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[Maxy24]

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_els View Post
Valentines of poop!

I woke-up this morning and there was no pee anywhere. I've been taking them out every two hours. On top of that, they're telling me when they need to go. They make a whine, different from their other whines, and they start looking anxious. I scoop-up the pup and run out the door and voila! Poop!

i would not scoop up and run - are you going to carry them all the time?

I think it is good to scoop up the pup when he is about to go, if you walk him out he can still stop squat and pee, eventually he will not pick them up, but for now it is the right thing to do. Congratulations jason! I'm glad things are progressing nicely.

[jason_els]

Thanks Maxy! I've got my fingers crossed.

As of yesterday I've managed to convince both of them to follow me to and from their scheduled breaks by bribing them with treats. Boomer gets distracted much more easily than Tweeter so sometimes I still scoop him. About the only time I'm doing it now is for unexpected need breaks.

Today we did the first morning run and both pooped! I hope this means I'm getting them synchronized.

[Doberluv]

Better than bribing would be to entice them in another way, a playful voice, running the other way from them, patting your thigh and THEN when they come along, rewarding them with a tasty treat which you have hidden in your pocket. Don't bribe...(hold out the treat BEFORE they give you the behavior you want) or that will become part of your cue where by they become dependent on your showing them a treat first. Until they become reliable with coming along with you by enticement, don't use a cue such as, "come" or "let's go." Wait until they come by encouragement and they do it regularily, then start attaching the cue words, "let's go" with the behavior, not before. Get that sunken in that those words are tied with the behavior. Eventually, you'll be able to use the cue word before hand and they'll come along to you. Then reward with a treat/praise. Fade out the playful antics as your cue words take hold. Much later, you'll be able to put it on a variable reward schedule where they don't get a treat every single time. But for now, while they're so young and still learning this "skill," keep rewarding them a lot, every time to get it solid. You'll want to get a good, reliable recall on them and this is a good way to start. Show them to walk alongside you too, by patting your leg, encouraging them. It will make it easier when you use a leash if they already find it rewarding to walk next to you. Reinforce very frequently as they take a couple more steps along side you. Good luck.

edit: I forgot to mention...be sure that when you reward them for compliance, that you do so within 3 seconds of the behavior. The closer to simultaneous as you can get, the better. After 3 seconds, they're onto something else and that is what you'll be reinforcing, not the behavior you were targetting.

[jason_els]

...entice them in another way, a playful voice, running the other way from them, patting your thigh and THEN when they come along

I do that too, usually just to get them in the house. As I'm reading the books I'm being very conscious of facing my body and feet away from them as part of the enticement. They come in, get a treat for that then get a treat for coming into their room and going into their crates. I try to treat them every time I ask them to go into their crates. I want to make them happy places with lots of good things.