Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Original poster

Picked up my puppy last night,helllp!!!

51 replies

aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 21:17

God i am crap at this puppy malarkey already

I have taken her out after she wakes up/after playing and after her food etc. She sits and looks at me then wees on the floor when we come in. What am i doing wrong???

Put her collar on last night and she is ok with it but obv doesn't want to walk on the lead. How do i teach her to walk on the lead?

I so want to be be a good owner and make her a happy puppy. I know it's early days and all that but i feel like a numpty. I read all the books and don't actually have a clue it seems

OP posts:
poopscoop · 09/08/2009 21:19

lucky you a new puppy

how old and what breed?

UndertheBoredwalk · 09/08/2009 21:20

Puppy classes!

lou031205 · 09/08/2009 21:23

She's a baby. Babies don't learn straight away. Be kind, be firm, be consistent. She will get there.

cheekster · 09/08/2009 21:23

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I LOVE puppies. Give her time, you only got her last night! Just keep walking round the garden with her on the lead, she will eventually get used to it.

Regarding the weeing on the floor, try and catch her in the act and quickly put her outside (you may get a dribble to the door )that worked best for my two anyway.

bella21 · 09/08/2009 21:32

If she wees as soon as you get back in, you are not staying out long enough. When you see her start to wee outside, give a command (e.g. be quick, whatever) and then praise like mad as soon as she is finished.

Remember that for dogs, weeing anywhere except their bed is normal. You have to teach her where you want her to wee.

She is way too young to know how to walk on a lead. Be calm and consistent with her and you will see progress, but it will take time.

Don't forget to enjoy her too

zaphod · 09/08/2009 21:33

Training a puppy takes time. lots of time. Potty training is sooo much easier. Just make sure to give lots of praise when puppy performs outside. When we got our dog a couple of years ago it felt like I spent the summer outside waiting with her.

The lead thing is just a matter of her/him getting used to it. Good luck, and if you have a car make sure you get your dog used to travelling in it when it's small, as it's torture having a dog that pukes and worse when it has to go to the vets.

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 21:34

She is 12 weeks and she is a Bichon Frise.

Have her booked in for puppy classes on Tuesday but the breeder 'forgot' to have her 2nd lot of innoculations which means i can't take her now. So have to wait 4 weeks till the next lot of classes (set of 5 classes) Grrr

OP posts:
Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 21:36

Glad you all think i am not doing totally the wrong thing. How long should i dtay outside? Until she wees? I am outside for up to 15 mins each time.

OP posts:
threeandcounting · 09/08/2009 21:45

Hi! Have only had my puppy for about four weeks now, so not sure i am the best for advice! For me, i waited outside until she done the toilet, then when she wee'd i acted as though we had won the lottery! If she has an accident inside i say "shame" in a low voice and take her outside right away. Works most of the time!

When i first put the lead on i let her trail it indoors. Then i led her round the garden with it (with lots of encouragement!) I am now in the process of trying to walk to heal outside (without pulling...) now that she has had her jags. A couple of steps with a treat in your hand and reward if she hasn't pulled, and eventually making the time between treats longer and longer.

Works so far, but am interested in how other do it!!

I have a black lab puppy called pipet! Have fun with yours (what kind?)

threeandcounting · 09/08/2009 21:47

Sorry, took so long typing i missed the other posts! The perfect puppy book by Gwen Bailey is really good too...

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:02

Thank you all. I am more than happy to sit outside till she has done a wee/poo but just wanted to check exactly what to do. Am a puppy novice so very grateful for all the advice.

OP posts:
Stayingsunnygirl · 09/08/2009 22:10

We have an 11 week old brown lab puppy, and we've used the method that bella outlined - whipping her outdoors if we caught her starting to wee, and praising/rewarding her when she did wee or poo outdoors. We're also using the 'be quick' phrase, and hopefully she will learn to do her wees and poos on command with that phrase.

We are lucky that the garden is totally puppy proof, so we have been leaving the back door open, and this week she's been taking herself outside to do her business, with only the occasional accident inside (though I did walk into the office to go on mumsnet to find a HUGE poo on the floor!!

She's been out for her first proper walk today - until now she's had little walks round the neighbourhood, but now she's had her jabs, we were able to take her out somewhere where there would be other dogs for her to meet, and she's paddled, met swans, played with other dogs, flirted with everyone she met and had a walk, so I am assuming that tonight's accident is because she's tired.

Yesterday, after dh and the dses had gone out for the day very early, having fed her and given her a run in the garden, then put her back in the puppy cage so I could have a bit more sleep, I was woken up some 2 hours later by the sound of her chasing the cat's food bowl round the landing. Ds3 had left the top of the puppy cage undone and she'd opened it, climbed out and been entertaining herself downstairs, then come up in search of a snack and me. She hadn't trashed anything, or eaten the newspaper, and she'd even been out through the catflap to go for a poo on the lawn.

