So my birthday presant and anniversary gift and Valentines gift was a dog. I picked him from the vet clinic, he was a stray they found and needed a home for. I love him and he is mine lol (Trav thinks its funny that this dog is like my side kick, always with me.
Anyways being a stray all we know is he is a hound. Either black and tan, mix of a bloodhound, or a mix of these two... Anyways the hound is the main part of him. He really does try hard to make us happy. He is playful but mellow when he needs to be. All around a great dog... Now for the problem... He has NO, as in zero zilch nada, training what so ever. Doesnt sit, doesnt lay, doesnt down, doesnt... ok you get it. Sorry!
He is under a year old so still very trainable with the will that he has. But where do I start... How do you train a dog that just fallows his nose. Seriously, if his nose smells something he is gone... Poof! I have made it clear to anyone that comes over it his name is not boy, buddy, big guy. He is struggling learning his name which is why I made this rule. He is getting there(cross your fingers fallowed by I hope). Do I start with the leash training? Sit and stay? The Weim was easy because he was so young. And yes I have rescued a dog before but he had the basics so it wasnt like starting at the beginning.
O and how in all get out do you tell a dog that ran for who knows how long that my house does not need to be marked? I have training pads which are no use because he has to lift his leg. I have caught him and told him no sternly and walked him outside, which only leads to the tail wagging and licks! Actually its not the potty training that I am so much worried about because he is picking up on that. Its the everything else that I cannot figure out how to teach him.
Inmy30's and Amanda - Thank you for the advice. We are going to be taking both boys to a training day put on by the vet however we have no trainers around here. Petco is an hour either way we go.
Guess we are starting simple today. Sit. I may need to ask a few of you for advise here and there that have trained because this truly could be a mess for awhile and I know I got overwhelmed by his lack of knowledge yesterday. Good thing work gave me time to breathe and catch a plan.
All of our dogs will be kennel trained as that is where they ride in the car and their safety spot, and for potty training purposes it is their while I am at work area. We do have someone hired to come walk them while we are at work. So please don’t think that I make them wait 8 hours to pee. Not that mean! The traps for counters thing really has me thinking. I could so devise a noise or even a recording to go off motion censored..
Hell on hells- Our Weim which is estimated at the same age can sit(you have to remind him that the back goes down and not the front… seriously), lay (when he is not off in his own world), still working on stay but he is getting it, shake (you have to say with your paw or he thinks doing it with is nose is easier), and high five. Its kind of our own trick because he sits on his bottom takes both paws and starts slapping our hands. Really cute but it works. That and he is a natural hunter. 4 months old got his first bird. So proud that day. Now the hound I think will take more time because we don’t have trainers or even a pet store for about a 90 mile radius. The one trainer that we have (47 miles away) is taking a break..
Lesile McDevitt has a puppy book and also one called Control Unleashed that are great. All positive methods and many that are great with sniffers, reactive dogs, stressful dogs, etc. I love her ideas and have used many. Clicker training can be fun too. I would say just work a few minutes here and there on a couple of things, walking, basic comands,etc. He sounds like a fun pup! Keep rewarding any time he goes potty outside too!
Train him on a leash, start with sit, use treats, small ones. I like the pupperoni sticks cut into little pieces. Have him on your left side, facing same way as you. Tell him sit, then push his butt down as you hold/lift at the neck. Tell him sit, good sit, good boy and give him a treat - do this about 5-7 times. Then, still holding leash with him (preferably) at your side, command sit and wait a few seconds to see if he does it. If not, push his rear down and say sit - repeat!!!!
PM with questions - I just came out of back to back Basic and Int Ob classes with my pup!
we took our rescue to a K9 boot camp operated by a former vietnam k9 officer. He had us use a choke collar and had us keep the dog's head off the ground while on walk, heel, or sit. the only time the dog was allowed to sniff was with our permission during an "ok", to potty, or a "play".
ours is a lab mix, but he gave the same instruction to all the pooch parents, regardless of breed. the point is, when they are out and about, you want their full attention. they can't give you their full attention if they are distracted by their nose.
as for the potty training, take your dog out to the same spot at regular intervals. take them there on leash. do nothing fun but wait for them to eliminate. after they eliminate, engage in play, reward, treats, a nice long walk. your dog shouldn't be allowed run of the house until he is potty trained, but instead should be on leash even indoors and under your supervision. won't take long.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
If you haven't already read it, try The Art of Raising a Puppy by the monks of New Skete. My public library had it and it was a FANTASTIC resource for training puppies and older dogs. It tells you what to start with and why...
