Dog Health Questions: Dog Training?

I recently introduced an empty can full of pennies as a way of training my pup. I've read in many places that if you're puppy is doing something wrong like crawling under the couch or chewing the carpet you would give the can a good shake and the noise will startle the dog out of doing the innapropriate action, and it is working, my puppy has stopped going under the couches.

I have also read that scolding a puppy for eliminating on the floor will scare it and therefore give it the mentality that you just don't want to see it poop, ever. So the dog will eliminate behind couches and in corners where you can't see. I don't cold my puppy for accidents on the carpet, but I was wondering, would shaking the can snap my puppy out of eliminating in inappropriate spots? Or will it just scare her to eliminate in general?

Any other paper training tips are appreciated

Thanks

Basic Dog Training - Timing And Body Language

Recommended Answer:
First, kudos to you. The sign of a good and responsible owner is one who takes time to research, consider other options instead of just assuming "my way is the right way" or "I don't have anything to learn about this dog-raising stuff."

Second, here's the single most important thing to remember about animal training and dogs in particular: you can train them to do almost anything using classical behavioral approaches and operant conditioning. Dogs as a species seek approval from us--they WANT to make us happy. That is why it's so much easier to train dogs than cats,. Those positive training methods are so effective with dogs.

Now specifically to your questions...

I'm not wild about the ideas of shaking a can of coins or rocks, or spritzing a dog with a water bottle. There are a couple of reasons why:
1. It's easier to train a dog to do something than it is to train them to NOT do something. For instance, it's easier to train the dog to pee on command and to use a specific spot outdoors than it is to train a dog that every place inside is forbidden. It's easier to train a dog to go into a quiet down-stay when someone arrives at the house than it is to train them to not bark.

The whole principle of using adverse cues like a can of coins or a water bottle is based on several assumptions:
--the dog will associate doing the bad behavior with the bad sound or response (the squirt of water for instance) and seek to avoid it.
--the dog will be distracted by the sound.

Now the distraction can be done by anything (just yell the dog's name real loudly when they start to raise a leg). As for the association, the problem with that theory is that dogs are bad at generalizing behavior (which is why you can have a dynamite recall in your backyard but a terrible one in the backyard right next to your's). So when you shake the can, the dog might be concluding:
--it's bad to let my human see me take a dump, I need to do it in private...or
--my human's in a bad mood
--my human wants me to pee quicker
--my human thinks I should have peed closer to the window
--my human is unpredictable and should be avoided
In short, a water bottle or can of coins or some other distractor isa mediocre training devise. People keep looking for short cuts and I'm sure you'll get some posts here from people who say that it worked for them. But paper training is based upon a lot of time, patience and consistency but in the end you've got a dog that is reliable when you don't have the can, when you're in a hotel or friend's house, around other dogs or when you're not there. Because you taught the dog what you want them to do, rather than what is wrong. Remember, teaching a dog what not to do is incredibly hard (and that is what the water bottle/can approach attempts to do) but teaching them the right habit is actually pretty easy--dogs are big into habits.

Here are a couple of house-training hints:
--never use papers or pads: you're teaching the dog that peeing in the house is okay and dogs have trouble generalizing that a pad isn't a carpet.
--clean up with Nature's Miracle. If the scent of urine is still there your puppy goes "wow, how thoughtful, my human left me a sign of the correct spot to pee--some other dog was here before me and used the exact same spot."
--put your pooch on a leash shen in the house until 6 months old. Put the leash around your belt. Your puppy is either attached to your belt or in the crate when in the house. Every time you see a leg start to go up or the traditional crouch you yell "HEY!" and startle them then rush outside.
--schedules mean a lot to puppies. Try and keep it regular which makes it easier to hold.
--Here's a suggested schedule for a puppy. Up in the morning, before coffee or paper, puppy goes outside. In AM, puppy gets food and water and within 2 minutes you go outside. When puppy pees, you act like you just discovered gold. Praise, pet and then treat the puppy. After a few times, associate the behavior with a command ("Do it" or "Mark it" or "Go Poop" or whatever).
--Take a morning walk (another opportunity to pee).
--If puppy goes into the crate because you work or have errands, first think you do is take puppy outside.
--Puppy gets another walk (and pee opportunity).
--Puppy gets second meal around 5pm or 6pm and within 2 minutes you're outside.
--No food or water past 7pm.
--Puppy gets a trip outside just before you go to bed (say, 11pm or 11:30pm).
None of this assumes other playtime, walks, doggie playdates that are also other opportunities to pee.

