Hello all,

I have committed to adopting a 9month-1yr. old Female Whippet from a
pound, she is very affectionate and a little timid... I am looking for
some advice/info on things. Since she is not a true "puppy" but not an
adult what is my best approach to training her and getting her
housebroken? Is there anything I should do differently than training a
normal puppy?

Thanks for any and all responses, I appreciate it!

said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

I have committed to adopting a 9month-1yr. old Female
Whippet from a pound, she is very affectionate and a little
timid... I am looking for some advice/info on things. Since
she is not a true "puppy" but not an adult what is my best
approach to training her and getting her housebroken?

Do you know she's not housetrained? My most reliably
housetrained dog came here at 7 months old from a rescue.

Is
there anything I should do differently than training a
normal puppy?

No. That's the perfect way to approach life with a new dog.

How long was she in the pound? For the time being, I'd give her
the benefit of the doubt and assume she's relatively well
housetrained - give her good supervision and take her outside on
a schedule, praise when she goes where you want her to go.

You still may consider introducing her to your house with a
crate: Not for housepeeing only. Crates offer a degree of
security which help some dogs climatize to a big ol' wide open
house on their own terms.

As to training (as opposed to housetraining), a group class with
a good trainer is important. Ask around - the owners of well-
behaved dogs are a particularly good source of information.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

I planned on getting a crate (36") I just don't know
exactly where to place it in my home. I had initially
thought downstairs, but from what I have read they claim it
should go in the living area. I'm a little confused there.

36" is a little large for a Whippet - the next size down would
be easier to move.

Initially, I like to start with the crate in my bedroom where
the new dog can be nearby at night - it's a good time for
bonding even though we're all asleep and I know when she needs
to go outside. I tend to start house freedom with my dogs at
night in the bedroom, so the crate gets moved to my living room
(where it makes a good end table) or the kitchen. At this
stage, the door is usually left open.

You want the crate in a busy part of your house so that your new
dog can get used to the hustle and bustle and so that you don't
forget that he's only in there for the times you can't
supervise.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.