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No, this is not about Kitty Boot Camp!

If training your cat to sit, stay and heel is your goal, perhaps you should get a dog. If training your cat to adroitly perch himself over your toilet to do his business is your goal, perhaps this article is not for you either. This article is for all of us who would be happy training our cats to just use the litter box instead of our comforter, closet or shoes. This is for owners who would be happy training their cat to use a scratching post instead of the stereo speakers. If you’re like me, you admire your cat for being a cat and you want him to behave as nothing other than a cat, but a well-behaved one.

Before we start training our cats to do something or to stop doing something, we need to look at how cats learn. They don’t understand English, they can’t read books or attend lectures. They learn by experience. If the experience is good, they will try to repeat it. If the experience is unpleasant, they will try to avoid it in the future. They enjoy raking the furniture with their claws, so they continue to do it. But it’s quite a shock when they stick their nose in a candle flame, so they won’t do that again.

The key to training is to make sure that whatever you want your cat to do is exceedingly rewarding and pleasurable. Whatever you don’t want your cat to indulge in must never be rewarding or fun, in fact, it must be unpleasant.

Sometimes we unintentionally reward our cats for obnoxious behavior. A common complaint is that the cat pounces on the owner at five in the morning, meowing up a storm and generally being a pest. What do the owners do? They get up and feed the cat, play with him or let him outside. Kitty has learned that his behavior gets him exactly what he wants. Read more on 5am activity. Read more on rambunctious behavior.

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Seperation Anxiety ( owner absent “misbehavior” )

Many dogs experience separation anxiety when left alone. They will often whine, bark, cry, howl, chew, dig, scratch at the door, soil the house or destroy your home and yard. We often unintentionally train our dogs to behave this way because whenever they throw this kind of tantrum when we leave, we quickly come back to reassure them, give them attention or even a bone or biscuit. If you do this, your dog will soon learn that he can control you with emotional blackmail.

Long, drawn-out farewells can create separation anxiety problems by first exciting your dog and then making the isolation more obvious when you’re gone. Just when he gets all worked up and ready to play, suddenly you disappear. With all this energy, your dog will either try his best to get you to come back or he will have to vent his energy in some other way. Since he can’t build model airplanes or invite his buddies over for a hand of poker, he does doggy things - like chew, dig and bark.

Perhaps it is not separation anxiety after all! We often think our dog is destructive because he is angry and spiteful that we left him, but he could actually be just trying to have some fun since there is nothing else to do. He may be relieved to be able to do those things he normally can’t do when you’re home. He may be thinking, “Thank goodness the owner is finally leaving! Now I can chase the cat, dig up the tomatoes, get in the trash, and bark at the neighbors. They never let me do those things when they’re home.”

Some dogs with separation anxiety are stressed, nervous and insecure when they are left alone. They express this nervous energy in typical dog fashion - chewing, digging, barking and house soiling.

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Whining, Howling, Barking and Other Dog and Puppy Vocalizations

Whining, crying, barking, and howling often result when a dog is left alone. Puppies will whine and cry when separated from their owners. The puppy is afraid he is being abandoned by his pack and is sounding the alarm so that he can be rescued. The reason excessive whining continues is because the dog has learned that whining, crying or barking gets whatever he wants - attention, food, affection. Often what starts out as a demand whining soon becomes an unconscious whining habit.

To prevent an annoying whining habit, teach your dog to accept short periods of confinement before leaving him alone for long periods of time. Spend time with your dog in the area where he is left and show him that this is a fun place to be. If he starts whining or howling when you leave, don’t rush back to let him out or reassure him. If you do, he will soon learn that he can control you with his whining blackmail. However, if barking, whining or howling continues then he probably is not yet comfortable in his confinement area. Spend a little more time with him there. Then when you leave, it he continues barking, whining or howling, give him a loud and stern ‘NO!’ After he has been quiet for a few moments, return and praise him lavishly. Practice leaving and returning several times so he becomes accustomed to your departures and realizes that you are not abandoning him forever. He will see that you will return and there’s nothing to worry about. Practice leaving him for longer and longer periods of time.

