How should I train my puppy? I have a lot of questions about training my Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy. I've recently been looking into clicker training and crate training but I'm not sure if those ways are the right ways to go about training my puppy. She's not here yet, I'm just planning ahead. Please suggest some methods on training as well as tips! Thanks in advance!


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
The first training should be socialization with people and dogs. Obedience training should come secondary. Also learn to establish yourself as the pack leader and set up rules, boundaries, and limitation. This will help keep your dog balanced and learn to follow your commands as it grows. You should also learn how to correct puppies as its mother would. There are videos online specifically for training puppies.


Asker's Comment:
Thanks :D There were good answers that really helped me decide in which direction I should go. I've decided not to use clicker training until later when I train in obedience.

How to stop my dog from barking at kids? My dog, Rosie, is about 8 months old. Labrador/Collie cross.

She's very gentle with us in the house, and there are a lot of kids in my house. She doesn't bite nor does she bark them. She's well trained (inside the house), except for when the doorbell rings and she goes mental!

Everyday I collect my little sisters from school at 3pm, so I used to bring Rosie up with me to let my sisters friends meet her etc. I stopped however because of the following reason.

When she would see a person she doesn't know, she will bark sooo much at them. It scares me even. I say her name and tell her no in a stern voice and she'll look at me, sometimes she will stop but sometimes she doesn't.
If the kid pets her, she will snarl or nash her teeth at them.
I hate it! If a dog did that to me or my little sisters, I'd be pretty pisssed, so I understand that other parents and adults yell at me for it. I apologise etc and have stopped bringing her up.

My brother however brought her up today. They just got back and he said she snapped at a 2 year old.
We bring her for walks a lot in parks and try to get her to meet strangers, but dang, she will NOT attach herself to strangers.

I don't know what to do!
No doesn't work outside the house.
I try to tell her to sit when we come across people we don't know and I tell her to stay (all which she understands) and if she stays while the person walks past, I do that.
But if I don't, she'll be barking at them.

Not entirely sure how to stop this.
Any help would be amazing!!

Thank you very much :D


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Obviously you have a lot of work you have to do. The first thing you should do is to make sure you are the pack leader. You do this by taking her for long walks where she is beside or behind you. Remember this is not a time for her to be sniffing around or relieving herself. This is a training exercise. Make sure you make her keep her attention on you and not what is happening around her.

Before you try socializing her again with people, kids, etc. make sure she is drained of energy. Run her or walk her until she is exhausted. If she is tired she won't have the energy to fight, bite, bark, whatever to people outside. Eventually she will learn that people are not her enemy and they want to give affection when she is in a calm submissive state.

Also let people know that she is in training and not to pet her or give any acknowledgement to her unless you see she is in a calm submissive state.

Trying to tell a dog no when it is in a level ten hysteria will accomplish nothing. The dog doesn't even hear you. You have to learn to see the warning signs that she gives and correct the behavior before it escalates. Whach, her eyes, ears, tail.

I hope this helps

Is my chihuahua a CHIHUAHUA?
We got her from a proper breeder n has been with us for 7 months .I've read that chihuahuas are loyal to their owners and very affectionate ,by which she is way different. Every time we go for a walk,She turns into an angel,forgetting me and start running to strangers and get VERY affectionate giving them huge licks like i abused her. (which I never hitted her or other abuses).my mother mostly cares her more(bath,groom take her to vets etc,) yet she Hates my mum n tries to bite her whenever there's the opportunity.She has been trained on sit,stand,spin,paw,her name n is takes walks from me but she loves my dad alot who doesn't do much,She loves my dad then me and then mum which is strange as mum takes care of her alote,then me then dad o.O. annnnnnnnnd , whenever I'm sad ,she never comforts me.She avoids me and carry on hewing her thing.And whenever we try to put her harness on for walks,Her face gets wrinkly and tries to bite our fingers off...also,she occasionally bites our feet when we walk or suddenly dance :/

P.S shes a female ;p


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
The problem is that she is the pack leader and you are all subordinate to her. A follower never bites or disrespects the pack leader. The reason she likes your dad is because she doesn't have to discipline him as she does with you and your mom. She is praising his good behavior.

