New Puppy! Anyone have tips?
Hi everyone! My bf and I just brought home a new puppy, a Puggle, we named her Stella, she is about 10 weeks old.
So we are having difficulty with these first few days and figuring out the best way to house break her.
We are trying to crate train, but she is still going in her crate, even though we put the divider up to give her access to only half the crate.
It has been very cold (wind chill below zero) and she won't go outside, she just cried and shivers, so we got her some housebreaking pads hoping for the first few days while we have this cold front, she will go on those. Well, apparently she isn't attracted to the phermones or whatever because she is still going on the rug, not the housebreaking pads.
It is frustrating to us, we have never had dogs and just want to do this right. Does anyone have any advice for me on housebreaking puppies, either with crate training or using the housebreaking pads?
So we are having difficulty with these first few days and figuring out the best way to house break her.
We are trying to crate train, but she is still going in her crate, even though we put the divider up to give her access to only half the crate.
It has been very cold (wind chill below zero) and she won't go outside, she just cried and shivers, so we got her some housebreaking pads hoping for the first few days while we have this cold front, she will go on those. Well, apparently she isn't attracted to the phermones or whatever because she is still going on the rug, not the housebreaking pads.
It is frustrating to us, we have never had dogs and just want to do this right. Does anyone have any advice for me on housebreaking puppies, either with crate training or using the housebreaking pads?
i got a book called something like "housebreaking your dog in seven days" and it worked for me with my pup, charlie. it is crate training, and i did it in the winter when it was extremely cold outside, but he didn't ever go in his crate, so i don't know what to tell you about her doing that. are you sure she is in the smallest possible crate? are you keeping her on a strict schedule for feeding and drinking water? the book had a really good timetable for everything. once i realized that the crate is a good thing, it's a natural "den," and followed directions to a "t" it worked amazingly well.
Make sure you limit the water intake. Don't leave a bowl full of water out all the time. Where did you get your puppy?
here's the link to amazon, if you want to get a copy:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/055334 6156/ref=dp_olp_2/104-8341718-8684744?ie=UTF8 &qid=1173363181&qid=1173363181&sr =8-1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/055334 6156/ref=dp_olp_2/104-8341718-8684744?ie=UTF8 &qid=1173363181&qid=1173363181&sr =8-1
I just got a new Puggle too! Her name is Bella - too funny. She doesn't like the cold weather either and we have to push her outside and make her go. She's not a puppy though, we adopted her and she's about 1.5 years and housebroken. We do have a beagle that we've had since he was 4 months old. He was HORRIBLE to housebreak, just didn't get it that he was suppose to go outside-we finally fenced the yard and he loved the freedom of being outside without a leash and we were able to teach him to scratch at the door to go out. It took a LOONNNGG time though. Hopefully the Pug part will outweigh the beagle part in that sense.
From everything I've read, consistency is the key. I think if you really keep an eye on her and make sure you catch her about to pee and clap your hands and say "no" in a stern voice and pick her up and bring her right outside, and then praise her once she's done outside, she'll get the point. The problem with this is that if you work and she's in the crate, there's no one to point out to her that she shouldn't go in the crate and by the time you get home, it's too late to correct it. Did you buy an open crate or one that is enclosed? the enclosed might work better in that Stella will probably not want to sit in the crate with the pee. We started with an open crate and my beagle learned to lift his leg and pee outside it, once we got the closed one, he hated to be in it once he peed in it and stopped. Also, my vet told me that getting a dog fixed will also help with that. Getting one of the books will give you alot more detail and if you really follow it, you should be fine.
From everything I've read, consistency is the key. I think if you really keep an eye on her and make sure you catch her about to pee and clap your hands and say "no" in a stern voice and pick her up and bring her right outside, and then praise her once she's done outside, she'll get the point. The problem with this is that if you work and she's in the crate, there's no one to point out to her that she shouldn't go in the crate and by the time you get home, it's too late to correct it. Did you buy an open crate or one that is enclosed? the enclosed might work better in that Stella will probably not want to sit in the crate with the pee. We started with an open crate and my beagle learned to lift his leg and pee outside it, once we got the closed one, he hated to be in it once he peed in it and stopped. Also, my vet told me that getting a dog fixed will also help with that. Getting one of the books will give you alot more detail and if you really follow it, you should be fine.
making sure to not over feed/water the puppy is a big deal, dogs will over-eat any chance they get as part of their survival instinct.
