Comments on: I Curse You, Dr. Ian Dunbar!

By: Amy@GoPetFriendly

Amy@GoPetFriendly — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:02:14 +0000

Sorry I’m so late commenting, but I just had to say that I’m proud of you and Mike. Potty training a puppy isn’t easy and you guys have signed up for it multiple times for dogs that will only be in your lives for a short time. Getting people to realize they’re responsible when they’ve not done their part to train their pet is important – but there is no question in my mind that you and Mike did your very best. Sometimes accidents happen … and it’s no one’s fault.

By: lauren

lauren — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:04:24 +0000

lol! marriage counseling discount!! love it.

dr. d was just in a forbes article, too: http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/03/01/the-dr-spock-of-the-dog-world-reveals-the-secrets-of-training-the-perfect-puppy/

By: Declan

Declan — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:14:57 +0000

Your post has been shortlisted for February’s Deccy’s Excellent Blog Award!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:52:08 +0000

I kind of got distracted after the bit about the winking butthole. (bwahaha) Cardigan buttholes are obstructed by their jodhpurs, which probably accounts for 10% of their puppy poo accidents (as in I didn’t see them winking). 😉

Seriously though, although I didn’t read this particular puppy book, I read way too many others (which did make me an anxious mess), and all of them put the accident blame squarely on the owner(s). My own husband, who didn’t read any puppy book, by the way, never could buy into that. Why does poo and pee have to be so divisive? :-/

By: Premier Dog Training

Premier Dog Training — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:20:36 +0000

Great post – enjoyed it! Dr. Dubar is brilliant, but he can be a bit hard with imperfect humans! 😉

One key about housetraining is to make sure the floor is completely de-odorized after any accidents. If that scent is left on the floor or carpet, it can be like a magnet to draw them back and mark there again.

By: Sherron

Sherron — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:34:29 +0000

Oh, man! I hear ya!! When you’re house training a puppy – or even an adult dog – the wins never seem enough to outweigh the losses. I’m currently working with one of my younger dogs who doesn’t understand how to ask to go outside and is terrified of the bell I’ve been trying to teach her to ring. It’s frustrating…she’ll go weeks and weeks without incident and then she’s peeing in the floor every single day. Imagine my surprise (not!) to realize that her accidents coincide perfectly with my being overextended and overtired.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:58:25 +0000

I purchased that very same book when I decided we were ready for a dog. I read the entire thing, cover-to-cover, at least three times. Since I didn’t end up bringing home a puppy but a fully grown dog full of issues due to lack of socialization and bite inhibition, my reading didn’t prove very helpful. Shiva didn’t know much when she came to our house, but thank the gods she was house-trained!

I would still recommend his book to anyone considering a dog, no matter what age, as he definitely does a good job of outlining the sheer amount of work it takes!

By: Greyhounds CAN Sit

Greyhounds CAN Sit — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:06:30 +0000

Oh, lol, been there, done that so often in my puppy raising days. I can so relate to all your hard work going down the gurgler when men get engrossed in something other than puppy watching. I am an Ian Dunbar fan too:)

By: shanendoah@life by pets

shanendoah@life by pets — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:58:12 +0000

Accidents happen. And this is why, should I ever start investing, I’m investing in Nature’s Miracle, Simple Green (love their pet stain remover as much as regular Simple Green), Folex, and Bissel.

By: Sage

Sage — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:46:35 +0000

I KNOW what you mean–training puppies isn’t the easiest, even if you are home all day. At 10-weeks (when we rescued her), Sage hated the crate, even though we tried and tried and tried. And I read several books, to no avail. Finally, after a month of sleepless nights, or sleeping on the couch with Sage beside me, I opened the crate door and we’ve been sleeping fine ever since. So, was it us or was it something in Sage that said she didn’t want to be separated from her pack? Same with potty training. We had our share of accidents, but just kept at it and soon she was doing great.