Archive for the tag 'puppy'

Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Teenage Terror French Bulldog!

gollygear July 22nd, 2008

Hi Hope,

I have a 9 month old Frenchie, who to say the least is really pushing my limits. She is only left alone for 3-4hr periods at the max. We crate trained her for the first 5months and when I thought she was house broke we let he roam the house. She typically did very well but recently she has been pooping and peeing throughout the house in certain favorite spots of hers. She is also going crazy in the house when we are gone by somehow opening cabinets, drawers, doors, etc to get stuff out, rip them up, pee, and basically be a little terror.

What suggestions do you have? How can I eliminate this poor behavior and stop the defecation within the house?

Thank you!

Hope writes -

Welcome to the wonderful world of adolescent Frenchies!  If there’s a way to get into trouble, they’ll find it. And, in reality, that’s a good thing - you want a dog who’s curious, engaged, and looking for fun.

Like every other adolescent, human or animal, your pup needs some boundaries set for her. The only way to do that when you’re not home is to keep her in her crate.

You already mentioned that she was very successful in her crate. My question to you is - why did you stop using it? Crates are not a temporary housebreaking aid, although that is one of the first uses. It’s also your dog’s “room,” the one place in the house that belongs to her, where she can go to be safe and secure.

Dogs are den animals by nature. Most dogs love being in small spaces, secure and cozy. I know of one dog, a Boston Terrier, who never got into trouble unless he was denied access to his crate. Then he tore up the house.

You need to restore your pup’s special place to her - as soon as possible. I also know of a recent case in which people thought they were doing a kindness to their rescue dog by leaving it uncrated when they were away. He ate a tube of ointment and died.

It’s a harsh lesson - please learn from others’ experience. Your little girl is too precious to risk.

Hope

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Ask the Frenchie Training - Handling a Hyper French Bulldog

gollygear July 18th, 2008

i have a 5 month old frenchie and shes hyper as all get out,she also bites and chews she has a room full of toys i dont want to get rid of her what do u suggest i do

Hope writes -

Puppies don’t know how to “behave” - you have to teach her!

My first suggestion is that you find a good basic obedience class in your area. The best classes and trainers are the ones who teach you how to train your puppy. A good class will give you the skills to take home and practise with your puppy several times a day, a few minutes each time.

Many dog clubs have classes that are open to the public, check the American Kennel Club listing of obedience club to see if there’s one in your area:  http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=obed&display=on

Alternatively, many park districts and dog day-care facilites offer basic obedience classes.

In the meantime, start teaching your puppy to “sit and accept praise.” After a fun play session and a potty break, sit with your puppy on the floor. She should be next to you, facing the same way. Have her sit at your side. If you have to hug her to keep her still, that’s okay. Talk to her calmly and pet her, telling her she’s a good girl, and “good chill” (or whatever word you choose to use). After a few minutes, release her, saying “good job.” Stay calm, and she may just stay next to you, relaxing.

Schedule a few “chill sessions” every day, until she learns that after playtime, it’s time to relax - for both of you.

-Hope

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Update on Frenchie Puppy with Struvite Crystals

admin July 17th, 2008

We’ve had an update on the French Bulldog puppy with struvite crystals –

Dr. Lori,

Thank you for the response. Since I sent the question to you, the following happened, so I thought you might be interested.

We took the local vet’s opinion and put the puppy on canned food and bottled water, and after a week the lab results on a urine sample turned up no crystals. So introducing more water into his died (via the canned food), and taking out the softened water possibility (via the bottled water) solved the problem.

However, it also created a new problem because the puppy started having very soft or completely runny stools. We tried mixing in dry food, and then even rice, but the diarrhea got very bad. So we reconsulted the local vet, and we put him on California Natural for Puppies kibble (which only has lamb and rice, and only 4 other ingredients) to remove the possibility of allergens as the cause of the diarrhea.

Now his stools are fine, and his pH in the urine is around 6.5-6.8 (I tested with a aquarium pH strip). But now he drinks water so much, that I can’t even let him out enough times, so he makes a mess not because of the crystals but simply due to volume. (We live in an apartment in NYC, and I already let him out literally 10 times a day; so I ride the elevator a lot).

Thank you again for your advice, because it largely goes in line with what the local vet suggested, which makes me feel much better.

Thanks so much for the update. As we’ve said before, we really appreciate hearing back from the people who’ve written in, so we can learn how your French Bulldogs are doing. I hope the peeing issue gets under control soon!

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Ask the French Bulldog Trainer - The Little Frenchie that wouldn’t walk

admin July 7th, 2008

I wonder if you can help, I have a ten and a half week old French bulldog pup. Its not that I have a problem with him, my vet gives him a good rating for his first check, he has to go back in 2 weeks for next jabs. My issue is when I take him out to walk, i get the bulldogedness, no he wont walk, I have a small collar on him (with plenty room) and if I want him to walk i practically have to drag him. I have a lot more experience with boxers, so haven’t encountered this before, he also seem to prefer to poop indoors than out. I realise all this is probably quite normal, however how long can I expect it to last?

