:thumbup: YES! You learn fast!!! :thumbup:

There is very little (some would say there isn't any) dog behavior that can't be addressed through redirection or positive training. I know it sounds like spoiling to you right now, but trust me, it works! You just have to change your thinking. :cool:

For every negative behavior, you need to put some thought into what behavior you want instead. Then, train that.

This may not be what you want but say, for instance, jumping on the furniture - teach him that in order to get on the furniture, he must sit first. When he does, give him a small treat, praise enthusiastically and lift him up. Practice over and over. Any time that he hops up by himself, say "off" and lift him down. He will get it eventually. At random times, when you aren't on the furniture and you catch him laying down on the floor (or wherever you want him to lay), drop a treat and say "good boy". Reward the behavior that you want to see more of.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with rewarding your dog for correct behavior. I carry small treats in my pocket at all times. This isn't blackmail on your dogs part. This is called "doing what works". He doesn't listen unless you reward him or yell? That's because he doesn't understand the English language. There's not a dog alive who understands a lecture. He can be taught simple commands and he knows from your tone of voice whether or not he has pleased you, but it may not be obvious to him what he has done that doesn't please you.

Go to the website that Cindy recommended. It will change your relationship with your dog completely.
www.clickersolutions.com

A good book is The Complete Idiots Guide to Positive Dog Training.

Feel free to ask all the questions you want!

Good luck and let us know how it is going!

There are a few other guys on here - Alaskayorkie is one. ;) If all else fails, I suppose you could use belly bands indoors. :D

I had read before that it takes time for the hormones to stop circulating after being neutered, so I did a search and that is correct. Here is an article I found. I hope it helps some:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIP...ip_Marking.php

You are SO right! How funny! Take Lick for a walk along with some of these guys and just watch!!!

thanks for the help
 

I just wanted to thank everyone who provided information and guidance. I have seen some posotive changes in Lick and my relationship with him. He is happier and easier to train than ever before. Hopefully, with time, we both will be trained well. Again, thanks to all, and I will update with signifigant progress.

Chris

Great News Chris :) Just make sure you keep on checking in as you will learn a lot.

Thanks for the update, Chris! I'm so glad things are going well.

I'm the worst --

I see nothing wrong with giving your little puppy a light pat on the butt and telling him, "No no" in a stern voice when you catch him peeing on the carpet or doing something he shouldn't be doing.

A mother dog is more rough than this. I have noticed many mother dogs nip their little charges and get quite rough with them when they get out of line. And, of course, the little guys are up and running around the next second as though nothing happened.....but they are learning their pups what they can and cannot do. A mother dog instinctively teaches her pups skills they need to survive.

We are training out little guys so that they can live harmoniously with us in our homes. And, the sooner the training takes place - the happier everyone will be forever!!

You don't need to hurt a puppy - but you need to get its attention and make it aware of types of behavior that aren't acceptable.

This is always a controversial subject - but I do believe that there is a happy middle ground. Be stern with your puppy when he is bad - Never hurt him - but also don't be so sweet that he never gets trained.

I see people's larger dogs jumping on everyone all the time. And, the owner's apologize and say that they have been trying to stop this for five years. To me, this means that they have been discipling and yelling at their dog for five years for doing something that could have been stopped in a couple of days when they were a pup. Which is really kinder????

I may pat my puppy on his butt occasionally, but he has pooped on me, pee'd on me, chewed on my furniture, ruined some of my favorite things, and bitten me all over. Someone should tell my dog to be nicer to me!!!!!

I thought my brother-in-law was a little strict with his retriever puppy, but before that pup was six months old, it was the best, happiest, most playful, well behaved dog I have ever known. He rarely has to raise his voice to his dog anymore. It obeys the slightest command. And, this dog is wonderfully happy, friendly, and playful. It is the dream dog that we all want. Need to mention also, that he isn't too strict with it - it does get to run around and be a dog! Because this dog has been trained so well at a young age, it will be receiving less discipline than any other dog I know for the rest of its life.

I would never scare or hurt my puppy - but I am firm when I need to be.
This could well save its life one day - and, it will certainly make our relationship much more enjoyable for both of us.

Carol Jean

Carol Jean,

We are just going to have to "agree to disagree" on this one. Joey has never needed anything more negative than a stern "NO!", occasionally coupled with my standing up and turning my back on him for 30-60 seconds (for inappropriate mouthing). He is praised frequently for doing the right thing and I try my best to teach an alternate behavior when he is doing somthing I don't like.

I've found that he REALLY wants to please me. All it takes is making it clear what is is that I want him to do. A firm "no" is all it takes for him to figure out that a certain behavior isn't working. The minute he desists - "Good Boy! That's right! That's what I like".

Maybe my dog is smarter than most. But, I doubt it. Yorkies, as a breed, are so smart!

Yes, it's possible to train a dog using stricter methods. But why would you want to if you can accomplish the same thing in a positive way?

FirstYorkie - Yes - but please - when I say pat on the butt - I'm talking about the way you would walk over and pat your friend on the shoulder.
I am by nature a very patient, liberal - non-loud person. So when I say, "No no" in a stern voice -----it is me saying "No no" in a stern voice (not my sister, who would wake the whole town up!!) I don't even raise my voice. It's just the tone (like your stern "No") that changes. And, I'm not a strict person. I have always been told that I am the opposite ---to a fault.

