Struggling with puppy

[mumofthreesmallmen3]

Hi everyone, I am starting to struggle a lot with my puppy and would just like to maybe get ideas to help with the main issues I find I'm struggling with. Background is she is 19 weeks female Labrador. Over the past few weeks I have been finding it really hard, I'd like to know firstly If this is normal, secondly any tips. The nipping/not leaving alone is something I'm finding very hard,I know it's normal but it's relentless. Her routine is she gets 2 walks a day around 30 minutes each, around 9 and 4 roughly. The vets said the 5 minutes rule for walking outside so sticking to that, she also has my garden medium size and we also have a enclosed garden that we share with neighbours,communal, which is large and grassy and fully enclosed by the backs of our houses in a square shape, so she often will go out there too, I don't use lead there so I throw the ball and she has a run out there so I do think her exercise/physical Needs are being met. Is it possible I'm overdoing it or does this sound ok. We also do short training sessions with her kibble on things like sit,stay etc. If we are not out or actively playing/training she won't leave off, constantly bite my arms or hands, ashamed to say she made me cry the other day! Ridiculous! Id had bad news and I just wanted to sit down with a tea! I tried the yelping out loud then withdrawing from her, she goes more if I do that, I feel enticing her to do it more really with the loud exciting noises. I tried the remove myself from her with no reaction at all, I'm constantly standing up and down,up and down, I need a break! Is this normal? Another issue is she has diarrohea a lot, she actually has vets appointment on Monday as I need to sort the reason for diarrhoea out, it's impossible to pick up with bag, it makes a lot of mess,I'm hoping vet can help with issue but it's another thing that's quite stressful, in the day time she is pretty ok,odd accident, night time I put her into crate around 10pm after last toilet break as that's when I go to sleep, I still get up around 3/4 am to let her out as she needs a poo then, Is this normal? When would she be able to do 10pm to 6 am? I generally do hear her and let her out to go, if I do not in time she will soil crate, but after this 4am poo she's wide awake and ready to go, any advice for this issue? She is happy in crate I believe,she sometimes takes herself there in the daytime for nap, and bedtime she doesn't create, just at the 4am poo she will be wanting to get up and play then. She also will not toilet out on walks, is this a puppy thing and will change? She only will go in my small garden, not communal large one, when we finish walk and get to front door when I'm getting keys out of bag she will go outside front door without fail, is it because the walk is exciting so she forgets/holds as too busy sniffing/looking at everything? Anyone with experience of labradors 4/5 months is this all normal? It's so so much harder than I ever thought! If I sort the diarrhea problem on Monday that will be one less stressful thing, but she is hundred miles per hour most of the day! Is she not sleeping enough? She sleeps on and off through the day, but she's quite Velcro, she will sleep next to me on sofa,when I move,which I have to,she will wake so I don't know if I should be doing enforced naps in crate so I can get on with stuff? She's been lovely but I am shocked at how hard having a puppy really is! She is like having 4 toddlers at once with sharp teeth! By the time I do something in the house she's undone it! Sorry so long, did anyone else feel stressed at this age with there dogs,am I doing something wrong with her,please tell me in a year or 2 she's going to be a lovely mellow dog,she won't be this much forever will she? I'm trying to go with it but bit overwhelming last couple of weeks. I'm sorry this is so long

I say this on every thread.
All puppy’s are jerks, and stay jerks as teenagers, by 2 they are quite nice.
The biting is normal, I wouldn’t bother yelping but just completely ignore, the yelping may be the reaction she wants.
The needing the toilet is normal and will be for some time. She will have an accident if you don’t let her out in time the same way a young child will have an accident if they don’t get to the toilet in time.

overstimuating can be an issue with puppies.
I’d personally get a good trainer that uses kind methods and positive reinforcement and get them to work with you both to iron these issues out

Our pup (female Labrador also) never pooed outside the garden until she was 6 months and we went on holiday. I think it's quite normal for some pups not to toilet in less familiar places when they're young.

It does sound like she's possibly not getting enough rest.

I have tried to completely ignore but it hurts so it's quite difficult! I do automatically move my arm or hand, I have let her on sofa was that a mistake and shouldn't of for now, because soon as I sit down she's on me!

Let your hand go limp as soon as she bites and leave it there. It will make it hurt less and be more boring. They grow out of this. A teething toy as well?

