Moved Puppy To The Lounge

[Alec]

Hi All,

A few more questions i'm hoping you can help with

(Wow what a wall of text! Sorry!)

Last night we had our 9 week Jap Spitz sleep in the lounge for the first time. Up until now she has been sleeping in our room in her crate beside our bed.

She had a potty at around 3am (woke us up to let us know) and woke up for breakfast at 6:30am typically. She has been sleeping very well for the first week we had her and hasn't been any trouble to get to sleep (no crying or tearing at her crate) so we thought we'd move her to the lounge.

Last night she fell asleep in her crate in the lounge after a quiet cuddle, so we left her sleeping and went to bed. We left the crate door open so she could get out at night to go potty if she needed to. Her crate is in the confines of her play pen which has a bit of artificial grass on the opposite side of the pen to her crate for her to potty on.

We treat her with liver treats and praise, and after just 3 days of using this area she goes potty on it 90% of the time. The 10% she doesn't is usually when shes running around outside her pen and we cant get to her on time...she's like a pee ninja...

She has never had a mistake in her crate, and only 1 in 2 nights will she have her 3am potty, other nights she sleeps right through.

We take her outside when possible but its good to know shes learning where its ok to go inside when she needs to.

We woke in the morning at about 6:30 to find a poop and wet spot just outside her crate, not on her potty area. This must have been her 3am potty.

When we got up to feed her, she went potty on her area immediately after eating (which she decided would be yummy to eat)

This says to me she knows she gets a treat when we're around but its not enough of a habit yet for her to go in the right area when we aren't. Would this be correct?

After all the prologue about our puppy's potty habits, my questions (finally!) are:

-Should we close her crate at night or leave it open at the risk of a mistake in her crate? We cannot hear her from our room in-case she wants to let us know she needs to potty in the middle of the night.

-Have we moved her out too soon?

-How do we stop her eating her poop!? We don't think shes hungry or overfed, maybe shes just helping us clean

The next questions don't need quite as long introduction

One reason we don't take her outside as often as we should is because we discovered a few foreign poop's our own lawn when playing with her outside! The landlords say there has been a stray dog wander around the backyard from time to time so we are worried about parvo as she has not yet had her 2nd vaccination (due in 2 weeks). I hope she didn't pick up anything from her first discovery

-Should we worry about her and get her checked? Concerned parents talking here, probably worried too much...

She let out a random loud yelp the a few days back while having a nap and woke up looking frightened We thought it could be a nightmare, but she did it again the next day while sitting down happily. I thought it was just a bad dream but when she did it while sitting (awake) we started worrying again (silly worrying parents!). It hasn't happened since then (for a few days) so maybe we are worrying over nothing, but if it happens again should we get her looked at? She has been cleared of LP.

Thanks in advance!

Edited August 21, 2011 by Alec

[stonecutter]

Alec - I can't answer the first - but a question about your 2nd - is the yard secured and fenced? How does the stray dog get in?

[Mason_Gibbs]

Its going to be very difficult to get her to toilet outside if she only goes inside.

[Alec]

Alec - I can't answer the first - but a question about your 2nd - is the yard secured and fenced? How does the stray dog get in?

Its mostly fenced, but there are a few gaps. Its a fairly large yard (1700sqm)and there are a number of big trees on the boundarys where there is a break in the fence and the dog could get though. The poop I first found was not completely dry and I found a very dry (dusty) one also. I have never seen the dog myself so it can't be too often, but the 'evidence' suggests its not a one off occasion and its happened recently.

Its going to be very difficult to get her to toilet outside if she only goes inside.

She goes both inside and outside quite happily which is a relief We praise/treat her if she goes in the right spot inside and also when she goes outside but we make a bigger deal of it outside as ideally that's what we wan't her to want to do, but we want to get this parvo risk sorted first :/ In anxious to get her outside asap once we can determine if the risk is there or not. When we do take her outside to go, we take her directly to where we want her to go to limit the chance of walking somewhere this other dog has been (though of course we cant be sure her potty spot wasn't a favorite of the stray either!)

