Toy puppy training......

[Eva17]

OK, any advice here would be great!!! I am used to training large dogs. This is our first teeny tiny dog.

She is crated. Being fed on intervals due to her size, being brought out to her designated spot and doing great.

But she has been yipping in her crate for the past 20 min. Usually she stops in a couple of min. Today she wants out!!!

I think it may be time for the can with pennies in it. Worked great with our other dogs.

Any tips on training such a tiny dog?????

 

[door knob solitaire]

OH wow you are the first I have ever heard that was also sucessful with the pennies!!! I really believe in them!!!

I wonder though if that would be too scary for a wee tot? Maybe tiny pearl buttons?

Do reward that precious little one with a spoon lick of peanut butter when it stops yelping...and each time it does. Frankly right now as it is making the noise is the best most productive training period. Get busy!!! Work for 10 minutes...and then disappear. Come back again with your spoon and noise maker...over and over. You will see the peanut butter will more than you can imagine.

Have you seen the clickers? You can use them for negative or positive reinforcement. They are small hand held actually fingertip things that make a click noise when you depress them. Usually can be found at the pay counters at pet supply stores.

You can also cover the crate to make it more den like. Add some type of smaller compartment inside so the pup can burrow in and have something more its size...(if you are using a large crate). I found classical music soothed a mini dacshund I watched. I have used the old fashioned wind up alarm clocks too. The ticking is heart like.

There is a new book out by a celebrity dog trainer...she belives in another way of training. Not over dominating. She may have a technique for you I will look for her name and title later today.

I feel no matter the size, a successful training process is just that. Your gentle patience is the best technique.

DKS

 

[Independent Gal]

I knew a gal with a toy pomeranian and she used the pennies-in-the-can method. The little guy was happy as a clam and yipped not at all. Go for it!

 

[widget]

Eva, my dear....surely you know the law: Posts about teeny toy puppies without accompanying pictures are strictly forbidden!

Did you post pics of your baby elsewhere and I missed them? If you did, could you direct me to them? If not: get to work, Girl! I''m in desperate need of a ''cute fix''!!!


widget

 

[marvel]

Date: 5/7/2007 6:56:56 PM
Author: widget
Eva, my dear....surely you know the law: Posts about teeny toy puppies without accompanying pictures are strictly forbidden!

Did you post pics of your baby elsewhere and I missed them? If you did, could you direct me to them? If not: get to work, Girl! I''m in desperate need of a ''cute fix''!!!


widget

Yeah, I came here looking for pictures too

 

[Independent Gal]

I too want to see this puppins of yours! We demand PUPPY PICS!

But ladies, while we''re waiting, might I direct your attention to my other favourite website: cuteoverload.com When desperate for a cute puppy fix, (or bunny or baby turtle) there is no better destination.

 

[Eva17]

Sorry ladies.... I''ll get right on it.

(I''ll try to post some tomorrow)


Had to go to the vet today to get some nutri-cal. She wasn''t eating enough. she doesn''t even have a name yet. we are still working on that. Man, is she cute

 

[Eva17]

ok everyone, as promised, i will try to upload some pictures

 

[Eva17]

sorry i can only post one at a time. and i thought i made them really small.

 

[Eva17]

and another

 

[Eva17]

I think everyone voted on Gracie for her name. We were going back and forth with Bella and Gracie. But this week at the vet, we met two Bella''s and i now know of two people with the same type of dog that called her Bella. I guess for such a small type of dog, Bella feels cute. But DH and the boys seem to like Gracie....

So, say hello Gracie!!

 

[Eva17]

And of course, i couldn''t leave out the princess of the pack!! (mom is the queen of the pack)

Posie!

 

[widget]

OMG...She''s adorable!!

Love that teensy button nose!!

And I LOVE the name Gracie....

Of course Posie is just gorgeous, too. How is she adjusting to having a wee baby sister???

And how the training going?

Thanks so much for posting pics....I needed that!


widget

 

[Eva17]

Thanks Widget. Posie is taking it all very well. It is amazing that she doesn''t chase her like she chases small animals in the yard. A cat, a squirrel, a bird.... After all Posie is a hunter by nature. But I guess she just know that this is one of her own. She doesn''t go to her if she cries, though. In fact, she seems pretty unimpressed by Gracie. Maybe when the puppy gets more mobile and starts to annoy Posie, things will change.

Gracie goes outside to make in the designated dog pen and has had no accidents in her crate. But being such a small dog, we put her out like every two hours. Then she sleeps in someone''s lap or goes in the crate.

I need to get a bell for her so we can hear her moving about.

 

[belle]

lol....the pic of gracie alone in the kitchen is soo cute! she looks like she is lost in the never ending land of the large! look at those gignanamous foreboding cabinets!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Oh I so love Gracie!!!

She is just a little doll!! And your Posie is a classic beauty.

I forgot about my original post...sorry....The book I read ABOUT that I mentioned is:

''The Loved Dog: The Playful, Non-aggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior'' by Tamar Geller

(Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $24.95).

Although I haven''t read it, the main idea may be promising. I have had great success in the old way. Uncle Matty is my Guru-he is afterall a canine

himself. I love his method. He recommends the pennies too! His method I would not consider agressive...persistant-repetative-positive-YES. THE LOVED DOG PART....and anyone taking the time to train their pet, surely LOVES them.

http://www.unclematty.com/

Your local library should have some of his videos. The last I watched he had someone with a wee tot like yours. I think he said same technique, just with a much softer appproach. I recall for instance in the SIT command...you aren''t forceful when you get resistance, but you place the munchin in SIT position, the entire dog...not just the rear part... yourself. I think you will gain much insight watching or reading his material. I always leave knowing a tad more about animal behavior, which always is helpful. With all children...we get out of them what we are willing to put it!!!

