House-training should prove no problem if you’re quick and alert to your puppy’s needs. He will need to pay frequent visits to his spot in the garden: after each meal, after a sleep and any time you think about it in between. Always pick him up and carry him to the spot. Give him a command. I use the words ‘busy dog‘. Don’t dump him and retreat back to the house and close the door. He hasn’t a clue what he’s been put in the garden for. You must stay with him, repeating your commands over and over again. Whether it’s hailing, blowing a gale or a snowstorm’s on, you must persevere. As soon as he’s been a ‘busy dog‘, give him lots of praise, tell him how clever he is, pick him up and return him to the house. If you are diligent and watch your puppy closely, you will know when he needs to go out. A sure sign will be when he puts his nose to the ground, his tail up in the air and runs round in circles. That is your cue to move speedily with him into the garden. (more…)
The older chewer
Chewing in the older dog can be a big problem, as the born chewer will set about his task of destruction when you’re not around to correct him. Apart from the things that I have described with puppy chewing (leaving lots of things to amuse him if you’re not around) you can take more defensive measures. For example, if he has a habit of chewing the wallpaper, coat the wall with mustard. This can often work, although I own up to the fact that I did this myself when Teak began to chew holes in the wood panelling. Far from deterring her, she was delighted the walls were coated with mustard and spent hours licking it off before proceeding to chew more holes. But you can experiment by sprinkling pepper or buying sprays for this purpose from your local pet shop. (more…)
