Well... it has been an eventful first week to say the least!
All in all, I think we are doing okay - we have learnt how to "come" and "sit" and we are working on "wait" while dinner is being put down and "okay" to go ahead and eat. I was actually amazed that she picked things up so early and so quickly! "Sit" is almost 100%, but "come" we are probably at about 60% at the moment... we'll get there! I've only just started to really enforce "wait" so success rate is pretty minimal at the moment...
But then it comes to house-breaking. WHAT A DISASTER. My poor little girl has gone backwards I think.
She started out doing really well, but then decided she would go outside - but it just isn't practical for me. I'm not home all day and she needs to be able to go potty inside. Well, I think I made her go backwards by confusing her. I let her go potty outside and told her she was a good girl (because I was so happy that she wasn't doing it on my floor) - and things started to go downhill from there on. So I think this is my fault. I feel bad, but I didn't realise I was doing the wrong thing - this is my first maltese, my first pup - so I have to learn from my mistakes - and BOY am I learning from my mistakes.
Now we go potty where we feel like it.
I would stand with her for about 10 minutes at the potty pad after meal, and nothing... she would walk around the corner and go straight on the floor! Not even 10 seconds later!
So, I got on the net to do some research and found a good e-book on training. Now we have progressed with "NO". If I catch her pottying on the floor, or if I say "NO" once and I'm ignored, the next no is accompanied with a loud clap. It frightens her and I feel bad, but she needs to learn. I then take her to the potty pad. If she goes potty, she's praised and given a treat. If not, then we silently go to the crate for a 10 minute time-out.
If we go potty somewhere and aren't caught in the act (and not too much time has elapsed), we are silently taken to where we pottied, face down near it (not touching it or anything) and told "NO NO NO POTTY", we then go to the potty pad and told "This is where we potty" before being given a time-out.
So far, the time-out has been a hard time for me. I mean, I'm glad I'm not smacking her or hurting her - but I feel so bad doing it to her
... but again, I keep telling myself SHE HAS TO LEARN. After time-out (we've already had 3 today...
) she comes out and is all sooky and just lays down near me ro something....
Hope I don't have to keep doing this for too long...
As for her biting feet, well it's "NO" first time, and second time "NO" is accompanied with a spray from a waterbottle. I've only had to do this about 5 times in the last 3 days - and it has worked wonders.
Grooming time is slowly getting better. We are better with the hairdryer now and yesterday she just layed down on the mat while I dried her. This morning we even managed to pull a tiny bit of hair up into a "pig-tail" top knot. She fiddled a bit at first, but seems to be tolerating it now... it does look cute.....
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, but I think for 8 weeks old, we are doing okay....
All in all, I think we are doing okay - we have learnt how to "come" and "sit" and we are working on "wait" while dinner is being put down and "okay" to go ahead and eat. I was actually amazed that she picked things up so early and so quickly! "Sit" is almost 100%, but "come" we are probably at about 60% at the moment... we'll get there! I've only just started to really enforce "wait" so success rate is pretty minimal at the moment...
But then it comes to house-breaking. WHAT A DISASTER. My poor little girl has gone backwards I think.

Now we go potty where we feel like it.


If we go potty somewhere and aren't caught in the act (and not too much time has elapsed), we are silently taken to where we pottied, face down near it (not touching it or anything) and told "NO NO NO POTTY", we then go to the potty pad and told "This is where we potty" before being given a time-out.
So far, the time-out has been a hard time for me. I mean, I'm glad I'm not smacking her or hurting her - but I feel so bad doing it to her



As for her biting feet, well it's "NO" first time, and second time "NO" is accompanied with a spray from a waterbottle. I've only had to do this about 5 times in the last 3 days - and it has worked wonders.
Grooming time is slowly getting better. We are better with the hairdryer now and yesterday she just layed down on the mat while I dried her. This morning we even managed to pull a tiny bit of hair up into a "pig-tail" top knot. She fiddled a bit at first, but seems to be tolerating it now... it does look cute.....

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, but I think for 8 weeks old, we are doing okay....