Another thing we did w/ our Boxer to teach him how to let us know when he had to go, was to tie a string to the door knob on the back door with jingle bells hanging on the end of it where he can reach it. Then, whenever he went outside we had him hit the bells w/ his paw or nose before we opened the door. Now whenever he needs to go outside he rings the bells to let us know! Its the greatest trick we ever showed him!
(Now if i could just teach him to go to the fridge and get me a beer during the ballgame........)
Another thing we did w/ our Boxer to teach him how to let us know when he had to go, was to tie a string to the door knob on the back door with jingle bells hanging on the end of it where he can reach it. Then, whenever he went outside we had him hit the bells w/ his paw or nose before we opened the door. Now whenever he needs to go outside he rings the bells to let us know! Its the greatest trick we ever showed him!
(Now if i could just teach him to go to the fridge and get me a beer during the ballgame........)
Hooligan, that would be a great trick...unfortunately, my beagle would not only get me the beer but help himself to whatever else he could find in there!
The vet told us to "free feed" the puppy for the first week, until we get a sense of her eating schedule. We are also feeding her 1/2 can of wet food in the am and pm per instructions from the vet. It is supposed to help with digestion, I guess puppies can get constipated when they are stressed, and moving to a new home is stressful.
We watch her intake and try to take her outside 15-20 minutes after she eats or drinks, and she WON'T do her business outside, it is so cold she whimpers and tries to climb my leg.
As soon as she gets inside, she goes.
As for her going in her crate, We have only had her for 2 days, so maybe it is stress? We give her enough room in the crate to lay down and turn around, but not enough to give her room to poop.
We are training her with a closed crate because we really only keep her in it at night and when we are not home.
Elin- Thank you for the link, I think I will order the book. I am just worried about getting through the next couple weeks, LOL!!!
We watch her intake and try to take her outside 15-20 minutes after she eats or drinks, and she WON'T do her business outside, it is so cold she whimpers and tries to climb my leg.
As soon as she gets inside, she goes.
As for her going in her crate, We have only had her for 2 days, so maybe it is stress? We give her enough room in the crate to lay down and turn around, but not enough to give her room to poop.
We are training her with a closed crate because we really only keep her in it at night and when we are not home.
Elin- Thank you for the link, I think I will order the book. I am just worried about getting through the next couple weeks, LOL!!!
we're crate training our 6 week old golden retriever puppy-it's just the best way for them, I think.
we take him out every hour, and after a nap. I put his dish up at 7-7:30pm, to make it easier to go longer in the night without an outing. he's not had many accidents, and he'll go into his crate to sleep or just hang out and chew his toy. I find that he's had fewer accidents if I don't say anything about them and just clean them up, but praise the heck out of him when he goes outside.
every dog is different though, and elin's book sounds like it will have alot of information to make housetraining as painless as possible for all of you. :)
we take him out every hour, and after a nap. I put his dish up at 7-7:30pm, to make it easier to go longer in the night without an outing. he's not had many accidents, and he'll go into his crate to sleep or just hang out and chew his toy. I find that he's had fewer accidents if I don't say anything about them and just clean them up, but praise the heck out of him when he goes outside.
every dog is different though, and elin's book sounds like it will have alot of information to make housetraining as painless as possible for all of you. :)
2 days isnt very long, id wait at least a week to 10 days without seeing any progress before getting worried. We also have a Boston Terrier that was actually a rescue, he was about 14 months old when we got him, but he had been kept by a horder in a large kennel all his life and was used to going in his cage. We had to move him to a small enclosed crate for training and it took a good 2 or 3 weeks to finally house break him, and this was a fairly intelligent adult dog. now hes very good about his bathroom habits, he will go all the way to the back corner of the yard to relieve himself, the big Boxer pretty much lets it drop where they may,,, at least its outside!
Thanks for the advice everyone. My bf and I have never had dogs so we are SO new at this......
Vets recommend that you wipe their "peeing part" with a damp warm paper towel before taking them out. It mimics the same behavior from a mommy dog which she licks the pups before pushing them to go potty.
Don't give them water 1 hour before or after food. (I find 30-45minutes is pretty ok.) This is from another site which says that it dilutes their stomach enzyme that's required for digesting.
