Puppy Problems

[animallover12]

Hi i own a 11 week old cavalier king charles spaniel named Bomber he has a bad habit of chewing and biting on peoples hands,leds,arms etc. Bomber actually grabed my neices foot and tryed to drag her into his kennel, my sister said no in a loud but firm voice but he wouldn't let go, She had to force his mouth open to get her daughters foot out of his mouth. Everytime he goes to chew on hands,arms,legs etc we say no and give him a toy to chew on. Bomber has only biten and not let go once he hasn't done it again since. What else can i do to stop him from mouthing on people? I plan on taking him too obendeience class his second injection is due on the 28th of april.

Also have a problem with toilet training i take him out every 10-15 minutes and were out there for a good half an hour, He needs to go cause when inside he sniffs and walks around in circles when this happens i take him outside. Once outside sometimes he will go and i praise him for it, But most of the time he acts like he doesn't want to go and once you let him back inside he will do it. I then clap my hands loudly and say No then put him outside and clean up the mess. Now cause he knows he gets into trouble when he gets caught he is very sneaky he will just be sitting there still in the sit possion and will pee thinking he won't get into trouble i do the claping and saying No and putting him outside but it doesn't seem to be working. I even spoting im walking and peeing at the same time inside. Some days his pretty good nd will go outside without a single mess inside. I've rang up a dog behavouralist and they said i seem to be doing everything right, Makes me wander if puppy has diabetes? He also poos alot last night he did 2 poos within 5 minutes inside and he was just outside before he did it inside. I can be outside with him for 30 minutes to for to go to the toilet he knows what toilet means, But once we come back in thinking he doesn't need to go he does it on the floor inside. This puppy sniffs around all the time so it makes you think he needs to go to the toilet all the time. He is always hungry he has been wormed but still scooting his bottom on the ground specially after he has pooed. He gets feed 3 times a day about 1 cup of meat rool each feeding, The vet reckons this is a very good amount and said he shouldn't be hungry, He also gets puppy milk daily. Any help with this would be great.

[Dogsfevr]

Does he only get feed meat roll??

If this is the case its an awful diet.What did the breede suggest

[Gretel]

Yes I'd be giving the meat roll a miss A sharp sound works better than 'no'. I find a sharp 'ah' or something like that more effective in getting their attention.

[DeerhoundLover]

I have a new puppy who does the same thing, and I have been growling when he bites me. After 1 week, he is still doing it but noticeably less. It is worse if he gets overexcited so then it's an idea to stop the game.

A very experienced vet nurse also told me that at the same time as growling it is good to tap the puppy under his chin. Too early to know if that does any good yet as I only heard about it yesterday.

Good luck with your little chap, they are a delightful breed.

[cavNrott]

A very experienced vet nurse also told me that at the same time as growling it is good to tap the puppy under his chin. Too early to know if that does any good yet as I only heard about it yesterday.

That's very poor advice from anyone, let alone an experienced vet nurse. I hope she doesn't do this to clients dogs in at the vet's for the day. If I saw anyone tap my dog under the chin they had better prepare themselves for a pop under their own chin delivered by yours truly.

Tapping a puppy under the chin is a very outdated method and serves no purpose. It teaches the pup nothing except to avoid you because you might pop it under the chin. You need your dog to trust that you will treat him kindly. I would be ignoring the vet nurse as she clearly hasn't a clue about training dogs.

[poodlefan]

Animallover:

I then clap my hands loudly and say No then put him outside and clean up the mess. Now cause he knows he gets into trouble when he gets caught he is very sneaky

You have managed to teach him that he gets into trouble for going to the toilet in front of you. Now you want him to go to the toilet in front of you outside? Can you see where there might be a problem here? He hasn't caught on about the inside bad/outside good message yet. What he does know is that if you see him toilet, he gets into trouble. Smart dog this one.

Do not punish him for going to the toilet inside. It doesn't help and, as you are seeing, it can make things worse. It's your responsiblity to make sure he does it in the right place, and therefore your responsiblity when he doesn't. If he goes, just pick him up, put him outside without fuss and reward him like crazy when he does the right thing.

What's his reward for doing the right thing at the moment? What do you do to indicate that this is where you want him to toilet.

