Ten Natural Steps to Training the Family Dog by Matthew P. Duffy (2009)

In preparation for having a dog, I’ve been reading up on how to train them.  I don’t want to just go by blog posts, webpages or casual suggestions.  A book would explain the whole thing, and provide a coherent approach.  Ten Natural Steps to Training the Family Dog by Matthew P. Duffy is the book I like the most.  The other books assume that the dog will eventually be going to shows or be a fancy dog.

I am a little intrigued by the field manual, FM 7-40 Scout Dog Training and Employment (1973), but that’s beyond Sparky’s scope.

Crate training has been easy.  I barricaded the solarium to keep Sparky in the tiled area.  His crate is the only soft and cozy area available to him.  He likes hanging out in his crate, and does it often.

House training has also been pretty smooth.  When we go on walks, Sparky loves peeing on everything and is fond of shitting on stumps.  As long as we go on sufficient walks, he is comfortable.  We haven’t developed a good signalling process for him to tell me that he is in urgent need.

The kennel cough was irritating for him, because he’d have a deep cough occasionally.  It cleared up in three days or so.

Sparky lasted about four days with the cone of shame.  I took it off whenever we were together, and he wasn’t aggressive about the stitches.

Giving him his antibiotic pill has been a challenge.  Sparky no longer trusts peanut butter.  I tried inserting the pill into a little piece of dog treat or hot dog.  He takes it, but with lip smacking and chop licking, the pill usually falls out of his mouth.  I considered waterboarding to make him swallow it, but that seemed like it might harm our trusting relationship.

Beagles have a good appetite, and Sparky’s came back after a few days.  My current method is to mix about a teaspoon of nacho cheese dip into is dog food.  That leaves everything moist and sticky.  I cut the pill in half, and mix it in.  That’s worked so far, but once, he ate everything except a half-pill.  I’m hoping that he can’t do that reliably.