Housetraining A 7 Month Old Kelpie

[Cleo's Mum]

Hi guys, just wondering ifanyone has some advice on housetraining my kelpie. Bit late on housetraining because i'm only just moving out of my mum's house (she didn't like the dog in side at all) but now that i am moving out i can do it. I need some ideas on how to keep the dog busy inside while housetraining her because she often is very hectic inside.

[Erny]

House train your young dog along the same lines as you would house train a young pup. Supervise, watch and be ready to take your dog outside at the times when toiling is likely. And keep watching in between times. Training your dog to like a crate, and then being able to use the crate as a friendly training aid will assist you no end. And whilst you're at the house-training, you need to teach your dog that "being inside = being calm". To do that, it takes control (crate or on-lead) and consistency. If you let her be hectic inside the house (whether you mean to or not) then you're teaching (inadvertently or otherwise) her that being hectic is ok. Start as you mean to finish - be calm and assertive yourself and take control.

Does that help you?

Do you know how you would house-train a pup? I didn't go into that side of things in case it is something you are already aware and/or familiar with. But if not, ask away. There are a lot of people here besides me who will be able to provide you with information, advice and direction pertaining to toilet training :).

Edited May 19, 2012 by Erny

[Cleo's Mum]

House train your young dog along the same lines as you would house train a young pup. Supervise, watch and be ready to take your dog outside at the times when toiling is likely. And keep watching in between times. Training your dog to like a crate, and then being able to use the crate as a friendly training aid will assist you no end. And whilst you're at the house-training, you need to teach your dog that "being inside = being calm". To do that, it takes control (crate or on-lead) and consistency. If you let her be hectic inside the house (whether you mean to or not) then you're teaching (inadvertently or otherwise) her that being hectic is ok. Start as you mean to finish - be calm and assertive yourself and take control.

Does that help you?

Do you know how you would house-train a pup? I didn't go into that side of things in case it is something you are already aware and/or familiar with. But if not, ask away. There are a lot of people here besides me who will be able to provide you with information, advice and direction pertaining to toilet training :).

No i have never house trained any dog before as this is my first dog! All i know is to keep her on lead so i can pay attention to her. (So i don't forget) Take her out when she looks like she is ready to go. Or Every hour. When she used to occasionally get inside she would come running into my room and lay on my bed trying to look innocent. I think she knows that if she isn't calm then she goes outside because even as she hardly ever gets inside she always does this straight away so we didn't put her out. Hahah. What are some things i can do to keep her occopied and how can i teach her to be calm? And any ideas on teaching her that chasing cats is bad would help too.

(My cat is pretty laid back and doesn't mind the dog much, he will just lay or sit there and when the dog starts being annoying he gives her a swipe *claws in not out* so not aggressive at all. But i still don't want her trying to play with him.)

Sorry for all the questions.

Edited May 20, 2012 by Cleo's Mum

[Cleo's Mum]

Also how do you crate train a dog?

[Cleo's Mum]

Her when she gets inside.

[skip]

Hi Cleo's Mum

How is the training going? I haven't been online in ages and just wrote a long post to your topic which I have just wiped somehow? I have a 5 month old brown and cream girl kelpie currently lying on my floor. What a handful. Easier for me as she was 9 weeks when I got her and as I own my home, allowed inside and I can do as I like. This pup is the main reason I haven't been online!

I also have 2 other dogs althou not sure if that makes it easier or not sometimes.She is currently chewing a food stuffed toy and being very good. Tonite I removed the pen which was against the lounge. I put it there to stop her jumping up constantly and as she is more settled now she seems to be staying off it. Basically I rewarded her for doing things I like - lying on a mat, sleeping on a mat or being quiet/still. I taught her a "off" command as well for those times she did jump up.

I rewarded things I saw I liked and if she was too wild or barked, she was crated until she settled. Lucky for me she settles in the crate really fast. She is also being trained continually every day and so she is beginning to understand now things flow in my house.

Crate training an older dog might be different from a pup so maybe you could post another question if you are uncertain? I shaped her with a crate and taught her Crate Games as per Susan Garretts methods.

Have you moved into your own place or do you rent? OOps and now she is going in the crate as she is on the lounge and didn't get off when asked.

My pup is in a crate in the car and at trials. I also crate her at night while my other two are allowed on the bed. Eventually she won't be but until she is trained it is easier. However the few times I have let her out on weekends early she returns to the crate and doesn't join us on the bed anyway. If she is wingeing or barks in her crate she is covered. She is not impressed right now althou she is being pretty quiet about it. Time for bed anyway now.

Hope your pup is going OK? They are a handfull. So nice your pup will be allowed inside. My family aren't into dogs and dogs are not allowed inside. I like my dogs company. Better go as mine is falling asleep in the crate out here now and she needs to get up and move into the bedroom crate. :)Have fun, enjoy your pup.

Edited May 25, 2012 by skip

[Nadsi]

Also how do you crate train a dog?

I had to recently crate train a 5 month old male dog, so maybe I can help.

I had his crate set up with his bedding inside and familiar smells, and then lured him over to it with tasty food (whatever works for you is good, I'd go for something that's high value, like bits of roast chook or ham or cheese). I stuck my closed fist inside, and let him follow my fist in the crate, and once he got his whole body in there, I gave him a treat.

I then started throwing little bits of treats into the crate at the back, so he had to go in there. Once he was happy to go in there, I started shutting the door once he was in and fed him through the bars. I kept these sessions really short, but I did a lot of them over the day. As I went on I introduced the word 'bed' every time he went in the crate (you could say anything, like 'crate' or 'flapjack' or 'potato' if you prefer!).

I fed him his meals in there, by making him get in the crate first with the command 'bed', then I put his bowl of food in and shut the door and waited for him to finish before I opened it again.

Once he was comfortable with this, I put him in the crate to sleep at night with a handful of treats or a tasty chew. He naturally didn't want to toilet in there, because it was his bed and his happy place. I take him to the toilet immediately before and after bed to avoid accidents anyway.

This dog was crate trained in a day with no fuss, and he'd never seen one before, nor had he ever been to obedience or puppy school. It can be done, as long as you make the crate the most awesome place to be ever and NEVER use it for punishment or time out. He now charges in there when he hears his food being prepared, and will go there to sleep during the day or late at night without being told. I'd also like to say that I'm hopeless at training him to do much else, just to show I'm no expert, haha!