I usually stop giving them water at least 1 hour before bed time. Not sure this is that great, but it helps with the night time flood. Lol
Puppies have smaller bladders. It is good to let them out every 3 hours or so. Of course, not everyone can do that. It is also recommended by some trainer to restrict them to a smaller area. Let them only have enough area for a Sit down area, a food area, a potty area (with pad), and a crate. It forces them to get used to the pads and so on.
Also, dogs are very scent oriented. If you let them have a pad where they can do it when you are not home, remember that they will use that area from then on. Be sure to pick an "Easy-cleanup" area.
I had a very difficult puppy once and that's why I learned so much from the vet office. :) Feel free to ask me questions and so on.
Don't give them water 1 hour before or after food. (I find 30-45minutes is pretty ok.) This is from another site which says that it dilutes their stomach enzyme that's required for digesting.
I usually stop giving them water at least 1 hour before bed time. Not sure this is that great, but it helps with the night time flood. Lol
Puppies have smaller bladders. It is good to let them out every 3 hours or so. Of course, not everyone can do that. It is also recommended by some trainer to restrict them to a smaller area. Let them only have enough area for a Sit down area, a food area, a potty area (with pad), and a crate. It forces them to get used to the pads and so on.
Also, dogs are very scent oriented. If you let them have a pad where they can do it when you are not home, remember that they will use that area from then on. Be sure to pick an "Easy-cleanup" area.
I had a very difficult puppy once and that's why I learned so much from the vet office. :) Feel free to ask me questions and so on.
I was lucky, i got my dog from a rescue home at 4 months old and he was ready house trained :D He's really well behaved and such a loving, friendly dog and i think that's mainly due the loving household we have.. it's generally calm and quiet and the dog's just the same.
I got my chihuahua Paco exactly a year ago and he was 8 weeks when I got him. I used the housebreaking pads but they have a tray that they clip into so they can't shred them up. Cuz he shredded them if they were just loose. I kept him in the kitchen in a small area at first. I blocked it off with boxes. He had his bed opposite his pads and his food to the side. It didn't take too long for him to realize he had to go on the pad.
If your puppy poo's or pees off the pad...pick up the poo and put it on the pad or the paper towel you cleaned his pee with. I use natures miracle..it works awesome for smells. YOu have to take away completely the smell from where he wasn't supposed to go or he'll keep going there. If you catch him sniffing around about to go..or in the act..pick him up and put him on the pad over n over till he goes there. Once you see him go on there even a sprinkle lots n lots of praise!!!
I started giving him more and more room to roam around as i noticed him using the pad more and more.
Patience and praise is all it takes.
If your puppy poo's or pees off the pad...pick up the poo and put it on the pad or the paper towel you cleaned his pee with. I use natures miracle..it works awesome for smells. YOu have to take away completely the smell from where he wasn't supposed to go or he'll keep going there. If you catch him sniffing around about to go..or in the act..pick him up and put him on the pad over n over till he goes there. Once you see him go on there even a sprinkle lots n lots of praise!!!
I started giving him more and more room to roam around as i noticed him using the pad more and more.
Patience and praise is all it takes.
Hello-
I've raised german shepherds for years, and the best to house break a pup is...and this is difficult...to do the following:
Have the pup with you at all times. I kept mine on a leash in the house. (This helps with leash training as well)
When the pup wants to use the bathroom, usually it will tug, circle, etc. Pick puppy up, carry outside while saying "outside" firmly but not loudly. COntinue saying "Outside" while pup does what he does. Pick puppy up immediately after finishing, and carry in house.
The picking up part is important because it sets a definite boundary with "inside" and "outside" behavior. As the pup gets older, and its bladder gets bigger, it will be able to adjust to the inside/outside idea.
It is very important to do this while sleeping as well (this is where it is gets hard). Sleep on the couch with the pup on the leash next to you. Dogs, especially, will not poop or pee where they sleep. The pup will become antsy when it needs to go out, pulling on the leash, alerting you. Pick the puppy up, saying "outside", etc.
I have housebroken 8-10 week old pups in 3-4 days doing this. Consistency is very important, and you must be tolerant of occasional accidents. Their bladders are tiny at this point, so frequency is a must.
Good Luck!
I've raised german shepherds for years, and the best to house break a pup is...and this is difficult...to do the following:
Have the pup with you at all times. I kept mine on a leash in the house. (This helps with leash training as well)
When the pup wants to use the bathroom, usually it will tug, circle, etc. Pick puppy up, carry outside while saying "outside" firmly but not loudly. COntinue saying "Outside" while pup does what he does. Pick puppy up immediately after finishing, and carry in house.
