Advice for new puppy

Mister Man

This is just personal advice
dip his/her nose in his/her piss every time he goes inside (im not joking best way to house train them) i know it sound bad but works very well

00112984

^^^ Do NOT do this.

This teaches your dog to pee where you can't see, not to pee outside. It's cruel (would you like piss up your nose Mister Man? No? Didn't think so) and dos not work. Don't do it.

coolmoose

@ OP,

Best bet is to buy a book on pups or rent one from the library, as you will get your face chewed off by some people on boards when you ask a question. Obviously you need to research owning a pup more, and probably should have before you got the pup, but do some reading and you may be in a better position. Best of luck with the pup!

slookie

Yes I agree with getting your head bitten off for asking a question....I thought thats what this website was for...asking for and providing information on various topics!! Anway thanks for that helpful advice.

star-pants

slookie wrote: »

Yes I agree with getting your head bitten off for asking a question....I thought thats what this website was for...asking for and providing information on various topics!! Anway thanks for that helpful advice.

You have to understand that people here are big animal lovers and find it hard when someone comes in going 'oh um I have a pup what do I do' type questions. Whilst not everyone researches correctly before getting a pup you really should have known it was going to be a lot of work. It's like having a brand new baby.
It's going to cry, it's going to wee/poop uncontrollably, it's going to sleep a lot, it's going to need lots of attention, love, care and routine.

As for docking it's tail - you must understand it's illegal in some countries to do this as it's seen as cruel. Only very certain cases does a pup get it's tail docked - usually a dog in a working environment and is done for the safety of the dog incase it got caught in something. As said tail docking needs to be done in the first couple of days for minimum pain and distress.

It is too cold for the pup to be left outside, and it's way too young to leave outside anyway. Good advice has been given on a warm hotwater bottle, maybe a ticking clock by the bed to remind them of the mothers heartbeat, and if you're still in touch with the person who gave you the pup, get a blanket off them that the mother was on, that will bring the pup comfort.

You need to bring the pup out after big drinks/after food and just rather often really - they cannot hold it, and will not physically be able to hold it until around 12 weeks, and they need to be trained. Lots of praise when they go outside is good. At the moment when they go inside, don't give out to the pup - it's not it's fault at all. You can give a firm 'no' if you like, and then lots of praise when they go outside. Even if it means picking them up mid-pee.

You need to have plenty of water available and have a routine with food and bed. Pups need small amounts of food often, usually 3 times a day, and I wouldn't suggest you feed them much later than 6 because otherwise they'll be pooping at/after bedtime too.

Check if/what vaccinations it's had - and get it booked into the vets for the rest/all of them. Don't take the pup out until 2 weeks after the final vacc as it can get parvo and other horrible things that would make it very ill /kill it.

Best of luck with your puppy, and it will cry for possibly up to the first week. You need to be firm, not get up to them at the first cry, so they don't associate 'I cry and they come running' but do go down, be firm and put them back to bed.

Mister Man

00112984 wrote: »

^^^ Do NOT do this.

This teaches your dog to pee where you can't see, not to pee outside. It's cruel (would you like piss up your nose Mister Man? No? Didn't think so) and dos not work. Don't do it.

It does work, i was told this by a dog trainer, it doesnt teach them to pee somewhere you cant see, my first dog was house trained this way, and my puppy was trained this way aswel
my first dog was trained by a real dog trainer who gave our family loads of addvice

You cant really compare a human to a dog here, if you do pee on the ground as a human im sure u will clean it up, its not cruel its called training, sometimes you have to be a bit harsh to get something like this across

00112984

Excellent post there from Star-pants.

Just on this comment-

star-pants wrote: »

You have to understand that people here are big animal lovers and find it hard when someone comes in going 'oh um I have a pup what do I do' type questions.

I just want to add that it's very frustrating for regular users here as a thread like this crops up maybe once a week and they usually take the same format-
"I just got a very young pup and now it's crying outside, when will it behave?". Combine that with emotive issues like tail docking and then the "rub his nose in it" mis-advice that someone always comes up with and it can be so frustrating to see the same thing time and again especially when the OP often doesn't take the advice at all and seems to usually decide that their "face is being bitten off" because they're getting advice contrary to what they want to hear.

The posters on here are dedicated animal lovers and many work/have worked with shelters and animal rescue agencies and know how many puppies brought into a situation like this one are surrendered to pounds and destroyed. The posters here have the best interest of the pet at heart- it's an animal and pet issues forum, not a forum to be pat on the ack just for thinking puppies are cute and wanting one without doing proper research.

OP, I think you'll agree that you negated to do the necessary research before taking this puppy. We all want to see it work out for you and him but, in order to get to that stage, you're going to need to be able to take advice when that wa specifically what you came here asking for.

newname

00112984 wrote: »

I just want to add that it's very frustrating for regular users here as a thread like this crops up maybe once a week and they usually take the same format-
"I just got a very young pup and now it's crying outside, when will it behave?". Combine that with emotive issues like tail docking and then the "rub his nose in it" mis-advice that someone always comes up with and it can be so frustrating to see the same thing time and again especially when the OP often doesn't take the advice at all and seems to usually decide that their "face is being bitten off" because they're getting advice contrary to what they want to hear.

