As a Dog Trainer it is still sadly not uncommon to hear of someone who still thinks that 'rubbing a puppy's nose' in a 'toilet deposit' is a means of 'house-training' - Until of course I explain that this is a VERY old wives tale that is plainly cruel, and the puppy WILL NOT understand.

Therefore, could I appeal to BREEDERS to remember to mention this fact to their potential puppy owners. 

Many thanks

thank you, we advise all owners how to housetrain, sadly some people still believe hitting and rubbing a dogs noise is best :(

I have a wonderful book in front of me at the moment which was given to me by a very dear friend. It is "Dog Training By Amateurs" sub titled, A Handbook Of Instruction For All Sportsmen and was written in 1924 by R Sharpe. The very first line starts, "I think I can justly claim to be the pioneer of modern dog training". The third page, second line reads ". . . . . for at least 50 per cent of the many dogs which have past through my hands have never once been touched with whip or stick."

Reading these old books really brings home how far we have travelled along the road of dog training. You may thing from reading the above that these men were brutal thugs but really this was far from the truth. In those days the knowledge of training methods was far removed form the present day! I've seen so much new ideas in the years I've been involved having attended courses by some of the top handlers of the 50's and 60's. The training methods were the latest ideas of the day at that time just as we use the latest methods of today.

Regards, John 

I am very sad when I think in this day and age people can rub pups nose in it, I am ashamed to say I remeber My mother saying this was what to do many moons ago it makes me shudder.
sadly people still do awful things I remeber someone signing a dog into rescue and said oh by the way we starve him  one day a week!! I said what for? he said oh the breeder said it was a good idea they do it in the wild :(  I said and what day is it he said oh any day really :(

When ever I sell a puppy I include a training tips sheet and this is at the top of the list!

Trouble is Polly do they always stick to it the amount of people who change the diet soon afetr getting a pup,I have been an advisor for  a dog magazine for neary ten years the amount of people ringing saying just got a puppy and  their vet says this is best etc.. ;)  of course you know what they recommend ) I say did you breeder give you a diet sheet,they say yes I say well stick to the tried and true diet then !

Do you tell people on the training sheet how to train their puppy to jump Polly?

My OH had never had a dog before we got Fagan so I made him read "the perfect puppy" cover to cover.  He admitted after reading it that he thought the right way to train a pup was to rub its nose in it - he certainly knows different now :)

Many years ago as a child, when my father was breeding and showing Border Terriers, he used to tell me to lift puppy while still peeing and take him/her outside to finish. It was years later that I realised he never did this, and he never got piddled on.

PS I still do this, and I still get piddled on ;)