Oh please help - I feel like a failure - new puppy has regressed!

[Kingsroadie]

Sorry everyone - me again! So...puppy is 9 weeks old today. He had a good day yesterday but as soon as my husband came home he weed only in the house. My husband was taking him outside and he wouldn't wee (I told him he needed to stay out longer and say "busy" to encourage the pup to go - which is what I do and he does wee). This morning he got up with the puppy and took him outside and he wouldn't wee again but just sat barking and so he brought him inside thinking he was starving and gave him breakfast. But as soon as he finished or halfway through he did a massive wee inside. I can see the problem is that my husband doesn't stay out for long enough but it seems the puppy is reluctant to wee for him and doesn't have a problem for me! (Again, I am at home all day so deal with him most of the time).

But the main thing I am a bit worried about is the night. After a few rough nights in the first few days (we have had him for 10 days) , he then slept 11-6/6:30. However, Sat night he woke at 3am (my husband got in then so clearly woke him up) and last night he woke at 5:15 ish barking his head off. He had done at least one wee in his crate, which he has never done before. He didn't bark during the night but I was up 3 times in the night with my daughter who was teething and can only think I was so shattered I didn't hear his initial barks and perhaps by the time we heard him it was too late? I just feel like it's a massive cock up (I have read from other threads that lots of pups do mess their crates a couple of times) and that I am a bad mother!

He did a poo but not a wee outside and then my husband put him back in crate where he barked for approx 30 mins. (Am starting to get concerned about the neighbours as they will definitely hear him!). He clearly didn't need the loo but wanted our attention and to get up. Anyway he eventually stopped and then woke barking at 6:30. This is confusing me as if in the day we want him to go in his crate and not bark yet in the morning we go to him when he bars surely it's mixed messages? Is the way forward to set an alarm once so I let him out around 4/5am for a wee then back in crate (when he will bark which I feel guilty about for the neighbours as he is very loud) and then another so that I go down to him at say, 6:20 before he wakes and barks? All the grown up dogs I know just wait in the morning until their owners go down (within reason) but am sure that's something that comes with age....

Sorry for the essay but just feeling a little despondent and confused! I am trying to do the best thing for him but just am not sure if it's working. Any help greatly appreciated - thanks a lot.

PS. Can he have small rawhide bones at this age?

Ours was just a pee accident thank goodness. All seems more solid in the poo situation this morning! :)

Well we got 7:05 too (from 10:45) - And I think there was no wee in crate (we made it even smaller last night).

But the bloody dog has already done a wee inside, 15 minutes after he had done one outside. WHAT!??? What is wrong with him? I cannot take him out every 15 minutes for god's sake... He did 3/4 wees inside yesterday and I do take him out pretty regularly.

My daughter is being a total bit of a wimp at the moment, so much so that I am starting to get a bit annoyed with her - poor thing! She is being ultra clingy anyway because of teething - like doesn't want me to put her down. And the puppy is making it worse... Cannot wait until he can go for walks!

Kings have you cleaned the floor with biological washing powder? I know you said that you had cleaned it with special stuff but I think I have read many times that the only really effective way to get rid of the smell is to use biological washing powder.

Can you put him back in crate once he has been out first thing and been fed etc this might give you some time to sort your daughter out etc. My puppy is allways very tired and chooses to go straight back in her crate after wee/poo and breakfast. I then go and get daughter up and ready for school, breakfast etc and then she takes the puppy straight outdoors for quick play/wee/poo before going to school. On the weekend like today puppy wants to go straight back to sleep so she went back in, the door is open but I am sitting in the same room, if she stirs and get's up I take her straight outside, If I want to go back to bed or go have a shower etc I shut the door and then take her straight outside the minute I open the door.

It must be a lot lot harder for you to keep your eyes on your pup with a toddler about! I do feel for you.

OK, so we need to do something about night-times now. Initially he was very attached to us and terribly distressed at night on his own. Rightly or wrongly, we took to visiting him briefly to settle him, which worked - in a way, except that now he's not distressed but just fancies a bit of a chat in the middle of the night, so yaps. We've all had a busy week on the work front so decided we'd all get more sleep if we indulged him, although by that I mean a bleary "settle down, BED" and leave. Now I have the next few days "off" so think we ought to knock the nocturnal visits on the head and leave him to it.
How? Just leave him to yap? He tends to stir at around 1am and 4.30am, waking for the day at about 5.30!
And don't get me started on weeing and pooing in the house! Gah!

