Adopted a 2 and a half year old frenchie

[Claremini97]

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Hi there. We pick up our 2 and a half year old frenchie Friday, any tips for training please

 

[JoanneF]

At two and a half, he or she will probably have a bit of training but is there anything specific you want him or her to do?

 

[Claremini97]

Hi Joanne. She is a sweet dog but can't do the basics like sit or stay she does come though. I have a terrier who is very stubborn so just want my fenchie to be able to do the basics like sit, come, stay, wait etc, does training still appply the same for an older dog how you would train a puppy? I've never adopted before but I used positive reinforcement training with my terrier do you think this will work for an older dog?

 

[JoanneF]

Yes, no reason why not. You can teach an old dog new tricks. My 7 year old has just learned to close doors on cue (pushing shut, pulling them shut is a completely different skill and we start work on that soon). Have a look on YouTube for Kikopup who has som awesome training tips.

 

[Josie]

welcome @Claremini97 - how exciting! make sure you post lots of photos

I agree with @JoanneF - it's never too late to teach a dog new things! Positive reinforcement all the way. If she's food oriented then that's a great start because she will want to receive her treat when she does the correct command

 

[arealhuman]

Welcome! I echo what's already been said from my own limited experience. Don't forget some photos!

 

[Claremini97]

Thanks guys. She's an see frenchie and already it looks like she's not housetrained so I'm going to crate her tomorrow to get her clean will it work for an older dog?

 

[Violet Turner]

Thanks guys. She's an see frenchie and already it looks like she's not housetrained so I'm going to crate her tomorrow to get her clean will it work for an older dog?

Yeah always! use puppy pads if you need to.

 

[JoanneF]

I hate puppy pads. All they do is give mixed messages about whether indoor toileting is allowed or not. If you had seen as many posts as I have about dogs weeing on soft furnishings because these resemble a puppy pad, you would demand a warning sign on them.

A crate is a tool for helping with toilet training but it is only a tool, not a substitute for training. It works on the basis that the dog will prefer not to soil the crate but especially for puppies (I accept this dog is older but for anyone else reading) regular visits outside with huge praise and reward when they toilet outdoors is the actual training.

Toilet training happens when two things come together - the ABILITY to hold the toilet, along with the DESIRE to hold it in order to earn the reward for doing so.

Ideally you want her to not be in a position where she needs to toilet before you have her outdoors, so that every toilet is outside - as far as possible, there will be accidents! So set her up to succeed by taking her out even more than she needs; for example every hour and always after sleeping, eating, playing. When she toilets outdoors make a huge fuss (never mind the neighbours, act like outdoor toileting is the best thing you have ever seen) and reward her with a high value treat. Do that immediately, don't make her come to you for the treat so she is clear that it's for toileting and not for coming to you. The idea is that she wants to earn the treat enough to hold the toilet until she is outside. If she has an accident inside don't react at all. If you get annoyed she may learn to fear your reaction and avoid you if she needs to toilet - the opposite of what you want. As she is actually performing the toilet you can introduce words she can associate with it (like 'do weewee' and 'busy busy') that later when she is reliably trained you can use these to tell her when you want her to toilet.

Indoors if you see her circling or scratching the floor, that can sometimes precede toileting so get her out fast.

 

[Claremini97]

Yeah always! use puppy pads if you need to.

Hi Violet I tried puppy pads with my terrier who loved to hear them up so I don't think.ill try that again. But I have got a toilet Matt for on our balcony in our other place which is a flat I could try that?

 

[Violet Turner]

Hi Violet I tried puppy pads with my terrier who loved to hear them up so I don't think.ill try that again. But I have got a toilet Matt for on our balcony in our other place which is a flat I could try that?

yeah what i say is try try and try its not going to be a miracle overnight, its probably going to take well up to 2 months at a min but every dog is different.
http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/360-housetraining-for-adults

 

[JoanneF]

OP do you mind if we ask @Josie to amalgamate your two threads with the same name to avoid confusion?

