Help with Puppy!!-UPDATED AGAIN pg 4

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Hi all. I just got a german shepard/mix puppy who is about 10 weeks old. This is my very first dog as I have always had cats. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! Especially on potty training. We have the pads out and she usually will use them but occasionally miss. Also we have been taking her outside consistenly. Yesterday I took a pad outside with us upon which she laid down on. Stayed outside for about 10 mins then went inside. She immed then went and used the pad in the room! Anyway I would appreciate all opinions and advice. TIA

 

[kdibattista]

Two words... crate training. Google it... you will be very happy you did

 

[kilee]

My newest puppy is about 3 weeks older than your new furbaby. This will the 3rd puppy I've trained. So no expert, but I've done pretty well. I've never used the potty pad method- I've always been a firm believer of using a crate. We start right from day 1 w/ a schedule and a crate. We've had our puppy now for about 3 weeks. He's gotten the hang of why we are going outside-- he just doesn't let us know yet when he has to go. So, as long as we stay 100% on schedule he's good to go- but it will get better in time- it did w/ my other ones.

As far as potty training, that won't be your only issue. Don't forget things like chewing- he'll do that for at least a yr. I lost many a good sandals to my shih tzu when we got him. Another reason the crate is good- it keeps your doggie safe and your possesions while you are not able to keep an eye on him.

Good luck--- there is nothing like the love of a dog- very unconditional. They're a lot of work, I think almost as much as a baby. But it's so worth it!!

 

[almacdonald]

Those puppy training pads can cause confusion. The puppy will think that is where they're supposed to go, not outside. If at all possible, skip the pads altogether and be very consistent with taking the puppy outside and making a big deal when she goes.

Good luck! She's adorable!

 

[jillyjoey]

We've done the puppy pads/taking outside routinely for all of our dogs. We've not crate-trained but my sis has. So, I don't know which is the best method. Our most recent adoption was a rescue dog who was full grown -- she only had one accident inside though -- she's a smartie!

 

[kdibattista]

Wanted to add... the puppy is ADORABLE!!!!! Do you have a name?

 

[ZipaDeeDooDah]

I am so glad you started this thread! We just adopted a 9-week-old Shih/Maltese/Llasa pup. I have been crate training her but haven't started housebreaking yet (she is paper trained). I will be watching this thread with great interest!

 

[Knight]

Crate training worked beautifully for me and my dog. She treats the crate like her safe haven and loves it.

Whatever you decide to do, my best advice is to just hang in there! Puppies are so cute because if they weren't, no one would tolerate their obnoxious behaviour.

 

[FloraFauna]

I would also reccommend crate training. This worked for all three of my dogs. German Shepherds are smart. I'm betting she will be easy to train.

 

[Blondie]

Those puppy training pads can cause confusion. The puppy will think that is where they're supposed to go, not outside. If at all possible, skip the pads altogether and be very consistent with taking the puppy outside and making a big deal when she goes.

Good luck! She's adorable!

ITA! I found that my now 4 month old pup would go on the pads, and nowhere else, not even outside! I think they do cause confusion and tells the pup that it's okay to go indoors.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

What a cutie! We have a 4 month old puppy, and we're still trying to get her completely potty trained. We've been told that with some puppies it can take just a few weeks, and others it can takes months. I also recommend crate training. It's simple to do, and and you can find tons of advice on how to do it on the internet. Our dog can be in her crate for hours and not potty in it, but for some reason she can't do the same when she has free roam of the house! I think the key is to just watch your puppy like a hawk. We've learned this with our dog, Maggie. She gives us clues that she needs to go, like sniffing around, pacing, being restless, but there are times that we don't pick up on them. That's OUR fault! She's getting better though, and when she does have accidents, they're usually near the front door. Just be persistent. What also helps is limiting how much he eats. We feed our puppy three times a day, at the same time each day. We give her 20 minutes to eat - after that, even if she doesn't finish her food, we pick it up and she wont get it again until later. We found that if we leave the food out all day, she'll poop frequently, all day long. She has good days and bad days, but she's slowly getting it. Good luck, and be patient!

