Twosday Training Tip

TIP #1: HOUSE TRAINING AN ADULT DOG
​Shouldn’t an adult dog know where to go? Ideally, yes. And dogs are naturally clean animals. Given a choice, they will go to the bathroom well away from where they sleep and eat. But it is not at all obvious to dogs that carpets and floors are inappropriate toilets - or that the bathroom rules in one place apply everywhere else.
 
Teach your new family member to distinguish between indoors and outdoors by getting her to go in a designated area and then rewarding her with treats and praise. With a little patience and supervision, your dog will soon be fully versed in toilet etiquette.
 
Remember and adhere to the 2 rules for house training success:
Prevent Accidents. Supervise your dog in the house. Use a crate when you are not sure if your dog is empty.
Reward your dog for going outside. Praise at the right moment, i.e. the second she starts ‘going.’ Reward with a treat after she is finished.

TIP #2: BREAKING UP DOG FIGHTS
There is no golden standard for breaking up a dogfight, but there are as many opinions as there are dog owners. My recommendation is to try a sudden aversive, such as a loud noise near the combatants as a first line of defense. Bang pots and pans or steel water dishes together while yelling. Cease the instant the dogs disengage.

If this doesn't work (try for two or three seconds, then move on), the two most experienced people, wearing the animal control gloves, will each pull one dog off as follows:

1. Grip the base of the tail where it joins the body
2. Pull both dogs simultaneously quickly out and up, raising the rear quarters off the ground

Secure both dogs with leashes and assess for damage.

If this doesn't work, use citronella and, if that doesn't work, pepper spray. Other people present should be securing all dogs not involved in the fight.

The very last resort to consider is pulling dogs out by their collars or necks. This is because of the significant risk of an accidental or re-directed bite. This risk is even greater if you are without gloves, which offer some protection. Many of the worst bites are sustained putting hands into fights.
- excerpted from Fight!

---