Clam, have you read the thread a few pages back? I will bump it up for you there are loads of posts on there and I would follow minimu's and midori's advice and just leave him to yap. Are you taking him out when he wakes you up? You have effectively taught him to cry and he will get your attention and you need to nip it in the bud. I made the mistake of waivering on the ignoring front and my puppy got me up at 1.00am, 3.00am and 5.00am and wanted nothing other than a chat - I never did that again My puppy goes all night and has done really from the start, only thing I am now working on is extending the night to my terms and not hers and I might be getting there but never going to speak too soon again!

I know you're right, spam. I intended to do that from the very start, but he was so distressed, that my friend who's a vet suggested a brief, matter-of-fact visit. But that crisis has passed, so it's time to get tough.

Thanks Spam - the spray has run out now actually - but it was a special enzyme spray (which I also believe biological washing powder contains - enzymes). Soooo I have now put biological washing liquid mixed with water in the bottle so should do the trick too hopefully! He isn't even peeing anywhere near the same place though so doesn't seem like he is smelling it and going again if you see what I mean. It's all over the room...

Yes I do put him back for a rest but she doesn't wake up until 8ish usually so he is then ready to wake up again. Then we do breakfast and play and then he goes back for a sleep while we go and get showered/dressed etc. I always always take him out for a wee as soon as he has left his crate. That is something I never forget. And I take him out at least every hour, sometimes more like half an hour but he still has accidents sometimes 20 mins afterwards! Bloody puppy He can obv hold it sometimes as I have been out and left him in crate for 1.5 hours. But he just often doesn't if we are there.

Thing is, my daughter is always around as she is only 18 months so no nursery yet. So we are around the whole time. I do take her to the park every day (we usually go out in the morning and in the afternoon after her nap) so we do go out and get time without the puppy. But tbh I think she is super clingy due to last molar and she has actually gone back to bed this morning now as she was beside herself with exhaustion and teething and was just constantly crying. She usually doesn't nap til 12:30 so that won't be helping the situation.

clam - sorry to hear that! Yes I would say he won't need the loo anymore or anything so just leave him to yap. Ours got better at night once he was put into crate in day for naps and I guess got a bit more used to it. It'll just be that he knows yap = visit from my family. It's really tough but think worth it... (and I realise Spam has said all this already!)

We too followed minimu's and midori's advice, and apart from her first night, when I did go down at 4am and let her out, she then howled and yapped fir 2and a half hours before I gave in next. Since then though, we have left her to it, and not gone down till we deem suitable! This is from 6onwards as far as I'm concerned. And she's been fine with no accidents in her bed. She's only 9wks so they obviouslyxan hold it from fairly young.

Having similar issues with daytime peeing though, as don't keep a strict eye on her and as it's been warm, the doors have been open so often she takes herself out. Maybe I need to be stricter with that, and though I've been praising her maybe I should treat too?

Who knew this was going to be so tricky! :o

OK, so we're battening down the hatches tonight and are determined to leave him between bedtime (around 11pm) and 6am. There Will Be Mess, but tbh there is anyway.
We have earplugs!

Good luck Clam...will await tomorrows post with baited breath! :o

See you on here at around 2am! Bring wine.

Will do, and the sherry!:o

Okay girls - this is sort of the wrong thread as perhaps more appropriate in the biting or my bones thread (incidentally anyone given a raw bone yet?) but this feels like our new puppy support thread so am keeping it as such. We have had a bit of a result with stagbars. Which are just stag antler pieces for dogs to chew. We ordered 4 medium sized ones and he has chewed them a lot today. And I must say nipping has slightly decreased...

It could just be luck today but my daughter was walking across the room with her hands up and yelped a bit (she has started to do this - what have I taught her?! ) and he got down each time then she stood still with hands up and he sat and looked at her wagging his tail. So he hasn't mauled her much at all today actually. He is far more interested in the stagbars then any kong (apart from first thing when he gets some breakfast in it) or nylabone. He likes hte nylabone keys but that is it. And he likes his pheasant and rope monkey. But has chewed stagbars more than any of them bar the pheasant today...

