How do I train a min pin.?

Question

My husband and I just got a 3 month old min pin. She was trained to potty on the floor and now we can't break her of it. She doesn't listen when we call her. She won't do anything. What do we do?

Answer 1

I hope you find these training articles helpful!

Housetraining Tips by Scottee Meade

Housetraining is a universal problem with a simple solution.

These tips will help you train your puppy or older dog to eliminate outdoors.

Good Health Is Essential
Make sure your puppy or dog is healthy before undertaking housetraining. Intestinal parasites are the most common cause of inappropriate defecation.

Bladder infections are a frequent cause of inappropriate urination. If you suspect a bladder problem, have a urine sample checked. Symptoms of bladder infection include frequent urination of small amounts, unproductive straining, or licking of private parts.

Feed your puppy a good quality puppy food. Avoid over feeding or making sudden changes in his diet; both can cause diarrhea. Another common problem arises when a dog has been given steroids to treat a bee sting or allergic reaction. Steroids usually increase the dog’s water intake and urine output.

Scheduling
Feed your puppy on a fairly regular schedule, two or three times a day. Allow 30 minutes for each meal, and remove the leftovers after that time. Maintaining a feeding schedule helps predict output.

Schedule your puppy’s trips outdoors. The average puppy needs frequent opportunities to eliminate. Start first thing in the morning with a trip outside as soon as your puppy awakens. Puppies feel the call of nature about every hour when they are awake and playing. They need to go out soon after eating, and after drinking water. By the age of 10 or 12 weeks, the average healthy puppy can sleep through the night. If your puppy has an accident, examine the schedule and make adjustments to prevent future accidents.

Confinement
One of the most valuable tools in housetraining is the dog crate. Intended to be used like a baby’s playpen or crib, the crate keeps the puppy safely confined when no one is available to supervise her. Crating prevents accidents for the normal puppy, because her instinct to keep her nest clean is very strong. Crating also prevents her from destroying your treasured possessions while she is teething, or injuring herself by chewing on or ingesting something harmful.

Your puppy should be crated at night while you are asleep, and any other time you cannot supervise his activities. This includes times when you are on the phone or in the shower, or doing anything that prevents you from paying full attention to your puppy. He should have an opportunity to go outside every time you let him out of his crate.

Training
Every time you take your puppy outside, give her plenty of cues. As you walk out the door with her, say “Let’s go outside.” Take her to her spot, and repeat your cue phrase as she is about to eliminate. (Be sure to use a phrase that does not come up in every day conversation. Avoid cues such as “hurry up” or “be a good dog” in favor of something more specific, such as “go.”) When she goes, praise her enthusiastically and reward her with a very small food treat, right there on the spot.

After several repetitions of this routine, your puppy will learn to eliminate on cue (very useful in bad weather or strange places) and learn that eliminating outside is more fruitful than eliminating inside. After a week of this, continue to praise the puppy every time she goes outside, but reward with food on a more random basis. In a couple of weeks, you won’t need the food reward at all.

Accidents
If you find an accident, clean it up, and consider adjusting your puppy’s schedule to prevent another accident. Punishing your puppy only teaches him to be wary of you. If you catch him in the act and punish or correct him, he will learn to eliminate when you aren’t looking, which will defeat your training program. If you should see your puppy circling as if he has to go, gently remind him to “go outside” and help him get to his spot where he can earn praise and a reward.
Accidents happen most frequently in the morning or evening when the puppy is out playing with the family. It is easy to become so involved in an activity that you forget that the puppy hasn’t been outside in an hour. If this is the case, find a way to remind yourself, such as setting a kitchen timer or alarm clock.

Patience

Unrealistic expectations are a frequent cause of problems in housetraining.

On average, the bladder/brain connection is not fully formed until the puppy is about 8 months old.

