jones
Posted : 6/25/2006 8:43:34 PM
Congratulations on your new puppy!
Hm, you've had him for 4 hrs and he's not listening to commands... you're probably going to have to be a leeeetle more patient. [sm=rofl.gif] I highly doubt he even knows any commands yet - puppies aren't born with a knowledge of the English language. Just poking fun... an 8 week old puppy is still basically a baby. You can definitely start training immediately but don't expect too much. At this stage any obedience training you try should be in super short sessions of a couple of minutes each. Try to lure him into position (like "sit") and only give the command when he's doing it - then praise and reward. Remember, "no" is not really a command because it doesn't tell the dog to do anything in particular.
Along the same lines, proceed slowly with the crate. At first just praise and reward him for getting anywhere near it, sniffing it, eating a treat from the crate floor, etc. Lure him in with treats and praise him. Lure him in and shut the door for a microsecond before letting him out. Put delicious things in there so he'll think it's where the good treats are - a dab of peanut butter, a bit of cheese. Personally I don't think it's worth trying to crate such a young puppy the very first night, just keep practicing and try again tomorrow.
Grass is harmless as far as I know. As for the peeing, just encourage him to keep drinking water. Take him out to potty every half an hour or so. If by tomorrow he doesn't seem to be peeing enough - well you probably have his first vet appt very soon anyway so mention it to the vet then.