the prong collar - painful and unnecessary

I'm surprised the prong collar is still used so often in dog training. On top of the fact the prong collar hurts dogs (with the possibility of seriously hurting them), it is also not as soundly designed as other dog training equipment. The prongs on a prong collar bend over time and they are always at risk of unexpectedly falling off your dog. If you are trying to stop your dog from pulling, jumping, scavenging etc. there are three types of equipment I would recommend and they are:

1. sensation harness - This is my favorite piece of dog training equipment. It doesn't hurt dogs, is amazingly effective and dogs do not seem to mind it. It can be used for a dog who pulls, a dog who jumps and or for a dog who is perfect on the leash, in place of a collar.

2. gentle leader - The gentle leader is one of the most used pieces of equipment for dogs who pull but there are things to be wary of with it. Over use of the gentle leader can lead to both neck and eye problems. The gentle leader is meant for dogs who either bite, lunge and or scavenge but I would try and not use it long term. I would more recommend using the gentle leader as a negotiating tool for teaching a term, like "no bite", "drop it", etc..

3. halti - The halti is very similar to the gentle leader with the difference being the gentle leader is lighter and dogs seem to like it better. What you as an owner might like is that the halti has a clip that attaches to the collar for added safety. But if the gentle leader is sized correctly it shouldn't never come off. The halti is meant for dogs who pull, scavenge, bite and or lunge.

house training a dog - step one

Downtown Pets offers a comprehensive and free nyc puppy training program for our nyc dog walking clients. The following is a 5 step process to house training your puppy or adult dog.

STEP ONE: Getting the proper equipment and a healthy thumbs up from your vet.

* include your vet before house training a dog:

Before adopting a house training schedule you should take your dog to the vet and or call your vet. You firstly want to ensure your dog does not have a urinary track infection because you can not crate a dog with a urinary track infection nor one who presently has diarrhea. You also want to ask your vet how much you can alter your dogs feeding and drinking schedule. It is a good idea to have your dogs last meal and water break be as early in the day as your vet thinks is possible, so your dog goes to bed empty.

* Crate training a dog:

Crate training is the most effective way to house train an adult dog or puppy. While the idea of keeping a dog in a crate for 4-5 hours at a time seems unfair to many people, that's only because many of us take for granted that dogs think and process life differently than we do - no matter how domesticated we make them (:. All dogs originate from wolves and in the same way wolves slumber in a den, your dog will soon look at their crate in the same way. Many of the dogs we have house trained continue to go into their crates to this day, even though they are left free now.

Your crate needs to be sized properly and it needs to be large enough for the dog to walk into it upright, turn around, and lie down. They should be able to stand upright without squatting BUT not any bigger than that or you dog can move to a side, or hide in a corner if it makes a mistake in the crate. If your dog is not fully grown you can purchase a crate with sections that allows you to increase the dogs living area over time.

You can usually purchase a crate at your local store or click the following link to purchase a crate online.

* house training without a crate:

It is harder but possible to house train your dog without a crate and we will discuss that in the following days.


STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog


image source: muttsWithManners.net

house training your dog - step two

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

* where should I put my crate?

The more enclosed area the better. A closet or bathroom are the type of places you should use or a little nook in a room. But avoid large open spaces because this contributes to anxiousness in a crated dog in the same way a crib that is too large can do so to a baby.

* how should I introduce my dog to the crate?

Dogs are impressionable animals and you want their first experience with a crate to be a positive one. Take a string and tie open the crate door when you first bring it home. Put some food at the back of the crate and let your dog sniff around freely and the positive association of food with the crate will help ingratiate them BUT do not shut them in the crate yet.

important point: NEVER put your dog in a crate with any equipment on. Dogs have gotten caught on the wire of crates before and hung themselves.

Through the day start to close the door behind them for short periods of time and increase the amount of time they are in the crate over the day.

* my dog is barking like mad every time I crate them!

Do not immediately associate the barking with being in the crate because more than likely they are barking because they want to be with you and a puppy especially might do so.

* ok, but what about the barking?

A barking dog is a problem unto itself and if the barking starts to drive your neighbor crazy you might not have the luxury of a long term solution. The first thing you can try is a game of hide and seek. Put your dog in the crate and leave the apartment for a few minutes. Stand outside your front door and listen to hear if your dog is barking. If it's not, that's great and you are good to go. But if your dog is barking walk back in the apartment and after a few minutes leave again but this time for a little longer. Continue this process for days, maybe even weeks and your dog should start to think every time you leave the apartment you will shortly return. But after some time they get tired of waiting for you and usually fall asleep (:

STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog

house training a dog - step three

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

Downtown Pets adopts the philosophy that your dog must earn it's freedom when being house trained. That sounds harsher than the reality. What we're saying is that your dog must relieve itself outside to be left out of the crate freely.

* how often should I walk my dog?

A puppy needs to relieve itself in a frequency equal to it's age - so a 4 month old puppy will usually need to go every 3 1/2 to 4 hours, etc.. An adult dog can go around 5 hours.

* how long can I leave my dog in a crate at one time?

Never more than 5-6 hours (again base it on their age) and I wouldn't push it. I've heard people say my dog can hold it 8 hours or even longer. Your dog might be able to hold it but that doesn't mean it should and doing so repeatedly can lead to health problems.

