new puppy help!!

[taxichick]

i just got a minature dachund 2 days ago. i am not having any problems with him yet so to speak but i wanted to look up info on the best way to house train him. when i searched for this on the net most of the sites went on about how different these dogs are to train from other breeds so it scared me a little. this is my first attempt at house training, always in the past i have gotten pets that where already house broke for the most part. other than an occasional accident we were good to go. my puppy is about 9 wks old and i do not want to get off to a bad start. i will say he has no interest in puppy pads at all. any advise would be greatly appreciated i want to make this a good expierence for both of us

[Tex' Momma]

I used the bell to potty train Tex. I put a hook next to the door and hung three 1" bells (round ones) on a thin rope on the hook (you may not need 1" or three since your dog is short but do hang it low enough for him to be able to hit). When he was 8 weeks old I would take him to the bell about every hour (or if I caught him in the act I'd pick him up and say 'no, potty outside') and put a treat behind the bell so that he would either ring the bell trying to get to the treat or I would pick up his paw and ring the bell, give him a treat and say to him 'go potty outside'. Then I would take him outside and when he went potty I would get excited and say 'potty outside, GOOD BOY!'. One day I heard the bell ring and thought 'what was that!' and when I realized it was Tex at the door wanting out - I was so excited! :D He still rings the bell and he is 10 months old! Be patient and diligent and before you know it he'll be ringing the bell. Good Luck! (Note: The wall will probably get scratched up when he starts hitting the bells so when I recently painted my kitchen I bought a thin piece of plexi-glass (12" x 6") and drilled a hole in the top and bottom and screwed it into my wall so he wouldn't scratch up my new paint job!)

[taxichick]

i just wanted to ask if you did this bell method by itself or if you used it in addition to something else like the crate method or do you even recommend that

[Tex' Momma]

I would definitely use a crate! If I couldn't watch him or if I had to go out and couldn't take him with me I put him his crate but remember since he's a puppy you need to take him out immediately after he comes out of his crate, after he wakes up from a nap if he isn't in the crate (I had one in the bedroom and one in the living room) and after he eats/drinks. Tex cried at night in his crate when I first got him so I put it next to my bed and he finally got use to it. Now days he just walks into his crate if he wants to get away by himself and take a nap. I still crate him up now if I go out without him - he's not much of a chewer but at 10 months he's still a big puppy and why take the risk of him damaging something or eating something that could possibly harm him! Have fun with your puppy, ask lots of questions and post a pic when you get a second!

[taxichick]

I read on one site that the crate should only be big enough for them to lay down and be able to turn around that doesnt sound very comfortable is that right. By the way I like the bell idea it sound like it would catch the puppy's attention. I recently started my own business and I would like to be able to bring him to work with me but I don't know if that would be too distracting for him do you have any suggestions for this also?

[Tex' Momma]

You are correct, the crate should only be big enough for him to stand up in or turn around (they don't like to potty where they sleep) but you can buy a crate that will fit his adult size and put a partition in it and move the partition back as he gets bigger. Crates aren't only for when they are puppies but also when they are adults if you want to crate him when you have company, etc. or as I said earlier they consider it their safe haven even when they are older! What kind of business is it? You could take the crate with you to work every day or get one for your office and put him in it when it is hectic or busy and let him out when it is quiet, plus this would be a great way to socialize him if your business involves people coming and going. I am with Tex 24/7 unless I crate him when I can't take him with me so if I worked I'd love to have him there right beside me. When it is slow at the office you could take him out and practice basic obedience with him or play 'find it' (which Tex loves) which is a good mental game. I ask Tex if he wants to play 'find it' and he runs to his kennel and stays there while I cut up pieces of treats and hide them around the house. I then go back to the kennel and tell him to 'find it' and he runs around sniffing to find his treats. Every once in a while he'll look up at me as if asking 'did I miss any?' and I'll point my hand toward an area and he'll run over and find all the treats. You can do this with toys also!

[taxichick]

I have a taxi service and I brought Rafael with me today to the office I do not drive the taxis I only work in the office and since I own the company there should not be any problems as long as he is well behaved. The drivers are in and out so he should get accustomed to people coming and going. I bought his crate last night and we are starting that today also. I think he will be much happier here with me during the day than if he was home alone. I also think this will help with his training, this way he isnt unattended. He seems to be very content to be here with me. We started working on teaching him to sit today and he is picking it up really quick he is so smart:). I did want to ask a question about another dog that I read about yesterday. When i was exploring this site I read some past posts of yours and one of them was about a dog who attacked a landscaper when he grabbed the homeowner and the judge had ruled the dog vicous and i was wondering how that turned out. It would be a shame to punish the owner and her dog for this because he was only protecting his family. I hope that it turned out well but it didnt sound too promising. I really appreciate the advise you are giving me and also the time you take to respond. I am sure I will be asking many more questions as we go along. By any chance do you know anything about birds? Recently someone gave me a severe macaw and I know even less about him than I do dogs so if you or anyone you know has any input on Pancho that would be greatly appreciated also. Thank you for all you have helped me with so far

[Tex' Momma]

That is great that you can take him to work with you and can also do obedience in your spare time there! And with the drivers coming in and out that will definitely help him get socialized, just be sure that if you that see something/someone at the office makes him nervous or scared put him in his crate until the 'situation' is over. Keep up the good work! As for Congo, the German Shepherd - I'm not sure how it turned out, I went to The Pet Show web site last night which is where I heard about the story but I didn't see an update. I'll have to check again today. As for birds, I use to have a Double Yellow Headed Amazon parrot but that was years ago. I know there are quite a few people on this forum who own birds. Go to the Bird area and do a thread on the question(s) you have and I know you'll get alot of help. Keep us posted on your puppy's progress and post a pic - btw, what is his name?!

[taxichick]

On the puppy's papers his name is Rafael but I call him Facilito and the bird's name is Pancho. We recently moved and I can't find my cord to download pics off of my camera but I'm still looking.

[mynameislola]

Sorry about the slightly off topic reply.

There are posts on another board, www.bigpawsonly.com, about Congo. The last I heard he was going to die on Tuesday of next week. Below is the link they posted for us to make our views known. From the first drop-down munu, choose Law & Public Safety, from the second choose Pardons and Clemency.

I put Please Pardon Congo in my subject line on the theory that they will have so much email on this that they will not have time to read them. By yesterday they had gotten so much email that their other email server crashed.

My personal opinion is that our companion animals have the right to protect us while on our property. If trespassing people had gotten into my house there would have been a mess to clean up.

http://www.state.nj.us:80/governor/govmail.html

Back to the topic, I am a huge fan of crates and portable fences. Most pups figure out at some point how to climb the fences, so watch for that. On the puppy pads, if you wipe up a potty mess with a pad, that can make it more attractive to the pup.

Another thing for you to think about is getting a spinal x-ray of the pup, unless it has already been done. Doxies are famous for their spine issues and knowing what you are working with can help you protect the dog. For example, Doxies are generally discouraged from jumping off things like furniture since it can damage their discs.

[taxichick]

Thanks for the link to the governor I wrote to them just a little while ago to let them know how unfair the decision is. I hope it will help. He is adjusting well to his crate he goes in there when he is tired or needs to get away from the kids. Usually I dont even have to send him he goes on his own. I am going to look into the gate but currently I am bringing him to work with me so he doesnt really get any unsupporvised time but when he is older it may be more of an issue.