Thing said, thing done; here are some links that will be useful for you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
It is from the Purina website (A dog food brand). Usually, commercial companies like that only provide infos that will allow them to sell their products better, but this one has very much trustful and quality information on a lot of aspects of dog training and education.
Housetraining and
crate training.
About crate training, if you intent do try it (that's the technique I used myself to housetrain my dog, and it worked great):
A dog like yours reaches his physical maturity at the age of 6 months, so she should be able to restrain herself correctly for her poos and pees. (Be sure she doesn't do it inside because of physical disorders.) After that age, a dog usually can stay in his crate for a max of 8 hours. Begin gradually, as they explain on the link above, during the day, and make her sleep in the crate (closed) for the night. Put her in at the same time that you go to bed. I suggest that you begin that training on a weekend because if she isn't used to be locked in a crate she'll probably weep a lot the first times (what can be hard on the sleep, you see <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> ). Be sure that she doesn't drink for a little while, a big hour, before putting her in the crate for long periods such as the night or when you go to work. And bring her outside so that she can release herself and move before that long period in her crate. The first thing to do when it comes to get her out of the crate is to bring her outside so she can relieve herself; immediately, don't wait (and don't forget to reward her when she does it good). She'll also have a great need to move and play after that. This technique has been the right one for a lot of desperate dog owners. Good luck! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Another great and fun tool on the Purina website is the
dog breed selector; an online questionnaire that lists what breed of dog could suit the best to your needs, lifestyle and preferences. A great feature for the ones planning to choose a canine companion, with detailed infos on each breed, and a fun one for those who are simply curious. Enjoy!
Well, they don't call the sh*t-zus for nothing you know!
In french, sh*t-zus ("ch*e dessous" when pronounced fast) means "poop under". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
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