Dog Training Clicker - Why Use a Clicker?

• Do Not use the can for accidents, bad idea.
  
  If you pup has an accident, clean it without her seeing you (and you are right (never scold or rub her nose in it, or discipline her for it), if you catch her in the act, lift her up and (she should stop peeing) and take her outside to finish. If she poops in the house, take the poop outside and put it in a spot you wish her to go in, she will smell her scent next time and most likely go in that area. Same with pee, if you can get some on a paper towel (if she had gone in the house) and rub it on the ground outside, that would help also (same reason, the scent). By giving attention (even bad) to a pup for accidents in the house, will only make the pup do it more, as they always look for attention both good or bad. I have learned this through private trainers and it definitely works.
  
  Good Luck


• I have reared many Border Collie litters & have used plastic bottles with pebbles in only as toys for them to play with.
  This helps them to become ammune to noises.
  I also tap tin trays with a spoon a number of times until they are no longer startled by the sound. My job is to make them confident & outgoing so they can cope with adulthood.
  
  So I would never use noise as a correction on a puppy or a young dog.
  You will make him afraid of noises, such as keys, saucepans etc. It may not look like it will have that affect in the future but they do take more notice of noises if they are trained that way. They hear things as a correction & become nervous.
  
  Training puppies is about guideance in the right direction.
  Don't chew that - Chew this.
  
  Don't go under the couch - Come here & play with me.
  
  Don't eliminate there - Let me take you outside.
  
  I would move quicker to stop your puppy eliminating rather than using the can. Say nothing then go outside & praise.
  
  Praise trains dogs.
  
  Positive not negative is the way to go.
  If you remember that then you will rear your puppy into a well balanced adult dog you can be proud of.
  A confident one too!


• I am having trouble house training my puppy too. She goes to the door to go out but doesn't make a sound so we just have to guess!
  
  I am not sure about the can shaking way - I tried doing this with a bottle full of pebbles but she didn't blink an eye when I did it!!!
  
  All I do now when I see her mess on the floor is show her and then say "what is that?" and then take her outside and I think it is the tone of your voice that makes them get that guilty/sorry look.


• If you think that the penny can scares her rather than just briefly startling her or diverting her attention, it's probably not a good method for housebreaking her. If you catch your puppy in the act of starting to have an accident inside, try to distract or startle her. Clap you hands or say "No" in a firm, but not aggressive tone. If she stops, take her outside immediately and praise her if she goes. If she ignores you, just let her finish and clean up. Trying to drag her outside while she's going will probably just spread the mess around and scolding or punishing her will not help.


• For housebreaking, take him out for walks frequently to start off with.. Every half hour - an hour if needed.. Make sure he goes out within an hour after eating and in between play times.. Praise him when he goes outside.. If you catch him going to the bathroom inside, pick him up (if he's small enough) and say "No" and take him out immediately. Or if he's too big to carry, say "No" and walk him out immediately.


• Would not use the pennies for housebreaking. If you catch her in the act you either ignor her and pretend you dont see it (so she wont think you approve) or calmly pick her up tell her "no" and put her outside. Dramatic behavior on the part of the owner (over correction) often causes housebreaking problems that are very difficult to fix. Crate training and a good feeding schedule are the best ways to housetrain.


• my puppy got toilet trained by having sheet of paper in bin bag on floor each day the fresh toilet pad paper would move closer and closer to the outside till the dog was trained no hard work that way and house stay clean and fresh good luck