Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  Sparta is still a baby and no hitting is necessary at any age to train a dog to pee/poop outside, on pee pads or walk on the leash. Sparta is still too young to "hold it" very long and disciplining her for what she cannot physically help will only damage your dog's psyche and your relationship. What you call defiance is the dog not wanting to participate in something that she sees is likely to end in unpleasance for her so she doesn't want to do it. She is telling you please don't make me do this - it will only get me hurt. If you want to train her to walk on the leash and she starts to pull on it, just stop in place until she stops pulling. Once the leash goes slack, start walking forward again. If she pulls, stop again until the leash goes slack and then restart. Keep following that pattern and encourage her when she stops pulling and offer gentle verbal praise. Eventually with a good deal of patience on your part, she will learn to keep a slack leash with no pulling if she wants to go forward which they all do.
For housebreaking, put her on a strict schedule and remember that a 4 mo. old baby needs to pee and usally potty after eating and drinking. Take her outside immediately after eating and tell her to "potty outside". Take her to the same spot each time and wait 5 mins. Praise her a good deal when she does her business. If she does not, this is very important, take her inside but watch her like a hawk and when she starts going around in circles, running about sniffing the floor and acting anxious, she is indicating she needs to relieve herself. Take her back outside and repeat the above. If she gets too excited or forgets and doesn't go in 5 mins., take her back inside and watch her very very closely. In 15 - 30 minutes, take her back outside again and repeat above words in same spot. But if, she inside, she does start to run and sniff, take her back outside and repeat the same words in the same spot. Repeat as necessary UNTIL she goes after eating. Eventually after eating and drinking, she will go if you are patient and watchful. Praise her lavishly and mean it - she has done a big thing in learning her housebreaking!
The rest of her activities are that when she is out of the crate, you are watching her closely or she is crated. When out of the crate, take her outside immediately after play sessions, grooming sessions, barking sessions, naps or anything that has taken up much time. Repeat the same words in the same spot as above and if she doesn't go, back on the same schedule. If she does, praise her lavishly. If not, repeat the same schedule above. When she is crated, only leave her in the crate long enough for her to nap or an hour or two but never longer than that unless you are gone from the house. Always upon removal from the crate, the dog should be take outside immediately to her same spot and told to "potty outside" and the above time limits, etc., adhered to.
Eventually she will get the schedule and begin to try to hold her urine/feces until she is taken outside. Never punish her for accidents in the house because they happen because you werenn't watching or missed her potty cues - and are not her fault. She is not balking or being difficult - just relieving herself when she needs to because no one took her out when she gave the indication she needed to go. She doesn't even know to signal to you at this point - she is just doing what comes naturally. Later, when she matures and has developed a trusting relationship with you, she will "tell" you she needs to go outside by running in circles and looking at you, standing and staring straight at you or barking at you and jumping around. Other dogs "tell" by going to the outside door and standing in front of it.
But whatever you do, stop hitting her as punishing her is no way to train a dog. It just punishes her for no reason as far as she is concerned and she cannot associate the whipping with what she has just done. She just thinks of it as being mean and doesn't know why she has been hit. Same with any punishment - it teaches a dog fear. Habitual training is what teaches a certain behavior to a dog. A good schedule and watching a dog closely is the only way to housebreak a dog successfully - I know as I have done it over and over and my dogs are clean in the house. So, stop hitting your puppy and train her and she will respond positively the way you want. |