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Comment by Cindi on July 16, 2009 at 11:13am

Excellent questions! I'm a trainer, formerly for PetSmart, and now a supervisor there. Hope you don't mind me copying your questions so I can answer them more fully. First, know that YOU are the one who needs to do your research and come up with what's right for you and your pup. Trust your intuition. Trust your pup. And you'll do great. Now for my opinions...lol

when should i start training Romeo? Start training early. Generally 10-12 weeks is a great time as pups are in that "learning curve" and they pick things up really quickly.

Should i get a trainer? A trainer is always great and offers you ideas and direction on ways to help your pup.

Should i get a private trainer? petco training? That depends. Many pet store trainers are well-qualified. For example, I've been training a number of years and am well-qualfied myself. And that's not just my opinion of myself. I continue to get referrals and questions from the community, including lawyers seeking information on dog behavior. Some private trainers are great and some are not. Any trainer should be able to give you a list of their certifications, qualifications and references. Don't be afraid to check them!

Romeo doesn't pee or poop outside but inside. what should i do? Depends what you want. If you want him to be trained to inside, it's accomplished virtually the same way as outside. If you want outside, you just train him to do that. Any trainer should be able to give you direction on that. Most pet stores, such as PetSmart and PetCo have that as part of their basic training program. Mine are trained to do both.

How many times should i feed ROmeo? he is 3 month old. I've always believed in feeding young pups three times each day. At four or five months, I switch to two times a day and maintain that schedule.

is dry beneful pup food okay? because when i went to google and search about beneful some people said that beneful uses artifical meat and veg. This is where I get in trouble because I have some strong opinions on dog food. Personally, Beneful is one of the worst foods out there. Any food that is mostly corn is not great for your dog. They need lean meat protein for the development of muscle mass. Write me off list and I can forward you some info on the inclusion of corn in our diets and our dog's. Interesting stuff. I've suggested here before you check out http://dogfoodanalysis.com. The site breaks down the ingredients in dog foods and gives recommendations on healthy foods. I can say that since I put my dogs on natural food, I've not had a sick dog neither have they had allergy problems. It's more money, but worth the investment.

If you want to discuss your pup further, feel free to email me at cindi_g@comcast.net and I'll be happy to help you. Congrats on your new puppy! Believe me, it's wonderful to find a new puppy parent who wants to do well by their little fur-kid!!!

Comment by Beth on July 16, 2009 at 11:06am

Whoops, forgot a question! At three months I still fed three times a day, with his lunch being about half of the amount of his breakfast and supper. Over the next couple months you can change that to twice a day, but when you do so cut back the lunch portion gradually, and maybe replace it with a small snack like a healthy puppy-appropriate biscuit.

Comment by Beth on July 16, 2009 at 11:04am

And he's so cute!! :-)

Comment by Beth on July 16, 2009 at 11:02am

Hi! Good questions.

You should "start training" your pup immediately after giving him a few days to acclimate to your new home. I like to think of it more as raising a pup than training one. Basic commands like "sit" and "come" are easy to teach at this age. Your Romeo should also learn appropriate potty habits, should learn his name, should learn that it's ok to be left alone (in a confined place, always, at this stage) for periods of time, should learn not to bite. All of this is "training" in a way.

Experienced dog owners don't always need trainers for basic obedience, unless they run into a problem. However, new puppy owners almost always benefit from working with someone. Petco and Petsmart sometimes have very good trainers, and sometimes not. In our area, the Petsmart trainer is also a private trainer and does therapy dog work, and she's pretty good. But I've heard some bad things from other areas. So I would say talk to the trainer and make sure she or he uses positive reinforcement training. A person whose experience is in police dog training, for example, might be perfectly good at dealing with highly dominant German Shepherds, but might terrify your more submissive Romeo.

There's some good info in the FAQ as well, that can get you started. You might also find a good book on positive puppy training; be careful that the info is age appropriate.

There are several threads on dog food here as well. In general I would not personally feed Beneful. Try to look for something without dyes and that has chicken or lamb, or chicken or lamb meal, but NOT by-products, as the first ingredient. Use a large-breed puppy food so you won't get too much protein, and do your switch-over gradually, over a two-week period or so.

And remember to have fun with him! Good luck!

Comment by Rachel & Romeo on July 16, 2009 at 10:54am

thank you :D.

Comment by Stephanie and James on July 16, 2009 at 10:49am

I think you should do what YOU think is best for your pup. To me training should be a 24/7 thing and the best way to potty train is to crate train. My Billy is 3 months old and he gets 1 and 1/3 cups a day divided into three meal times. I feed him Purina puppy chow, "right now" I'm slowly changing it to Eukanuba
You should find a training program that fit's your life schedule too, if you plan on paying for a trainer.
http://www.ehow.com/guide_2-pets.html
I use this site if I have questions and need visual guide to training.

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