A 15-foot longline looks like a leash, but is used in a very different way. Your longline must differ in type, color and style than your leash, so that your dog recognizes the difference and responds accordingly. The concept of the longline is to guide your dog without having to touch him. The longline is used both in the house and outdoors, making it the perfect tool to establish your leadership with your puppy or older dog. The more you can control your dog with just your voice and signs, the better and stronger your command will become. When your puppy is out of his crate, he must always be on the longline as this will make him follow you everywhere in the house. Don’t pull on the longline unless you want to guide him. When he runs on the opposite side from you, don’t move. Instead, wait until the dog comes back to you when he reaches the end because he can’t go any further. Another advantage of the longline is that it helps you teach basic commands (e.g. “come here”) to your animal. When you say a command you can slightly pull on thislongline to lead him toward you. Your dog will soon understand that when you say those words, he needs to come to you, and you, in turn, show your dog that this behavior makes you happy. This will demonstrate to the dog that you are the one incharge. All family members must do this in order to establish their leadership over the dog.
First and foremost: the crate is not a jail! For a dog, the crate is a haven, a safe place to relax. Moreover, a crate reassures owners that their pet is not doing something naughty or destructive. The crate must be more than a mere stall. It must be the right the size for your dog and have a roof. Being used to a crate makes it easier on your dog when you leave for work. They figure out that you will be gone for some time, so they can just relax and wait. It won’t be easy at first when you start crate training a puppy. Your canine friend will probably bark repeatedly in order to be let out. The key is to simply ignore the barking. If you don’t, it will last even longer the next time. Crate time must become synonymous with quiet time.
When your puppy gets home to your house he is already housetrained because his mother has already taught him that there is a specific location for the bathroom. You must show your pup where that location is in your home. A pee pad comes in very handy as it represents a specific location identified by a particular color, which helps the dog realize exactly where he is supposed to go. On average, it takes three days to get your dog to fully understand the pee pad. At this stage, it is not recommended to start going outside yet. Your dog needs to fully grasp that you have the control over when and where he goes to the bathroom. That is part of the leadership you need to show your animal. When your dog reaches three months, you can start teach him to go outside. You can make his own bathroom somewhere in your backyard with small rocks. In time, this will become the single location where he does his business, which means you won’t have to pick up anywhere else on your lawn.
