New Puppy, First Time Owner!

[styles]

Hi there!

I am both new to these message boards as well as owning a dog and just wanted some general advice, how I could improve her living conditions, work on some training etc, and whether or not I'm even doing a good job so far.

I bought my little girl, Zara, a beautiful Pomeranian x Shih Tzu, about a month and a half ago at 9 weeks old. She will be mainly an outdoor dog, but have complete access to an indoor living area... my house is two stories with our living area being upstairs. Downstairs (access is via outdoor stairs) is pretty much a carpeted, spare apartment that is used mainly for storage -- this leads directly to the yard, both cement and grass, which is why she will have access to both inside the apartment and to the entire yard. Hope this doesn't sound too confusing, but I'm trying to explain it to the best of my ability.

The first three weeks or so she slept with me at night and I left her downstairs while I was out, with the door closed so she was locked in as she was still just a baby. While I was at home she was constantly with me and followed me everywhere (she still does, and whines when she loses sight of me, haha). Day by day I slowly started putting her in a crate at night in the kitchen for a few nights; she cried at first but eventually stopped whining and settled for the night. She now sleeps freely in her open crate in the apartment downstairs. Now I leave the doors to the apartment open during the day so she roams freely between the two as she pleases, and close her in at night.

Generally she seems to be happy. She's very active and energetic, is always happy to see me to the point she nearly trips over herself from excitement. I have plenty of toys to keep her occupied, she has lots and lots of space to explore, and I wrap a hot water bottle in her blanket every night that she snuggles with in her crate. I don't keep her with me constantly when I'm at home (I'm only gone from the house the entire day 2 days a week due to uni, during which I make sure she has plenty of food and water to last) so she can adapt at being on her own. Daytime it's about half with me half on her own, and night time she's usually with me, either in my arms as she loooves being held or chilling next to me on the couch while I do work; she plays and plays and then eventually falls asleep beside me, and I take her down to sleep when I go to bed.

The main things I'm worried about are:

- Excessive nipping/biting/obedience. I've done a ton of research and tried every single method I have read days on end, with little results. I tried yelping like a hurt puppy, which seemed to work the first few times but then just gave me this look like, 'you are not a dog, don't fool me' and went back to gnawing my fingers. I NEVER tolerate her biting. Every time her mouth comes in contact with my hand and I feel her teeth, I've always pulled away, replaced my hand with toys, said stern words, and nothing. She is very cheeky and doesn't seem to understand when she is doing something wrong. I've tried placing her in the bath tub for a minute or two when she's too naughty, tried turning my back, tapping her nose, holding her away from me, and nothing seems to work.

- Toilet training. She knows to pee & poop in the grass outside and has her favourite spots. But she only seems to do her business outside when I am with her. When she's alone, or overnight inside, I constantly see little pee puddles and little turds inside. She may be doing this once the sun goes down and is too afraid to go outside, I don't know. She has peed on the couch and in my bed once when I walked away and she sneakily let loose, but for the most part if I am with her she starts fidgeting, whining and jiggling her back legs when she wants to go, and I immediately take her out. I've tried using pee pads indoors but they're a bit of a hit & miss - sometimes she does her business on them and sometimes she doesn't. Need to work on that.

- Crying & excessive barking. She doesn't cry and whine TOO much that it's a constant problem, but she is definitely on the sulkier side. She is definitely at her happiest in my arms and being carried. If I leave the room and she is on the couch and can't get down to follow, she'll cry until I get back unless she's sleepy -- then she just curls up and goes back to sleep. Every time I leave her downstairs (she's too little to climb the stairs yet), she sits and whines for a few minutes, runs back indoors and eventually stops. I minimise the amount of time she is on her own if I've been out most of the day, or if she cries and howls incessantly which she *sometimes* does, then I either stay down with her or bring her up. Her barking isn't excessive -- at least, while I'm home it doesn't seem to be. Sometimes it's constant for a good 15 minutes but she eventually stops. As she's a small breed, I know the barking is a given, I just hope it doesn't continue too much as she never barked when I first brought her home (probably because she hadn't yet discovered she could make these wondrous sounds).

- Creating mess/ruining the garden/digging holes. I know puppies are destructive little terrors, but I'm wondering if there's a way to keep the mess to a minimum. She constantly chews on leaves and flowers and grass, which is normal, but she drags them all inside on the carpeted floor and just makes a mess of everything inside. And one part of my father's garden she just loooves rolling around in -- should I fence this off? I'm not sure how else to keep her out of it as it's level with the grass area. As for holes, she isn't too much of a digger thank goodness, there is only one little corner of the grass that has lots of dirt that somehow fascinates her and she digs there. But I want to keep this controlled so she doesn't start digging up the entire garden -- any advice on how?

