Hello and Help

Hi,
Im new to the forum and also a new dog owner. I need some help, when I first got the puppy for the first two weeks she was well behaved and training was going very well. Toilet training was easy and she would wait at the door. However now when we take her outside she chases people up the street, eats snails, wont go to the toilet..We will stand outside with her for over 30mins and she will just go as soon as we take her back inside. We have tried rewarding good behaviour and avoiding telling off unless she starts to chew wires or things she should have. We then tell her no firmly and move her away. Can anyone offer advice?

Welcome to the forum! Puppies can be a lot of work - like children growing up, you sort one thing and they think of something else! As far as chewing wires etc is concerned, find something that she likes to chew and is allowed to chew - a toy, or a rawhide chew, anything safe, tasty and fun - and say no to wires and offer her the alternative and praise her when she takes it and chews it. She'll quickly learn what she is and isn't allowed to chew. Do the same with snails - because snails (and slugs) are a total no-no, they cause lungworm. As you can't keep an eye on your puppy every moment she's in the garden, you may have to work at reducing the number of snails you have!

Wasn't sure what you meant by 'chasing people up the street'? House training is helped by (a) taking the puppy out at the most likely times (waking up from sleep needs a fast response!) and (b) using a word when she does perform (I use 'outside') so that she connects word and action, and praise. She may just enjoy having you out in the garden with her and not really connect it with performing!

I'm sure others on the forum will have more (and better) advice - meanwhile enjoy your puppy!

Kate, and ruby Oliver and blenheim Aled

Hi and welcome. Some good advice above -- To be honest (and especially in a little young pup!) you are really talking about human management issues (eg things you can prevent by simply not allowing her free to do these things, especially as a puppy where bad and dangerous habits habits can become permanent problems) not something that is the pup's 'fault'... she will need your time and effort to train her to do the things you prefer over the coming months -- but I'd add: please keep her on a lead at all times outside as this is a breed that in particular has no road sense and will walk directly in front of an oncoming car. This is even more the case with puppies who are young and inexperienced and may also keep right on running as they will have little training and little recall. In general experienced cavalier owners will always tell people: never let your dog off a lead around traffic. Also, housetraining tends to start to backslide when people just let the puppy out, even into a safely fenced back garden, rather than going out with the pup every single time, on a lead, waiting for the pup to go, praising and rewarding. Scolding in the process of housetraining tends to slow the whole proces down and be very counterproductive so be sure to stick to praise for what you do want, and no comment t all for what you don't (not least because it is our inattentiveness and failure to get a dog outside when it needs to go, that generally leads to accidents as puppies don't know where they are to go and don;t always remember (just like little children during putty training!) and it really takes up to a year to get a reliable dog.

I'd recommend reading this:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/errorless-housetraining
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/housesoiling

Plus there's lots more great advice and even free videos to watch on the site there.

I'd definitely download the free pdf version of this famous trainer's excellent guide to raising and training a puppy here:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/after-you-get-your-puppy-0