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Puppy Training

Q: Hello, I have a few ?'s for you at your convenience: 1) Need a recommendation for a reward treat: I am having difficulty with the training phase of my 9 week old Morkie. I can't seem to find a treat that she likes to use as a reward when she goes outside to pee. I am using verbal praise but it doesn't seem to be that effective. I'd like to emphasize the good behavior with a treat as well. Do you have a treat to recommend for small dogs. She's now about 2 lbs. 2) How often should I take her out to potty? Is every 2 hrs sufficient for now? And, should I be waking her up once during the night to take her out to pee or do I let her sleep until she wants to get up? 3) How often should I schedule play times? I have been taking her to the office with me and keep her crated (large crate). I let her out every 2-3 hrs for 1/2- 45 min to run around and play. Just wanted to make sure that is sufficient. Thank you!

A: Continue with the praise and add some physical interaction (pick her up and cuddle, pet her, scratch her belly, etc). As far as a treat goes I am not sure what you have tried so far but I think the freeze dried liver chunks are almost universally accepted, for us small pieces of firm cheese or little pieces of low sodium chicken or turkey lunch meat work for our dogs. Taking her out each 2 hours is better than most people are able to do, good for you. Also take her immediately after eating, sleeping or playing. At her age now if you try to wait until she wakes up you will probably find that she has already eliminated before she lets you know she is up. I would continue with a scheduled potty visit overnight until she is about 11-12 weeks old. Your play schedule for her is also great! Much better than many people are able to achieve with their work schedule, no changes needed.