I agree with you about praise - it is my favorite thing to do also. I love praising my dog..... and he gets a lot of it.

A couple of examples that I quoted in my post were ways I have seen other people successfully train their dogs. They were not cruel or mean to their dogs by any means. They were just guys with pups that weighed about 30 pounds more than ours do. And, my brother-in-law lives on a busy road - he had to give his pup a crash course on behaving - or it might have gotten loose, ran out into the street, and have been hurt or killed. This guy is a gentle soul by nature (he won't watch Bambi - it makes him cry) and now he has a well-trained, happy, playful year-old pup.

Can't say that I disagree with you at all. I think praise is the best way in the world to instill good behavior. But when my puppy pees on the carpet right in front of me - I just can't come up with anything nice to say to him right then. So, he gets a little pat on the butt, hears a stern "no no" and is taken to his puppy pad. He knows I don't like that.

Yesterday - he was going to pee on the carpet - looked up and saw me - quit peeing before he started and ran as fast as he could go into my office and pee'd behind a chair before I could even get there. I said, "You nitwit - you're driving me crazy!" Gave him his usual pat on the butt, and he ran back to the other room to play with my other dog like nothing had happened.

See - he is definitely learning that it is naughty to pee on the carpet (at least in front of me!)

Again - thanks for your reply.


Carol Jean

Great advice from everyone! I agree with it all ! I would only add that some people don't always know 'how' to praise their dog. Sounds silly but think about it. It really is important to reinforce this positive behavior coming from you!
Your dog listens to your voice inflection for everything, right? He knows when you are mad, you're using not just a loud voice but a 'low toned' voice too?..

So, to use a correct tone, he needs to know when you are really happy with him. Not just a ..'oh,good dog' and that's all...You need to USE your voice in a high happy tone..over and over...like,
"WOW! GOOD DOG, LICK. GOOD BOY! YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD DOG!!" and in a high toned manner. This way he will learn to associate your 'good' voice with his good behavior. and a treat too.
Good for you Chris for realizing you need to change things, and for coming here to YT...welcome. I hope everyone here has helped you.

SnowWa
I have avoided till now posting to this as I tend to get frustrated with this kind of trainnig.
I tend to loose my ability to post from kindness and in a tone that is respectful.

but will try--- there is a saying if a dog pees on the floor role up a paper and hit your self in the head, you missed something.
I believe that.
When my girl first came home she peeed, pooh and throw up on the floor and well. I cleaned it up telling her I was sorry for failing her and not listening that she did not feel well.
I have never spanked or patted a human kids but for failing to potty train.
I sure will not do it to my girl.
I started paying more attention to her signals and she now very clearly tells me by rattleing the blinds that she needs out.
I hate to think what a crash course in training would be as I am sure I loose all calm.
The only time I use No is if my girl is after another dog and leave it has failed.
Let me tell you it not a yell it is a firm and short in a male tone. A male voice tones stop movement in dogs where as female voice tones fire them up.
One reason I am off next week to train is to take the no out of it all the way.

"he is definitely learning that it is naughty to pee on the carpet (at least in front of me!) " Yes that is fear training at it best.
When he hides out from you or will not let you near him, then what??
Fear begats fear and then comes nipping and then comes well I will leave it at that.

Hug them, kiss them, guide them and they will follow.

Joy

Well said, Joy! And Paisleypup, you made a good point, too.

SnowWa, you said:
I see nothing wrong with giving your little puppy a light pat on the butt and telling him, "No no" in a stern voice when you catch him peeing on the carpet or doing something he shouldn't be doing.

My question to you would be the same as Dr Phil: "How's that working for ya?".

Judging from what you later said, I'd say it isn't working that well:
Yesterday - he was going to pee on the carpet - looked up and saw me - quit peeing before he started and ran as fast as he could go into my office and pee'd behind a chair before I could even get there.
and
I may pat my puppy on his butt occasionally, but he has pooped on me, pee'd on me, chewed on my furniture, ruined some of my favorite things, and bitten me all over. Someone should tell my dog to be nicer to me!!!!!

Someone should tell your pup to be nicer. Only you can do that and the best way to do that is by example. My pup doesn't do those things. And, he's learned NOT to do them strickly by redirection and praise/reward when he does the right thing.

I agree there's nothing positive to say to a dog who just peed in front of you. The time to praise and reward is when you catch him doing it right!

I agree and it does sound silly but this is where your little girl voice should come out in praise...high and babyish ...they need to know that you are happy :D

Sorry SnowWa, I am going to go with FirstYorkie and Yorkie Mum and Livingdustmops on this subject. I know your frustration. I have had a dog that even after years, refused to be completely potty trained. Was it my fault? I think it was for the most part. I used the methods you are still using and it didn't work. I have never lifted a hand even in a pat to my yorkie and she is smart enough to figure it out over time. Did I say 'no' to her? Sure, at first, but quickly found it not necessary after learning other methods to use.
Most dogs learn to 'indoor pee' out of 'spite and fear and upsets', unless there is a physical problem which you might want to check into. Males can also get infections, and I'm sorry but I also think that some dogs are smarter and some not so smart. I've had them all.