# 6 month old Maltese



## vmendi123

Hey everyone. I've have had a six month old Maltese named Caesar (just neutered a week ago) for about four months now and the training has been going terribly! At this point, when he is in his crate, he knows to hold it - I then take him outside and after playing for 10-15 minutes he will go SOMETIMES. Of course, I praise him a lot and give him treats when he does this. If he does go, I give him some play time and if he doesn't go, I put him back into his crate. However, when he's not in his crate, he seems to have no idea where to go! The best way to describe it is that he basically knows only to NOT go in his crate. I bought poochie bells and have been ringing them for a month now everytime I take him out and he just doesn't pay attention when I'm ringing them at all. 

I love him a lot, but he doesn't seem to be too keen on learning things! He doesn't yet even understand that "No" is a bad thing. I try to say it in a sharp, loud tone, but he continues doing whatever he is doing undeterred. He has very bad behavior in almost everything else he does as well - if I'm eating on the dinner table, he will jump on the chair to get onto the table and try to eat out of my plate! He barks until he gets what he wants and a simple walk takes hours because he stops after every few seconds (He also runs to any other people who are walking). 

I'm currently a medical school student, and I spent a good amount of time trying to train him over the summer. But, now that school has begun once again, my time is severely limited. He's a very loving dog who always wants to be around me, and it makes me sad that he has been crate bound for four months now. When I bought him, I had just ideally wanted to have his companionship, while studying the whole day. At this point, I would prefer to just send him to a boot camp to learn these proper manners and get trained! Do such things exist? Thanks for the help everyone.


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## Summergirl73

Welcome! Oh it is hard having a puppy isn't it? I thought I'd lose my mind until Bella turned about 7 or 8 months old. That's when things started to click for her. Are you using an exercise pen and pee pads? That could be a huge help to you, especially with your challenging schedule. I have a UgoDog for Bella and that has been a true Godsend. I always hated the whole pee pad idea, but boy she took right to the UgoDog. Smartest $50 we spent. It sounds like you are doing a great job though, so pack your patience and consider indoor potty options  .


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## Furbabies mom

I've had some dogs that got it right away, and some that did take at least 7 months. Your pup will eventually get housebroken, but just keep being consistent and praising him! Good luck, it'll work out! I'm about to get my 4th puppy. If it was impossible to train them, I wouldn't be getting my fourth!LOL


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## vmendi123

Summergirl73 said:


> Welcome! Oh it is hard having a puppy isn't it? I thought I'd lose my mind until Bella turned about 7 or 8 months old. That's when things started to click for her. Are you using an exercise pen and pee pads? That could be a huge help to you, especially with your challenging schedule. I have a UgoDog for Bella and that has been a true Godsend. I always hated the whole pee pad idea, but boy she took right to the UgoDog. Smartest $50 we spent. It sounds like you are doing a great job though, so pack your patience and consider indoor potty options  .


Thanks for he help! Yes, I am using an exercise pen, where I keep a blanket and a few of his toys on one side with a pee pad on the other side. However, he never uses the pee pad, because he just never goes in his crate. That's why I don't think the UgoDog would do much more him.


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## educ8m

I'm so sorry that Caesar's training isn't going as planned. I can feel your frustration. It sounds like you need help with training techniques, but since medical school is starting I doubt you will have the time for obedience classes. 

Yes, there are trainers who will take your dog and train it for you. When they return the dog to you, they show you how to follow through on what they've taught. I have a friend who did this with one of her puppies. I could never do that myself, but it works for some people. If it means you give up a few weeks of living with your puppy for a lifetime of a well behaved companion, it could be worth it for you. If you decide to go this route, please do your research and ask many questions about the techniques that the trainer will use. Maltese are very sensitive souls who could be damaged by harsh or negative training. I'm aware of several trainers in my area, who take in dogs. However to get quick results they use shock collars. Be careful because now they call them "e-collars" for electonic collar. It's still a shock collar. I would look for someone who believes in shaping with positive reinforcement only.

Good luck.


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## Summergirl73

You may be right then, the UgoDog may not help you much. I do feel that it's safer than the pads though, since the puppy can't get to it easily to digest them. I may be getting confused, but do you have a sizeable fenced play area set up with a crate and pads and toys inside that fenced area? Did I understand that correctly? I'm tired so I may not have lol  . If so, that's a great set up and with time I think your little one will start to get it. It's also important that when he's not in the fenced area that the door is WIDE OPEN, so he knows its safe to sneak to his pad to take care of business.