Mind you, at the rate she's going, she's not going to be able to use the catflap for much longer - I have visions of finding her stuck half in and half out.

Threeandcounting - I will take a look at that Perfect Puppy book - we've got a book on labradors, which is very informative about all sorts of things, but obviously can't cover training in any great detail, so I do want to get a good puppy training book, as well as going to the puppy classes.

AGal - it sounds like you are doing fine, and your puppy is too - and I hope she gives you as much pleasure as ours is giving us. Oh - and I'm a novice dog owner too (dh grew up with dogs as pets, but I've always been a cat person) so maybe we can talk eachother through the experience?

Stayingsunnygirl · 09/08/2009 22:15

Another thing - when I take her out for walks, I have a handful of her dry puppy food in my pocket, so when she is walking nicely or does a wee where she should, I can reward her at once - and since it comes out of her daily food allowance, she thinks she's getting a treat but we aren't over feeding her (though I'm not being too fussy about amounts as she's very active).

She is capable of walking nicely to heel - for as long as it suits her, but mostly walks consist of me standing whilst she sniffs every leaf or blade of grass, or trying to coax her to walk more than three paces before sitting down to watch a passing car/bird/plane/bus, and then she gallops off and I have to shift gears and try to catch up! As Bella said, it takes time and patience, and I'm sure we will get there in the end!

And I bet you'll get mobbed when you are out with her - a baby bichon frise must be almost the cutest puppy ever (second only to my lab puppy, of course..).

hellymelly · 09/08/2009 22:19

12 weeks is teeny! Puppies don't usually get the weeing outside thing until 14-15 weeks at the earliest.Also walking on a collar and lead takes ages.In fact I think a harness is far kinder,and my vet would agree.A puppy is like a baby,and they are like a baby for quite a while,then they are like a delinquent teenager,and then they become responsible adult doggies.Lovely.

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:23

Stayingsunny i am too scared to take her out for a walk as she hasn't had her 2nd lot of jabs. I may take her round the block tho?

Just panicing a bit (as usual) lol

Yeah she is hugely cute

OP posts:
Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:28

Thanks Helly

My friend also said about the harness thing so will speak to the vet about it this week.

Yes she is teeny. Will just keep on doing what i am doing and hope for the best.

OP posts:
bella21 · 09/08/2009 22:43

She is so young - slow down please!

Don't take her out before her jabs are complete (and you've waited the required amount of time afterwards). Parvovirus is rife where I am and it kills puppies very quickly.

I didn't take my lab to classes till he was 16 weeks, and we started with sit, not walking on a lead.

Pup's brains are like a blank canvas at first, and slowly develop. Let her play, let her sleep and enjoy her.

bella21 · 09/08/2009 22:47

The very first thing you should be doing (apart from house training) is working on getting her attention. Wave a tiny treat under her nose and up to your chin, saying 'look' - when she looks at you, give her the treat. Work in tiny 2 minute sessions, maybe 4 times a day at first. They have very short attention spans and will quickly tire and switch off.

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:49

Thanks Bella

Pressure off and enjouing her. Have had lots of stories from family members already about how they trained their dogs etc. Need to stop paying them any attention eh?

OP posts:
bella21 · 09/08/2009 22:50

You've heard of competitive parenting? It happens with pets too

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:51

Oh god yes i can believe that lol. I am certainly finding that out!!

OP posts:
bella21 · 09/08/2009 22:52

{grin]

She's only been with you - what- 24 hours?

She's away from her litter mates and with a strange woman so she needs lots of love

bella21 · 09/08/2009 22:53

My lab is now a 35 kg brute but he still needs lots of love...

spugs · 09/08/2009 22:54

I've been known to stand outside for an hour at a time waiting for puppies to have a wee .

Pup number 1 is Alfie whos a 5 mth old bichon frise x schnauzer and pup number 2 is Roxy an 9 week old papillon.

Alfie took a couple of months to get the hang of it and it almost seemed like he just clicked all of a sudden. We followed the same as everyone else has said. Stand outside for ages and celebrate any wees or poos like you've just won the lottery and give them a treat (hot dog works well). If you catch them inside tell them 'ah ah' and run outside as quick as possible then reward them for doing it in the right place. We've put a dog flap in which Alfie uses and a crate is really helpful as well.

12 weeks is still a baby especially if you've only just got her home. I'd leave putting a lead on her till shes settled in, then just try having it on for a couple of minutes in the house. Alfie seemed to find it easier once we were outside as he always follows me.

You sound like your doing fine just be patient and enjoy having her tiny.

Original poster
aGalChangedHerName · 09/08/2009 22:56

Am feeling much more relaxed now thanks all lol.

No more listening to my mother other people!!

OP posts: