multi dog home

[Hope/P.]

For the first time I have a multi dog home. I know I propably don't have the best match of dog breeds to have a calm home. I have a 13 week old BC and a 4 year old JRT mix. They both are lovely dogs alone but can't stop playing with eachother. I have them indoors right now and it is really hard to get the pup trained to go outside to do his business when I have constant play going on.

 

I would love any suggestions.

 

Hope

 

[juliepoudrier]

Are they crate trained? The pup needs down time anyway, so I would just physically separate them at times while you work on house training.

 

J.

[gcv-border]

Also, take the pup outside by himself so he can concentrate on doing 'his business'. Once he has eliminated, you can let the JRT out to play if you wish.

[Marley Girl]

I also have a multi-dog household with a 9-week-old pup. Play is interrupted and the pup is always taken out by himself to do his business.

[Gloria Atwater]

The pup absolutely needs periodic time away from the JRT and do so every day. It's lovely they are such great friends, but if the pup bonds too closely to his playmate, you may find it difficult to train him as he gets older.

Make use of crates and x-pens and separate fenced areas or separate rooms, for periodic breaks from each other. When it's time for the pup to potty, put the JRT away somewhere out of sight and give the pup time to settle down and attend to business. And separate them periodically through the day just so the pup can learn to focus on you. It will make all your training go easier, in the long run.

Good luck!

~ Gloria

[Sue R]

Remember to make potty trips a combination of business and fun - go out, be business-like until the pup's business is done, and then reward *after* by doing something fun - maybe a walk around the yard, a little game, but not just *boring*. No pottying done? Then no fun.

 

A pup will often bond very strongly with an older dog (or other pup) that is playful. You need to take the time and make the effort to make being with you the top priority for your pup, and limit play time with the older dog.

 

Your pup is ripe for training and a sponge for soaking up new things so start it now - mental stimulation and interaction with you will help strengthen your bond more than anything else you can do. And then some good "down time" to rest and absorb the lesson will help.

 

Remember to take your pup out to potty after waking, drinking, eating, playing, and training - and before some of these things, too! Best wishes!

[GentleLake]

Excellent suggestions so far.

 

I would add that you should probably work with both dogs on impulse control. This is a great time for the pup to start learning impulse control, and it's never too late to teach the adult dog either.

 

This is something you'll have to do separately at first, especially since they're so into playing with each other. Teach things like "go to mat" (or "bed" or "place" or whatever you want to call it) and build for duration. Have them sit and wait a moment or 2 before being allowed to eat their meals, or to go out the door. Teach a "leave it" cue for food and other items.

 

You say they play non stop, but surely the pup eventually tires and just collapses, no? Take advantage of this time for some very quiet, gentle, low key praise for both dogs so that they understand that being still is a good thing. Capture any moment of calm in either dog to reward it for quiet behavior.

 

These dogs both need to learn to have off switches, and this is a good time to start building them. Check out "click to calm", again something you'll have to begin separately but can eventually bring both dogs together to do.

 

I also hope you'll be taking the pup to a training class (maybe even both dogs would benefit, separately, of course). A good positive reinforcement trainer will have lots of recommendations for you. Be careful to avoid punishment based techniques, as these could backfire and create mistrust between the dogs -- e.g. bad things happen when I try to engage with the other dog, so I'll avoid him or even become defensively aggressive. You definitely don't want that.

 

Best wishes as you try to create some calm in your home.

[Hope/P.]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am glad that I am on the right track as I am doing most of the things listed. Maybe I just want this to happen too fast and move on to more fun training than house breaking and a calm house.

 

Both puppy and dog (Rex-puppy, Tanner-JRT) are crate trained. I am taking the puppy to a great training class. It is positive reinforcement/clicker class. I did attend one other different class that was teaching the "Super Puppy" class. I attending without puppy and didn't return.

 

I do feel at first the puppy just wanted playtime with the toys and my JRT would butt in. I did/do separate my usually obedient JRT in a separate room until he put some deep scratches in my doors. This allowed me some playtime/training time (and sanity for me). Now when my JRT will take a moment to take a breath then the pup will go over and pounce on the JRT. Same thing happens if the pup takes a break. I now crate my JRT instead of shutting him in a room. Both puppy/dog are very treat motivated so I do take time to do some impulse training. They both do great but as soon as the treats are done the play starts. The play is fine for a time but slowly gets more ruff as they play up against furniture and other family members in the house.

 

I quickly found out that I need to take the pup outside to do his business alone. I thought maybe I was making it too fun as he goes outdoors many times during the day and he still seems to go potty almost every time. I do take both dogs for long walks in our hayfield and they seem to be more interested in running and sniffing instead of wrestling with each other.

 

I will look into click to calm today as I think that would be of some great help. I do have crates and a x-pen in our home and use them often. The puppy does seem to bark in the x-pen when he sees our JRT out. Our JRT could be just resting in his bed but the puppy wants to go play. Also another thing I have noticed is that our JRT isn't really interested in us playing with him any more. We could throw a fun toy for him and he will ignore it.

 

Thanks again for all the great help!

 

Hope

[GentleLake]

Remember, too, that Rex won't be a puppy forever and when he grows up a bit he might not have so much of a need to play.all.the.time. My younger dog (now close to 2 1/2) still loves to wrestle with the middle one, but it's less often and not so rambunctious as it used to be. She used to run wide swaths and bank off the furniture (which earned her a swift time out) , but she's more civilized in her play now.

[Hope/P.]

I'm glad to hear Rex may not have a need to play ALL the time. I do seperate them at times during the day. The puppy seems to have a hard time just settling so I cover his crate and play some soft music.