Hello Everyone --
I'm new here and new to the dog world as well. My daughter and I added a precious shorkie, Joey, to the family at Christmas, and are so happy to have him. He's about 8 months old now, loves everyone (and everything that moves) and is in the basic stages of training. I should preface the rest of this post by saying that we live in an apartment in the city.
We started Joey potty training using puppy pads, and have transitioned him to going outside. Now, he goes outside probably 85% of the time, but still goes inside from time to time. Any tips on completely eliminating potty pad use?
Next, we have taken a basic puppy training course where we learned commands like sit, stay, leave it, take it, drop it, etc, which he does well with -- but ONLY when he knows we're practicing. In "real life" situations, he doesn't respond to most of these commands. Again, suggestions for integrating training into situations where it would actually be useful are much appreciated!
Lastly, he BARKS like a madman. It's not all the time, but it is frequent enough to feel like a problem. I actually don't mind it so much, but my neighbors, I'm sure, would be to differ. I absolutely know that dogs bark, and that to an extent it's normal -- but Joey's barking does feel a bit over the top. He barks mostly when he wants attention, which is ALL the time. If I'm in the apartment anywhere out of his sight, he barks.
Thanks for any advice you're able to give! I'm sure I will be posting questions periodically for a while! Hopefully at some point I'll be able to help answer others' questions, too
