sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,832
Jun 27, 2014 14:04:01 GMT
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jul 20, 2019 12:38:40 GMT
DS got a puppy this week. He's 8 weeks old (this Sunday). We've never had a puppy this young. Our other dog we got when she was 2 months old. So she wasn't necessarily housebroken but she also didn't get up multiple times a night (she stayed in a crate in our room). Any advise on a puppy this young? Just this morning, he had taken him out 3 times by the time I got up. He was actually outside with him when I got up. Less than 10 mins later, he pooped on DS's bed. DS said he had already pooped and peed outside.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Jul 20, 2019 13:10:50 GMT
Do not free feed. Puppy should eat a measured amount (use chart on food bag) 3 times a day and go out after eating. Puppy should also go out every 2 hours when awake or right after waking up. Restrict water after 6-7p. Puppy will probably need to go out at least once during sleep time. I was never this consistent potty training my kid. Works for the dog however. Also highly recommend crate training. Less chance of puppy peeing in crate.
We got our puppy Jan 26 at 8 weeks. He was fully potty trained by 3 months and stopped crying for an occasional 2am pee about 4 months. It’s like having a baby again, nobody is getting any sleep until he’s older.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,156
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Jul 20, 2019 13:24:06 GMT
lisacharlotte's advice is great! Crate training is the best idea, they won't go where the sleep. Make sure it's not too big for the dog. My sister got a very large crate thinking hers would grow into it...which gave him plenty of room to go and move away from it. Counterproductive!
So mine were either in their crate or right with me while training. If they woke up, the first thing we did was head for the door...then they could play or cuddle, but first movement upon waking or new activity was out the door!
Another thing we ran into with our 2nd was the yard was fenced so i'd let him free in it. Well he didn't seem to differentiate between free in the house and free outdoors so he peed wherever. Putting him on a leash and taking him to the same area quickly resolved the confusion, he learned what was expected with repetition.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 20, 2019 13:28:28 GMT
Those first weeks are TOUGH! At 8 weeks Remi would go outside once or twice during the night then up for the day very early, gradually (a few weeks) that faded to a late night then early morning potty. I will say that it seemed he always had to go out more often in the morning; even once he was trained he would ask to go out multiple times that first hour or two he was awake; that continued until just recently (he's about 18 months now).
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Post by hockeymom4 on Jul 20, 2019 13:31:41 GMT
our puppy is about 16 weeks, got him at 7 weeks He has been sleeping through the night since about day 3...in a crate. We have bells on the back door and he is pretty good about ringing then to go out..... touch wood he hasn’t pooped on the floor in weeks. He does still pee on the floor sometimes.... seems he will be very good for a few days and then one day pee multiple times. (Yesterday!!) He has taken to ringing the bell when he is bored/we aren’t focused on him for attention. Also ringing and gunning away... and the little stinker is getting harder to catch
We are free feeding but are going to start a fixed schedule... Hopefully can get him in a routine
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Jul 20, 2019 13:56:29 GMT
8 weeks and 2 months are kind the same age, aren't they?
I always am so sad when breeders separate the pups prior to 8 weeks, it's too young to release them. There's so much intrinsic training puppies get from their mom, almost to 12 weeks old.
Anyway. Crate train. Do not free feed. Keep crate small enough to turn around in but not run around in and make it his cozy resting place. Establish a very strict routine that incorporates feeding time, potty time, play time, then back to the crate. Repeat every two hours. Do not punish puppy for potting in the house - it happens. Puppies should be kept in a restricted area when out of crate - like a playpen area. Puppies should not be on beds, furniture, good rugs, etc., for quite a while. You're trying to accomplish a couple of things here - potty/house training, and pack training. Puppy on the bed? And peed on it? Guess who's the pack leader . . . it's how dogs think.