You have to establish yourself as the pack leader. The first step is to take her for a long walk with her beside or behind you. If she is in front she is the pack leader. Make sure it is a long walk that drains her energy. I tired dog is a trainable dog.

Do not give affection, food, water or anything positive unless she is in a calm submissive state. Give it at any other time is reenforcing the behavior at the time.

This is just a first step and I hope it helps

How to I teach my pitbull to be a guard dog? Okay I'll try to make this quick.
I have a 9 month old rednose pitbull and he is kinda a attack dog. I say kinda because if he hears the dog being knocked on he'll start barking and growling like crazy. But some stranger walked up to the dog and started petting and holding him and I just thought that sucked.
I got him in the first place to be protection for my family and so far it's not working out
How can I turn him into a attack/guard dog

Additional Details
To all the people who are calling me "ignorant" and a "bad pet owner" I'm not I want to know what type of community owns breeds of dogs. I work at my local dog shelter and I VOLUNTEER to help dogs. This is ABSOLOUTLEY a trick question, I don't even own any animals, but 1 cockateil.
I agree with MOST of the comments, why would anyone want to do this to one of the most mis-understood breeds is completly beyond me.
Now you guys can stop commenting crap about "me" and stop do all of this, I barely come on here and this question was to consume time, not an actual question.
Now have a good day :)


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Be happy that he alerts you when someone is at the door. If you are strong pack leader your dog will come to your aid if you are being attacked.


Asker's Comment:
The best answer and the only one that doesn't just run off and out the mouth. Most of the comments said you are ignorant and yada yada ya. They could have just said you're a bad pet owner and period. Then leave it alone, but they ran off.
Good Response :)

How to keep a dog from barking when someone rings the doorbell ?
Everytime someone comes and visits they ring the doorbell and she starts barking everytime i tell her ''no'' she wont stop any suggestionss??


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Set time aside for the training exercise, don't wait for someone to come to the door. Ring the doorbell yourself, when the dog comes running then stand in front of the door keeping her away from the door. Make her sit a set distance form the door and then open it. Do this training over and over again until it is a set behavior. Then get a friend to help by being the one to ring the doorbell and do the exercise over and over again. Eventually the dog will be conditioned to do this behavior when the doorbell is rung or knocked on. Another tip is to take the dog for a long walk before the training so she doesn't have pent up energy. A tired dog is easily trained.
I hope this helps

What can I do to correct this? My Staffordshire Bull Terrier is always underfoot. Now matter what I do or my flat mate does she is always there. I worry about her tripping up my flat mate cause she has long legs and she can really hurt her self. My dog has also tripped me up, where I almost hit the corner of my coffee table with my head.

I want to know is there anyway I can correct this behavior? She is three years old.


Additional Details
She is fully trained but sometimes she gets so exited that telling her to sit doesn't work. She also has toys, but never uses them.


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It sounds like a protective behavior. Since she does it with both you and your flat mate you have to prove to her that you can protect yourself. Make sure you are the pack leader in the hierarchy of the house. If she see you are strong she will not have a need to protect you.

Since I cannot see the behavior as it happens it is hard to diagnose the problem. This is just one possibility.

I hope it helps somewhat.

How do I retain my dog to come when called? My dog is very crafty and sneeky. He has jumped the gate, broke the leash, slipped through the collar, even busted through a cracked open door. The moment the opportunity comes he takes it and runs off and NOTHING will get him to come back. We call him, bait him (treats ect), chase him NOTHING works. EXCEPT if we turn and walk away or get in our car and leave. THEN he comes running back only to run away if we go to grab at him.
This has made family outings stressful should he get loose on the way out. We have to postpone things until he comes back otherwise he will literally chase us down the freeway! Then when we go to grab him he just runs away again!
How the @#!*% do I get this dog retrained to come when called and actually get hold of him!


