Dog Community

Where do I start?

Posted : 4/9/2007 5:56:27 PM

Some of you may have heard me talk about Fritz before (my aunt's Yorkie). Well, my aunt got another puppy (a female Yorkie named Hazel), and they are just bad. She and my mom have been talking, and they agreed to let me keep Fritz for several weeks to train him. If that goes well, I can train Hazel. If that goes well, I can get a second dog (maybe). I guess this is gonna happen over the summer, so I have time to prepare.

Fritz is about 5 pounds (one of those so-called "teacup" dogs) and has had no training whatsoever. He's so small and sick that he can't be neutered. He tends to be dog aggressive sometimes, so it might not work out, considering I have Riley. My aunt plans to take him to a professional training session before I take him. Do you think that maybe he should go after I take him? Well, when and if this all happens, and the dogs all get along, I was wondering what I should cover with him first. "Sit", maybe? This is just going to be basic obedience.

Sit
Lie Down
Come
Stay
Heel/leash walking (on a harness, since he's so tiny)
Excessive barking (I obviously don't want to teach him that, I want to train him not to [])
Leave it
Drop it

Is there anything else? Do you think that maybe this whole thing is a bad idea?

The one on the left is Fritz and the one on the right is Hazel.

spiritdogs

Posted : 4/9/2007 6:23:27 PM

They are both cute as a button. Here's a site that can get you started:
www.clickerlessons.com

Jewlieee

Posted : 4/9/2007 7:01:33 PM

Add "leave it" and "drop it" to your list.

You want your dog to drop things out of his/her mouth that could be dangerous - and puppies investigate *everything* with their mouths. Leave it will allow you to tell him to not take something. Drop it will allow you to get him to drop things that he already has. This comes in handy with fetch too.

Those pups are so cute!

Cita

Posted : 4/9/2007 7:25:36 PM

Why is he sick? He shouldn't be going to classes if he isn't well. Has he seen a vet? The size shouldn't be an issue for neutering - if vets can neuter rats, they can neuter small dogs. Really oughta clear up his health problems before focusing too much on his behavioral ones, though.

They are very sweet looking dogs.

janet_rose

Posted : 4/9/2007 8:27:35 PM

This book may help:

Wood, Deborah[font=verdana][size=3], Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion, 5/2004
[linkhttp://tinyurl.com/6ffqd]http://tinyurl.com/6ffqd[/link][/size][/font]

Chuffy

Posted : 4/10/2007 9:23:23 AM

I think the first thing you need to cover is his relationship with YOU - No relationship = crappy training. Handfeed him his meals for a while. And then after that it depends what training method you use..... ????? Clicker training?

cairnterriers

Posted : 4/10/2007 6:01:42 PM

ORIGINAL: Cita

Why is he sick? He shouldn't be going to classes if he isn't well. Has he seen a vet? The size shouldn't be an issue for neutering - if vets can neuter rats, they can neuter small dogs. Really oughta clear up his health problems before focusing too much on his behavioral ones, though.

They are very sweet looking dogs.

Thanks! No, I didn't mean that he's sick. Well he is, but it's not contagious. Does that matter? My aunt has had him for a long time now and he goes to the vet all the time, so I don't know what's wrong exactly. Maybe I'll discuss it more with her later. Oh, and thank you all for your help!