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Wow. It’s been a whole week with my new Mommy and Daddy.  I’ve learned a lot!!

I learned how to go up these things they call stairs on my second day here, Mommy went up them, and I didn’t want to be left behind, I miss her so much when she goes away from me! I was so proud of myself and Mommy and Daddy praised me and patted and kissed  and hugged me lots and lots.  I really like that and it makes me want to do things they like even more!

I still needed to be carried DOWN the stairs, that was scary to me, and DOWN is much harder than UP.

I learned that when someone says “Out!” I should leave the kitchen.

I wasn’t being very good at coming when called, but once they made me go potty when I was leashed, I got the hang of it, and I now know that “come” or “come here” doesn’t mean that my fun is going to end. Once I’ve done my numbers, Mommy or Daddy run around with me (on leash) and we have a great time, but potty comes first.

I do hate it when they leave though, partly because I miss them so much, and I still don’t feel certain they’re coming back, and partly because they lock me in my crate, so I won’t get into trouble and pee or stuff. I guess they have to, but I don’t like it very much, and I whine and howl.

Yesterday though, I wanted to see Mommy so badly that I made myself learn how to go down the stairs, it was very scary, and I REALLY had to concentrate (Mommy says the little frowny wrinkles I make in my forehead when I do it are cute), but I did it! And I’ve done it lots since.

I’m having a lot of fun with the family, and the other dog is being a lot nicer to me now that she’s getting used to having me around. No luck with the cat yet though, but I’m being my most polite and charming. Except when I bark at her, but that’s only because I want to play. She’s weird.

They had to put up a thing they call a child gate to stop me barging through the door and going wherever I want, but I’m smarter than that – I figured out how to move it aside so I could still go. But when Mommy says “ah ah!!!” I usually listen.

This week has been fun, I’m really liking it here!

p.s.  Remember how I said I was going to try and make Mommy and Daddy cave and let me sleep with them? Well, on my third night here, they let me and I’ve been sleeping with them ever since. Howling to go potty every hour on the hour that second night seemed to really do the trick!

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Training Puppy to Accept a Collar

Young pups are often bewildered or unsure of themselves and their newly acquired leash and collar. It usually takes only a few hours for a pup or even an adult dog to adjust to a collar. Choose a collar that fits comfortably but securely. Choke collars are a training aid and should never be used as a substitute for a regular buckle type collar. The collar should have an identification tag and license attached.

Simply put the collar on the dog and let him jump, squirm, roll and paw at it if he wishes. Don’t encourage the behavior by laughing or trying to soothe him. Do not reprimand him either. It’s best to just ignore him and let him get used to it or provide some distraction to get his mind off the collar. Play, training and eating work well to get the pup’s mind off the collar. Once the dog accepts it, he won’t even know it’s there. It’s similar to a person getting used to wearing a ring or watch for the first time.

Training Puppy to Accept a Leash

Once your pup accepts the collar, put his leash on and then just sit and watch. Obviously, do this indoors or in a secure confined area. Let puppy drag the leash around on his own but keep a close eye on him so that he doesn’t tangle or get hurt. Leave it on for just a few minutes at first. Later, repeat the exercise for longer periods of time. Put your pup on leash during mealtimes, so he associates the leash with a pleasant event. If he is very fearful of the leash, you may want to put it next to the food bowl for a while before attaching it to his collar. Eventually he will see that no harm is coming and there indeed is nothing to be afraid of.

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Biting is most common in young puppies and new dogs
in the household especially in play and while teething. It’s up to you to teach your puppy or dog what is acceptable and what is not. Most dogs and puppies are generally loving, sweet, adorable, affectionate and wonderful 99% of the time. Only 1% of the time does something specific happen that makes the dog bite. This article will discuss the causes of biting and what you can do to prevent your dog from biting.