If a young puppy does go to the door and “ask to go out,” his need is immediate, he must go out right away. Some dogs never learn to ask to go out, while others learn quickly to go to the door and sit or bark or ring a bell. Some dogs learn to use a dog door easily and go out whenever they feel the urge.

The best way to ensure success is to stick to a schedule long enough for the puppy’s body to adapt to it and get in the habit of eliminating at particular times.

Neuter or Spay
If you are not planning to enter your dog in conformation competition, neutering or spaying helps ensure successful housetraining. Neutered males still lift their legs, but are less inclined to mark their territory (including the priceless antique chair legs and the floor-length drapes). They are also less prone to certain cancers and prostate problems that can lead to accidents in older dogs. Unspayed females ovulate twice a year, on average. For several weeks before and during the heat cycle they are more prone to mark territory. They are also more vulnerable to bladder problems that can lead to accidents.

Paper Training Is Not Housetraining

Teaching your puppy to eliminate indoors on newspaper does not lead to success in housetraining. Dogs are place oriented, and once taught to go in a particular place on a particular surface will continue to do so. Careless newspaper readers are liable to reach for a section they left on the floor only to find it has been used by the family dog.
If you must confine your puppy for more than six or eight hours at a time, or if you live in a high-rise apartment with a small dog, consider using a “litter box” for your dog. A plastic under-the-bed storage container, lid removed, filled with bark mulch will serve this purpose very well. The mulch absorbs urine odors, and smells and feels like “outside.” You can confine your puppy in a small room, such as a bathroom, with a baby gate, giving him enough room for a comfy bed, his water dish, and his mulch box. This approach works well for young puppies and very elderly dogs with health problems, and is less likely to interfere with your efforts to train your dog to eliminate outside.


CIVILIZE YOUR DOG by Vivian Bregman

For most dog owners the following three things are the most important for the dog to learn:

1. Housebreaking,

2. Coming when called and

3. Walking on a leash without pulling.

Everything else varies from owner to owner.

The following are the most important things to remember when you start out to "Civilize Your Dog":

1. NEVER tell your dog to do anything that he can evade.

2. REWARD whatever you want the dog to continue doing while NOT REWARDING (or penalizing) whatever you want the dog to stop doing.

These two statements will help you train the dog for the rest of his life. Remember that rewards are not what YOU consider a reward, but rather, what the DOG considers a reward. For example: if your dog runs out the front door, he is being REWARDED with freedom. When you call him and he comes and you put him back in the house he is being PENALIZED for coming to you by being put back in the house.

For training purposes a Reward can be verbal praise, petting, food, a ball or whatever motivates your dog. YOU know your own dog -- you know if he would sell his soul for food or for a tennis ball. Make his Reward whatever turns him on, and the time spent finding out what really turns him on will be well worth the effort.

Please notice that I said "Penalize" and not punish. Punishment makes people think of hitting the dog -- which is rarely necessary. The only reason to hit a dog is for anti-social behavior. "Anti-social" is not only biting. A puppy that growls when you go near his bone is threatening you -- definitely anti-social behavior. If not stopped it will probably become a bite.

A "Penalty" can be anything that the dog does not like. It may be a leash jerk, not moving when he's a on leash so there's no walk, or just ignoring him.

If you think that your dog can't or won't learn, think about the things that he has already learned. If you dog has been with you for a few weeks the chances are that he has learned when food is going to be available -- the sounds of the can opener or the opening of the closet door where his food is kept, or even, if he is fed from the table, to beg at dinner time. He has learned that a leash means a walk, that if the front door is left open a crack he can dash out and run for a few hours, and that when he is left alone he can destroy things in the house because he has never been caught in the act.

One of the most important things for you to learn is that it IS possible to teach the dog what you want him to learn. The dog is always learning. You have to learn how to reward the dog so that it is in his best interests to do what you want him to do.

If your dog is destructive when left alone, it is because he has not been caught in the act of doing wrong.

If your dog dashes out the front door, it is because he has been given the opportunity to escape and then is being rewarded by the freedom to roam the neighborhood.

