[Katanga]

inthesquare

the pen is like a sturdy wire frame which collapses but you put together as a square/rectangle of about 3 feet by 4 feet. The frame has a door on one side. It's open at the top.

Some people would use a crate.

This is temporary for puppies until they are toilet trained and house trained.

Think of the pen to be no different from what you see the pets in a pet shop in - only bigger.

Phooey ; you are right about it being a sensitive area, hence a firm tap with a finger (not a punch :-))

thanks

[inthesquare]

Katangu, thanks for that info! I wonder if I could use a simular cage when my hubby is being naughty

[Katanga]

easier one for that...deprive him of his carnal desires i.e. a kind of "time out"

[thewongs]

I am just going to throw my two cents in here.. a 3 by 4 pen seems way too big for a King Charles pup based on my assumption that you are leaving your dog alone in that area while you aren't there. It's a good little area to for the pup to play in but it's a lot of room if you don't want it to use it as a bathroom. Also, a crate/playpen shouldn't be used as punishment as you want the pup to like the area and not put up a fight each time you put him/her in it. This is a common long term result of that. Using low guttural no and an angry voice can let a dog know that they have done something wrong.

[Katanga]

Absolutely agree with you on the size of the pen. We just reduced the size a little bit so that the room between the bed and the toileting tray is less and he is hitting the spot more.

Secondly, we are trying to make him "like" the pen by ensuring that he does not simply get to come out by barking. At the same time we play with him and leave the pen open and when he is tired he runs into his pen and onto the bed for some rest.

The stern No and "out!!" seems to work when he does something he is not supposed to or when he goes into a room he is not supposed to go to.

Real shame that the "NO" doesn't work for the shitting and peeing.

[larac]

thewongs are right about the gutteral sound. I heard that it is the kind of sound the mother dog would use and that is why they listen. Have you ever been to a zoo and heard the elephant trainers use a language all of their own to speak to the elephants? It is so they only respond to their trainers. If you growl rather than using the word 'no' then the pup will respond to you better and much like always using its name at the beginning of commands it knows that that sound is just for him and not part of your normal language.

[ingenue]

so i know i'm late to the party, but i wanted to add my two cents! hope you're still enjoying your new puppy...congratulations. reading the posts about doggy training really made me miss my own dog...had to leave her in Singapore with my parents as i thought she'd have a better quality of life there, with people around all the time and a nice big house with yard to run around in.

just a quick tip food-wise, i know you know about the whole dry dog food only/no food off the table rule...but another really important thing to remember is to make sure meal times are scheduled and that the pup is given an allocated time to finish its food. you mentioned that the puppy is starting to take its time to eat (grazing), and that's not good, as you won't be able to tell if it ever falls ill (loss of appetite is a really good indication usually of illness or emotional trauma).

what i did - and have my parents stick to even now - was to feed her at a fixed time each day (once or twice, depending on what works better), and to remove the bowl after a half hour, regardless of whether or not food is finished. very quickly, the dog learns that if it doesn't eat on schedule, it will have to wait till its next mealtime to do so. sounds cruel to have the dog "starve" for hours, but it really isn't. dogs are like children: they NEED schedules and routine in order to learn good behaviors, and it gives them a sense of stability.

[Felissa]

A few things about your new puppy. To help break the nibbling habbit there are two things I woudl do first yelp if the little one tries nibblign on your body parts. Its what another dog would do and help the pup learn not to do that. Another thing to try is when the pup nibbles on somethign it shouldn't you can give it baby carrots or a piece of carrot the legnth of your pinky finger to chew on. It will not be bad for their tummy, great for eyes and skin, and a fun healthy treat. Some people even say frozen bagels are a great teething treat and takes a while for those little teeth to chew through. Of course chew toys and dolls and ropes are a big must to keep your little one entertained.

About the whole no human food thing. No human food from the table or you will have a beggar on your hands. But human food used as a training device be it tiny little bits of cooked chicken or meat (no pork because of their tummies) or bits of cheese the dog does not know it is the same food you eat even if you put a piece in your mouth when training. It is also healthier then about 90% of the dog treat on the market. As long as you don't feed from the table or put the special treat in the bowl you should not create a picky eater with these treats. You can even use the Cereal Cherios as a training treat if you little one will eat them. When my baby was little I used a toodler cereal so that my friends human babies could give her treats to expose her to little ones and if the treat went into the baby's mouth instead of the dog's the mothers didn't mind.

Oh and little dogs are very manipulative! I am shocked to hear that your baby has not found its way into your bed.