* if my dog goes #1 and / or #2 outside, how long can I leave them out of the crate?

It's partly based on how old your dog is but I would just start slowly. Let your dog prove it can be out of the crate for 1 or 2 hours without making a mistake. If you have no problems for a week or two increase that time.

* when my dog is out of the crate can it be alone?

Not at first - some people even keep their dogs leashed at first so they are always by their side. Why? Because dogs tend to run into closets or corners when they go to the bathroom in the house and you might never know they went at all.

* what if I catch my dog in the act of going in the house?

Run over, pick them up, tell them something like "not in house" and take them outside BUT do not yell at them or scare them in any way. You will scare them from ever going to the bathroom in front of you again and when they make a mistake in front of you it's a great time to correct them.

* how should I include wee-wee pads into the house training schedule?

YOU SHOULDN'T. If your dog has all their shots and is old enough to go outside, wee-wee pads should not be used at all when you are house training a dog. Your dog, plain and simple, can not go to the bathroom in the house and dogs can not differentiate between the wee-wee pad on your living room floor and the floor of a store, or hotel or your friends house. If you used wee-wee pads you can not consider your dog fully house trained. I would completely stop using them if you want to house train your dog.


STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog

house training a dog - step four

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

The following schedule is one we maintain with a 5 month old, medium sized puppy, named Moppy. Please keep in mind this is not a long term situation. You need to increase your walks in the beginning to set the tone and change your dogs mindset.

7am-8am: Owners take Moppy out of the crate and immediately take her outside. If Moppy does not relieve herself they put her back in the crate and feed her. 20-30 minutes later they take Moppy out again and offer her the chance to go to the bathroom. If she goes they take her for an extended walk but if not they put her back in the crate.

10am-11am: A Downtown Pets dog walker takes Moppy out of the crate. We offer her some water (before the walk) and take her outside. We offer her the chance to go to the bathroom. If she goes within 3-5 minutes we then proceed with a nice 25 minute walk. But if Moppy doesn't go we take her back in the apartment and crate her for 10-15 minutes. We then take her back outside and offer her the chance to go again. If she goes we continue with the walk but if not she goes back into the crate.

2pm-3pm: A Downtown Pets dog walker comes back and repeats the same process above.

5pm-6pm: Owner feeds and offers water to Moppy in the crate and 20-30 minutes later takes her out for a bathroom break. If Moppy relieves herself she gets an hour or two of freedom.

10pm-11pm: Owner takes Moppy out for a quick bathroom break and if she relieves herself she gets to stay out for an hour or two before being put into the crate for the night.

* should I use treats as a reward in house training?

Yes, yes and yes - your dog should be treated after going every time and I would say a consistent command every time they go, like "do your business, good dog".

* wow, so my dog might never leave the crate?

It's very rare that a dog does not grow to understand that if they relieve themselves outside they get to stay outside and vice a versa.

* how do I know when to feed my dog? and how much water to give them?

You need to ask your vet about these things but a mistake some people make is feeding their dog too late and giving their dog too much water through the day. Again, include your vet in these decisions.

* my dog isn't getting it, it's not going to the bathroom outside...

First of all, is your dog used to using wee-wee pads? If so make sure you have stopped using wee-wee pads all together. If you've already given up wee-wee pads and it's still happening, try bringing an already soiled wee-wee pad with you outside and put it on the ground. This can help bridge the transition to going outside.

* it's winter time and I have a very small dog who can't walk in rough weather...

Teaching your dog to go to the bathroom on command can solve this. Every time your dog goes to the bathroom say a command like "do your business, good boy" and offer a treat when they are done. If you do this every time your dog goes to the bathroom you should be able to pop outside on a bad weather day, say the command and quickly have your dog go.

STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog

house training a dog - step five

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog

* why is my dog going #1 in the crate?

If it's always number one it might have a urinary tract infection and or your crate might be too big. Lastly, is your dog being left in the crate too long?

* why is my dog going #2 in the crate?

Is the crate too big? Are you leaving your dog in the crate too long?

* sometimes I leave my dog out too long and they make a mistake...

Plain and simple you need to be vigilant in keeping a tight schedule and having your dog earn it's freedom.

* can my dog sleep with me?

It shouldn't unless they are house trained. Many dogs who sleep with their owners will wake up in the middle of the night an relieve themselves on a rug, in your closet, etc. and you'll never know it happened.

STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog

house train an adult dog or puppy -

image source: muttsWithManners.net

House training an adult or puppy dog is essential for both you and your dog's health and happiness. Some people have adopted or relented to the small dog / pocket dog mentality, where their dog goes to the bathroom indoors and rarely go out for walks in general. This is NOT a recipe for a happy living situation for you or your dog. Downtown Pets uses a philosophy that has been very successful in house training hundreds of our clients dogs. In this continuing post we will discuss some of those methods and problems you might run into.

STEP ONE: buying a crate and checking with your vet

STEP TWO: introducing your dog to the crate

STEP THREE: the crate training philosophy

STEP FOUR: example schedule for a dog being house trained

STEP FIVE: problems you might run into house training your dog