Your puppy sounds very fortunate to have you....you're really doing a good job. I'm thinking it's just going to take a while for the pup to start to get the right idea. Try to keep a nice schedule (as much as possible) for feedings, walks etc. You may also want to do a potty training search on this site. I know there are a couple of great threads devoted to that. 

Oh and there's no way I'd send my pup away for a period of time without me. The bonding is priceless time. A great daycare could be an option though. Especially one that offers some training while they are there during the day. Best wishes  .


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## lmillette

I completely understand your frustration! It took my hubby and me two years to fully potty train our Basset Hound Loco! Don’t worry, this won’t happen with Caesar. Basset Hounds are very stubborn!! But with patience and being consistent it finally happened! 

Are you using word association with the bells? For instance, when you ring them before you take him out, are you saying "potty" or "potty time"? If not, I would start to incorporate that right away because he doesn't have any type of association to the bells. So if you ring the bells when you go out and say "potty" and then he potties outside, you say "good potty" and give him a treat instantly, he should begin to associate the bells with potty time as it will all begin to click with the word potty and positive reinforcement. Potty training can take a while but with patience and consistency it will happen. Opey was kept in his pen while I wasn't home until he was almost a year old not only for continued potty training but for safety as puppies can get into so much stuff. After about a year he was a good boy and had most of the house to himself. Are you practicing sit, lay, paw at all? I would try other training as well to form that training bond with him and so he sees how positive training is good and he is rewarded, this may also help assist with the positive reinforcement potty training. 

As for the table issue when eating, don't let him get his way. I would keep him out of the kitchen and either put him in his pen or gate the kitchen off when you are eating. This is will help him understand that behavior isn't acceptable. 

I would absolutely not send your puppy off to be trained by someone else because you really never know what could happen to him. And training truly forms a wonderful bond between the two of you. I would try to squeeze in a training class at a facility, even your local Petsmart or Petco. 

Just remember, patience and consistency. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## hoaloha

Great advice has been given  You are SO brave to raise a puppy during medical school. I waited until med school AND residency were both over before I had the time to devote to raising a pup. It sounds like there are some boundary issues that your puppy may be testing. Do no let him near the dinner table at all so that you're not setting him up for failure. Freedom should be earned stepwise--- not given 100% then taken away. As Lindsay mentioned, I would put him in his pen or gated area while you eat.

I'd start with solid obedience training-- there are a few weekend sessions with a trainer that could fit into your busy schedule. The early training is SO important and I hope you find the time now to prioritize this puppy because what you do NOW can and will affect his behavior in the long-term. Utilize us and this forum as much as you want  ask any questions and we're glad to help!


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## vmendi123

Thanks a lot for the help everyone. I've attached a picture of what his crate looks like (I removed the pee pad, since he hasn't used it all in the last month).










I will definitely try to use the cue words when ringing the bell and hopefully try to continue to do what I'm doing. Does anyone have any suggestions on the "No." I remember reading somewhere online that quick, sharp tones are the way that dogs say no to each other in the wild, and that dogs should pretty much already understand that when you want them to do when you say "No" in that manner. However, Caesar just continues to do what he's doing without stopping when I try this method. 

My worry with keeping him away from me when eating is that he will ultimately never learn the lesson. What I've tried doing in the past was to say "No" and then put him back down on the ground, but since he never understood, he would just keep jumping back onto the table. It got too frustrating to the point that I now do keep him away from the table, but how will he learn that behavior is bad if he doesn't understand what "No" means :angry:?

I too don't want to send him away to get trained, but at the same time I don't want him to be crate-bound his whole life. I'd really just like to see him be able to run around the house and just play the whole day, because I think he gets sad when he can't be around people. So, if there is a trainer that would take him and use safe tactics to house-train him, I would probably be willing to do that. Thanks a lot again everyone!


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## hoaloha

I think that sending him away for training is totally missing the mark. I think that both you and the dog need to work with the trainer because it's all about YOUR relationship with your dog and how you are going to continue the work to build on the necessary skills. As you mentioned, I doubt it's the dog's ability to learn that is causing undesired behavior. Perhaps, there is a lack of consistency in your approach that makes him not "get" it.

As I mentioned before, I think Starting with Basic obedience needs to happen. Try alternative words or sounds instead of "no"-- like "eh-eh" or anything else short.

Your response to the advice regarding keeping him away from the table is a bit mis-guided. We are not saying that he will never be able to be around the dinner table, but you have to work from NO freedom to a little freedom. You can say No and then put him behind the gate if he jumps. That way he knows that jumping leads to no freedom. Then, an association is made. The longer he can not jump up, the longer he gets to hang around you.