Find local professional dog trainers in your area. Not Petco or Petsmart. A real trainer.
Also, buy the book "Good Dogs, Great Owners." Best book on training out there. It will give you an idea of where to start at home.
A good trainer will cost you about $80-100 for 6 weeks of training. A GREAT trainer will offer you the option of continuing to attend classes with them at that same level at no charge until you feel that your dog has mastered the things he needs to learn from the class.
Best of luck!
♥
ChristyLee
Hounds are tricky b/c they absolutely follow their noses! I actually had a beagle that bolted out the door and got hit by a car right in front of me, he was chasing a squirrel!
I would start by hooking him to you (unless he truly follows you freely, then this wont be necessary, my dog followed me freely always trying to please me) and giving commands and treats (if he is motivated by food, my dog is NOT motivated by food, only by love) and then giving him his treats or love after each accomplished command.
The more often you do it, the better he will get. Just like most things practice makes perfect! So, when you are home with him, start practicing...repeatedly, even if you think it's too much, it won't be!
My dog is beautifully trained and I still give him 'busy' commands daily just to keep him on his toes...just practice stuff, like: Sit, stay, drop it, down, come, etc.
The more effort you put into him the better he will be.
I also set up traps when my dog was younger just so I could catch him (right before) he was going to do something bad...like he was a sucker for bread, so I would purposefully put a piece of bread on the counter where he could see and smell it and then I would hide and watch him and right before he was going to go for it I would give him a 'Aieght'! Which is my 'No-No' sound for him. Works like a charm!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my big bad dog! There isn't a whole lot of things more fulfilling then realizing you have a completely well mannered dog...that you made!
~I never did crate training or physical punishment of any kind...only love and verbal 'No-No' sounds, that was enough for him!!
Good Luck!
Our dogs were fully grown when we trained them (as show dogs, the handlers didn't want them trained to sit - show dogs are supposed to stand, always, in the show ring). So, there I was with an 80-lb Boxer non-neutered male dog with ZERO training. To call him a spaz would be an understatement! I asked several neighbors who had well-behaved dogs where they had gone for training. Chances are, if you ask around, you'll hear the same answers over and over. For us, it turned out that the SPCA offered obedience courses for adult dogs (any dog 1 year or over), and then separate classes for puppies (any dog under 1 year). They were great! The lady who taught the class was so helpful and patient. She was also very knowledgeable about different breeds, and their challenges. Boxers are not known to be the very brightest dogs, nor the most trainable, but by the end of the 8-week course (and daily practice at home), my big, silly dog could sit, stay (well, sort of, until he forgot what he was supposed to be doing ;), walk on a leash, and could be off his leash and just respond to voice commands such as "leave it!" or "stop!" He never did figure out "stay" off-leash, nor would he lay down. And forget rolling over! LOL The other (smarter) dogs in the class (twin border collies, a German Shepherd, and a few terrier mixes) mastered all of those tricks, PLUS a few of them even learned some "fancy" tricks like playing dead, jumping over things on command, dancing on their hind legs, hand commands... it was really fun.
Anyway, ask around to find a good dog trainer. PetSmart also offers training, so that's a place to go as well.
I'd recommend having a trainer come to your home for a minimum of one session. They can give you some excellent pointers one-on-one and get you going. My husband attended a dog training session through our city, too, which was very helpful. I think he attended 8 sessions and it and the one-on-one trainer made a world of difference. It's so worth the money!
I may not be popular with some of this, but here goes. Hounds follow their nose and especially if you're going to hunt him he needs to know boundaries or he'll end up getting shot. The best training we've used for outside has been a shock collar. My pup is VERY rarely ever shocked. One beep and he turns tail. He was just out with my son last month and grabbed a bird out of the tree. He loves to hunt, but can wander quickly. For me, it's an extra security measure to keep them close and safe.
Sit has always been our first command. Always on the left side facing same way as you (again, for hunting purposes). Then stay (facing same direction).
Take him to a obedience class. It is a godsend.
Petco has training, I believe.