The picking up part is important because it sets a definite boundary with "inside" and "outside" behavior. As the pup gets older, and its bladder gets bigger, it will be able to adjust to the inside/outside idea.
It is very important to do this while sleeping as well (this is where it is gets hard). Sleep on the couch with the pup on the leash next to you. Dogs, especially, will not poop or pee where they sleep. The pup will become antsy when it needs to go out, pulling on the leash, alerting you. Pick the puppy up, saying "outside", etc.
I have housebroken 8-10 week old pups in 3-4 days doing this. Consistency is very important, and you must be tolerant of occasional accidents. Their bladders are tiny at this point, so frequency is a must.
Good Luck!
Take her out every two hours to start and don't put any blankets or towels in her crate for now.
At the risk of sounding TOTALLY stupid, have you tried getting her a coat? I don't know what kind of fur a puggle has but neither a pug nor a beagle has much fur. (is it a pug/beagle? or a pug/poodle? I can't keep up with all the cute names for mixed breeds anymore)
I work with retired racing greyhounds and it is a challenge to get them to stay outside long enough to do their business in very cold weather. They have very thin coats and almost no body fat.
I made a simple coat by cutting out a rectangle of polar fleece that is as long as the measurement of the dog's nose to butt (not tail) and as wide as the distance around the dog. Then I cut a hole a couple inches from one end that was big enough for the dog's head. even just this much "blankie" is plenty to keep the dog warm enough to be comfortable outside long enough to potty...
it looks like this: (kind of, the html is screwing me up and my computer wants to doublespace the lines otherwise) just imagine the semicolons aren't there and the * is a hole, ok?
________
| &n bsp; |
| * |
| &n bsp; |
| &n bsp; |
| &n bsp; |
________
I work with retired racing greyhounds and it is a challenge to get them to stay outside long enough to do their business in very cold weather. They have very thin coats and almost no body fat.
I made a simple coat by cutting out a rectangle of polar fleece that is as long as the measurement of the dog's nose to butt (not tail) and as wide as the distance around the dog. Then I cut a hole a couple inches from one end that was big enough for the dog's head. even just this much "blankie" is plenty to keep the dog warm enough to be comfortable outside long enough to potty...
it looks like this: (kind of, the html is screwing me up and my computer wants to doublespace the lines otherwise) just imagine the semicolons aren't there and the * is a hole, ok?
________
| &n bsp; |
| * |
| &n bsp; |
| &n bsp; |
| &n bsp; |
________
Good fun! Love Doggies! We have four! In my experience the smaller ones take a bit longer. We have a newfoundland, shihtzu, peke, and a mix of the peke and shihtzu. We also had a newf mix we had to put down last year due to brain tumor. I have had the best luck tether training-keeping them with you as much as possible when home-like literally tethered to you, or tethered to something-we use the foot of the bed-for when you are sleeping or gone. And the tether needs to be short at first-like 18" so they don't have enough to get away from their "space" and go potty. I know it sounds kind of mean, but it really works. I've heard one of the big downsides of using a crate is that if they learn the crate is their area, or their "safe" area then if there is a fire or something they will run to their crate instead of you, who can help get them to safety.
SIGN HER UP FOR "DOGGY -DO-RIGHT" CLASSES!
I just got a 2 month old boxer / american bulldog who is deaf 2 days ago. She is almost completly potty trained. (She still has accidents if I don't take her every hour) Treats work great. Even if your dog just goes pee give her one. I break soft treats in small pieces so she doesn't have too many. Pretty soon she will be begging you to go out so she can get a treat. Also take away water at night. You will wake up with a dry floor. :) As for the cold. My 3 year old pit will hold it all day till she bursts if its too cold out . I got some dog shoes and they help a lot.
You've gotten some good tips here, and they've all worked for the various dogs I've had over the years. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that little dogs often are MUCH more difficult to house break than bigger dogs. You just have to have a lot more patience and determination. You're on the right track with the crate, and I agree that maybe a coat would help you situation with going outside. Also, maybe taking her outside other times when she doesn't have to pee and giving her very tiny training treats and a lot of happy talk might encourage her that outside is a good place to be. Just remember, she's adjusting to a lot of changes right now and keep trying! Consistency is the key in any type of training.
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