We are not doing crate training, he has a open bed, during work hours he is in a large tiled hallway and has plenty space to play with his toys, he is not free fed. A perfect example is today I was at home for lunch for 2 hours as I am every day (we are starting the separation training hence why half a day I am back in the office), I feed him when I got in, 2 hours later despite attempting a walk and playing in his outdoor yard for over an hour he wont poop, however I come back to work for an hour, he’ll poop almost straight away, I don’t punish him for pooping as he’s only a baby and don’t believe in punishment anyway, I am just looking for frenchie specific goals that can be achieved.

In summation, I was hoping to have this under control by the 3rd or 4th month, is this an unreasonable expectation? Also, will he grow into walking and enjoying a walk?

Hope writes -

I’ll certainly try to help - we want to get your little guy off to a good start!

You may not have realized it but you have two entirely separate questions here:
How do I get my puppy to walk on a leash? and
How do I housebreak my puppy?

The second question first: if you’re not crate training, you have a long and miserable task ahead of you. Your puppy will rule your schedule, and you’ll spend a lot of time outside, standing around, waiting until the inevitable finally happens.

I’m not sure why some people are resistant to crate-training. Dogs are, by nature, den animals - most wild canids seek secure shelter in a small space. A crate or cage isn’t a punishment, it’s your puppy’s “room” - someplace to be safe, comfortable and happy. By using a crate, you’re allowing your puppy to be “good” all the time - he has no opporunity to get into mischief. Please rethink your reluctance to try crate training.

Your first question about walking on a leash is actually fairly simple to train. When the puppy is not in its crate (never, ever leave a collar or harness on a dog in a crate), put on its collar or harness. For short periods of time, while you’re paying attention, tie a short string on the collar and play with your puppy, letting it run around with the string trailing. Distract him with a toy or other game if he wants to chew on the string. In time, replace the string with a leash until he’s comfortable and happy with something “hanging” from his collar or harness.

When you go outside with the puppy on collar and leash, let the puppy sit if he wants to. Have the leash very loose - the best way to get a dog to stay where he is is to pull on him to get him to move. As soon as he gets up and moves around, tell him he’s a good boy and give him a treat. You can lure him to you with a treat if you like - praise him whenever he’s in motion. It may take some patience, but he will figure out that it’s fun to go with you. Please don’t drag him along - the more unpleasant the experience, the less he’ll want to go for a walk.

Your puppy is still very, very young. Most puppies have a “fear period” from about eight to 12 weeks. Make sure your little guy has positive experiences during this time and in the future. French Bulldogs may not be the easiest dogs to train, but they certainly are trainable. The more “work” you put in now, the happier you’ll both be in the long run.

-Hope

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Ask the French Bulldog Trainer - When to start training?

gollygear July 5th, 2008

Hi, my question is: How early should you start training your french bulldog puppy? We’re getting our french bulldog soon (next week!) and were thinking about doing some private sessions at home as well as a puppy class as well. However, we weren’t sure if 8-9 weeks was too young.

Thanks!

Hope writes -

A new puppy! Congratulations!
Puppies are sponges. Like all other babies, they start learning from the moment they’re born. When the pup becomes yours, you automatically become its teacher. Your objective is to make sure it learns what you want it to know.
When you call your pup by its name - reward it for coming. Never, ever punish your dog for coming to you. The converse is also an absolute: never call your dog to punish or correct it.
Praise your dog for appropriate behavior - when he potties outside, when he chews on a toy instead of your fingers, when he sits. Name the good behavior while you do this “good go potty,” “good sit,” etc.
A puppy class is good for socialization and fundamentals. It’s also good to have a trainer right there who will answer all your questions and give immediate feedback, knowing you and your puppy. Please do your research on the class - observe before you bring your dog and make sure that the environment is safe your your little one.
Unless this is your first dog and you’re looking for help with basics: housebreaking, chewing, jumping, socialization, etc., there’s not much point to a private trainer at this age. Puppies are notorious for being brilliant in obedience, until it all falls out of their heads when they hit adolescence.
I would let your puppy be a puppy; teach the basics, including “sit and accept praise,” “come,” “sit,” “down,” walking nicely on lead, and the all-important “leave it.” It’s enough of a lesson plan for now. Babies have a limited attention span and Frenchies aren’t crazy about repetitive drills. There are some dogs who will endlessly “practise” a behavior, Frenchies aren’t among them. Training sessions for a puppy should be a couple of minutes, a few times a day, not counting the continuous training of daily life.
You can always add on and pursue further training - no dog is too old to learn new tricks. As always, when you are researching trainers and classes, don’t be shy about checking them out. You are your puppy’s advocate. Never allow anyone to do anything with your pup that you’re not comfortable with - and don’t let them convince you to, either.
Good luck with the baby!
-Hope

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