Can Puppies Be Spooked In The Garden?

[cpudds]

Hi all

I have been reading all the Puppy posts with great interested. I have a small query with mine.

I have two 9.5 week old German Shepherd puppies, one female (Molly) one male (Max)

Toilet & crate training training is going well, they have a part of the garden just for them to do their business, and they do go there, but just occoasionaly they don't seem to want to go near their patch, they pull on the lead, and I have to pick them up and place them on there, and they then fight to get off their patch. But other times they run out the laundry door and go straight there and do their business.

Their patch is a couple of metres squared, and a mixture of very fine gravel and sand, the occasions they seem "spooked" it has been raining and their patch is wet, so I can understand they don't like getting their feet wet!! But also thinking there may be something in the night that wanders onto their patch and they can smell it, would this spook them? I have also found a few tiny snails in this area too which I have got rid of staright away.

I haven't seen any cats around, but we do have a blue tongue lizard that wanders between the gardens, could it be that?

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas why they are happy to go on their patch one day and then spooked about it the next ?????

Thanks

[joelle]

Hi, I cant answer this but I hope someone else can for you? I am more interested in how you get them interested in a couple of square metres as a toilet? Do you always take them there on leash? I would like mine to learn this as they go wherever they want in the garden and it is making patches in the grass. They are now 6 months and 3 but I wonder if I could re train them? :D Just realised as I was writing, this would be hard as they have the run of the garden when we are out

Back to topic, I think your doing well if they go there most of the time at 9.5 weeks keep up the consistency Maybe there are nightime visitors who are leaving unwelcome smells, a cat perhaps?

Good luck, BTW they are beautiful dogs :D