So those of you with nippers might like to give them a go! Here is link: stagbars

Well we've practised with the lead today. Was expecting a nightmare as my SIL gave me a doom-and-gloom warning of how awful her dog was on the lead at first. But success! Mostly let him wander, and followed him, but he also came with me a bit too!
DH and I are plying ourselves with wine in preparation for the night ahead. DCs are going to get up at 6am with him so we can catch up on the lost sleep. That's the plan, anyway.
Do they sell stagbars in PetsAtHome?

That's great clam! We have done a bit here and with treats he will walk with me and not eat the lead. A long way to go yet though. Perhaps when outside and distracted by all the exciting things he will forget to chew it?!

Lucky you getting the kids to look after him tmrw - how old are they?

Don't think they sell them there - have never been to one so no idea but they seem fairly unusual. They delivered really quickly though. Ordered thurs eve and they came today...

12 and 14. Useful ages. Can send them out on poo patrol and have trained them up with effective wee cleaning.
They campaigned long and hard for a dog. They were warned of the realities!

Liking the support thread!

Got a bone from the butchers today, they cut her a little bone marrow one, but got it quite late this afternoon, so haven't given it her yet as was concerned in case it gave her a gippy tummy. However, she's just found some old cat poo and eaten that instead!

Stag bars seem a great idea-wil try those as had a bad day for biting. Scared my DS(2) and ripped DD's PJ's :(

What with that and the house training regression am a bit fed with her tbh. Have just sent her outside by herself so can MN in peace without her biting my socks/jeans etc etc :(

Well, Monty has been rolling round the garden with his cousin Max (also a cockapoo) this afternoon. He's knackered, and just wants to sleep. Keep booting him outside for a poo but he just sits on the lawn and looks at me.
I just know that the minute I start MNing turn my back, he'll perform on the carpet.

Well we just went out for an hour had a drink and picked up a chinese, came back Maggie very excited to see us even though she had a puppy playdate this morning and had a good walk this afternoon, did some play in the garden with her and my husband told me in no uncertain terms that puppy DID NOT want the loo, I kept telling him of course she does but she won't when we are all playing with her. I told him and daughter to go indoors and sort out the dinner, the minute all excitement had gone what did she do a wee and a poo - god I am dreading being away in the US week after next he is really going to buggar it up!!!!!

Puppyhood sounds more difficult than babyhood!!! Good luck all

Oh Spam,am feeling your pain there, my DH is clueless too :)

Just ordered some stag bars!

Also averted another accident twenty minutes after last post, husband merrily watching a film, thankfully I was MN'tting in Dining room, puppy comes rushing through and straight to back door, she wee'd immediately, 20 mins after being out and having a wee! I went in and said did you not notice she was wandering round looking for somewhere to wee! Good puppy for coming to the back door though

The good news and I can't quite believe this is that puppy slept from 10.15 until 7.00 and even then I woke her up - she looked like she go on for hours! Husband said he would stay up and take her out at about 11.30 but he said she was fast asleep so left her - so she had nearly nine hours sleep I am sure this won't be the case every day!

Clam I sincerely hope you are still sleeping!

Wow Spam - what a result for you! Am believably jealous...

Happy - I am feeling a bit the same as you. My husband isn't helping as he is really getting fed up with the jumping and nipping at our daughter. I keep telling him it's normal. And he has man flu so is sulking. And I am fed up with him! He wants to set up a play pen or fenced off area for the puppy now. Hope the stag bars work!

Ours slept 10:30 til 6:30 but did a wee in crate again. Then 3 poos this morning first thing outside. And a wee. Poo machine!

Ooh! Fab news Spam. Our girlie also had to be woken up-at 7.45!!!!

And am trying to be very regimental again about toiletting, and treating her when she does. Helped by the fact that it's raining so can't just leave doors open. Think this may have been the root of our problem as minimu said with the door open they can't really distinguish indoors to outdoors as too free flowing?

She's actually eaten most of her breakfast, by herself which was great.

Not so great is already bitten DS (5) who was v upset and is quite frightened of her now :(

Going to try her bone this morning as per Kings experience, that maybe lots of hard chewing on something reduced her biting of people-fingers crossed. Can't wait for stag bars to come! I read on their website that chewing lots gives them lots of feel good endorphins...x