New Puppy Advice please

[natandchris10]

We have just welcomed to our family a miniture jack russell bitch (Molly) Just looking for some advice on the following...

We are teaching her to be in a crate at night and when we are out (she did this with her mum and siblings from birth)... how do i stop her from crying at night? since having her i have had to sleep on the sofa cuddling her to sleep..i have tried with a hot water bottle.

I have a 8 month old daughter who is keen to chase after her and pull etc, we ensure we hold molly and show LO how to stroke gently, what do i do in form of punishment when molly trys to nip her fingers/face?

Is there a certain way you can calm the pup down when its really excited? i have noticed that when she gets really excited she just bites and wriggles and makes a barking noise..

lastly i would be really really greatful of any advice you can give me about the pup. i have read they can be quite dominant if not trained properly and i really dont want any disasters? cant afford training so thats not an option..

thanks in advance

I am no expert with puppies but have had a couple recently.

I did not crate train my pup but I do know that if they cry you are to ignore them. Its really hard but it does work and it doesn't last forever.

Whatever you do now to get your dog to sleep, she will expect that so IMO, I'd stop cuddling her to sleep on the sofa. I know how cute and cuddly pups are, but it really won't help in the long run.

If Molly nips at your DD, you must ignore her. Turn your back on her and fold your arms or remove her from the room if thats easier. You need to teach her that biting means no play. Or, you can make a loud yelp if she does it to show it hurts and is not acceptable.

A way to calm a pup down is to rub their chest (between their front legs) as that is a massage point.

If you can't afford puppy classes, its really important that you find other dogs and pups to socialise Molly with. Dogs learn so much more from eachother than we can ever teach them.

How old is Molly and where abouts are you?

There is a new puppy thread on here that you might find useful? here

Hi thanks for getting back to me.

Its so difficult to know what to do for the best.. i am noticing though its like having a newborn baby.

Molly is 8 weeks old we got her on friday. were in Peterborough.

what did you do for toilet training? we are currently putting her in her crate about 30 mins after food and rewarding with a treat when she goes on the paper. she has had a few mishaps..she wees on the carpet but poos on the laminate which is abit strange

thanks for the link i will look x

any more help?

I wouldnt encourge the pup to wee in the crate as the crate is her bed. Crating a dog is the quickest way to housetrain as they dont like to wee there. After feeding take the puppy straight outside and then hang around until she wees / poos. then give her lots of praise and a treat. Might take a couple of weeks but she will get the message. First thing in the morning and last thing at night take her straight out for a wee. Use newspaper of mats in the crate and nice comfy bedding that you can wash in case of accidents - of which there will be many.

If she wees on the carpet you need to clean it off with an odour removing spray or she will keep returning to the same spot.

Re the crying. Just shut her in the crate, turn out the light and ignore her. She will get the message. If I now say 'bed' to my dogs they all troupe off downstairs and go to bed!!

I'd also advise against training to wee or poo in her crate. It makes no sense really - you are likely to want her to learn to poo and wee outside, so take her out every half hour and when she's just woken up and when she's finished playing and when she's eaten. Stay out there until she's done something and then reward like mad.

She is bound to cry at night - we have an 18 week old pup who did just the same. We decided to go to her each time, calm her down or take her outside and then soothe her to sleep. By about 12/14 weeks she was dry at night and only fussed if she was over tired.

With regard to nipping - she's a puppy and that's what they do. It's important not to punish, but to read up on bite inhibition (google bite inhibition ian dunbar) and find out why they do it and how to teach them not to. It is not a punishment situation imo. And while she's learning, it's up to you to keep both the pup and your daughter safe.

I'd also strongly advise you to get pet insurance - if you can't afford any training for you dog, it's even more important to ensure you are insured to pay for any disaster which may happen. We've just spent in the region of £800 for a broken toe and all it's care. It racks up very quickly and is money which absolutely has to be found and spent.

Oh yes, and if a pup is over excited it needs a bit of time out. We pop ours into the crate with a bone or chew for 10 minutes or so (5 ish when she was younger). They get over stimulated just like children - ours can't even cope with being stroked when she gets like that.