I need to find some great information and resources because I just adopted
my first puppy. I usually rescue Senior dogs and they are wonderful but my
latest -- a 12 year old Chi/Terrier mix named Di.Lo, short for Princess
Diana -- is having very bad arthritis and severe cataracts just like the
Lab I lost last year, so I decided to take a break.

Today I adopted a 6 week old Chi/Pom mix and named her Ella May -- after
Ella Fitzgerald, Elaine May and Ellie Mae Clampett . The cutest girl I've
ever seen. And I don't have a clue how to housebreak her. Well, I have some
idea, of course, but I would like to do this and everything else in the most
effective manner. I do Therapy Dog work with my dogs, so I'd love Ella to
become as well-behaved and obedient and kind as Di and my late great Lab.

If there are other groups that are more helpful, please direct me there.

Thanks so much!!! I thank you and my floors and carpets do too.

Theodora, Di.Lo. (Princess Diana and my Prozac On Paws), Ella May (my POPin
training) & P-Kitty
Catch My Train of Thought
writer/screenwriter/train buff/recovering accountant and agoraphobic
portland, or

"You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" Steven Wright "When you
come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra "You may not be able to
teach an old dog new tricks, but I can." Anon. "When people show you who
they are, believe them. The first time. " Maya Angelou "I knew I could. I
knew I could." The Little Engine That Could

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 01:59:12 -0700 prozaconpaws whittled these words:
I need to find some great information and resources because I just adopted
my first puppy. I usually rescue Senior dogs and they are wonderful but my
latest -- a 12 year old Chi/Terrier mix named Di.Lo, short for Princess
Diana -- is having very bad arthritis and severe cataracts just like the
Lab I lost last year, so I decided to take a break.

Today I adopted a 6 week old Chi/Pom mix and named her Ella May -- after
Ella Fitzgerald, Elaine May and Ellie Mae Clampett . The cutest girl I've
ever seen. And I don't have a clue how to housebreak her. Well, I have some
idea, of course, but I would like to do this and everything else in the most
effective manner. I do Therapy Dog work with my dogs, so I'd love Ella to
become as well-behaved and obedient and kind as Di and my late great Lab.

Six weeks old is very young. In many states it is illegal to remove a
pup from its litter at that age. However, you have the pup now. The thing
to keep in mind is that the puppy has very little bowel or bladder
control at this age. At this age the puppy will be aware enough to move
a few feet, but not aware enough to be giving you any signals. If the
puppy is playing or otherwise busy it will simply squat and pee. The
instinct is to move away from the eating and sleeping area but that
doesn't mean far away. As far as the puppy is concerned, at this age, a
couple feet will do.

The primary goal in housetraining is to create the habit you want, and to
avoid the creating of habits you don't want. It really isn't so much
"teaching" the dog, as it is creating preferences for relief where you
want, and avoiding letting the dog/puppy develop a comfort or preference
for relief where you don't want.

To assist in this, a crate or cage is often recommmended. The important
principle involved is that it uses the natural instinct of the puppy to
want to "be clean" to inhibit the puppy from relieving itself when you
aren't controlling WHERE. And the most significant mistake you can make
is to leave the puppy confined beyond his capacity to wait. If you do
that, you can teach the puppy to tolerate being "dirty" and that will
make housetraining extremely difficult. A six week old puppy will need
to relieve itself every hour and a half to two hours. So can wait
longer, some can't. Most can wait up to four hours at night, and that
time will gradually lengthen as they mature. A 12 week old puppy, for
example, should be able to sleep eight hours without the need to be taken
out.

The more you supervise your puppy the faster housetraining will go. Your
goal is to create a preference starting by taking the puppy to the
desired relief spot frequently, and making going there rewarding. Your
responsibility is to supervise the puppy closely enough that you can see
when it is getting ready to relieve itself, and can remove it quickly to
the desired location. If you can't supervise, then use the crate or cage
to prevent the puppy from learning to go in the wrong place.

Think in terms of how when something feels good you tend to do it more.
So the puppy has an uncomfortable bladder. And you aren't paying
attention so it scoots off in the corner .... ahhhh relief.

If you cannot take the puppy outside every couple hours or so -for
example you work - then confine the puppy to a larger area so it can
relieve itself without learning to tolerate doing so near its food or
sleeping area. This will, of course, teach your pup that going indoors is
OK, but if you keep the surface well covered with newspaper you can, at
least, create a surface preference for that.

Diane Blackman

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 01:59:12 -0700 prozaconpaws whittled these words:
I need to find some great information and resources because I just adopted
my first puppy. I usually rescue Senior dogs and they are wonderful but my
latest -- a 12 year old Chi/Terrier mix named Di.Lo, short for Princess
Diana -- is having very bad arthritis and severe cataracts just like the
Lab I lost last year, so I decided to take a break.

Today I adopted a 6 week old Chi/Pom mix and named her Ella May -- after
Ella Fitzgerald, Elaine May and Ellie Mae Clampett . The cutest girl I've
ever seen. And I don't have a clue how to housebreak her. Well, I have some
idea, of course, but I would like to do this and everything else in the most
effective manner. I do Therapy Dog work with my dogs, so I'd love Ella to
become as well-behaved and obedient and kind as Di and my late great Lab.