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Post by worrywart on Jul 20, 2019 14:04:24 GMT
Lots of praise when puppy goes potty outside so he has a positive association with it 
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 20, 2019 15:17:25 GMT
lisacharlotte's advice is great! Crate training is the best idea, they won't go where the sleep. Make sure it's not too big for the dog. My sister got a very large crate thinking hers would grow into it...which gave him plenty of room to go and move away from it. Counterproductive! So mine were either in their crate or right with me while training. If they woke up, the first thing we did was head for the door...then they could play or cuddle, but first movement upon waking or new activity was out the door! Another thing we ran into with our 2nd was the yard was fenced so i'd let him free in it. Well he didn't seem to differentiate between free in the house and free outdoors so he peed wherever. Putting him on a leash and taking him to the same area quickly resolved the confusion, he learned what was expected with repetition. Another good thing with peeing on a leash is that they get used to doing their business in that area. The kids will know where to pick up the poop and where not to roll around in the grass. (If your kids are younger!) Its also a good time to work on leash training and will teach the dog that it’s time to do it’s business vs playing.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 20, 2019 15:23:38 GMT
our puppy is about 16 weeks, got him at 7 weeks He has been sleeping through the night since about day 3...in a crate. We have bells on the back door and he is pretty good about ringing then to go out..... touch wood he hasn’t pooped on the floor in weeks. He does still pee on the floor sometimes.... seems he will be very good for a few days and then one day pee multiple times. (Yesterday!!) He has taken to ringing the bell when he is bored/we aren’t focused on him for attention. Also ringing and gunning away... and the little stinker is getting harder to catch We are free feeding but are going to start a fixed schedule... Hopefully can get him in a routine Never chase a puppy. It’s all just a game to them. Instead, run away from the puppy, calling it. A puppy will naturally follow its leader. Never punish the puppy when it comes to you when called. Instead, praise the recall, then take it to where the problem happened and discipline. Also, teach the puppy to sit at the door when you come inside. We do reward that with a piece of kibble, even at 7 years now. Ask me why! As a puppy, she didn’t want her feet wiped after coming in out of the rain and ran away, all through the house. I spent the entire next day cleaning the carpets. Yeah, not fun. Our lab lab is the easiest dog to train but she just never picked up on the bell ringing. Good for you! I think it’s a smart idea, but I just never convinced Emma to do it.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 20, 2019 15:24:13 GMT
8 weeks and 2 months are kind the same age, aren't they? I always am so sad when breeders separate the pups prior to 8 weeks, it's too young to release them. There's so much intrinsic training puppies get from their mom, almost to 12 weeks old. Anyway. Crate train. Do not free feed. Keep crate small enough to turn around in but not run around in and make it his cozy resting place. Establish a very strict routine that incorporates feeding time, potty time, play time, then back to the crate. Repeat every two hours. Do not punish puppy for potting in the house - it happens. Puppies should be kept in a restricted area when out of crate - like a playpen area. Puppies should not be on beds, furniture, good rugs, etc., for quite a while. You're trying to accomplish a couple of things here - potty/house training, and pack training. Puppy on the bed? And peed on it? Guess who's the pack leader . . . it's how dogs think. All excellent advice!
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 20, 2019 15:35:58 GMT
Our lab lab is the easiest dog to train but she just never picked up on the bell ringing. Good for you! I think it’s a smart idea, but I just never convinced Emma to do it. Wonder if it's a lab thing, Remi won't use the bells either. The other day he was sitting at the door waiting to go out and I (gently) took his nose and hit it on the bells; he gave me a look that screamed "wtf are you doing lady?" He just hunts me down and stares at me when he's ready to go out (even if someone else is right next to the door, he'll go find me as if I'm the only human able to turn a door knob  )
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 20, 2019 16:34:37 GMT
Our lab lab is the easiest dog to train but she just never picked up on the bell ringing. Good for you! I think it’s a smart idea, but I just never convinced Emma to do it. Wonder if it's a lab thing, Remi won't use the bells either. The other day he was sitting at the door waiting to go out and I (gently) took his nose and hit it on the bells; he gave me a look that screamed "wtf are you doing lady?" He just hunts me down and stares at me when he's ready to go out (even if someone else is right next to the door, he'll go find me as if I'm the only human able to turn a door knob  ) Interesting! Emma only asks to go out by staring at me. Otherwise, she will just hold it. I’m usually home, but if I’m out, frequently I’ll come home and no one will have let her out. But then, labs have bladders of steel. That’s why they are easier to potty train!