 

[JoanneF]

I don't want to crate her really but I think it's the best way?

If she is already crate trained it might help (but see my post #9 above about using crates to help with training). But if she is not already crate trained she may find it distressing. Remember a crate is not a magic wand for toilet training so if she hasn't been crate trained already, why add to the stress by doing two things at once? She will have to unlearn about indoor toilet as well as learn about outdoor ones so expect it to take longer than normal. Try not to let her have any urine in her bladder so she has no need to toilet indoors - that means taking her out a lot, more than she needs, and stay with her so that when she toilets outside you can make it rain chicken or sausage.

 

[Claremini97]

Thank you that's great advice. She's doing really well so far only had one accident indoors. I'm not creating her for long, but keeping a close eye on her and watching the signs but strangely she's not a big drinker so doesn't need to urinate alot? The main issue we are having is that she clearly hates being in the crate at night so I put her in and she is quiet for a bit then cries and howls and barks for about 1 minute then goes quiet again for a while and repeats this throughout the night, we've had her a week now and it's not improving. Its not awful and continuous but it is frustrating as she happily goes into the crate during the day of her own accord and will sleep in there too. So we are sticking at it we don't go in to her at all but it's starting to annoy the neighbours! Any advice?

 

[Violet Turner]

Thank you that's great advice. She's doing really well so far only had one accident indoors. I'm not creating her for long, but keeping a close eye on her and watching the signs but strangely she's not a big drinker so doesn't need to urinate alot? The main issue we are having is that she clearly hates being in the crate at night so I put her in and she is quiet for a bit then cries and howls and barks for about 1 minute then goes quiet again for a while and repeats this throughout the night, we've had her a week now and it's not improving. Its not awful and continuous but it is frustrating as she happily goes into the crate during the day of her own accord and will sleep in there too. So we are sticking at it we don't go in to her at all but it's starting to annoy the neighbours! Any advice?

just get her used to the crate

 

[Claremini97]

Are we doing right by leaving her when she cries?

 

[Violet Turner]

Are we doing right by leaving her when she cries?

yes you could be right, when she cries she may want attention

 

[JoanneF]

Are we doing right by leaving her when she cries?

I would say no. She has just left the home and the 'rules' she knows so she is likely confused and upset. Leaving her distressed in a crate is adding to the anxiety she already will be feeling. You want to make the crate her safe place, her den, her happy place. She won't feel that way if she gets upset in it.

Don't rush the crate, make it a fun place. Don't close the door until she is happy in there. Put a t shirt you have worn in the crate with her toys and bed. Only ever use the crate for good things, never punishment. If she cries you are going too fast. At night particularly it's a good idea to have her crate in your room to start with so she knows you are close by. You can put a hand down to stroke and comfort her if she gets distressed. Please don't ignore her, you wouldn't ignore a crying child and leave her in an empty room.Comforting her when she is distressed is fine and will strengthen your bond. Unfortunately many people make the mistake of allowing a dog or puppy to cry in the hope that they grow out of it, when actually all they have done is cement in the dog's mind that being left in the crate (or alone, or whatever is causing the crying) is indeed a terrible thing, and for many dogs this fear becomes a learned habit.

If you do choose to use it overnight in your room, gradually you can start moving the crate away to outside the bedroom door, near the room you want her to sleep in, and eventually into that room.

This is a very good guide to crate training -

Crate Training - Step By Step Guide to A Distress Free, Force Free Crate Trained Dog or Pup by Emma Judson

 

[JudyN]

I second JoanneF's advice - have her crate in your room at night. Depending on how house training is going you could even try her on her own bed but uncrated in your bedroom - you may need to remove her from your bed and put her back on hers a few times though. And you may also need to take her out in the middle of the night - if you're lucky she'll whimper or give other signs that she needs to go.