Jeff, Dawn's parents have had like 4 Great Danes. I think they all lived to over 8. Doberman Pinchers are only supposed to live to 8 or 9 but my grandmothers lived to 13. She was getting really bad by that point, but its great to see the loyality dogs give their owners. Queenie was her name, and knew that she was all my grandmother had cause her husband had died quite a few years before. So she tried her hardest to stay around. She had finally passed in her sleep though. The dog, not my grandmother. lol

 

It's all about Kennel training!!! Best thing i ever did for my pug. In the beginning they don't like it and they complain but they begin to love it. Whenever my dog is tired, scared, etc. he jumps in his kennel on his own. It is their "safe spot" and nothing is better for potty training!!

Your best bet is to buy one of those individual dog breed books at petco and scan through it, they have tons of great info.



My piggy pug

 

The best book I can recommend is "The Perfect Puppy", http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...95778394&itm=1.

We followed the instructions to the letter when we got our 8-week-old Bichon Frise. Since then, he's turned out to be a great puppy.

I also recommend crate-training your puppy. Never give them attention or feed them at the dining table. When you are done eating, then you can feed your dog at his food bowl. Always provide your dog with fresh, clean water.

If you want you to train your dog to do tricks, you can buy this cheap device (<$2.00) called the Clicker at PetSmart for positive reinforcement. Clicking and providing treats will get your dog to want to perform tricks for you.

Grooming and vet care is also important for your dog.

 

does anyone know where i can get a used or cheaper crate for a dog that will eventually be pretty big (lab and mastiff mix haha)

i really need one cause my dog was doing very good with waiting for the outside world to do his business but now hes not really caring.. if hes outside he will do it, and if hes inside.. hehe and im tired of cleaning.......making my mom clean his mess.

 

I can't help you with the crate, but if you don't clean the old stains completely, he will smell it, and instinctively wander over there to relieve himself.

If you see him circling a particular area, tell him firmly no, then quickly lead him outside to where you want him to go. As he relieves himself, repeat the command word that you want to use (like "potty"). Then praise him when done, either petting him or giving him a treat. Over time, he will recognize the command to go relieve himself outside. You won't have to continue giving treats, but you should still praise him.

My dog now scratches at the glass door when he wants to go out. He no longer relieves himself inside the house. He's also used to his routine: he relieves himself outside right before going to bed, and does the same, first thing in the morning.

 

ok cool thanks, yeah i switch off with my mom on who actually cleans it, depending who spots it first. we clean the hell out of it too cause our old dog had that habbit.

i need to get a crate and teach him with it, everyone highly suggests it.

but he is usually good about it, and i think it is partially our fault for not following up on his routine. and my mom feeds him and leaves food in his bowl so he can eat randomly and crap randomly haha. and she doesnt get it.. i try to tell her.. feed him take away the food when he walks away then like an hour later take him outside.

either way this is fun, i just cannot wait to start seeing adult teeth those pointy little things are killing me.

 

I have a 36" crate I need to get rid of, I think the mastiff in your pup will out grow it. Get a crate with a divider that you can move to increase the size of the crate as it grows. When using crates for potty training you only want to leave enough space for the pup to lie down and turn around. If it's too big, he'll just go in a corner and lie down in the opposite. By instinct the dog will not soil his den. Crate them when they can't be supervised, at night when you sleep and when you have to go out of the house. Use the one hour per month rule. That is about the absolute max your pup can hold it for while crated. This is important. Leaving your pup for too long in his crate will force him to soil his crate. That's not what we are trying to accomplish. The trick here is to get control of your dogs potty behavior. Puppies pee a lot, and the puppy food is high in protien so they poop a lot too. They will have to go to the loo after just about every thing they do. When they wake up, outside, after they eat, outside, playtime, outside, naptime, outside, lunchtime, outside, palytime, outside, naptime, outside, dinner, outside, playtime, outside, nap before bed, outside, then into the crate for your nights rest. Repeat. Get it? This is the way I ran Kylies schedule for the first two months I had her. I controlled every aspect of her day. Basically nipping chances for accident in the bud. Granted accidents happen, but my but was completely house trained at 12wks old. Not bad if you ask me.

 

ok i got that idea of letting them do their thing outside after pretty much every activity whethers its napping, eating, playing etc.

one question i have from your response is, what exactly is the 1 hour per month thing? i dont really get that, sorry if its really obvious and i am just not getting it.

and how much do you want for you crate? i need something for now and when he out grows it i can get a bigger adjustable one.

thanks so much for the info!

 

Your puppy is expected to need to relieve himself an hour for every month he is in age. A 2-month old puppy is expected to need to go every two hours. An 8-month old puppy is expected to need to go every eight hours.

 

ohhh ok, makes perfect sense. for every month of age add an hour to how long it will be till he has to go again. ok.
do you guys leave your dog in the crate all day while at work?

 

My dog is now two years old. He is technically a house dog, but I figured it would be more fun for him to run around outside while I'm at work. Bichons are vengeful dogs and will make a mess when left alone inside the house. Therefore he stays outside during the day. He's also old enough not to need crate-training any more.

He's only crated for a few hours every other Monday when my landscaper comes. I go home during lunch, when the landscaper has finished his job, and let my dog out.

At night, my dog sleeps in the garage, and he is not in a crate. He has not made any accidents in the garage so far.

The formula is only good for a while. A 24-month old dog can't hold it for 24 hours! My dog can hold it for 10-12 hours tops.

 

haha yeah i did not assume a dog could hold his duty for how many months old he is forever.. i figured there was a cap on that limit haha.
thanks for all the info it will help a lot.. even though this isnt my thread, i learned a lot haha.

how much?? i can use it till he has outgrown it then spend the money on a crate that can better facilitate his size.

 

I was asking $75. I have the bedding too. It is all brand new. Here's a pic of the bedding. Your in luck too. I will be spending some time in Santa Rosa. While FLI fixes thier mistake.

 

haha..


ok when will you be in town? i need to figure money crap out.

 

cool to see a lot of dog and animal lovers on I-CLUB. Here are my kids lol....