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Jul 20, 2019 18:26:53 GMT
Wonder if it's a lab thing, Remi won't use the bells either. The other day he was sitting at the door waiting to go out and I (gently) took his nose and hit it on the bells; he gave me a look that screamed "wtf are you doing lady?" He just hunts me down and stares at me when he's ready to go out (even if someone else is right next to the door, he'll go find me as if I'm the only human able to turn a door knob  ) Interesting! Emma only asks to go out by staring at me. Otherwise, she will just hold it. I’m usually home, but if I’m out, frequently I’ll come home and no one will have let her out. But then, labs have bladders of steel. That’s why they are easier to potty train! Our pup used the bells when she was a baby, but they were part of a Christmas decoration. Then I bought bells for potty alerts, but they were too loud and she didn't use them. We get the stare, which isn't helpful at night. Thankful for the open floor plan so we can see her easily.
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FurryP
Prolific Pea
 
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 7,797
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Jul 20, 2019 19:11:01 GMT
Not potty related, but be sure to get your puppy used to having his paws touched (for nail clipping) and his teeth brushed so you won't struggle later.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,832
Jun 27, 2014 14:04:01 GMT
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jul 21, 2019 16:11:45 GMT
8 weeks and 2 months are kind the same age, aren't they? I always am so sad when breeders separate the pups prior to 8 weeks, it's too young to release them. There's so much intrinsic training puppies get from their mom, almost to 12 weeks old. Anyway. Crate train. Do not free feed. Keep crate small enough to turn around in but not run around in and make it his cozy resting place. Establish a very strict routine that incorporates feeding time, potty time, play time, then back to the crate. Repeat every two hours. Do not punish puppy for potting in the house - it happens. Puppies should be kept in a restricted area when out of crate - like a playpen area. Puppies should not be on beds, furniture, good rugs, etc., for quite a while. You're trying to accomplish a couple of things here - potty/house training, and pack training. Puppy on the bed? And peed on it? Guess who's the pack leader . . . it's how dogs think. You have a point on the age thing. I know when we got Rilee, she was much bigger than Thor is now.
Thank you all for the tips and advise.
I do have one more question. What do you do with a puppy who appears to be a picky eater? He ate the food DS bought initially, but yesterday he wouldn't eat at all. He had his 1st shots, so we chalked it up to that. Although he wasn't interested in the food before his appointment but I didn't think much of it. Anyways, yesterday after coming home, he vomited several times and would not eat. Called the emergency vet line and they said the shots could do that and to watch him. Give him boiled chicken and rice if he would eat it. He didn't even want that. So this morning he was doing much better and DS tried feeding him the dog food. He wasn't having any of it. Gave him some chicken and rice and he devoured it. So, how do we find a puppy food he'll eat w/o breaking the bank and constant switching up of his food?
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 21, 2019 16:17:07 GMT
I have found that a puppy will go where he sleeps. Several of mine have. When mine were very young, we went outside every 30 minutes. At ten weeks we went every 45. I had to set an alarm on my phone. I crate trained at night (that lasted three weeks). Put bells by the door and ring them and say go potty when you take them out. Soon they will be ringing the bells to go out.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,687
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jul 21, 2019 16:23:57 GMT
We had problems with Remi on the food initially. We slowly changed from what the breeder had him on to something I'd found after weeks of researching the best food.....then the punk couldn't tolerate it  He went on chicken and rice for a couple weeks before his belly finally got to normal (I cooked up a full days worth at a time and kept it in fridge, taking the chill off in the microwave before each meal.....stinker began to think all food from the microwave was his  ). Anyhow, to the point, I emailed the manufacturer of the first company to voice my opinion about how their food didn't agree w/ my pup (not their fault) but since they didn't sell it in bags smaller than 25 pounds I was stuck with this huge bag of food and out $40+; they ended up sending me a refund check for what I paid. I didn't really expect them to do anything. So, my advice is to buy the smallest bag possible and if they don't have small bags see if you can get some coupons for treats or something (or a refund) if your pup doesn't like it.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,832
Jun 27, 2014 14:04:01 GMT
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jul 21, 2019 16:45:46 GMT
We had problems with Remi on the food initially. We slowly changed from what the breeder had him on to something I'd found after weeks of researching the best food.....then the punk couldn't tolerate it  He went on chicken and rice for a couple weeks before his belly finally got to normal (I cooked up a full days worth at a time and kept it in fridge, taking the chill off in the microwave before each meal.....stinker began to think all food from the microwave was his  ). Anyhow, to the point, I emailed the manufacturer of the first company to voice my opinion about how their food didn't agree w/ my pup (not their fault) but since they didn't sell it in bags smaller than 25 pounds I was stuck with this huge bag of food and out $40+; they ended up sending me a refund check for what I paid. I didn't really expect them to do anything. So, my advice is to buy the smallest bag possible and if they don't have small bags see if you can get some coupons for treats or something (or a refund) if your pup doesn't like it. He bought a pretty big bag too. I’ suggested he call the vet tomorrow and see if they have any samples. I kno when we got Rilee, they gave us a bag.
