At my ends with my puppy

[livvvv]

No judgemental comments but after some advice as this puppy is completely driving my crazy. I have a miniature dachshund dapple she's 4 months old and I just can't cope with her anymore. I'm trying everything I can to get her puppy trained and nothing is working. She's wees and poos in the house all day everyday even though I take her out all the time she refused to do the business outside and the minute we get back inside she does it on the carpet. Even when I take her for a walk she doesn't do it outside she waits till we are home. She constantly chewing up my carpets rugs just anything she can get her mouth on again I understand she's a puppy but everything is getting ruined. I have a crate for her which I leave open for her to go in and out of but if she's in it she barks the place down for hours and hours on end relentlessly, and even if she's not in her cage and I just put her in another room while I try to get something done she's whine and barks and will not sleep in it so she's literally joined to me 24/7 and has to sleep with me which is so uncomfortable. She's constantly nipping and biting and honestly it's all just too much. I love her and I don't want to get rid of her but I just know if keeping her is the best idea as I'm already at my ends and I have a baby on the way and I have a toddler and thinking maybe getting her waSnt the smartest of ideas.

You could try a playpen type rather that a crate, got more space and not so shut in for the dog. Feed her in her pen/crate so she thinks it is a good place to be.

I felt like you and then I was off work for 2 weeks with a bad back and used the time to just stay in one room with her so I could watch her like a hawk and spot when she needed to go.
Circling and sniffing was her sign.
I'd take her out and just wait and wait sometimes with a coffee and my phone and use high value treats when she went. Cheese or chicken cut up small. They learn quickly it's juts catching them going a few times and rewarding and it will fall.into place.
I have hard floors and took up the only rug for a few months.
Crate train properly too as you can put her in while you get on and do stuff.
Mine is 7 months now and i wouldn't be without her but she is still a pain in the arse following me around..I have a couple of beds in different rooms which she moves to as I do and I have taught her "in your bed" so I can get on with stuff without being tripped up by her.
We are currently in adolescence which is a while new nightmare of attention seeking nonsense but no wet patches so far which is a blessing.

They are notoriously difficult to house train
But I’m afraid we actually did have ours attached to us or watched like a hawk every minute of the day until we cracked house training.
Start writing down when she goes so you can find a pattern and schedule - after a few days you won’t need to watch as hard then.

You can buy stuff to put down on the grass from pets at home that encourages them where to go.
When she goes out is she on a lead? She should be if not.
When she comes in she needs to go in her crate until you take her back out. Then she can’t pee on the carpet and she’s less likely to want to go in her bed. Once she has been she can play freely. For the first few days this will seem constant. But then you will learn the schedule and it will get easier.

She’s going in the same place because that is where she has learned to go and where she can smell herself. Put an enzyme cleaner down. When she starts to go the same place outside all the time she will smell it there instead and know that is the correct place.

If she hates the crate you need to spend more time crate training first. I know you’ve said you’ve done this but it doesn’t sound like you’re doing it correctly from what you’ve said.

It is exactly like having a new born baby and a toddler all rolled into one, that is the nature of having a puppy unfortunately.
I look back at photos of mine and think how cute and adorable she is and wish I could go back. But remember how exhausted and unhappy I was and frankly didn’t really like her (though obviously cared for and loved her)
It will get easier but you need to really dedicate yourself to it now

I think you need to rehome her through a reputable local rescue centre OP. This was inevitably going to go wrong from the moment you bought her from a BYB you knew was just in it for the cash.

I used Alexa for reminders to take her out every 20 mins

Okay well I'm definetly going to try all these and see if she gets better. In regards to her being in her crate what's the best thing to do. I thought she was starting to get used to it I always leave the door open so she can go in and out as she pleases and always put treats and toys in there so she associate it with being a nice place, the only time she's closed in it is when I have to go out as I obviously can't leave her to do her thing while she isn't house trained, but what should I do in regards to night times? Currently she sleeps with me because as stated she hates the crate so that's not an option and if she's in another room she does the exact same thing as being in a crate and I can't let her bark for hours as it's not nice for her for me or the neighbours but is having her sleep with me making things worse?

Yes. Ours is crate trained. Takes herself off to bed there every night.
But I let her sleep in my bed one night when DH was away and she howled barked and cried for an hour the next night when she was back in her crate.

Can you put the crate in your room
Or put a mattress on the floor of the room she will end up in for a few nights?
That helped ours settle.

Through the day try more focused crate training. Also building up having the gate closed whilst you’re still there.
We used to close the door and feed her chicken through the bars.
Then eventually it was just when she lay down and settled in there. There’s tons of videos on YouTube with ideas.

You may have a rough night or two at first.

Where does she nap during the day?

It sounds like she's starting to get separation / isolation anxiety. Also every time you leave her in the crate and she barks she is creating a panic association with the crate. You need to start puppy training from the beginning. I cannot emphasise it enough that you should not be leaving a 4 month old puppy by it self. It is a newborn as you said.

I recommend the Dog Training and Advice Facebook group. Read the puppy files and see if that helps. Otherwise you should return her to the breeder sooner rather than later as the younger she is the easier to rehome.

If the breeder is rubbish then don’t rehome yourself. Go through the breed rescue if that’s what you decide.
Setting Alexa?? The puppy needs to be with you. Watch her. And if she’s upset then (for now) you can’t leave her.
She won’t magically “get better”. Puppies are hard work and if you’re not willing to do that work then contact breed rescue ASAP. She will be much more likely to be homed quickly whilst she’s small and cute before she’s an adult that’s never been toilet trained.