If this is your problem, put a ten foot rope on the dog and let him drag it around the house. (called a house line) Just before you open the door step on the rope, or, for a big dog, leave a loop in the end and loop it over the inside door handle. When the dog dashes out the front door you have a handle with which to jerk him back in. After a few times or a few dozen times (depending on the dog) he will catch on that it is painful to dash out the door and he will stop.

Congratulations!! You have just taught your dog a lesson that *may* save his life, and *will*l save your hours of chasing.
As long as he is dragging this rope around the house, if you have a problem with him jumping on people you can solve that too. All you have to do is to step on the rope where it hits the floor. If he jumps up, the rope tightens, giving him an automatic correction. If he doesn't jump up, nothing happens.

Every dog should have two names. One for talking TO him and one for talking ABOUT him. If you use his name when you are talking about him you will desensitize him to the use of his name. Every time you say his name make it a happy occasion for him. Use his name when you feed him. If you want to give him a snack, instead of saying "snack" say his name. Every time I say my dog's name she thinks that I am saying "snack" and she comes running. Much better than yelling "snack" or "cookie" whenever I want her to come. Much more dignified!!

Most people have a life, aside from training the dog, so that I'm not going to tell you to train the dog for one hour a day. Also, if you have a very young puppy one hour will be much too much for him. Five or ten minutes at a time, two or three times a day will be far better to get the training into the dog's mind.

One of the biggest problems is catching a dog thief in the act. That is, a dog who steals food or other stuff off a table or a cabinet when you are not watching. The trick is to catch him. For this you will need several empty soda or beer cans. When the cans are empty, wash and dry them. When they are dry inside, put about ten pennies in the can and seal it with tape. Line the cans up on the edge of a counter about six inches apart. Put a piece of food, or napkins, or whatever it is that he grabs off the table BEHIND the cans. When the booby trap is all set up, leave the room, but stay within earshot. When you hear the can hit the ground, come running in screaming.

DO NOT EVER SET THIS UP UNLESS YOU CAN COME RUNNING WHEN YOU HEAR THE CANS FALL. Otherwise the dog will learn to spring the trap and get the bait.

The purpose of obedience training is to teach your dog to be a well-mannered companion, who is responsive to your commands and who looks to you for leadership. The process of training should be enjoyable for you both, and enhance the bond between you as well.

How Dogs Learn
Dogs learn by associating an action with a consequence. If the consequence is pleasurable, the dog will tend to repeat the behavior. If the consequence is unpleasant, he will tend not to repeat the behavior.

In training you show your dog the action you wish, helping him to perform it by luring him with food or a toy, or by collar pressures. When he performs the action, you immediately provide a pleasant consequence, by rewarding him with a special praise word and giving him a small treat. This is called "positive reinforcement," and will cause your dog, after several repetitions, to repeat the action.

If you give your dog a command word at the same time that he performs the behavior, he will learn to associate the behavior with the command.

For example, in order to teach your dog to sit, say the command SIT as you help him to do it. This can be done by luring his head up with food or a toy held in your hand, which will cause his rear to sink into a sit, or by use of collar pressure coupled with the pressure of your hand on his rump. The instant he sits, say his special praise word and give him a tiny treat. After many repetitions of this he will make the association between the command word SIT and the act of sitting. He will learn to obey the command by being positively reinforced by your praise word and a treat.

Using A Special Word to Speed Learning
You can speed up your dog's learning a lot by using a very special praise word reserved for the purpose of telling him that the action he is performing is correct and that he will be reinforced for it.

You can also use a "clicker" instead of a special word. (Dolphin and killer whale trainers use a whistle for this purpose. You've probably seen this at dolphin shows or on TV. The whistle tells the dolphin that what he did was correct, and he can get a fish to eat.)

We suggest using a single word such as "great" or "yes" or "wow" that is different from general praise words like "good boy."