I wanted to add, we tried the pads, and they didn't work for us. Maggie wanted to chew them up, and she never would potty on one.

 

[PrincessTiff]

What an adorable puppy!! Mine is 7 months old now. We never had to use the puppy pads but we did do crate training. When we first got her, we made sure to take her out at least once an hour and she figured out that's where she was supposed to go right away. I think she's had maybe 5 'accidents' and I believe they were when she was "excited" to see someone .

Fortunately, I was on summer break for college and had time to take her out when need be. Most people aren't able to do that and crate training would be a more efficient option.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No free roam until potty trained. Leashed at all times to you in the house. In fact, leash the pup to you so he has to follow you.
When you can't watch him he goes in the crate. Don't use pads. You are asking for trouble.

My "pups" who will be turning 2 next month are finally allowed to have some "free roam" when we leave the house. We also have been allowing them free roam at night sometimes.
We are working up to it.

Set boundaries. We do not allow the dogs upstairs. We finally took down the barrier and they obey. They will come up if they are invited and boy do they think they are the "top".

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Thanks for all the advice! Her name is Chloe and she started learning how to fetch this morning. I will def look into the crate training. Keep 'em coming

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What a cutie! We have a 4 month old puppy, and we're still trying to get her completely potty trained.

At 4 months you can probably cut the food to twice a day which may help with the potty issues.

When our dogs reached 1 yr we feed them once a day after we eat dinner.

 

[cryssi]

your puppy is SO CUTE!!!

I don't really know how we got Shenzi potty trained. She was litterbox trained for awhile, but since she had to be locked up in her crate all day, I used to put a puppy pad inside (which she thought was a toy to shred!). After many, many, many, many, many accidents in her crate, she has finally learned to hold it. I do put her outside on days that are nice, although she has to be inside twice a week (when the pool guy comes and the gardeners). We got that potty training aid spray from PetsMart, where you spray it where you want the dog to go, and they *usually* will gravitate towards it. I had several yellow pee stains on my carpet which upset me greatly, but I found that Woolite Oxy carpet cleaner spray works great! I had used enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle several times, but it didn't get out the stains.

Shenzi is a year old now, and has become a pretty good dog, most of the time. I can let her roam around unsupervised and feel pretty confident that she won't poop somewhere random (although we DID find some petrified poop in one of the rooms a couple of weeks ago... ). Only if we are home, though. If there is no one in the house, she is crated or outside...

good luck with your super cute pup!

 

[robinb]

My! What BIG paws she has!

I have an 11 month old Standard Poodle puppy who was a total dummy when it came to housebreaking. I would take her for a walk and she would come inside and then sneak upstairs to poop or pee. I was at my wits end! I finally locked her in the crate at all times unless she was on a 6" leash attached to the leg of the table next to me. That did the trick!

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

My cats dont seem to like the puppy. Is it possible that they will become friends? The kitten is a couple weeks older than puppy, one cat is 3yrs, and the other one is 8yrs. Any tips to help them all get along would be great!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Leash your puppy!!!! DO NOT give it free roam. Very important to do this esp. since you have cats and a kitten.

You must keep it leashed, let the cats correct the puppy. They will bat the puppy when it is inappropriate, let them. You join in too. That way the puppy will have it's place established in the pack order.

Right now that is what the "not liking" the puppy for the cats. They are trying to establish dominace over it and you have to let them.

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

Leash your puppy!!!! DO NOT give it free roam. Very important to do this esp. since you have cats and a kitten.

You must keep it leashed, let the cats correct the puppy. They will bat the puppy when it is inappropriate, let them. You join in too. That way the puppy will have it's place established in the pack order.

Right now that is what the "not liking" the puppy for the cats. They are trying to establish dominace over it and you have to let them.

So far I have let them swat the puppy. I thought it was because they didnt like her. I will continue to let them swap but will it end once they have asserted dominance? Puppy does not swap back but will just leave so that is good. I am hoping the kitten and puppy will become close friends since they are close in age and both new to the house. Why do I need to keep puppy on a leash? So far we have let her roam. She normally will stay right by me anyway. Just curious. Thanks