Please Help Me

[Jed]

Hi Honeysmum, you are making good progress. Everyone else has given you advice, so I wont.

When you are disappointed and frustrated, just remember a couple of things

The pup is, I think 16 weeks old, which is a bit of a bad age, and she has spent HALF of her life in a restrictive non stimulating environment, without any training, and probbaly insufficient socialisation, during an important development period.

So don't beat yourself up because it all doesn't happen in a week. The pup is trying to bond with you, she is trying to understand, all her life she has toileted whenever and whereever she wants, usually where she sleeps, she is learning about new environments, new situations, strange commands, different foods.

It just aint going to happen in a week. You're doing your best, the pup is doing her best - so give yourselves a bit of time. Be consistent, keep at it, reward often, give a lot of affection, make your instructions clear - but give her time to understand, and to comply.

I too have a 16 week old pup, bred in the purple, raised according to the book, religiously housetrained - and she's peed in the house a couple of times this week. I shut her out of the office yesterday, so she dragged the contents of the dirty clothes basket down the hallway. Just to show she was unamused!! If I locked her in the laundry, she'd probably chew the walls down, or scream blue murder. When this happens, I just say "oh damn", and get on with it. That's how it is, if she wasn't doing that, she'd be doing something else.

And your pup hasn't had the benefit of "ideal" raising and socialisation, so you need to make more allowances than I do.

She's a pup. That's what pups do.

Look past chaos and disaster to 10 -12 years with a nice, well trained, happy companion. Puppyhood is just a way station to being the fortunate owner of a lovely dog.

Hang in there!!

[Falling_dawn]

glad things are going well

I know when I got my pup home could not belive how much is was like having a human babys it cryed ddi not want to be alone I was sleep deprived the first 2 weeks I was like a zombie I was fantazing about doggie nappys and dummy's for dogs just to shut her up in the night mine also was born on a farm had never heard alot of traffic in her life so it took some getting used to

toliet training in the middle of melbourne winter was horrable and took a long time to click the key word I read about here saved my sanity

but a year and a half later things a great took a long time but its worth it hang in there

( she will still srceam bloody murder if a reved up hoon goes passed though)

Edited September 16, 2008 by Falling_dawn

[Odin-Genie]

I am glad things are working out. Every puppy is difficult in its own way. When i got my first puppy last christmas (Odin, the Elkhound), the breeders warned me he may not eat for two days and may cry the whole night. Well, he had a full meal that night and slept like an angel.

But he drove us crazy with his toilet training. He just would not go out even though I have a dog door leading to teh back yard. Every day during the Christmas holidays I would get up at 4.00 am and take him out. And he screamed each time we left him alone. So, he was quite a high maintenance puppy. There were times when all i wanted was to be able to sleep peacefully for a few hours. Not to mention that we loved him to bits so probably he was a bit spoilt!! But things improved when he was about four months old. And getting our golden retriver (Genie) helped. So, I am sure Honey will adjust soon!!

Edited September 16, 2008 by Anu

[TrinaJ]

Hi Honeysmum and Welcome to DOL

3 important rules for toilet training.... 1. When she wakes up from a sleep, take her outside to do her business. 2. After she's eaten her meal, take her outside to do her business. 3. After a play, take her outside to do her business. You may be outside for 15 minutes or more until she's done it and when she does PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE. She will soon learn that doing her business is done outdoors and when she does she gets lots of praise.

Dont stress, we've all gone through different things with new puppies, toilet traiing, mouthing, destroying things, howling etc. There is always a reason for why they do these things.... We've not shown them what's acceptable and what isn't. They, like us, aren't born with the knowledge, we have to teach them and that takes time. She's 16 weeks old now so she's old enough to start training. Enrol her into obedience classes, you will both have a ball.

Have you got a crate for her? If so freeze some peanut butter in a kong for her and place her inside, yes she will howl for a little while, but then she will notice the kong and that will keep her busy for a while. You want to make a safe place for her. Crate training is good for many reasons, she will be safe in a crate for travelling, if she ever needs to go to a vet she wont fret about being put in a crate and they also make wonderful safe beds.

Lots of luck with your new puppy!

Trina

[luvsdogs]

Hello Honeysmum.

We haven't heard from you in a while. How are you & Honey going? Is she improving? We would love to hear what's new. Did you find training classes?