The posters on here are dedicated animal lovers and many work/have worked with shelters and animal rescue agencies and know how many puppies brought into a situation like this one are surrendered to pounds and destroyed. The posters here have the best interest of the pet at heart- it's an animal and pet issues forum, not a forum to be pat on the ack just for thinking puppies are cute and wanting one without doing proper research.

OP, I think you'll agree that you negated to do the necessary research before taking this puppy. We all want to see it work out for you and him but, in order to get to that stage, you're going to need to be able to take advice when that wa specifically what you came here asking for.

Like the OP i don't know alot about dogs, i had one as a child. I'd love to get another one now i have my own place, but from what i've read i'd be weary of asking for advice on here.

Its been quite a depressing hour reading some of the threads in the animals & pet issues forum.

Well meaning pet novices asking for advice and getting responses with :mad: and :rolleyes: and , scolded, talked down to etc.

I'd bet the OP genuinely didn't have a clue that docking the tail was such a no no. And people telling her to leave the dog back.... who are you to tell people to leave a dog back???

lrushe

newname wrote: »

Like the OP i don't know alot about dogs, i had one as a child. I'd love to get another one now i have my own place, but from what i've read i'd be weary of asking for advice on here.

Its been quite a depressing hour reading some of the threads in the animals & pet issues forum.

Well meaning pet novices asking for advice and getting responses with :mad: and :rolleyes: and , scolded, talked down to etc.

I'd bet the OP genuinely didn't have a clue that docking the tail was such a no no. And people telling her to leave the dog back.... who are you to tell people to leave a dog back???

Personally (and this is not having a go at anyone) I can't understand how someone can get an animal of any type and not know its very basic care needs. The docking of the tail aside, other things like taking the pup at 6 weeks and then when told that this is not a good idea responding by saying that the date is set and that is that, regardless of the advice given in the best interest of the dog, this is not my idea of a "well meaning pet novice". The poster seems to put more value in bricks and mortar than flesh and blood and for animal lovers that is hard to hear hence the :mad: and :rolleyes: and

fatmammycat

Mister Man wrote: »

It does work, i was told this by a dog trainer, it doesnt teach them to pee somewhere you cant see, my first dog was house trained this way, and my puppy was trained this way aswel
my first dog was trained by a real dog trainer who gave our family loads of addvice

You cant really compare a human to a dog here, if you do pee on the ground as a human im sure u will clean it up, its not cruel its called training, sometimes you have to be a bit harsh to get something like this across

This is incredibly outdated advice. And horrible to do to a pup who has a tiny bladder, poor bladder control and only needs a touch of patience to learn.

lrushe

Mister Man wrote: »

It does work, i was told this by a dog trainer, it doesnt teach them to pee somewhere you cant see, my first dog was house trained this way, and my puppy was trained this way aswel
my first dog was trained by a real dog trainer who gave our family loads of addvice

You cant really compare a human to a dog here, if you do pee on the ground as a human im sure u will clean it up, its not cruel its called training, sometimes you have to be a bit harsh to get something like this across

You certainly can't compare a human to a dog, if you pushed a human's nose in pee they might be able to put 2 and 2 together and realise the reason that you did it but a dog can't, the only thing the dog will learn is that when they pee their owner gets really angry but they won't know why, this could well lead to a nervous dog or a dog that goes and hides when they need to pee

TrapperChamonix

Slookie, you are right there is oftan a real chance of getting jumped on, or lectured to by some posters on the site. To me this is silly and wholly unproductive as it discourages people asking questions and as a result increases the chance of them taking a course of action that is counter to the dogs interest.

However many posters really are very patient and helpfull and valuable. One this page alone, Star Pats and 001122984 have given you really detailed, patient and usefull advice. From personal experience I have got so much usefull information from posting or reading other peoples posts.
So I would advise you to keep asking and if you get a response you don't like, ignore and read on. The next post might be the one that really solves the question you have.
In relation to your puppy, I would say 2 things.
- I don't think this has been mentioned before. You need to be carefull about walking your dog prior to him having his vacination shots 7 days after the 2nd set. If your dog comes in contact with other dogs (or dog feaces or urine) it can pick up diseases that can be quite serious. So no walking the do outside on the pavement or park till after the 2nd set of shots.

- You originally talked about wanting the dog to sleep outside. My Retriver sleeps outside and is a lovely well adjusted dog who has no particular hang ups or issues. This may run counter to the "he's part of the family" and "you wouldn't like it if you were made sleep outside" arguments that are raised here. But quite frankly of the many family dogs I saw growing up, about half slept outside and half inside.
The issue you have is that with a pup so young and heading into the winter (did we ever leave it) you will need to keep the dog indoors untill the spring. I think the best advice is what Star Pants said "what You need to be firm, not get up to them at the first cry, so they don't associate 'I cry and they come running' but do go down, be firm and put them back to bed."