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
Posts: 3,305
Aug 13, 2016 13:47:39 GMT
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Post by kibblesandbits on Jul 21, 2019 17:46:59 GMT
8 weeks and 2 months are kind the same age, aren't they? I always am so sad when breeders separate the pups prior to 8 weeks, it's too young to release them. There's so much intrinsic training puppies get from their mom, almost to 12 weeks old. Anyway. Crate train. Do not free feed. Keep crate small enough to turn around in but not run around in and make it his cozy resting place. Establish a very strict routine that incorporates feeding time, potty time, play time, then back to the crate. Repeat every two hours. Do not punish puppy for potting in the house - it happens. Puppies should be kept in a restricted area when out of crate - like a playpen area. Puppies should not be on beds, furniture, good rugs, etc., for quite a while. You're trying to accomplish a couple of things here - potty/house training, and pack training. Puppy on the bed? And peed on it? Guess who's the pack leader . . . it's how dogs think. You have a point on the age thing. I know when we got Rilee, she was much bigger than Thor is now.
Thank you all for the tips and advise.
I do have one more question. What do you do with a puppy who appears to be a picky eater? He ate the food DS bought initially, but yesterday he wouldn't eat at all. He had his 1st shots, so we chalked it up to that. Although he wasn't interested in the food before his appointment but I didn't think much of it. Anyways, yesterday after coming home, he vomited several times and would not eat. Called the emergency vet line and they said the shots could do that and to watch him. Give him boiled chicken and rice if he would eat it. He didn't even want that. So this morning he was doing much better and DS tried feeding him the dog food. He wasn't having any of it. Gave him some chicken and rice and he devoured it. So, how do we find a puppy food he'll eat w/o breaking the bank and constant switching up of his food?
Keep him on the food he came with from the breeder. I assume he came with some. Let baby calm down, and feed the food he's used to. Wet it with water or broth if you need to for a while. He's still got his milk teeth, probably. It's hard being a puppy, and everything changing so fast. I'm surprised that you had to take him for his first shots - usually the breeder does that.
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bethany102399
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,859
Oct 11, 2014 3:17:29 GMT
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Post by bethany102399 on Jul 21, 2019 18:55:50 GMT
he'll go find me as if I'm the only human able to turn a door knob  George does the same thing. Three other people in this house, usually one of them BY the door but noooooooo I'm the only one capable of letting him out. sigh. I know other labs who won't touch the bells either. George refused to, but he's scared of everything especially noise so I chalked it up to that and took them off. He lets us know when it wants to go out. OP, one of the things that really helped us was to find puppy classes by a local trainer. She was fabulous and really helped him to socialize with other dogs. We learned basic commands, and it really resulted in us helping George aclimate. As neither of us had ever raised a puppy before I wanted to be sure we knew what we were doing, and the classes really helped.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Jul 21, 2019 21:14:14 GMT
If the crate is too big, they will pee and poop. We had a divider in ours. Our previous dog we used a square laundry basket turned upside down to take up the room. Even in a crate a puppy will pee if he has to go bad enough. Our puppy went out at night as soon as he started to cry. This necessitated us taking turns sleeping downstairs so we were near and could hear him. Even then, he had accidents. that's part of the training.
As far as food, as a puppy he devoured his food. He was the runt and I'm sure had to fight for his food. We got food from the breeder so we could transition to our food over time. When he was balky about eating the kibble, we gave some baby food until he got his appetite back. We ended up mixing in some pumpkin at the suggestion of our vet when he wasn't gaining enough weight.
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