Six weeks old is very young. In many states it is illegal to remove a
pup from its litter at that age. However, you have the pup now. The thing
to keep in mind is that the puppy has very little bowel or bladder
control at this age. At this age the puppy will be aware enough to move
a few feet, but not aware enough to be giving you any signals. If the
puppy is playing or otherwise busy it will simply squat and pee. The
instinct is to move away from the eating and sleeping area but that
doesn't mean far away. As far as the puppy is concerned, at this age, a
couple feet will do.

The primary goal in housetraining is to create the habit you want, and to
avoid the creating of habits you don't want. It really isn't so much
"teaching" the dog, as it is creating preferences for relief where you
want, and avoiding letting the dog/puppy develop a comfort or preference
for relief where you don't want.

To assist in this, a crate or cage is often recommmended. The important
principle involved is that it uses the natural instinct of the puppy to
want to "be clean" to inhibit the puppy from relieving itself when you
aren't controlling WHERE. And the most significant mistake you can make
is to leave the puppy confined beyond his capacity to wait. If you do
that, you can teach the puppy to tolerate being "dirty" and that will
make housetraining extremely difficult. A six week old puppy will need
to relieve itself every hour and a half to two hours. So can wait
longer, some can't. Most can wait up to four hours at night, and that
time will gradually lengthen as they mature. A 12 week old puppy, for
example, should be able to sleep eight hours without the need to be taken
out.

The more you supervise your puppy the faster housetraining will go. Your
goal is to create a preference starting by taking the puppy to the
desired relief spot frequently, and making going there rewarding. Your
responsibility is to supervise the puppy closely enough that you can see
when it is getting ready to relieve itself, and can remove it quickly to
the desired location. If you can't supervise, then use the crate or cage
to prevent the puppy from learning to go in the wrong place.

Think in terms of how when something feels good you tend to do it more.
So the puppy has an uncomfortable bladder. And you aren't paying
attention so it scoots off in the corner .... ahhhh relief.

If you cannot take the puppy outside every couple hours or so -for
example you work - then confine the puppy to a larger area so it can
relieve itself without learning to tolerate doing so near its food or
sleeping area. This will, of course, teach your pup that going indoors is
OK, but if you keep the surface well covered with newspaper you can, at
least, create a surface preference for that.

Diane Blackman

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 01:59:12 -0700 prozaconpaws whittled these words:
I need to find some great information and resources because I just adopted
my first puppy. I usually rescue Senior dogs and they are wonderful but my
latest -- a 12 year old Chi/Terrier mix named Di.Lo, short for Princess
Diana -- is having very bad arthritis and severe cataracts just like the
Lab I lost last year, so I decided to take a break.

Today I adopted a 6 week old Chi/Pom mix and named her Ella May -- after
Ella Fitzgerald, Elaine May and Ellie Mae Clampett . The cutest girl I've
ever seen. And I don't have a clue how to housebreak her. Well, I have some
idea, of course, but I would like to do this and everything else in the most
effective manner. I do Therapy Dog work with my dogs, so I'd love Ella to
become as well-behaved and obedient and kind as Di and my late great Lab.

Six weeks old is very young. In many states it is illegal to remove a
pup from its litter at that age. However, you have the pup now. The thing
to keep in mind is that the puppy has very little bowel or bladder
control at this age. At this age the puppy will be aware enough to move
a few feet, but not aware enough to be giving you any signals. If the
puppy is playing or otherwise busy it will simply squat and pee. The
instinct is to move away from the eating and sleeping area but that
doesn't mean far away. As far as the puppy is concerned, at this age, a
couple feet will do.

The primary goal in housetraining is to create the habit you want, and to
avoid the creating of habits you don't want. It really isn't so much
"teaching" the dog, as it is creating preferences for relief where you
want, and avoiding letting the dog/puppy develop a comfort or preference
for relief where you don't want.

To assist in this, a crate or cage is often recommmended. The important
principle involved is that it uses the natural instinct of the puppy to
want to "be clean" to inhibit the puppy from relieving itself when you
aren't controlling WHERE. And the most significant mistake you can make
is to leave the puppy confined beyond his capacity to wait. If you do
that, you can teach the puppy to tolerate being "dirty" and that will
make housetraining extremely difficult. A six week old puppy will need
to relieve itself every hour and a half to two hours. So can wait
longer, some can't. Most can wait up to four hours at night, and that
time will gradually lengthen as they mature. A 12 week old puppy, for
example, should be able to sleep eight hours without the need to be taken
out.

The more you supervise your puppy the faster housetraining will go. Your
goal is to create a preference starting by taking the puppy to the
desired relief spot frequently, and making going there rewarding. Your
responsibility is to supervise the puppy closely enough that you can see
when it is getting ready to relieve itself, and can remove it quickly to
the desired location. If you can't supervise, then use the crate or cage
to prevent the puppy from learning to go in the wrong place.

Think in terms of how when something feels good you tend to do it more.
So the puppy has an uncomfortable bladder. And you aren't paying
attention so it scoots off in the corner .... ahhhh relief.

If you cannot take the puppy outside every couple hours or so -for
example you work - then confine the puppy to a larger area so it can
relieve itself without learning to tolerate doing so near its food or
sleeping area. This will, of course, teach your pup that going indoors is
OK, but if you keep the surface well covered with newspaper you can, at
least, create a surface preference for that.

Diane Blackman