The key times he will toilet are when he wakes, after eating and after play. If you can't keep you're eye on him at other times, I strongly recommend you confine him to a crate or an area where he can pee or poo if he needs to, or put him outside where you do want him to go.

he will just be sitting there still in the sit possion and will pee thinking he won't get into trouble

No, that's how much control over his bladder he has.. basically not a lot. Dog's aren't intentionally deceitful - that' a human trait. That's why there's no point in punishing him for going inside.. you have to take responsiblity for encouraging him to do it outside.

If you can install a dog door so that he can take himself out, I'd strongly recommend it. It will really speed things up in terms of reliability.

Mouthing, on the other hand is something you don't want him to do anywhere.. this its the time to say 'arggghh" or no and clap your hands.. then divert him onto a toy or something he is allowed to have in his mouth.

Edited April 24, 2008 by poodlefan

[animallover12]

Bomber also has dry dog biscuits out to chew on only about half a cup which last him the whole day, He also gets raw bones like chicken necks or baby drumsticks. He sometimes gets grated carrotin his food. He also gets raw dog minced meat.

When i first Bomber don't know if this could cause Bomber to want to pee and poo in the house or not, I do also own a 9 year old golden retriever he is the dominate dog in this house. Einstein thats my goldens name has attacked Bomber twice within a couple of days him being here. The first attck Einstein just knocked him over, The second attack Einstein actually bit him through the ear. Puppy has done the submissive rolling on back showing his stomach, Since Bomber has done this Einsteein has left him alone. My sisters chihuahuas on the other hand are a different matter, One minute casper 1 of the chis will play with Bomber then he will attack him for no reason, The other chichuahua Rascal will just keep barking and pushing him with his nose he isn't game enough to bite or nip at him.

[cavNrott]

This puppy sniffs around all the time so it makes you think he needs to go to the toilet all the time. He is always hungry he has been wormed but still scooting his bottom on the ground specially after he has pooed. He gets feed 3 times a day about 1 cup of meat rool each feeding, The vet reckons this is a very good amount and said he shouldn't be hungry, He also gets puppy milk daily. Any help with this would be great.

You need to give your pup a stern Ah Ah when he nips and do what you are already doing by redirecting him with a toy. Praise him for taking the toy.

Toilet training will probably take another few weeks. At 11 weeks he is still a baby puppy. Do you have a crate you can pop him in if he doesn't oblige when you take him outside? If so, put him in the crate for 10 minutes then take him outside again. If you don't have a crate it would be a good idea to buy one. It makes training much easier and quicker. I used to take my pups out every hour on the hour and it worked for us.

Is the puppy being wormed regularly?

Any dog roll is not a diet I would feed my dogs. What did the breeder recommend you feed the puppy?

Either way, I would put this pup onto a better quality diet and you'll find he won't be so hungry if he's getting proper nutrition. Cavalier puppies have tiny stomachs, I would not be feeding a full cup of food 3 times a day, it's too much food and a cup of food is too much at one time. I'm surprised the vet didn't suggest better food and less of it.

Re the scooting. It sounds like the pup is trying empty his anal glands. You may need to take him to the vet to have them expressed. My Cavalier boy needed his done by the vet at 9 weeks and again when he was about 12 weeks old. We've had no problem since.

[animallover12]

poodlefan Bomber can hold his bladder and bowel throughout the night he goes to bed at 11pm and holds it to 8am the next morning. I take him out about 10minutes ater he has eaten and had a drink and when waken up from a nap. I stay outside with him for 30 minutes saying toilet when and if he does do it outside we verbally praise him and give him lots of pats. In my cavalier book it says when he does his buisness inside say NO in a firm voice and put him outside if his done his buisness. Then it says if he is still doing his buisness clap hands loudly and say NO so he puts a hold on doing iso it gives time to take him outside, Is this book giving wrong information. If he is just starting to do poos inside i clap my hands and say NO which stops him from doing it, I then take him outside and stay out there with him for as long as possible but he will not go, I then come back inside which he does too within a few minutes he does his poo inside. The first time he did this i thought mayby i'm bring him in to early but then i left him out there for 35 minutes he still wouldn't go but as soon as he is let back in few minutes later he drops it. People say pick up the poo and put it outside where you want him to go did this it doesn't seem to be working. He seems to know that we want him to go outside to the toilet as he goes to the door but as soon as we go out to let him out he runs off and then does it inside. Its like Bomber is too scared to go outside, He has been told NO alot outside as he is chewing on plants don't know if that is what could be stoping him.

