New to Puppy Questions

[Pavlov]

Hello everyone. Two weeks ago I adopted an almost 5-month-old bc puppy. I don't have much experience with either puppies or border collies, so I'm never sure if some issues are breed/age specific or signs of actual problems.

 

I got him from a family who liked the idea of dogs but found they weren't able to deal with the time and energy a dog requires. They did their best and I feel very bad for them. On the other hand, I lucked out. They had treated him well, worked hard, and even brought in a private trainer to work with him. He's the best tempered dog I've ever seen (loves people, plays with other dogs, has no problems with loud noises, cars, bicycles, storm drains...).

 

1. Housebreaking is an issue. He knows to relieve himself outside and is fine overnight or when tied up, but if he's left free he often pees inside the house. It's not related to being excited or scared, and it's not in a consistant location. Is this just because of his age? For now I take him out every hour (he always pees promptly when we go out but still will sometimes pee inside ten minutes later) and try to tie him up when I'm not directly interacting with him.

 

2. We do short training sessions at least once or twice a day. For now I'm focusing on the basics (sit, lay down, shake, and if he's doing well, crawling) and trying to get him to be consistent before moving on. I can see him trying to work through unfamiliar commands, but he doesn't always do the ones he knows perfectly well. Again, is it that he is a puppy and can't pay attention that well or am I doing something wrong?

 

Thanks

[gcv-border]

Congratulations on your new friend! We like to see pictures here on new pups and dogs.

 

Please take advantage of the search function in the top right of the page. This is an excellent way to move you up the learning curve very rapidly.

 

Housebreaking: Probably partly puppy and partly you. The puppy's bladder has to mature to the point where s/he can have a certain level of control over it. For my pup, it seemed to have happened ~ 5.5 months. Others may differ. If he is still having accidents, you are not watching him closely enough. You can either put him in a crate when you come back in and take him out in 15 minutes again to see if he will pee again - or you could tether him to you so he won't sneak off to pee. Just remember to keep taking him outside at regular intervals and continue his potty training. His behavior tells you that he is not yet old enough to be free. I bet it will be soon.

 

Training: Just a puppy thing. Remember, they are just like young children - short attention spans, forgetful at times, and easily distracted. Just keep being consistent and patient. Also, don't be afraid to challenge him with something a little bit harder. He doesn't have to have the 'easy' commands at 100% before trying to learn something new. (But you should keep working on the easy stuff in short, but fun sessions until he is consistent.) Because they can be so smart, BCs can become bored if drilled too much. Keep it interesting by changing it up once in a while.

[teresaserrano]

I'll say a couple of things about question #2.

 

First, dogs don't generalize that well. so, just because he understands sit in your living room, doesn't mean he understands it in the kitchen or the yard, or the park, etc... Each comand must be trained in various different locations. Of course the last ones will be understood by the dog faster than the first ones, but never assume he knows a comand just because he usually does it in one specific place. I sometimes use the autistic child analogy: the parents thaught the kid, with some effort, to butter his toast. One day came when the child mastered buttering the toast. But he had no idea how to put jam on the toast. Dogs brains work in ways somewhat similar, or so Temple Grandin says.

 

Second, for a dog to truly really master a comand, as in doing it every time he's asked, no matter what, he needs lots and lots of practice. At 5 mo, your pup just doesn't have the required maturity and hasn't been practicing long enough to be very reliable. So yes, it's just because he's a puppy.

[RemsMom]

I treat puppies like small children. They are potty trained....except if something more interesting comes along. They are trained in basic commands....except if they are tired or there is something more interesting to focus on. Don't expect more of a puppy than you would expect of a very small child.

[Pavlov]

Thanks for the help. I had tried searching but didn't find issues quite like mine.

I see what you mean about not generalizing - he knows that I won't open the door to the house unless he's sitting calmly, though within the house he can be less consistent. As you said, I'll work with patience.

I'm also amazed at some of the things he picks up on his own. I had difficulty convincing him that it would be more fun to return a ball to me than to sit and chew it on his own. Then one day we were at the dog park and he watched another dog playing fetch for a few minutes. After the other dog left mine brought a ball to me and has been playing well since.

 

Here's a picture of him

[teresaserrano]

They do learn a lot by observing others.

Today I went to the park with a couple of friends and their 3 dogs. I brought along frisbees for everybody. My Tess came with an inbuilt retrieving sistem, from a young pup she fetches the object, brings it back and gives it in my hand, and she plays frisbee very well. But the other dogs where being introduced to it, and my friend was very excited when one of them brought the frisbee back and gave it to her. She said it was the first time ever he retrieved something. I think it was because he was watching Tess do it.

[CMP]

Congrats! It does sound like you lucked out

 

Yeah, as others have said, at this age it's more about you than the dog in terms of potty training. Just keep your eye on him, watch for the signs, don't let him alone in the house unti it's proofed - the fewer failures, the better. Some people find it helps to make sure a word for pee and poop is added to the dog's command set so that (a) you have a name to help him understand what you want (especially if not at home) and ( you have a name to help him understand what you don't want inside the house.

 

At 5.5 months he's like a child - sometimes he will choose to obey commands, sometimes they will truly be confused in his mind, sometimes they will not even register and other times he will choose to do the more fun thing ... just because it's more fun.

 

Sounds like you're doing great!