I’d get her off the sofa. It’s easy enough to train them not to go on it

I'm starting to think I should keep her off sofa for a bit, how difficult will this be as all she's known. I honestly feel I'm doing enough with her but maybe I'm not, or maybe she's not rested enough I'm not sure ,the nipping is driving me a bit crazy, and I know I shouldn't react as becomes a good game to her but it does really hurt sometimes so it's hard to not react,it's automatic

First things first, she is still a baby and there are lots of things you'll want her to do that her body/mind just annot handle right now. It can be hard to remember that, but she is still very young indeed.

A few more 'tips'...

• Ignore the 5 min rule. There is no evidence for it and certainly working dogs do far more than that at a young age. Much better to keep her weight down and keep her lean - that's the best ting for her joints. I wouldn't have her do long, on lead, on pavement walks where she cannot regulate her own speed and distance. But off lead or simliar? I'd not worry about 5 mins per month.
• That said, I WOULN'T throw a ball for her at this age unless done in a slow, sedate manner. It will encourage twisting and turning in ways her body may not be ready for yet. Plus a ball obsessed dog can come with a new set of problems.
• If you are getting up at 3-4am now then add 30 mins to that next week. Then add 30 again. Then again. Week by week. She'll adjust as you do (for the most part - the occasional accident still might occur).
• It's good to see the vet for diarrhoea but this can also be a sign of over feeding which is very easy to do with young dogs, because the guidelines on food packest tend to be on the high side. Unless she's underweight I'd also be considering cutting back down a little bit to see
• Not toiletting on walks is totally normal for puppies. She will, most likely, start to do so as she gets a bit older and more confident.
• Biting. Remeber she is a retriver and needs something in her mouth a bit more than other breeds. Swap your arm for a toy and, if that doesn't work, remove yourself for a little bit. Babygates can help provide a barrier between you. It'll feel like it's not working and you'll be doing this over and over, but it will work. Besides, most dogs just grow out of the bitey phase eventually, anyway (no reason not to try to train it to happen sooner rather than later). She's also at the right age for teething and this can make the biting worse. Cold, frozen teething toys or carrots can help.

And yes, if you carry on with repetitive, consistent and calm training, by the time she is 2 years old you will have a very different dog on your hands. And one that is, most likely, a joy to live with.

On the sofa specifically: treat her now how you want her to behave as an adult. If you want her to go on the sofa all her life, leave her be (unless it directly causes trouble). If you are hoping she won't go on the sofa as an adult (or go on only when invited), keep her off it now.

It'll be harder to train now than when she was tiny, but much easier now than when she's had a few more months practice.

Keeping her off the sofa is also a good idea. Going up stairs and up hills is not great for their joints so it would follow jumping on the sofa is probably not ideal as well as making your life easier at this stage. You can change it later. If you have time, lots of mental
stimulation, pockets of training or puzzles.

You'll laugh but genuinely I wore wellington boots inside until our puppy grew out of the nipping stage. It meant I genuinely was able to ignore it.
I don't think you can teach dogs not to bite - you can just let it learn that there are better ways of getting your attention.
Reward for bringing you a toy by playing a tuggy game or similar. So biting for attention =nothing. But asking for attention nicely = attention.

Also look up 50 treats in a pot game. Essentially start the day with 50 treats (or own food if you can work out something that won't upset tummy). Every time puppy does something you like give a treat. Can be the most mundane stuff. Sitting quietly, laying quietly, playing on their own. Just anything. They'll start to learn what earns rewards.

But yeah as PP said, puppies are jerks.

Can your pup play with other dogs? We live by the park so our pup played with other pups in the area daily. She was the easiest puppy ever. No complaints or issues. Now she is 4, so does not need to play w other dogs much. She just goes on her walks, runs around the park and will play fetch w the ball sometimes.

Thank you everyone, I feel a bit more positive now, it might help that she's asleep 🤣 it is really much harder than I thought. I'm laughing at you in wellies, she never goes for feet for some reason only hands/arms,I did think before about wearing a old puffa jacket indoors so I could ignore her without a reaction but I thought it wouldn't be actually teaching her not to so I didn't but it does become relentless when it's so constant and I feel I can't sit down! I don't mind her on sofa in general I quite like it to be fair but because she's so relentless with getting my attention I'm not sure if to change that for now. I don't think I'm over feeding her, I questioned before the packet recommendations which seemed insanely high, she would never eat the recommended amount on the packet it's a really large amount and when I followed it at first she couldn't manage even half of the amount they said, for example Tesco wet puppy food says 9 can's a day which I think is insane. I'm feeding her puppy dry kibble at the moment. She has very watery diarrhoea,also sometimes blood/mucus in it which is why we are going to vets,we went a few weeks ago, they mentioned coccidia, and if didn't get better to return with sample,which is this appointment on Monday, so I'm hoping if it is that when treated the poo issues will get better