[cavNrott]

Bomber also has dry dog biscuits out to chew on only about half a cup which last him the whole day, He also gets raw bones like chicken necks or baby drumsticks. He sometimes gets grated carrotin his food. He also gets raw dog minced meat.

When i first Bomber don't know if this could cause Bomber to want to pee and poo in the house or not, I do also own a 9 year old golden retriever he is the dominate dog in this house. Einstein thats my goldens name has attacked Bomber twice within a couple of days him being here. The first attck Einstein just knocked him over, The second attack Einstein actually bit him through the ear. Puppy has done the submissive rolling on back showing his stomach, Since Bomber has done this Einsteein has left him alone. My sisters chihuahuas on the other hand are a different matter, One minute casper 1 of the chis will play with Bomber then he will attack him for no reason, The other chichuahua Rascal will just keep barking and pushing him with his nose he isn't game enough to bite or nip at him.

Oh Man! I just read your recent post. You are feeding 3 cups of dog roll, dry biscuits, raw chicken necks or drumsticks, and raw dog mince as well as grated carrot to an 11 week old Cavalier? You do realise this puppy has a stomach not much bigger than a boiled egg don't you? He is being grossly overfed and you'll end up with a very unhealthy fat dog.

As for the other dogs attacking him. This is a baby puppy and it's your responsibility to protect him. If he is being continually attacked then you're not doing the right thing by him.

Get a crate for your pup and keep him safe from the other dogs. Do not leave him at the mercy of the chihuahuas, lock them away so this poor little puppy can safely have some free play time without being hurt by the other dogs.

[animallover12]

he was wormed a week before i got him i got him when he was 8 weeks old so he was wormed when he was 7 weeks old. I thought you could only worm every 3 months but i could be wrong.

I should have said it better some days he will get a mixture 1 feed meat roll,next feed drumstick,last feed minced meat with some grated carrot. He doesn't get 1 cup of each of the foods i mentioned. Like his morning feed which is about 8:10am in the morning he gets 1 cup of meat roll which is about 1 slice of the meat roll, Lunch at 1pm he gets a drumstick,and at dinner around 6pm he gets 1 cup of minced meat with grated carrot. If that is too much i will cut him back to half a cup of food.

Edited April 24, 2008 by animallover12

[Miranda]

You need to stop the other dogs harassing your puppy or he is likely to grow up either fearful and/or aggressive towards other dogs, only allow him to play with friendly dogs that you trust. At his age positive experiences are vital if he's to mature into a well adjusted adult.

[animallover12]

Here are some pictures i just took of Bomber and also 2 pictures of rascal my sister chihuahua for comparason (spelling). Bomber is the same height as Rascal but Racscal is alot fatter then Bomber. I can feel 4 rib bones on Bomber without pushing in just runing my fingers along the ribs.

[animallover12]

You need to stop the other dogs harassing your puppy or he is likely to grow up either fearful and/or aggressive towards other dogs, only allow him to play with friendly dogs that you trust. At his age positive experiences are vital if he's to mature into a well adjusted adult.

Thats the thing i can't keep Bomber away from my sisters chihuahuas she will not lock them up or do nothing all she says is that her dogs were here first so they have the right to do what they want. She also say dogs will be dogs, I've told her that theres such thing as telling Bomber there boss but there is such a thing as over doing it were she will have to step in and remove her dogs and lock them up. All she says is if they fight i have to get rid of Bomber cause her dogs were here first. Einstein is fine with Bomber now i can trust einstein now since he knows he is still the dominate dog.

[poodlefan]

Animallover:

In my cavalier book it says when he does his buisness inside say NO in a firm voice and put him outside if his done his buisness. Then it says if he is still doing his buisness clap hands loudly and say NO so he puts a hold on doing iso it gives time to take him outside, Is this book giving wrong information.

One of the first things you learn about dog training is that if you have two trainers, you're probably going to two have differences of opinion about the best way to do anything with dogs. Not all methods work on all dogs either.

You told us that this advice has taught your dog to hide the fact that he's going to the toilet inside. Basically, you thought you were punishing him for doing the wrong thing. Unfortunately, it appears that he didn't know what the wrong this was. He's learned that being caught going to the toilet gets him in trouble.. but he hasn't learned that it's only going inside that's not allowed.

Provided that the methods aren't abusive, it's not about what's right and wrong but WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR DOG. Do you think it's working?

