Helping a puppy NOT to learn bad habits....

I have a 6 month old lab and my dad has a 4 year old lab, how do I stop my puppy from following the labs bad habit because my dad never trained him?

Also how do I stop the one that is going to the bathroom inside at night?





Hi
This is a tricky one as puppies naturally copy older dogs and if one dog is peeing/pooping indoors, his scent attracts the other to that spot. If they're two males it's going to be even worse.

I can only recommend using a crate and very close/constant supervision of the puppy to prevent the opportunity for him to copy the older dog's bad habits. Follow the advice on my Crate Training A Puppy as it will help you do this properly.

Crate training also works well for older dogs, so perhaps you could get your dad to start working with his dog using a second crate and the same method. That way you'd get them both clean at the same time.

It's much more difficult to successfully potty train a puppy in a house where there is another dog soiling in forbidden areas.. but with patience and persistence it is possible. Remember not to get angry with your pup if he makes mistakes, because he's only following his instincts to copy the other dog and is attracted by the scent markers he's leaving.

Always be kind and loving, but firm, and have lots of patience.

I'm afraid this is the only advice I can give you but I strongly suggest that you try to persuade your dad to start potty training his dog too as it will make the whole process easier.

Best of luck.