Notes: Day 5 – Bad Dog Agility Academy

Notes: Day 5

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  • gacwofva@aol.com says:
    April 28, 2020 at 5:03 pm

    I am not familiar with a paw pad nor a flat balance disk. What is their purpose? I do know what a wobble board is and I thought we were supposed to avoid those til the pup was older.

    • Sarah Baker says:
      April 29, 2020 at 1:09 am

      There are all sorts of shapes and sizes of balance equipment. Paw pods are about the size of my hand, a “flat” balance disk is just a larger disk that I let all the air out of to make it easier at first. I definitely want to make sure my puppy will be safe and confident before putting them on unstable surfaces. Here is a web site if you want to see all the different conditioning equipment out there: https://fitpawsusa.com/

  • Lysa Olsen says:
    May 20, 2019 at 11:40 am

    Was interested in your counter-bite plan. My last land shark GSD pup is now 10 so I am familiar with alternative chews and crate rest but the 9 week Boston Terrier pup surprises me by getting even more amped to bite by the redirection. What has worked best for Skeptic?

    • Sarah Baker says:
      May 20, 2019 at 11:52 am

      We yelped, and if redirecting did not work we gave a time out. What kind of time out just depended upon different factors. Sometimes we would just stop playing, sometimes he was gently held until he stopped his full on attack tantrum, sometimes we crated him. Another thing to try is putting the puppy in a harness then on a tie down. Then it is easy to just take a step back to be out of their range.

  • Collene says:
    April 18, 2019 at 12:27 pm

    This isn’t really agility oriented – but please talk a little bit about how you managed Skeptic re: house-training. I’ve never had a puppy and am trying to understand how I will manage this part.

    In particular – it sounds like you crated him sometimes – how long in a crate before a bathroom break? How did you handle times you had to leave him alone – or is it necessary to have someone with the puppy semi-constantly? How did you handle overnight – did Skeptic go in the kennel with a closed door? Someone suggested leaving kennel door open but xPen confinement and then placing a small square of sod (in a container) in the enclosure as a bathroom spot.

    I know that any “accidents” my puppy will have will be due to my mis-management, so I am looking for any tips/info/description on things you did with Skeptic that lead to successful house-training and the minimum of “accidents”.

    • Jennifer says:
      April 18, 2019 at 3:06 pm

      Colleen, I have had three puppies housebroken in less than one month so I will share my experience 🙂

      1) The crate is critical to teaching puppy to “hold it” because they naturally want to keep the crate clean. Make sure the crate is appropriately sized (if it is over-sized they will potty in one area and sleep in another area).

      2) Small breed puppies often can’t hold it through the night so I usually set a timer to get up in the middle of the night and take them out for business. Make sure the middle of the night trip is “business only.” Don’t let it turn into playtime or make it too exciting. Just quick business and back into the crate.

      3) You need to be watchful of your puppy to avoid accidents. Sniffing the ground or sneaking off are usually signs that they need to go. Pick them up and take them outside.

      4) Puppies do have some predictable times that they need to potty. This would be immediately after waking up, 10-20 minutes after eating, and after play sessions.

      5) Always praise and reward puppy with yummy treats for potty outside!!

      6) I am not a fan of pee-pads or litterboxes for pups over 8 weeks old. I think this is confusing because the ultimate goal is for the puppy to do their business outside. How does the pup differentiate between a pee-pad and a rug? Indoor/outdoor is a much clearer delineation.

      • Sarah Baker says:
        April 18, 2019 at 7:46 pm

        Thank you! Those are all great tips!

      • Collene says:
        April 19, 2019 at 3:06 pm

        Thank you so much Jennifer! I am especially glad to get the info on the pee-pads/litterbox because, logically, this suggestion did not make sense to me, but it kept being suggested, so I was pretty confused.

        One followup – if you don’t mind: What is the best thing to do should you happen to catch the puppy starting to pee inside? Is just immediately picking them up and taking them outside without saying anything enough to communicate “no, not inside”?

        • Sarah Baker says:
          April 19, 2019 at 5:20 pm

          I just interrupt the puppy, say “outside” and take them out. I always praise my puppy when they go outside. I also begin to ask them if they have to go “outside” when I think they might have to go. They learn that word and start to go to the backdoor when they have to go potty. I also teach them a potty word so they can learn to go when I ask them to. Make sure to potty your puppy while on leash too or they might not want to potty while on leash.

    • Sarah Baker says:
      April 18, 2019 at 7:46 pm

      I agree with everything Jennifer said. Use a closed crate at night and when you cannot watch the puppy. When I had to leave Skeptic for longer than he could hold it I arranged for someone to let him out for me. Some puppies can hold it longer than others.He definitely slept in a closed crate at night. Right next to where I sleep to start with then moved across the room with the other dogs. Look for signs, sniffing, wandering away, losing focus, and after waking, playing, eating and drinking! Watching them closely is super important! We will limit water at night for some pups.

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