Edited April 24, 2008 by poodlefan

[Gretel]

<Einstein is fine with Bomber now i can trust einstein now since he knows he is still the dominate dog.>

Please do not trust them together alone. Bomber is a small pup and if Einstein gets annoyed he could do a lot of damage. With all the doggy dynamics in your household I think Bomber may be a bit of a worried pup....

[cavNrott]

animalover12 you are saying things that don't add up. You claimed some time back that Rascal was your dog and I clearly remember when you first got the chihuahua. I checked your posts and they confirm this. You are now claiming Rascal belongs to your sister?

I may need to stand corrected on this but I also recall you posting under another name before you registered again under the current one. There was a health problem with your GR Einstein, if I recall and we were all strongly urging you at the time to get him to a vet despite your many reasons why you could not do so.

Now you have a Cavalier puppy that you are unable to care for properly or to protect him from being attacked by your other dogs and your sister's dog. Why did you get a Cavalier when you must surely know they are not outside dogs and that you are in no positition to look after it properly? The Cavalier is a gentle little dog and will not do well in the circumstances he is living in at the moment.

I suspect this puppy is not from a registered breed or I would recommend you return him to the breeder before he comes to harm.

If you are unable to change the situation and care for this puppy and give him the protection he deserves then please rehome him to someone who will allow him to live inside and be the companion they were bred to be rather than have him live in constant fear of attack.

No doubt you will strongly object to my post but this is a dog forum and I care more about the welfare of this puppy than I do about your probable objections. This little puppy is not living in appropriate conditions for his breed. I'm worried about his survival and welfare.

[animallover12]

how can you judge me yes Rascal was my dog but he choose my sister he is still under the same roof as me so its not like he was taken to the pound or given away, He simply choose my sister or better yet he loves my mum more then anyone. I believe the dog chooses who it likes more and that just happens to be my mum and sister. I do not believe its healthy for any animal to be inside all day every living creature needs sunlight. This family is mainly outside all day anyway so why have a puppy inside all day when were outside almost all day. Yes Einstein had some problems and i did take him to the vet and he got blood work up for diabetes etc all came back negative. The vet said there was nothing wrong with his thyroid. The vet said he is completely healthy other then his bad heart he got from the paralisis ticks. I know my dogs all too well Einstein was just putting Bomber in his place which he has now and hasn't touched him since. So what your saying is dogs do not have any dominancy traits at all. If i remeber correctly dr harry cooper said the meat rolls were ok food for dogs, Not everyone can afford the real expensive food for there animals you know. So if they need very expensive food then your saying only the rich can own animals. I'm on the pension here so i have to be very careful with my money, I'm not saying that my animals don't get cared for they do but some people can't afford to waste money. Like some people rush there dogs or animals into the vet for something that they could have fixed at home, Vets aren't cheap people. I've spent over $2,000 on EInstein in vet bills and haven't regreted it were some people just pay $35 and get them put down ortake them to the pound. So what your saying is i'm a bad dog owner. I've came here for some help and all that seems to be happening is bad mouthing. Just say it rich people should own dogs and people on the pension don't deserve to own animals. People try there best to give there animals the best live they can some just can't spend thousands or millions to do so.

Edited April 24, 2008 by animallover12

[poodlefan]

You DON'T have to be rich to feed a dog well. I bet Dr Harry doesn't feed dog roll though.

You DON'T have to be rich to toilet train a dog effectively.

I'm not trying to judge you. I'm trying to help you. If you choose to take my advice negatively, that's OK. I don't need to give it. I simply asked you if the method of toilet training was working for you... ??

Edited April 24, 2008 by poodlefan

[animallover12]

I know your trying to help poodlefan but some people seem to be judging me. All i'm saying is this dog is nothing like they say about the breed they say there intelligent,fast learners,gar to please i'm not finding this to be true with Bomber his the complete obbisite. I take him outside every 10 minutes sometimes he will go and sometimes he won't. He won't even go outside on his own i have to pick him up which then if he knows his going outside he runs from me. His a werid puppy he could have just gone to toilet and still come inside and do anyone. His got an endless bladder that never stops when his awake. When i take him outside to go toilet all he does is sit near the door, What has worked is keep picking him up and walking him away from the door, But sometimes that doesn't work specially if he hears the door he bolts in before you even have a chance to close it. If he does end up getting back inside before i even have the chance to pick him back up to take him back outside he pees or poos on the floor.