You can't expect advanced self-control behaviors without basic solid obedience skills. These develop with time and practice that you need to learn WITH your pup. Training is a large bonding experience and is based on the relationship between the human and dog. 

I don't intend to sound harsh in any way-- I just want you to realize that the training is both a human and dog endeavor and I would not trust or rely on some stranger to train my dog alone-- it doesn't address the root of the issues. I hope you can learn and keep an open mind despite your frustrations. Having a Maltese is not easy in the beginning but they are just the most special breed


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## lmillette

hoaloha said:


> I think that sending him away for training is totally missing the mark. I think that both you and the dog need to work with the trainer because it's all about YOUR relationship with your dog and how you are going to continue the work to build on the necessary skills. As you mentioned, I doubt it's the dog's ability to learn that is causing undesired behavior. Perhaps, there is a lack of consistency in your approach that makes him not "get" it.
> 
> As I mentioned before, I think Starting with Basic obedience needs to happen. Try alternative words or sounds instead of "no"-- like "eh-eh" or anything else short.
> 
> Your response to the advice regarding keeping him away from the table is a bit mis-guided. We are not saying that he will never be able to be around the dinner table, but you have to work from NO freedom to a little freedom. You can say No and then put him behind the gate if he jumps. That way he knows that jumping leads to no freedom. Then, an association is made. The longer he can not jump up, the longer he gets to hang around you.
> 
> You can't expect advanced self-control behaviors without basic solid obedience skills. These develop with time and practice that you need to learn WITH your pup. Training is a large bonding experience and is based on the relationship between the human and dog.
> 
> I don't intend to sound harsh in any way-- I just want you to realize that the training is both a human and dog endeavor and I would not trust or rely on some stranger to train my dog alone-- it doesn't address the root of the issues. I hope you can learn and keep an open mind despite your frustrations. Having a Maltese is not easy in the beginning but they are just the most special breed


:goodpost: Great advice Marisa!!


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## lmillette

vmendi123 said:


> Thanks a lot for the help everyone. I've attached a picture of what his crate looks like (I removed the pee pad, since he hasn't used it all in the last month).
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> 
> I will definitely try to use the cue words when ringing the bell and hopefully try to continue to do what I'm doing. Does anyone have any suggestions on the "No." I remember reading somewhere online that quick, sharp tones are the way that dogs say no to each other in the wild, and that dogs should pretty much already understand that when you want them to do when you say "No" in that manner. However, Caesar just continues to do what he's doing without stopping when I try this method.
> 
> My worry with keeping him away from me when eating is that he will ultimately never learn the lesson. What I've tried doing in the past was to say "No" and then put him back down on the ground, but since he never understood, he would just keep jumping back onto the table. It got too frustrating to the point that I now do keep him away from the table, but how will he learn that behavior is bad if he doesn't understand what "No" means :angry:?
> 
> I too don't want to send him away to get trained, but at the same time I don't want him to be crate-bound his whole life. I'd really just like to see him be able to run around the house and just play the whole day, because I think he gets sad when he can't be around people. So, if there is a trainer that would take him and use safe tactics to house-train him, I would probably be willing to do that. Thanks a lot again everyone!


Yes, you need to associate a word with the bells otherwise once you get outside he doesn't know nor remember what those bells meant. I would leash him up bring him to the bells say "potty" bring him outside and when he goes potty tell him "good potty" and give him a treat. After a few weeks of this he should be getting it. You may also want to try to put his paws on the bells when you are going out and saying "potty", not forcefully, just rest his paw on them when you ring them. The key factor is consistency and patience. 

As for the no issues, I would try the "eh-eh" like Marisa suggested. That worked really well for Opey when he was a puppy. You also have to understand that he is still a baby and when he is a bit older things will be better with the training. He could also be going through a "teenage" stage where they know what you're saying but chose to ignore you. Opey did this. He had been through probably two or three training classes and I would ask him to sit and he would just his head the other way and pretend he didn't hear me. But that passed and so will most of the issues with your guy if your consistent and patient with training. I would find a trainer near you to work with you both. Like I suggested before, your local Petsmart and Petco offer training classes in the evenings and on weekends. You both will benefit from it greatly. 

Good luck but keep in mind he is still a baby so be patient and consistent. Keep us posted!


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## CorkieYorkie

Lol Ozzie is afraid of the bell even with peanut butter... Any advice?


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