I have seen another lady (sorry I can''t recall her name) have success in training for entertainment of the tiny ones...she uses peanut butter on a long tea spoon and rewards the good behavior with a lick.

Thanks for sharing the photos...please keep posting more. Oh I vote for Gracie...as in Grace...

DKS

 

[rainbowtrout]

Soooo CUTE!

I am not generally a fan of the toys, but she has a face on her! Adorable. I have no training advice through, we had huge dogs and Dad was a fan of the over-dominating method, which I personally hate. I think there''s a nice middle ground, depending on the breeds natural trainability.

 

[JenniferB]

Eva - we are long lost twins or something! I just named my tiny new chi Gracie....and the 2nd place name was Bella! Here is her pic - https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/hi-all-anybody-here-have-a-chihuahua-or-other-tiny-dog.61214/

I have three dogs, with a combined weight of almost 9 pounds. So I do have a few tips on training smaller dogs...the two older ones look about the size of your new baby, and they do tricks and are very well behaved little guys. My tiny one (of the thread) could fit her four paws on my Blackberry when I brought her home, thus the cause of concern for my thread since she was SO tiny and seizuring - she was way under a pound. But pups your Gracie''s size are very trainable very young.

I do rec the pennies in a can. Shake them when she barks. Sometimes drop the can on the floor - randomly - so as to create unpredictability with the can. Otherwise, she learns that the can is nothing to worry about. Don''t worry, she will still bark if someone comes to the door to let you know - but she won''t announce every bird in the neighborhood.

When she is in her crate, don''t ever let her out WHILE she is yipping. She will cry, and it will be heartbreaking, but it is more heartbreaking to have a dog that for all her years learns barking gets her what she wants. Just take her out when she pauses and PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE!

If you have time, teach her sit early as possible. When she is this young you can just reward her with a pellet of her own food, or the Nutrical, so you don''t give her "junk food" that is dog treats, because she is still growing. Just hold it in front of her nose and then raise it over her head --- she''ll want to sit. You don''t need to push her bottom down. You may have to sit on the floor for this because when you stand you are WAY taller than she can imagine what you might possibly be doing with the pellet. People are divided on Nutrical is what I am finding. Some say empty calories, some say great. I say great if you are noticing sugar drops - but not for sustinence. Sit is crucial because it can save her life if she is about to run into a street etc - she is way smaller than your other beauty - which is much easier for cars to see.

My best tip is to let as many people as possible play with her. Young, old, kids, men with beards (I''m so serious) so she will not be timid and fearful, and not bark AT people. If you do this as much as possible people will say to you "Wow, your dog is so sweet! Tiny dogs are usually barky and snippy." --- I hear it every time one of the pups in my purse when I''m shopping...purse training...a whole other thread!

 

[jcrow]

OMG! you didn''t mention that she''s a yorkie!!!

 

[JenniferB]

Eva - (replying to you from my thread):

Four boys, big dog, and small dog oh my! Your Gracie will have to learn to be playful with four boys!
Re the potty spot. If you can (idk if possible bc of your other dog) try to keep some treats or food pellets on you at all times, so she always get a morsel when she goes in the "good" spot. Then, when she goes and the bad spot and looks around for you and gets no food, she''ll stop on her own. Also, don''t scold her when she does "bad" potty. She is small, so she''ll just learn to hide from you when she goes so she doesn''t get in trouble. And then there will be a "poop-graveyard" under your couch to be found at a later, smellier, date...!

Teeny dogs are a whole different world! I will be coming to you for advice (probably a few years from now though) when I cave and let DH get his huge dog of choice!

Jennifer

 

[JenniferB]

Date: 5/10/2007 11:11:21 AM
Author: Eva17
Thanks Widget. Posie is taking it all very well. It is amazing that she doesn''t chase her like she chases small animals in the yard. A cat, a squirrel, a bird.... After all Posie is a hunter by nature. But I guess she just know that this is one of her own. She doesn''t go to her if she cries, though. In fact, she seems pretty unimpressed by Gracie. Maybe when the puppy gets more mobile and starts to annoy Posie, things will change.


Gracie goes outside to make in the designated dog pen and has had no accidents in her crate. But being such a small dog, we put her out like every two hours. Then she sleeps in someone''s lap or goes in the crate.


I need to get a bell for her so we can hear her moving about.

Eva,

"My" Gracie wears a bell so she can alert people to her entrance so she doesn''t become a chi-spot on the wood floors! It is great, especially if you tend to lose her in your house. They sell them at Petco or PetSmart in the cat section for like $5 for 3 bells I think. You can just loop them on to your Gracie''s collar or harness like a dog tag. It doesn''t bother them one bit. Just make sure its in a place where she can''t get her mouth on it to break it off and choke.

Jennifer

 

[Eva17]

Oh man, that is a must. At this size it would be really easy to become "tile kill"....

We are always yelling out "lookout"!

 

[Skippy123]

I almost missed this thread. Gracie and Poise are sooooo cute! I just love them

 

[JenniferB]

Date: 5/15/2007 5:32:56 PM
Author: Skippy123
I almost missed this thread. Gracie and Poise are sooooo cute! I just love them

Hi Skippy! Thank you! I like your avatar (it looks like Hawaii?) but I miss that big gorgeous smile! It is like Jordin Sparks smile on AI - infectious!!! Forgive me for newbie questions - I don''t know how you guys keep all the info on here about each straight!!! Do you have any pets? Are they posted somewhere and I''m embarassing myself right now?!