Advice for newly aquired puppy?

Question

we were fortunute enough to take in an 11 week old dachsund/terrior mix.we adore him, however were having a difficult time with potty breaking him.patience and time will solve that problem im sure.i would like advice however on another problem.while at work or away(when its not possible for him to go with us)we put him in his pet taxi.only to discover when we return that there is what i believe to be slober all over in his cage.(at 1st thought it was urine)he is yelping uncontrlably and we take him outside he stay at our feet whining and shaking.wont go potty for several minutes when he finally calms down.is he just that terrified?could something else be goin on?hes already learned to put up a fight we its time to go in his taxi.im afraid of scarring him permanantly.also at times he attacks his pet taxi by dragging it around the house.he is 5.5 lbs.he sleeps in our bed at night.thanks in advance.

Answer 1

At this age, your puppy can only be alone/hold its potty 3 hours at the most.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an

Answer 2

  

In your bed is the wrong place.

Dogs should never be allowed in bed or on furniture. You lose your Pack Leadership.

Dogs need to move  around before they can go 'out'.  Don't rush him. He may have never been outside before. He may equate that with you leaving him alone afterward. Walk slowly, speak calmly but with enthusiasm of what a good puppy he is. Use his  name often.

Sit down closer to him when he hovers but don't fuss with him.

Everything he does right even if not told  to do it (coming out of his taxi when you get home) is GOOD .......(name) GOOD come (or whatever other command he's done all by himself!

He's a baby still. Do not treat him like a human baby.  Sit down at his level when he's 'at your feet' Talk to him. No baby talk. Speak clear English.Sounds like he need self-confidence.  The 'Goods will help as soon as he learns what it means. So say it enthusiastically, smile and give him a pat or two.

Use it a lot. When he hears it he will be soooo proud of himself!

If he tries to drag the taxi, it's a sharp  NO! LEAVE IT!  only once. then go to him get the taxi and put it back. Immediately if he tries it again use the same words and actions. Keep it simple You'll be surprised how smart he already is..

Later  he may do it just to get attention....their little sense of humor  at work. LOL  I wouldn't be able not to laugh but I would say No, leave it softer.

I'd walk him for awhile outside before putting (we're working toward him going in on his own, right?) him in his taxi. At his age he doesn't need a lot just enough to be a little tired. Show him his favorite treat.  Put the treat inside the taxi. When he goes in for it, tell him GOOD.(name)...... GOOD TAXI or whatever you'd rather sub for TAXI a word only given to the Taxi, nothing else. Give him his favorite toys and stay in the house quietly to see what's happening. Maybe play some soothing music. Watch and listen to what he's doing.  

Ask him to go into his taxi while you're home. He's equating it with being left alone. Don't leave him long. 3 minutes or just BEFORE he begins raising a fuss. Stay within his site. then tell him what a good guy he's been when he comes out.Talk to him while he's in there. Make it enjoyable to listen to you.

I was my current GS's 4th owner. I saw the expression on his face that he was anxious the first day I went to work after I got him.

He was pretty sure I was leaving him too.

I told him "I'll be back". and to be a good dog  (9 mo old) when I got him. When I got back I said, "I'm back!"  Within 3 days he trusted that I would be back and overjoyed that I did. I still tell him the very same thing every time I leave and come home.

Eliminate the fight. It will get worse. Make it enjoyable. Stay home for the first few times. Tell him when you are leaving. Tell him when you're back. He will learn to trust you if you are his Pack Leader .

Every dog needs a Pack Leader.

LEERBURG.COM has a great article on Pack Leadership plus many more training tips for new dog owners. Ed Frawley has bred, raised, trained and sold German Shepherds for 25 + yrs. He also answers questions. See what he says too.

Answer 3

do not show him a lot of attention when you get home. after he calms down take him out and walk with him. do not pet him or give him a lott of attention. i'm not saying completely ignore him just stay VERY calm and cool. he will realize that if he stays calm he will get what he wants most  your attention. try feeding him and giving him treats in his room when you are there. he will start to associate his room(crate) with good things. leave him in his room for 5 minutes and then let him out and praise him for being calm. do not let him out while he is crying you will just be letting him know that the louder he gets the quicker he gets out and to you. also a spray bottle may help. good luck and congratulation on your new puppy.

Answer 4

Your puppy may have seperation anxiety. It is fairly common in puppies. Do you know the background of your puppy? Did you get him from a shelter? The pitbull I got the shelter had the same issues. When we put her in the kennel, she would whine until the house went silent and there was always drool all over the place. When we let her out of the kennel, she would stay at our feet and crave attention.

Heres what we did to combat the issue:

First, we took her favorite chew toy and would set it in the kennel. Slowly but surely, she would enter the kennel to grab the toy and retreat. Eventually, it got to the point where she would lay in the kennel quietly and play with her toy. When she did that, we would give her a treat and tell her how good she was being. Once she got comfortable with that, we would start leaving the room for short periods of time. Five or so minutes, then build from there. Each time we left the room and she didnt cry, a treat would be given to her. Soon enough, she came fine with staying in the kennel. Just make sure to give her a treat whenever you let her out of the kennel. Especially if you're staying gone for a while.

As for the super excitement when you get home and take the puppy outside. Distract it from the behavior. When it starts getting over excited, tell him to sit and push his little bum so he sits then give him the treat. Soon, he will figure out that sitting makes you more happy..

Good luck

Answer 5

Puppies don't usually get good potty habits until they are 6 months old.

So, in the meantime, just keep cleaning up accidents.

Answer 6

I agree with the above answer. But don't clean pee spots with anything cleanser that contains ammonia. Ammonia triggers a dog to pee in that spot again. It's like when a several dogs will pee on the same hydrant...the smell tells them that this is a pee spot.

Answer 7

The absolute best solution for your pet is bark buster training service. you pay a one time fee for the life of your pet. It was started in Australia. my pup that I just got two weeks ago didn't like going in her crate at first and the problem was instantly solved after our first three hours of training. They train from a dog psychology perspective.

go to

www.barkbusters.com

The service is available in various areas around North America, Europe, and Australia. I was amazed at the instant transformation with our crating issues.