Socialization Prevents Biting
By allowing your puppy to socialize with other puppies and socialized dogs they can pick up where they left off. Puppies need to roll, tumble and play with each other. When they play, they bite each other everywhere and anywhere. This is where they learn to inhibit their biting. This is where they learn to control themselves. If they are too rough or rambunctious, they will find out because of how the other dogs and puppies react and interact with them. This is something that happens naturally and it is something we cannot accomplish. It can only be learned from trial and error. There is nothing you can say or do to educate them in this realm. They must learn from their own experience. 

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What To Expect When House Training

Unless you can monitor your puppy 24 hours a day, don’t expect the house training process to be completed until your puppy is at least 6 months old. It’s normal for a young puppy to be a little ‘input-output’ machine. Since puppies are growing and developing rapidly at this stage, they eat more food, burn up more energy and seem to need to eliminate constantly! They also have not yet developed bowel and bladder control, so they can’t ‘hold it’ as long as adult dogs.

House Training When You Are NOT Home

Confine your puppy to a small, ‘puppy-proofed’ room and paper the entire floor. Put his bed, toys and food/water bowls there. At first there will be no rhyme or reason to where your pup eliminates. He will go every where and any where. He will also probably play with the papers, chew on them, and drag them around his little den. Most puppies do this and you just have to live with it. Don’t get upset; just accept it as life with a young puppy. The important thing is that when you get home, clean up the mess and lay down fresh papers.

Passive House Training or Paper Training

While your puppy is confined, he is developing a habit of eliminating on paper because no matter where he goes, it will be on paper. As time goes on, he will start to show a preferred place to do his business. When this place is well established and the rest of the papers remain clean all day, then gradually reduce the area that is papered. Start removing the paper that is furthest away from his chosen location. Eventually you will only need to leave a few sheets down in that area only. If he ever misses the paper, then you’ve reduced the area too soon. Go back to papering a larger area or even the entire room. Once your puppy is reliably going only on the papers you’ve left, then you can slowly and gradually move his papers to a location of your choice. Move the papers only an inch a day. If puppy misses the paper again, then you’re moving too fast. Go back a few steps and start over. Don’t be discouraged if your puppy seems to be making remarkable progress and then suddenly you have to return to papering the entire room. This is normal. There will always be minor set-backs. If you stick with this procedure, your puppy will be paper trained.

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When your puppy comes home, it is important
to be prepared for many training opportunities …

Puppy training basics during the first week the puppy is home is critical. It is obvious that you need certain physical items such as a dog bed or crate, food and water bowls, puppy chow, collar, leash, toys, etc. Equally as important, all family members must decide and agree on routine, responsibility and rules.

The first few days are extremely important. Enthusiasm and emotions are up. Everyone wants to feed the puppy, play with the puppy and hold the puppy. Pre-established rules are easily broken. Everyone agreed that puppy will sleep in her crate but as soon as she’s home, someone melts and insists that puppy will sleep in bed. Everyone previously agreed not to let puppy jump up on them, but in the excitement, no one even notices that puppy is jumping up. No one sleeps the first night. Puppy wins and gets to sleep in bed. The next morning we find puppy has eliminated all over the bed. So the following night puppy is banned to her crate and screams all night. No one sleeps tonight either.

Grouchiness sets in; enthusiasm is down. No one wants to get up at the pre-agreed upon early morning feeding time. How are we going to housetrain puppy? How are we going to sleep with her constant whining?

Your new puppy has just been taken away from her mom and littermates. She is vulnerable and impressionable. What she needs now is security and routine. Set up a small room to be her very own special haven for the next couple of months. Paper the entire floor and put her food/water bowls and bed in one corner. Scatter her toys everywhere.

Play with her quietly and gently. Don’t flood her with attention and activity. If she looks like she wants to sleep, leave her alone. Puppies need lots of sleep.

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