi me and my partner just picked up our brand new pug today Lola.

Lola is a 7 month old female pug and within 12 hours she is stuck to my girlfriend Natalie like glue.

Already Natalie cannot go to the toilet without the dog crying at the door, also she loves a good pee in the house.

Obviously Natalie loves this but i see this might be a problem when we both go out has we live in a apartment and i don't want her upsetting the neighbours....if possible.

what is the best way to stop this, potty train the dog and also dicipline the dog when shes naughty, i was thinking of getting a spray bottle, is this a good idea??

Thank you

i'll keep you up dated

Christian

[Cheryl7777]

Welcome to the Village and congratulations on your new puppy. Geez I'm sorry but you sound jealous. Slow down with the discipline ideas until the puppy has had at least a few days to settle in. Lola might sense Natalie is more accepting of her and so she is gravitating more toward her. In order to house break Lola you could use the popular method of crate training. You can find lots of information about crate training on this sight and by googling it on the internet. In my opinion, training your puppy to do what you want her to rather than punishing her for doing what you don't want her to do is a better method. She is old enough for puppy classes. You might be able to find listings for those in your paper and sometimes Petco stores have them. Redirecting Lola when she is doing something you don't want her to do works better than punishing her with a squirt bottle or a can of coins. Those methods should be used as a last resort. For instance, when Natalie is in the bathroom and Lola is scratching and trying to get in, you should get a small treat and tell Lola to leave it. When she stops scratching then treat her. Will she start doing it again as soon as the treat is gone, probably and that's why you have to continue the training. Or pick her up and take her over to a toy or something she can have. If you don't want a puppy that pees every time she hears a loud noise or someone picks up something from the table, I would look into different methods of positive training. Good luck with your new puppy and I hope I didn't offend you with my opinion.

[Tinker's mom]

Hello & to the village! You have gotten good advice.It takes patience, consistency, treat and lavish praise when they do what you want.

[Melody]

I bought some Bose noise canceling earphones ($350) to ignore the cries from separation anxiety when we got our Penelope. Your pup is adjusting to its surroundings. She'll stop crying when she starts feeling secure. Agreed on the crate training. Read up on it. It's a must. Having a pug is a huge responsibility. It takes time and a lot of patience.

[Hellas]

Crate training is definitely a must for several reasons. One is, that it's the safest way for her to travel. The other is, that she needs to be able to feel safe and relaxed in a crate, should she ever need to be left at the vet's over night. However, it is not necessary for house breaking. I know it is commonly used in the US, but it's not used at all where I'm from. Both of my dogs are perfectly house broken without crating.

My method for house breaking would be this: Decide a schedule for potty breaks. To start with, I'd taker her out often, so as to avoid accidents. Perhaps once every two, or every three hours would be good to start with. When she pees or poops, praise and reward her with a treat. This way she learns to associate going potty outside with getting a reward. If she has an accident indoors, never punish or scold. Just quietly clean up the mess, using an appropriate scent removing product. Any remaining scent will encourage her to go again in the same spot. It's instictual. The accident is a sign that she needs to be taken out more often. A rule of thumb is that puppies need to go after napping, playin and eating. So build your schedule around those things, and like I said, take her out often. The road to success with any dog training, in my experience, is to make it really easy for your dog to do the right thing, and difficult to make a mistake. Since she doesn't yet understand that she's supposed to hold it in, you shouldn't put her in a position where she must do that. Much better to get her used to going outside, and then to wait longer between walks. All dogs, even adults, ought to be taken outside at least every 6 hours during the day. Puppies, a lot more often.

Apart from that, I agree with what's been said about training. Positive, reward based training is the way to go. There are great books to read. I think Karen Pryor's books would be good. At this stage in your relationship, the most important thing is to create a bond of love and trust. Lots of cuddling and affection is good. Playing is incredibly important. When your dog learns that everything good comes from you - affection, praise, treats, food and fun - and that you can be trusted, training is easy. I think people put way too much emphasis on teaching commands, and way too little on building the relationship with the dog. If the relationship is there, you'll get a dog who wants to be with you (which makes off leash walking possible) and who wants to please you (the foundation for all successful training).

I wouldn't worry too much about your pug trying to get in the bathroom and following your girlfriend around. That's how pugs are. Both of mine follow me everywhere. If I let them, they'll be in the bathroom with me. If I take a shower, I'll find them napping on the bathmat, wating for me. This behaviour is very typical for the breed and doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will have separation anxiety. But if your pug has never been taught to be alone, that should be a priority for you once she has settled in a bit more.

My preferred method for training how to be alone is this: Begin with closing off one room with baby gates or similar, preferably the living room or some other room where you spend a lot of time. Put the dog in that room and give her a chew toy or similar, to keep her distracted. Without making a big deal out of it, leave the room for a minute and then come back. Repeat this so many times, that the dog gets used to you coming and going. The fact that you always come back will teach her that you do always come back, so there's no need to worry. Once you're able to leave the room for 10 minutes or so without her kicking up a fuss, start leaving the apartment. Again, just for a minute. Repeat multiple times. You coming and going should be undramatic. There's no need for a big greeting ceremony when you return.

[mishoga]

Hi and welcome to the forums. Congrats on the new baby.

What Hellas says is great advice. I have two puppies (one almost 6 months and one almost 8 months) and crate training is the way to go. I knew about the clingy/neediness but the breed is known for that. I have no problem with that.

I did however read somewhere that females usually attach to one person verses the whole family unit.

Patience and consistency is the key (need to remind myself of this too)

[po3try]

we live in apartment and the best way we found to toilet train him was to put the pee pad in the bathroom, she if/when he misses it's not such a pain to clear up.

[sugarskullz]

My Lola is stuck to me like glue too. Mostly I love it but sometimes it can be tiring.
Ozzy, my male, is a little more independent and likes to wander off and sniff things without worrying about being my shadow. Lola never leaves my side willingly!
Such is the way of the Pug!!!