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It sounds like he had a lot of pent up energy. The first thing you need to try is to wear him out before you start the retraining process.Take him for a long walk or run, at least 30-60 minutes. Only when the dog is drained of his energy will his mind be calm enough to train. Make sure that when you walk, run bike him that he is beside or behind you. Establish yourself as the pack leader then when the time for training comes he will follow your lead.

I hope this helps a little.

Is the German Shepard a good dog for a single mom? .
I am a single female with a 3 y /o daughter. I want a dog that is big enough to look imposing but also has a kind and gentle disposition. I want a dog to be a member of our family. I want to go where we want when we want without fear of wild animals or wierdos. Is the GSD a good option??? I have only had one dog before and he was a beagle. Am wondering if the GSD is safe with kids and able to be socialized by a somewhat inexperienced owner. I am not big on dog hair but I figure that I will love the dog so much it wont bother me and I will vacuum a lot. I am honestly more of a cat person but I feel that I will get very attached and could love any animal. We live in north mi. So very cold winters very hot summers. Please offer advice if you think the GSD is a good choice or if I should reconsider?


Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
German Shepards are great family dogs but they do require a strong pack leader. When you get the dog make sure it has a good disposition to start with. The dog should be calm and submissive and make sure when you first get him to take it for a long walk before you even walk in the front door. The walk will designate you as the pack leader. Make sure you have the dog walk beside you or behind you. If the dog walks in front of you it will be the pack leader and will cause you problem down the line. When you finally get home make sure you walk in the house first to also establish your dominance. It would also be best to take your daughter on the walk also, either walking or in a stroller with the dog following behind her. She will be seen as a pack leader and she will have a dominant relationship with the dog.

A quick note, make sure you praise the dog or feed it when it is in a calm submissive state. In any other state you will be reinforcing the behavior.

I hope this helps

Why does my 3 month old pup keep getting erections so much?
I got him a month ago and he is a chow mixed with a German Shepard. Every time I see him he has one. Why does he keep getting erections? How do I make it stop? Is he to young to get him neutered? He is only 3 months old. Just a young pup. When I got a 6 month pup about 6 years ago he was never like that. Maybe every now and then. But now every single time I see my other dog. I didn't even get my 6 year old dog neutered or anything. Please help. Thanks.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

He is just over exited to see you and is normal and will grow out of it. What you should be doing is to ignore the dog until he is in a calm submissive state. Only then give him affection. He will then learn that he will only be praised or given affection when he is in a certain state of mind. It is simple conditioning.

I hope this helps


Asker's Comment:
Thank you! :D

How can I get my dog to be happy outside? I have recently moved homes (against our will) and we haven't found a place of our own yet. We are staying with a friend but he won't let us take our dog in his house. We have her on a long leash, in a shady area, with a dog house near her. I walk her like 3-5 times a day, but when she is not walked, she cries, moans, and shouts nonstop until someone goes comfort her; then when they leave she starts at it again. I need help! I can hear her whining right now out my window. What can I do to make her happy again?

Additional Details @Rosalie

Did you only read part of the description? It said I was only staying at this house temporarily. I'm not just gonna give her away because she is unhappy for a couple of days. Your answer must have been the stupidest reply I have ever seen on this site; and I have seen some pretty dumb answers. So, don't take this in a good way or anything, but *** YOU!


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker She has separation anxiety. Give her something of your with your scent. You should also practice her being on her own as much as you can. Leave her alone for five minutes then come back as if nothing happened. Don't give praise or affection. Treat it as if nothing happened. Do this over and over again increasing the length of time. Do not reenforce the behavior of her excitement of seeing you with praise and affection. Only give praise and affection when she is in a calm submissive state.

I hope this helps


Asker's Comment:
Thank you, that is very helpful.