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Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Melanie Monteverde

Hi! My pup is 10 weeks old. Our house has both hardwood floors as well as carpet. I am trying to train him to stay off the carpet. Each time he runs in, I say "No!" and I pick him up off the carpet and put him back onto the floor. I think he thinks this is a game. Does anyone have any suggestions for teaching him to stay only on the floors and not on the carpet? Thanks!

DISCUSSION:

We have put barricades at all our doors leading to carpet. We use suitcases, cardboard, etc. When she gets a little older, we will remove the barricades and then try the no and putting her back on the floor. We trained our dachshund like this several years ago, but I think they need to realize their area and then it will be easier. Monique can run through the kitchen and den, but that's it. We still use the "playyard" when we're gone from home.
-Joy

I had dog gates built for the doors to my living room and dining room. They are short enough to step over, and they could jump over them, but they were trained from babies not to, so they don't. They are wooden slats so that they can see through them. The rest of my home is hardwood and tile. I allow them in only on invitation. It has worked very well for me.
-Marsha A.

My dogs are all trained to stay off my carpets. They will run through the house and abruptly put on the breaks when they get to the carpet. I teach them this the way their mothers teach them. Loud and clear! If your pup is confusing your correction with playing, you need to get its attention. Mother dogs will nip their pups and send them screeching. The pup gets the message, mom' nerves are spared and the pup will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! Of course, I am not suggesting that you "nip" or hurt your pup. I am just giving you an example of how pups learn. They need to get the message and sometimes you need to find a way to get the message across. I use a loud voice and consistency. When a pup ventures into a forbidden area is is snatched up and sent in the proper direction, while I flail my arms and yell. Maybe hit the wall with my hand for effect! Well! the pup does not want that to happen again but he might not realize until a few times what is causing that reaction. Of course the pup needs to be old enough to learn this lesson. Before that, barriars and supervision will need to do. Don't expect to teach a 4 week old puppy. You will confuse it and scare it. Good Luck. Remember to be consistent. Never allow the undesirable deed. The quicker your dog gets the message, the quicker it will learns.
-Barbara