# Questions regarding puppies and tricks



## ChanelTheMaltese (Dec 3, 2013)

What is an appropriate age to begin attempting to teach your puppy tricks? My baby girl is 8 weeks old.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

Chanel is adorable! Congrats  I think it's never too early to start training but the focus of training should be different depending on the age. All training builds on previously learned skills. Expectations should also be appropriately adjusted depending in the age. At just 8 weeks old, the focus really should be on transitioning to the new home and careful but deliberate and systematic socialization. Most breeders keep their Maltese puppies with the litter and mom until 12 weeks because a lot of socialization happens during this time as well as it being a more fragile health period. 

Right now, I'd focus on socialization and potty training. Don't expect miracles with potty training yet though- she is just like a newborn right now. Socialization is a part of good training and can develop a healthy dog without fears. You can socialize to all different situations, people, grooming, etc... Read some of the stickies for valuable info and techniques 

after a few weeks or month(s), you can build to the next step with basic obedience. All "tricks" are a variation of these basic commands. Just keep it positive and FUN! Training should never be frustrating. Keep the sessions very short and build to longer time once the pup is older .

Hope this helps!!!


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## ChanelTheMaltese (Dec 3, 2013)

Thank you so much. I will really take all you've said into consideration. She's been doing really well w/ the potty pad and seems to be doing good w/ the crate, however, now she's beginning to bite on the blue edges of the potty pad. Would a potty tray really benefit? I've heard that some dogs then begin to tear up the pad from the middle. What should I do?


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

Don't worry about chewing the pad, it'll pass. Right now she's probably in 'chewing everything' phase and she sees pads as something to play with.

As for training, I trained Cashmere since I got her at 11 weeks. You can see the results after 3 weeks here: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjBf5bk5Qs]Maltese puppy Cashmere - tricks. - YouTube[/ame]
I used those methods:
Dog Training With Victoria Stilwell - YouTube
The first trick/commend will be the most difficult, as she will not know what you expect her to do and will have to figure it out (remember, do not force her to do anything).
And since she's so young right know, I wouldn't expect her to have long enough attention spam to focus on training.

So I would start when she'll be 10 weeks old.
Good luck and enjoy your little girl.


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## Leila'sMommy (Oct 20, 2012)

I agree with all the advise you've gotten here. The first tricks I would teach should be ones for safety. They are fun, but are also important. For the sit and come commands, it could save your little one's life should they start to run off. Of course, don't rely on that too soon by allowing the puppy to be outside off leash. It takes awhile and a lot of practice before the short attention span is ready to just do it on command when they see something else more interesting. Also, you can use sit to teach not to jump up on people. Leave it and drop it are important when they start to pick up something with the mouth that could be dangerous, like if you drop a bottle of Tylenol, for example. As for the potty pads, Leila did that at first too and outgrew it. I wasted money on a couple of trays. She just shredded the center of the pads instead when they were used. They shortly just wound up in a closet because it was easier to just put down a pad by itself and not have to clean the trays. Just like human babies, everything new is fun and exciting to them and they explore with their mouths. I would just tell Leila no in a firm voice and put the pad back where it belonged and give her a toy instead or set her on top of the pad and say "pee pee potty" and give her a treat if she went. That's how I think she learned to potty on command...which also comes in handy. Before going in somewhere, I put down a potty pad in the back of my SUV and give the command and don't have to worry that she will need to go once inside the store, vet, or friend's house. 


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I actually decided to use a UgoDog instead of potty pads. Too many stories of potty pads being ingested for my comfort. The UgoDog costs around $50 and it was worth every single penny to us. You can find them online if you are interested in going that route  .


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## ChanelTheMaltese (Dec 3, 2013)

Thank you everyone for the information. I've been trying the "No" and giving her a chew toy. It works because I distract her, but I'm scared to see what she'd do if I leave. 

For training purposes should I just lock the crate when I leave? I don't go out for long periods, but only like an hour or two if I go to the gym or have to pickup/drive a friend that doesn't have a car. I have the crate in the Xpen where she goes to after running around and playing w/ her toys. At this moment I've played w/ her for an hour, fed her/gave her water, she went peeped, and walked into the crate on her own.


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## IzzysBellasMom (Jan 16, 2013)

I just also want to suggest that many positive trainers, (3 that I have personally worked with) also don't suggest you use the word "No". It is a very common word and especially if you have children, it is a word that may be spoken around the house and confuse your puppy while she is still in the learning phase. My first trainer preferred "uh uh" and that is what I continued to use. Of course that is just a preference and every household is different.


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## ChanelTheMaltese (Dec 3, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely look into trying a different word.


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