I think you probably know now wasn’t the right time to get a puppy if you are pregnant and have a toddler but you really do need to watch the puppy. A friend’s mum has got a bichon who is now nearly a year and still toilets inside more often than not because they still use pads. Have you tried bells? Our boy took to them quickly. He now rings them when he wants to go out. A lot of work will aid getting you around the issues but it is a lot of work. It’s also not an easy breed. Good luck.

No much words, just a hug, I’ve been there myself, our first dog, hard work but she is 1.5 year old now and does get easier!

You take her outside regularly, but what do you do when you're out there? If you stay out there until she does a wee or poo (however long it takes) and then make a massive fuss of her and give her a tasty reward ..... and repeat, repeat, repeat she might get the message?

I have two miniature dachshunds- although both house trainee now they did take approximately 10 minutes to fully house train, and my boy did have a brief relapse when he entered the teenage years! I literally used to take them out like every half an hour, treat when they went and they started to get it. They are very clingy - we have built up to being able to leave them for about 2 hours now but that took quite a while, and when I’m at home they are always with me! They are however worth the perseverance because they are so loving and loyal!

Well this thread is a why-you-shouldn't-get-a-puppy bingo.

Since you want to work at this:

• get rid of the carpets. They are saturated with urine and will smell even if they seem clean to you. They will perpetuate your toileting problems until you get rid of them completely and replace them with flooring that can be effectively cleaned.

• be careful she seems to have the beginnings of separation anxiety, if this sets in, it's a very difficult issue to live with but has few solutions.

• don't close her in the crate, not even for 5 minutes if she doesn't like it. All you are doing is training her to dislike the crate. Instead do the umbilical cord method, that is, attach her to you by her lead so that you can supervise her 100% of the time.

• what kind of exercise is she getting? You need to allow her to expend physical energy and stimulate her mind. This means 3 walks a day, ideally when she is energetic and wound up, as well as multiple training sessions during the day. Are you going to any training classes to teach you how to use a clicker and reinforce good behaviours?

We had a timer that buzzed every 15 minutes from 6am to 11pm, and took our pup outside. I didn't stress overnight as we have a tiled floor, and she always peed on newspaper. It was relentless and exhausting, and thankfully both dogs come to work with me so it was easy-ish to keep the routine going. By 20 weeks, she'd cracked it and by 6 months overnight.

With the chewing, get some split deer antlers, they're brilliant for gnawing on or freeze some carrot batons. Their teething is really tough going for them and you.

Keep going - it does get so much better. I remember desperately wanting another dog and thinking WTAF have I done.

Fellow mini dachshund owner here.

1. The toilet training is such hard work. And even when they’re trained they might try to sneakily do a poo in the house if it’s raining. Did you see the dachshund winner of Crufts do a poo in the arena? They’re not like other breeds that will hold it until they’re outside!

What we found works: if you take her outside and she doesn’t toilet then bring her back in for five mins and try again. But during this time you have to keep glued to her! If she gets in a position to wee or poo quickly grab her and dart outside. Then lots of praise for outside toileting. It’s relentless.

2. They’re a breed that suffers with being separated from its owner.

Instead of a crate we found baby gates or a pen worked much much better. They can still see you but can’t get to you. There will be some crying and then they’ll settle themselves.

BUT you have to practice this in baby steps so that you don’t cause separation anxiety. Do it for short bursts and keep them being able to see you. Then eventually you can pop out of sight for a few seconds, and build the time up gradually.

3. The chewing I’m sure she’ll grow out of eventually. But I can’t offer much advice as mine ate the kitchen rug when he was small and we just replaced it 😂

You are pregnant and have a toddler, getting a puppy was a VERY bad idea, especially a breed that’s not the easiest.
Rehome now while it’s still easy enough to find a new home (preferably back to the breeder), it’s only going to get harder when your baby arrives.
I’m not judging you for your mistake but I would if you don’t do something about it now

Sorry, just seen that you bought the pup from a dodgy breeder, contact the breed rescue
I know you say you love her so if that’s the case do what’s best for her and find her a home better able to cope

Every time she nips tap her on the nose and say No firmly, don't point at her she'll think it's a game, you have to be really tough.

For barking in her crate. Put her in, close the door and sit with your back to her. Wait for her to stop barking even if it's a couple of seconds, turn give her eye contact, a treat and praise. If she starts barking again ignore her. It will take a long time as she's already got bad habits but stick with it and she'll get there.

Like a PP has said Dachshunds are stubborn and hard to toilet train. Really try to use a crate training schedule, it will help enormously.

Re: chewing. Pets at home sell treats filled with a gel which are really effective.

Good luck

@TeaCakeAndCockerspaniels
Bad advice. Puppies don’t understand no. Smacking a dog on the nose is not the answer.
Shutting a dog that’s anxious in a crate and leaving it to bark won’t cure that anxiety. It’ll exacerbate it and could cause full blown separation anxiety.

No, dont hit your dog, especially on its nose, that’s bloody stupid advice

Whether she's in the crate or in a different room to run around freely she still barks if I'm not right beside her or in site. Your acting as if people don't have to go to work or nip out or go do food shop or have to leave them at any point. There puppy can't physically come with you everywhere you go @Wolfiefan. Everyone else is actually trying to give me good educated advice and everyone will have tried and done things which works for them and there dog.

I personally don't hit or tap her as I don't want her to be frighten or become aggressive but everyone does things differently