Today Ava turns 3 months old! Madeline is training her in German. So far she (sometimes) knows “sitz” (sit) and “plotz” (down). She also loves to “bring” (fetch) a tennis ball. She’s a real sweetheart, very much a people dog. Her favorite spot is parked on the front porch. The only thing driving me up the wall is the lack of progress in the housetraining department. So please leave any ideas for me about that in the comments!
Gotta love those GSD ears!
Wow she sure has grown!!!! As for housebreaking….just keep pluggin away ..she will get it one day ….
She’s so cute! Don’t worry about the housetraining. It will come. At 3 months old she’s still young. TONS of INSTANT praise when she does it right — that’s my best advise. If she’s into treats, a treat right there when she does it outside might work. The other thing you might want to do if she’s having accidents at night is make sure that you limit her fluid intake after about 8 p.m. or so. Hang in there!
Thanks for the encouragement, ladies! I know it will come, I’m just impatient 🙂
A trick that has worked many times for me is… whenever you find the poo, tell your dog, in a stern voice that you don’t approve (however you do this), take the poo and the dog outside, placing the poo where you want your dog to go. Make your dog smell the poo, then praise the dog, just like she had gone there in the first place. The dog then has an association with a good poo. It may take a few times. I’ve housebroken 4 dogs this way, and the most time it’s taken me is about 3 trys. Most have gotten it after 2… (but we do have one that absolutly refuses to not hold it, and will go in the house pretty regularly)…. sorry i’m so long winded.
Madeline is just lovely! Her smile is very beautiful!Ava looks great!
Wes – thanks for the idea, it’s one I’ve never tried. We’ll give it a shot.Sonia – thank you! I just hope her (expensive) retainer is making that smile even more beautiful 🙂