My parents are still not convinced that having her is a good idea -- they're currently overseas, so when they get back she will have more company while I'm out. But she needs to be obedient and well behaved if I'm going to ultimately be able to keep her, but nothing seems to work. I want to take her to puppy training classes but can't afford them just yet. Am I giving her too much freedom? I tried leashing her once in the yard and she cried and whined but eventually stopped and just continued playing and fell asleep. Should I section off a puppy area in the indoor area downstairs? I don't want to though as she loves being in the grass and yard.

So sorry for this massive post. If anyone bothers to read through it all, I'd really appreciate any advice/tips you could give me!! :)

Edited September 10, 2013 by styles

[Christina]

This all sounds normal & is part of having a puppy. She is still very much a baby & they don't train perfectly in a few weeks, it can take months. Pups are silly generally however I have noticed the difference between a working dog pup I was helping to train one time & my toy poodles & other small dogs I have owned. The working breed ( Heeler ) made mine look stupid :) despite them being an intelligent breed. I find around 6 months old it all starts to happen & they are better. Patience & time & getting your message to the pup is what is needed.

Persist as you are with the biting thing. A dog has to understand what you want for it to obey & maybe she just hasn't got it yet. She is teething too.

Putting her on a leash or rope outside is not a good idea. It needs to be a fun place she like to go to.

Try a fake grass toilet for her inside. They are great for small dogs.

Fence of parts of the garden you don't want her in. Some of those wooden stakes with a pointed end & chicken wire should do it temporarily for a tiny dog. Throw a heap of toys & chews out there for her.

Ordinary dog obedience classes will be fine to take her to & are very cheap in comparison with puppy classes & do more actual training. Visit a few first & watch a session without committing to join & check that the dogs there are in control, if there are mixed sizes & that you like the way the trainer runs the class. They are variable in methods.

Pups cry, pee, make a mess, dig, bark when you don't want them to & all sorts of normal things. She will get better as she learns & matures.

Kind but firm sensible persistence will work eventually.

Basically if you feel uncomfortable or not sure with anyones suggestions or a way of treating your pup then don't do it. There is no exact right way to train, gospel or 100% perfect, many methods work, but there are wrong methods.

[luvsdogs]

Hi there!

I am both new to these message boards as well as owning a dog and just wanted some general advice, how I could improve her living conditions, work on some training etc, and whether or not I'm even doing a good job so far.

I bought my little girl, Zara, a beautiful Pomeranian x Shih Tzu, about a month and a half ago at 9 weeks old. She will be mainly an outdoor dog, but have complete access to an indoor living area... my house is two stories with our living area being upstairs. Downstairs (access is via outdoor stairs) is pretty much a carpeted, spare apartment that is used mainly for storage -- this leads directly to the yard, both cement and grass, which is why she will have access to both inside the apartment and to the entire yard. Hope this doesn't sound too confusing, but I'm trying to explain it to the best of my ability.

The first three weeks or so she slept with me at night and I left her downstairs while I was out, with the door closed so she was locked in as she was still just a baby. While I was at home she was constantly with me and followed me everywhere (she still does, and whines when she loses sight of me, haha). Day by day I slowly started putting her in a crate at night in the kitchen for a few nights; she cried at first but eventually stopped whining and settled for the night. She now sleeps freely in her open crate in the apartment downstairs. Now I leave the doors to the apartment open during the day so she roams freely between the two as she pleases, and close her in at night.

I wouldn't let her have access to large areas until she's 99% house trained. I kept my little JS puppy confined in a Bunnings compost pen with his crate & water bowl & a few toys in the loungeroom. I had a tarpolan under it to cover the carpet.

Generally she seems to be happy. She's very active and energetic, is always happy to see me to the point she nearly trips over herself from excitement. I have plenty of toys to keep her occupied, she has lots and lots of space to explore, and I wrap a hot water bottle in her blanket every night that she snuggles with in her crate. I don't keep her with me constantly when I'm at home (I'm only gone from the house the entire day 2 days a week due to uni, during which I make sure she has plenty of food and water to last) so she can adapt at being on her own. Daytime it's about half with me half on her own, and night time she's usually with me, either in my arms as she loooves being held or chilling next to me on the couch while I do work; she plays and plays and then eventually falls asleep beside me, and I take her down to sleep when I go to bed.

Again don't let her have access to large areas until she's reliable. With the toys, don't have them all out at once. Give her 2 or 3 & rotate them each day. She doesn't need the hot water bottle now especially as the weather has warmed up.

The main things I'm worried about are:

- Excessive nipping/biting/obedience. I've done a ton of research and tried every single method I have read days on end, with little results. I tried yelping like a hurt puppy, which seemed to work the first few times but then just gave me this look like, 'you are not a dog, don't fool me' and went back to gnawing my fingers. I NEVER tolerate her biting. Every time her mouth comes in contact with my hand and I feel her teeth, I've always pulled away, replaced my hand with toys, said stern words, and nothing. She is very cheeky and doesn't seem to understand when she is doing something wrong. I've tried placing her in the bath tub for a minute or two when she's too naughty, tried turning my back, tapping her nose, holding her away from me, and nothing seems to work.

