Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:36 am Post subject: all abit daunting
Hi i know most of you really know what your doing with your pup/dog but im just finding it all abit daunting i realise it takes time but i don't know if what im doing is right, if i knew i was doing the right thing then it wouldnt be so bad. Bailey is only 7 weeks old and i put him to sleep in the utility room with a stair gate and he howles and whines all night etc, how long do you keep going for before you realise it isn't going to work, i have thought about a crate in our room but don't really want him upstairs just yet. He eats well and seems happy. also does antone know how long i can expect the play biting to last? and lastly he always wees inside and when i put him outside he stops so i cannot praise him so how is he gonna know i want him to do it outside? sorry for all the questions but if i had some advice then im sure i will feel fine. Thanks Sarah
Sarah, it is all a bit daunting to start with but things do get better!
I am new to all this too and wanted to give you reassurance rather than specific advice as I know more knowledgeable people will be along soon to help you out.
A new puppy brings a whole new meaning to the word patience but I know for me, the joy Rolo has brought far outweighs the downside.
This is a wonderful place to get the advice you need to feel like you are not fighting an uphill battle all the time. I would have been lost without this forum.
Just one unrelated piece of advice .. make the most of them when they are so tiny .. they grow SO FAST! [/i]
Sarah im sure you are doing just great, we have all been exactly where you are at the moment and yes it is all a bit daunting to start with so dont think you are on your own.
I would probably get a crate for Bailey so that he has a room he can call his own. They are a life saver when the pups are little as you know they are safe when you have to go out.
With the night time howling etc its upto you really you can either perservere and put up with the howling so that he realises he gets no attention for doing it and hopefully gives up which could take a few weeks BUT some pups never give up VJH (vicky) will tell you she put up with it for 3 months and Ruby still never gave up at night until Vicky finally had Ruby in the bedroom with her !!!
I was very lucky with Abbey she made a slight whimper when we went to bed but then that was it she very quickly settled.
Im sure loads of other people will help you out on that question !
All pups play bite and you need to reinforce that its not acceptable , different things work for different dogs , some people use a OWWWW sound when the pup bites and it will stop that never worked for me it used to send Abbey scatty !
We used time out - so when she bit she got put out in the hall way for 5 mins with out giving her any attention what so ever, then after 5 mins we opened the door again with no attention . This took a few months to stop but it worked eventually , whatever you do you need to be consistent and everyone in the house do the same !
Toilet training - this took Abbey ages to master completely she was 5 and half months before totally house trained
Make sure you take Bailey outside every hour , after playtime, food time etc you will need to stand out there with him and when he finally does a wee gives loads of praise and a nice yummy treat. Hopefully he will soon get the idea. When he does wee inside then dont scold him just pick him up and put him outside.
We used to put a command to weeing , when Abbey squatted to wee we said 'be quick- good girl ! ' then as she got used to associating the words to weeing , we could get her to wee on command .
Even now at 15 months if i say to her ' hurry up, be quick' then 9/10 she will wee !!
Hope this has helped a little , im sure you will get lots more help
But please be reassured your not on your own in the slightest !
When Abbey was tiny i thought i was going to have a nervous breakdown for the first 3 months but then all of a sudden they learn the boundaries and whats right and wrong and everything seems to fall into place .
casper cryed for about a week he sleeps in the kitchen ( was so tempted to bring him upstairs but just had a week of no sleep) for 3 nites we had the door closed then we got a doggie gate so he can see out in the hall. we leave a small nite lite on for him and the radio is on so he can hear voices also i wore a tee shirt for 2 days and let him sleep with that he just cuddled up with it and not another sound was heard to this day,
he is 5 months now and has started mouthing again while his new big teeth are coming through ( not as sharp) we did the stand up and turn your back on him he soon learnt that bites means no play.. also his puppy classes helped. keep smiling it really is worth it. we cannot imagine life with out casper now( i'd forgotten how much work a puppy was)
Ahh, Sarah, you're not alone!!!! I know it seems like everyone on here knows exactly what they're doing ... but many of us don't really! That's why we love this place so much - there are people with all levels of experience, and always someone who can help.
I have only my first dog as an adult, and I've learnt so much from this forum ... and still am!!! I'm still a novice, but here's what I do know ...
The night-time crying WILL stop if you can be strong enough to ignore it for as long as it takes! For such a young pup it's important that you get up a couple of times in the night to take him out to pee - you may be doing that already? Try not to go to him until he has been quiet for a few minutes. He will soon learn that quiet = attention, crying = get ignored. You will need to be patient though!
Have you thought about a crate in the utility room? If introduced carefully he will soon learn to love his crate, and see it as his own personal den. Bedtime will become easier for you both.
For the peeing indoors - how often do you actively take him out? Try to make sure you are whisking him outside to pee at every point he is most likely to - after sleeping, drinking, eating, playing, and probably every half and hour t an hour in between.. His bladder is tiny so he can't hold it in yet. Also watch out for behaviour where he circles and sniffs the floor (good signs he needs to go). Take him out and stay with him until he goes (may take a while!).
Hope that helps - please don't despair, it's very early days for you and your pup and he's learning too. It will get better if you consistently and gently show him what you want him to do.
I don't think I've anything to add to what the others have said.....but I will add you are not alone. I think most first time puppy owners wonder what on earth they have let themselves in for. I've had my fair share of pups and even I have days when I think "What the hell am I doing this again for".
OOOooo when we first got Majic I didn't sleep for first week through anxiety as I was like a fish out of water, I'd looked after other peo;lles dogs but not had one myself, I was a wreck.
But it does get better honestly and you will look back on those early days and wonder what happened-they grow up overnight
Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:17 am Post subject: thanks
Hi and thanks to everyone i cannot beleive how kind you all are in taking time to reply, i put of gettind a crate as the utility room is small and it only has his bed and water in it etc and he cannot get out at night cos of a stair gate, i do take him out to wee after sleep, drink etc i waited outside with him for half an hour this morning and as soon as i brought him in he did a wee. some pne suggested a treat to wee outside can anyone reccommend a treat?
i would give him a small piece of cooked chicken or cheese, if you have some hot dogs cut one into tiny pieces and use those - anything that is yummy scrummy and that will want him to make you happy so as he gets a treat !!
Until you start trying different training treats its hard to know what Bailey will like or not but being a lab im sure he will like most of those mentioned
Keep perservering with the toilet training it does take time but i know how frustrating it can be. If you take a toy into the garden and play then Bailey might play with you for a while then just wander off and do a wee which will then give you chance to reward him so he gets the idea of weeing outside .
I think the trick with toilet training is not to take puppy inside until he has had a wee - even if it takes an hour or so!! You have to really big up the praise when he does manage to go outside too. We always said (and the neighbours thought it was histerical) 'wee-wee' every time he went so now when we want him to go we say 'wee-wee' and he goes!
Treats you can give him include: cheese (but not too much as can be fattening), hot dog (cut into small pieces), coachies (quite expensice but last for AGES and are low fat), doggie chocolates (human chocolate can be lethal for dogs) etc.
Have you got a book to help you? There are a couple of really good training book son the arket at the moment - we used 'it's me or the dog' and it was dead useful. Also, if you do a search on the forums you will find more advice on toilet and crate trainng and that will be better than what you read in a book!
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