Edited August 21, 2011 by Alec

[stonecutter]

Wow that is a large yard When pup is old enough - is the plan to fence off part of the yard so she can have an outside area during the day? I'd be worried about the parvo risk in any yard or grassed area until she's had her 2nd vacc (unless you can be sure the area is safe)

[Alec]

Yeah it is

The plan is to move out before Christmas lol, but yes we plan to puppy proof it because you never know what might change.

Wherever we mover to though will be puppy proofed.

I've heard its alot safer on paved surfaces and there is a large concrete carpark/driveway where she can play outside and we can practice leash walking. Is this safe?

I don't want to potty train her to go on pavement, so what do you think is safer. Keep potty training her entirely indoors for a few weeks, then train her on the grass when shes vaccinated while keeping outdoor times on concrete area? Or keep training her on a small spot of grass outside and play on the paved area? Or keep her entirely indoors for a few weeks until she has had her 2nd shot?

[Mason_Gibbs]

Wow that is a large yard When pup is old enough - is the plan to fence off part of the yard so she can have an outside area during the day? I'd be worried about the parvo risk in any yard or grassed area until she's had her 2nd vacc (unless you can be sure the area is safe)

Unfortunatly Parvo I believe lives in the soil for ages after so the yard may not be deemed ' safe' for like 12 months, IMO whatever you do from now on will be a risk until enough time has gone by. If it is just one dog though and not heaps and heaps I would feel fine about it.

[Alec]

Hi Mason,

Seems to jut be one dog. What do you think about the question I asked stonecutter? I appreciate any help

[Tassie]

How prevalent is parvo in your area (can you check with local vets?) If not so prevalent, I'd probably be raking the chance and using your own yard.

I'd also re-think your idea about not having pup using concrete/bitmen for eliminating. There may be times when the dog will have to use that sort of surface - out walking in city streets with no nature strips or grassed areas. Pup will lkely still have a preference for grass, but you don't IMO want to have one of those who can/t/won't use anything other than their preferred surface.

And as far as middle of the night - my preference would be for you getting up and taking her outside to potty (on a lead or just carried, so she knows it's not playtime, then back in and back to sleep.

She sounds like a good biddable little pup - I'd just be trying to make good choices easy for her. (Mind you - this from someone who still has the dogs in the bedroom, so I know if/when they need to go out at night.

[Alec]

Hi Tassie,

I will check with the vet Its pretty grassy around our area and pretty much anywhere we go, though your point is noted Perhaps that's a good interim solution until the parvo risk is over. I guess its better to teach her to go ANYWHERE outside than not at all! Easier to adjust her training that way too Thanks.

I'm inclined to do as you suggest and wake her in the middle of the night. Good tip about carrying her out thanks as she does tend to get a little playful.

[Mason_Gibbs]

IMO i would get her to sleep with the crate door closed and do a 2am or so toilet trip for her. That way you can also watch that she does not eat it. Lots of dogs do this and it can be for a number of reasons but its not something you want to encourage.

[Alec]

Well that worked

2am, she got up, went potty outside on command and went back to sleep! No accidents in her crate

She went potty on the grass (same spot she normally does) but hopefully she will be ok, its not a spot of grass other dogs are likely to go (right in front of our door in plain view!).

She went to munch on her poop but I got it in time.

My next questions will likely be about how to settle down a crazy puppy lol shes going through a phase :p But I wont bother you with that until we've tried the things i've read on other forum posts

[Tassie]

Sounds really good.

As for settling - - they do have their crazy times - even as adults - but teaching her lots of things will help to tire her little brain out a bit. Here are some links with a few ideas ...

101 things to do with a box

puppy training suggestions and articles

These are clicker training sites, but you don't absolutely have to use a clicker - you can do pretty much the same thing just using a verbal marker like "Yes" as well - though it's fun to play with the clicker.

[Simply Grand]

Hi Alec, only just read this thread, sounds like your pup is doing great with the toilet training! Better than I'm doing with Riley, my 4 month old pup (my fault, not his!)

I just had to laugh at your pee ninja comment, that's exactly what they're like, how do they do it?!? I swear I've been right there, not even seen movement and suddenly there's a puddle on the floor!