When she's biting your hands try not to pull away, she'll think you're playing with her. Good that you are distracting her with a toy. No stern words, eye contact, tapping her nose - only encourages her to snap back. Ignore, ignore, ignore & as you've done when it gets too much - a very short time out. She's a baby & doesn't understand until you set the ground rules.

- Toilet training. She knows to pee & poop in the grass outside and has her favourite spots. But she only seems to do her business outside when I am with her. When she's alone, or overnight inside, I constantly see little pee puddles and little turds inside. She may be doing this once the sun goes down and is too afraid to go outside, I don't know. She has peed on the couch and in my bed once when I walked away and she sneakily let loose, but for the most part if I am with her she starts fidgeting, whining and jiggling her back legs when she wants to go, and I immediately take her out. I've tried using pee pads indoors but they're a bit of a hit & miss - sometimes she does her business on them and sometimes she doesn't. Need to work on that.

Toilet training is quite easy if you follow a few steps. Take her out to the spot you want her to eliminate after she wakes up, has eaten or drank, after play & every hour in between. If you can't watch her, have her confined so if she makes a mistake it's easy to clean up. I haven't used one but I've heard good things about the pet toilets that Christina mentioned. Do a search of the forum to find out the best ones.

It's good that you recognise when she wants to go & take her outside. When she's going praise her & the second she finishes give her a couple of small treats. She's a small breed & only has a tiny bladder. It's also a great idea to put it on cue. As she's going say something like 'get busy or hurry up' & she'll learn to go when you say.

- Crying & excessive barking. She doesn't cry and whine TOO much that it's a constant problem, but she is definitely on the sulkier side. She is definitely at her happiest in my arms and being carried. If I leave the room and she is on the couch and can't get down to follow, she'll cry until I get back unless she's sleepy -- then she just curls up and goes back to sleep. Every time I leave her downstairs (she's too little to climb the stairs yet), she sits and whines for a few minutes, runs back indoors and eventually stops. I minimise the amount of time she is on her own if I've been out most of the day, or if she cries and howls incessantly which she *sometimes* does, then I either stay down with her or bring her up. Her barking isn't excessive -- at least, while I'm home it doesn't seem to be. Sometimes it's constant for a good 15 minutes but she eventually stops. As she's a small breed, I know the barking is a given, I just hope it doesn't continue too much as she never barked when I first brought her home (probably because she hadn't yet discovered she could make these wondrous sounds).

Best to ignore the whining & barking & don't pick her up when she's doing it. Wait a couple of minutes until she's stopped then go to her. It doesn't seem to be so bad at present. You don't mention if she's been with other people or dogs yet? Have you been socialising her? You mention your parents being away, this could be a problem when they come home if she's only been with you.

- Creating mess/ruining the garden/digging holes. I know puppies are destructive little terrors, but I'm wondering if there's a way to keep the mess to a minimum. She constantly chews on leaves and flowers and grass, which is normal, but she drags them all inside on the carpeted floor and just makes a mess of everything inside. And one part of my father's garden she just loooves rolling around in -- should I fence this off? I'm not sure how else to keep her out of it as it's level with the grass area. As for holes, she isn't too much of a digger thank goodness, there is only one little corner of the grass that has lots of dirt that somehow fascinates her and she digs there. But I want to keep this controlled so she doesn't start digging up the entire garden -- any advice on how?

I find that sort of mess easy to clean up, my only concern would be if they are poisonous plants for dogs.

Yes fence off your dad's garden, it's the easiest way to go.

That's what's usually recommended for diggers, to give them a digging pit with toys & treats buried in some sand. That way they get to enjoy themselves digging & not dig up the whole yard.

My parents are still not convinced that having her is a good idea -- they're currently overseas, so when they get back she will have more company while I'm out. But she needs to be obedient and well behaved if I'm going to ultimately be able to keep her, but nothing seems to work. I want to take her to puppy training classes but can't afford them just yet. Am I giving her too much freedom? I tried leashing her once in the yard and she cried and whined but eventually stopped and just continued playing and fell asleep. Should I section off a puppy area in the indoor area downstairs? I don't want to though as she loves being in the grass and yard.

So sorry for this massive post. If anyone bothers to read through it all, I'd really appreciate any advice/tips you could give me!! :)

I miss read the 1st bit & thought you said she'd be an inside dog & on re-reading you said outside dog. It's usually best to go the way you intend to go for the rest of her life. If there's any way of setting up a part of downstairs that's not carpeted, with a doggy door so she can come inside out of the weather. Good luck & we'd love to see pics of your little baby.