You dog will first need to learn that this special sound, called a "conditioned reinforcer" means something. Teach this at home by saying the word (or clicking your clicker if you are using one) and immediately giving the dog a tiny, succulent food treat.

The order is very important. FIRST you say the word, THEN you give the treat. Your dog shouldn't be doing anything special, just say the word and toss the treat.

After several repetitions of this you will see your dog startle and look at you when you say the word. That means that he has learned that it means "a goodie is coming." Now you can use your conditioned reinforcer to clearly tell him he has performed an action correctly and will be reinforced for it, with food, a toy, praise, play, or all three.

In order for this to work, you must find something your dog likes and will work for that you can couple with your conditioned reinforcer. For most dogs, tiny pieces of soft, tasty food work best. We suggest tiny pieces of hot dog, cheese, soft-moist cat food, or lunch meat. Buy a cheap belt pack to carry the food in when you are training and at class. Once your dog has learned commands, you will not need to carry food, and can reinforce with praise, petting and play, but using food initially will help him learn much faster.

Remember that your conditioned reinforcer must be given the instant the dog obeys your command and while he is still performing the behavior, and not several seconds later. You will need to train him daily in order for commands to become part of his long-term memory.

He needs to be quiet and controlled while you are teaching him. He can't learn if he is wildly excited or not paying attention to you. Therefore, begin his training in quiet, familiar places, and add distractions later as he becomes proficient in his commands.

As you start this obedience course, it will seem like there is a huge amount of things you need to learn and remember - new words, new ways of handling your dog, and new ways of relating to him.

Don't worry about trying to learn it all at once. It will all be repeated over the weeks of the course and you'll find it becomes second nature as you gradually train your dog.
Just relax and have fun.

And remember these three things that form the cornerstone of dog training:

PATIENCE

PRACTICE

PERSEVERANCE

It should take a while to teach the dog all this stuff. I am being vague on purpose!! Don't panic if the dog doesn't seem to be catching on in one week. Training takes time. If you doubt that the dog is making any progress, keep a training diary. This will help you see just how often you are training (once a week won't work) and you will be able to see that you ARE getting somewhere.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

We have two min pins and are currently in training with them, they are 2 and 3 years old and the training has already made a difference! Its much better to go to a training class together than to hire someone to do it for you...

Answer 3

mj pretty much covered all the bases. As a former long time breeder of Miniature Pinshcers who has 14 of which 10 are rescues you unfortunately picked the one breed considered by most to be the most difficult to house train. This is truly a breed that people really need to read up on before committing to one. They are not just a little dog, in fact are a member of the Terrier family and Pinscher family in Germany and Europe. Only in the States and Canada are they members of the "Toy" group. They are by nature stubborn in most cases and extremely independent. They need a good secured fenced yard to run as they are also energetic (not hyper). They are also one of the best escape artist as far as dog breeds so fencing must be extremely secure. The best thing you can do is follow mj's advice on this one as she has covered it all. Good luck.

Answer 4

Put her in a cage at night because they will not go to the bathroom where they sleep! As soon as u wake up take her out watch her and dont let her back in until she goes to the bathroom! Then praise her maybe give her a lil treat! That worked for my dog n we had her trained in 3 days!!! Also take a rolled newspaper and hit her with it to show the dog that you are in charge also use the newspaper to when you see the mess on the floor to stick her nose into it and hit her! dont hit too hard cuz that wuld be mean but hard enough so that the dog knows that you mean business! Hope that will help!!

Answer 5

Crate train, and never let a pup out of your sight when loose. Lots of trips outside on leash with praise afterward. Get "After You Get Your Puppy".

http://www.siriuspup.com/about_founder.html

Answer 6

You need to call yoru vet and have him reccomend a trainer for her, or find one in the paper or online. That is something you need to break her of immediately. That is a strange thing for someone to teach her, but I guess they ahd a reason for it.