Puppy Training Class

i got her about a week ago and my mom has to take a safety class and we were wondering if we do take this class is there a certificate that we get at the end or a reciet that we took the class.

Carrie,
Thank you so much for the advice and sugestions! I totay forgot about the clicker.. It makes totaly sence! I'm going to go pick one up this weekend and try it out. I will keep you posted and I look forward to your new Clicker training section up and running. I realy injoyed geting a little refresher last night watching a few of your videos. Thanks again and I will keep you posted!

The whining seems a little like a sign of stress or excitement. Some dogs are highly vocal by nature and tend to express their feelings vocally. Sortie's mother's name is Speak and for good reason. Both she and Sortie talk all the time, via growls and a series of quiet barks. I'm sure it is beginning to get a little annoying to you, though. In general, if a dog is stressed or is highly stimulated, the whining will begin and escalate as long as the dog is in the same environment.
A couple of things you can try at home to keep his whining to a minimum is to teach him a quiet behavior. When he begins whining, tell him "quiet" kind of sternly and see if he'll stop for a moment. If he does, say "good quiet" while giving him a treat. I don't know that you can ever completely eliminate the whining but at least you could have control over how long it continues. Start by rewarding his quietness every two to three seconds then gradually add time to the behavior. Ask him to be quiet and then count in your head for ten seconds before you reward. If he starts whining before your head count is completed, he is telling you he isn't ready for that much time. As he is successful 8 out of 10 repetitions, try it for a longer amount of time. Then as he gets more proficient, you can start practicing it while you're on your walks.
You may want to consider introducing him to clicker training as well since he's shy. Clicker training is a great way to build confidence in a shy dog and for a dog like a border collie, he will take to it like a duck to water. Go to this site http://www.clickertraining.com/ to learn about clicker training and how to introduce it to your puppy. I am working on getting a clicker training section up and running on this site so if you have questions, please ask me. Clicker training is my first love and I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
Thanks for your question and keep me updated.

I recently picked up a 6 week old border collie pup. He is now 9 weeks old but is still really Shy, wines all the time (even if you are cuddling him on the couch), and quite skittish. I have had a Australian Shepherd in the past but I don't recall him like this.
We went for our first walk on-leash today (he did great for his first time) but he wined the whole trip! Is this normal behavior for a Border Collie. I have always had really good results in training our dogs but any advice would be wonderful. He is supper sweet,and really smart! It is unbelievable how good he is with our 12 mth old daughter.
Thank you for your time!!
Rachel

Mara,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. Does your dog potty in the house when you are home or only when you are away? Being he is nine, you may want to consider taking him to the vet just to make sure there isn’t something physically wrong.
My mantra with dogs that know a behavior and then begin to be naughty is, if they are going to act like a puppy, then treat them like one. So, if he is forgetting his potty training, and there isn’t anything physically wrong, I would go back to potty training 101. Our site has a great potty training section under Raising a Puppy and you could get some good tips off of that. http://dogclassonline.com/rais...ining.html
It could be that he is showing his dislike for your new job (could be the time you are gone or the smells you bring home) but in any case, he needs to remember his potty training. Maybe try instituting a crate.
As far as our classes, we are full for this round but will be starting up another set most likely in early March. If you would like, I can keep your name on file and let you know when registration begins again.
Thanks for your interest and again, sorry for the delayed response. Let me know if you take him to the vet and what they say...

I would definitely train your puppies separately. Train your puppy in a quiet room of your house with no distractions at first. I would put the other puppy in it's crate since, at this age, it can't be trusted not to potty in the house or chew something up.
Great question!

I have 2 Mastiff pups and was wondering if I should train them together or separate? Should one be crated while I'm working the other or should I try to do them together?

he has been with me since 2006, I adopted him and he has made me really happy
but since Nov 2008 (when my boyfriend and I became owners of a pet shop - ironically) he has seem to forgotten how to hold his pee pee and his poo poo
he does not really "do" poo poo or pee pee inside the house just...a little sample in the kitchen floor
I was wondering if he could participate in your classes.
or if you might be able to help me with advice!

Thanks a lot!!!

Mara G. Szyp