We're house training our new puppies, and it's working out well. Beau and Shadow have the run of the house during the day, and only go into the crate when we're sleeping or if we have to leave the house to shop or run errands. They've already learned to wake us up in the morning when they need to go outside. Accidents in the house are minimal now, too.
Shetland Sheepdogs typically aren't biters, but I discourage the puppies (who are teething like babies) from gnawing on me. Kisses are fine, biting is not.
The pups stay with me most of the day in my home office, which I've transformed into a play room for them. They nap there whenever they're tired. When I leave the room they always come with me.
Because we're in a rural area with lots of wild life we always take our dogs out on leads. They're a lot faster than we are, and there are a couple of farms around us with working dogs who might attack them if they get loose and trespass. I also think it's part of being a responsible pet owner and neighbor.
Training very young dogs takes time, but it's fun and rewarding. The work we do now will also pay off in the future.
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