Yes if we see other dogs out and about she will play, she is very friendly and sociable,which maybe most puppies are! She really enjoys that and it does tire her/ fulfill her, she also has lots of toys and chews but I think she prefers my hand 🙈 that's why I think maybe I'm doing something wrong, reacting wrongly and accidently encouraging her to do it, or is this just quite normal, I know labradors are extra mouthy but it's a lot

Labradors are amazing dogs - but absolutely twats as puppies. It'll be over soon and you'll have an amazing dog

Get a long line and walk her places you don't normally do, lots of mental stimulation. Dog parks are great but puppies get bored and over stimulated at the same time. Crate train and put the puppy in after a walk, it'll help regulate them. Throw a small handful of dried food all over the back garden and let the dog sniff and find it.

Puppies bite and mouth and gave razor sharp teeth. Be stern, a click of the fingers and a strong 'no' everytime will help.

It's a phase and it will stop

Sometimes after a long walk I'll pop her in crate and think phew! Least a hour without her, is that horrible? She's just so much some times, I can't get much done or relax even after her needs are met, I'm glad people are saying it's quite normal and she will be lovely but it's like I'm first time mum again really!

The biting is vile. My husband wore wellies for weeks in the house. We found with constant redirection onto toys really worked after a few weeks. She will now only bite (18 weeks) if she’s overtired on walks or needs a poo and then we can redirect or distract.

I would focus on the runny poo as they will probably be causing other issues.

We’re experienced dog owners and I’m an agility trainer but this is our first puppy and it’s really really hard. Puppies aren’t dogs tbh. They're a whole other animal. I still wonder WTAF we’ve done. But it is (mostly) getting better very very slowly.

Oh when I say first I mean first and last 😂 Lots of my trainer friends feel the same. It feels 99% of effort for 1% return at the moment. But there are ‘oh my god she got it’ moments.

Thanks new peep, I love her , especially when she's asleep 🤣 I'm joking but it is really hard going and I maybe underestimated I think

Yes I still get that pride feeling when she does something good/well or just really cute or sweet, it just sometimes feels never ending and I'm not sure if I'm either overdoing her or under doing her I'm not sure,she's just a vulture at the moment!

I have a 4 month old puppy (and 5 other dogs, all bar one raised from puppies!) so I feel your pain. One trick is to soak an old tea towel, wring it out and tie a couple of knots in it then freeze it - if she's teething it will soothe sore gums.

On the nipping a loud and serious NO each and every time while looking her straight in the eye will tell her it's unacceptable behaviour. Make sure everyone in the house does the same and then ignores her for a few moments - she'll soon stop.

If I shout loud,she will sometimes stop then I can redirect her (Xmas tree is a nightmare ATM) but other times she won't respond, only the top third of the tree has baubels on! She's just so much.

It's not a matter of redirecting, it's stopping. "NO" then chuck her outside or ignore her. She's not a child that needs distraction, she's a dog that needs instructions.

We have a 6 month old, but I posted a while back about her being a nightmare! She was biting constantly and being so naughty pinching things etc. The best advice I had on here was to increase her naps and to just ride the storm, not making bad behaviour a game. I would put my puppy in her crate regularly to force her to nap as she would just follow me round and never settle unless I settled down on the sofa too. This meant I could get jobs done but also that she had regular naps. Don't feel guilty about this, it is for your dogs own good.

I must say that since her adult teeth came in at 5 months, she has been so much better with the biting. So you haven't got much longer to wait until you see an improvement.

Best of luck.

It’s not about giving them something else to do. It’s about teaching them WHAT to bite or mouth if they feel they need to. I know very mouthy adult labs and spaniels because they were just stopped not taught what to bite. Dogs need to use their mouths. My last dog would grab a toy when she was upset or overstimulated. Rather that than my arm tbh.

You are very brave to have a tree. We’ve not bothered 😂

Have a look at the Facebook group Dog training advice and support. The green one. Really good info there on everything puppy. I know a lot of the people who run it. Top notch advice there.