The best advice I got was make sure you encourage the same behaviour in the pup / young dog as you would like to see in the fully grown dog. So if you don't want your fully grown boxer jumping up on you or you don't want him begging for food at the tabe when he's fully grown, then don't encourage it when he is 12 weeks old. I have a friend who has a mature dalmation who jumps up and puts his paws on your chest because they thought it was cute when he was a pup.

Magenta

slookie wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. There are other threads here which say that it is actually better to take the pup at 6 rather than 8 weeks. Anyway we have agreed to take him on this date so that's that. As for not wanting him inside at night, well to be honest, our house isn't even built 12 months, alot of work went into it and there are alot of expensive items in it...suites of furniture etc. I don't want to wake up one morning with something destroyed. I was told by good few people that if you let a dog in at all, that your house will be destroyed over time. And to be honest there are loads of people out there that don't let a dog inside their front door....

I think you should buy an ornament instead and let the puppy go to someone who will look after it as a member of the family.

Magenta

TillyGirl wrote: »

this is a joke right?? you want to cut a 6 week old puppys tail off? I thought it was bad reading this all week but what you have just said is ridiculous. did you ever think that there are rules for a reason? you arent supposed to take a pup at 6 weeks, all the reasons that have been mentioned already and you havent taken any heed of. but now you want to get a "friend" to do it as the vet wont? the vet dont do it because it is cruel and a horrible thing to do. what if your mother though your ears didnt look right and cut them when you were a baby?!! :mad:

The vet won't do it because the vet can be banned from practising for mutilating an animal for cosmetic reasons.

Magenta

Mister Man wrote: »

This is just personal advice
dip his/her nose in his/her piss every time he goes inside (im not joking best way to house train them) i know it sound bad but works very well

I really thought that the only way for this thread could be up. You proved me wrong.

Magenta

slookie wrote: »

Yes I agree with getting your head bitten off for asking a question....I thought thats what this website was for...asking for and providing information on various topics!! Anway thanks for that helpful advice.

I'd rather get my head bitten off than see a 6 week old puppy get his tail chopped off.

slookie

Ok Magenta...keep your knickers on...we've gotten over it - the whole tail thing. The second night he slept like a baby, and has been since. He is very good...most of the time he toilets on the newspaper at the back door so its slow progress. Took him to the vet at the weekend and said that he was a fine healthy dog. Bought a crate on e bay so waiting for that which will hopefully help with the training. There's a 2 hour gap during the day when he's on his own, so the crate will be handy for that.

mymo

To start crate training you have to go slow. Put the crate in the utility/other small room or close off an area. Put a bed/blankets and a couple of treats in and leave the door open. Don't close the door at first as the pup will get upset, let them get used to it. When the dog is in the crate(of its own accord) and settled, close the door and go do something like sweep the floor around the crate or something where he can see you, let the pup out when finished, don't make a big fuss just a rub and gradually increase the time in the crate.
If using it at night you have to let the pup out at least twice as they can't hold it for long when young. One of mine was 4 months before he went 7 hours overnight the other was just over 3 months. Try took keep the time regular and increase time between by half hour every week.
As I'm sure you're finding out its like having a baby, the good news is they grow up faster and please try to find a training class, you can start as soon as vacs done and its well worth it.

00112984

slookie wrote: »

There's a 2 hour gap during the day when he's on his own, so the crate will be handy for that.

I think a few hours a day is good for a pup, gives them a chance to learn to amuse themselves. i work from home and have a dog who is with me all the time and she's very, very clingy. It got to the stage where she'd cry outside the bathroom door when I was in there. Now, I make a point of putting her into a room on her own with some toys (and bed and water) a few times a day so she gets used to being left to her own devices.

Another tip for you- when you get home, don't make a big fuss of the pup. Walk into the room, take off your coat, put down your days, turn on the TV, open the crate door, put down the kettle etc. Once you have all your bits and bobs done, then greet the dog. That way he learns to not go mad hyper as soon as your key is in the door.

Magenta

slookie wrote: »

Ok Magenta...keep your knickers on...we've gotten over it - the whole tail thing.

Who's "we"? Are you now a spokesperson for loving responsible dog owners? :rolleyes:
And I don't need to be told to keep my knickers on sweetheart, thank you very much.

slookie

What's this sweetheart craic??? I'm a 30 yr old guy...and we had all that discussed and sorted so there was no need for you to bring it up again.

toadfly

slookie wrote: »

Ok ye might all like to keep ye're knickers on.

slookie wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. There are other threads here which say that it is actually better to take the pup at 6 rather than 8 weeks. Anyway we have agreed to take him on this date so that's that.

slookie wrote: »

Ok Magenta...keep your knickers on...we've gotten over it - the whole tail thing.

slookie wrote: »

What's this sweetheart craic??? I'm a 30 yr old guy...and we had all that discussed and sorted so there was no need for you to bring it up again.

There is no need to talk to anyone the way you are. You asked a question and got good advice most of which you havent taken heed of. When you come onto a site like this and ask questions like "can I cut the tail off my puppy" you will pi$$ people off and they will give opinions as well as advice. No need for you to be so rude.

You seem like an extemely immature 30 year old. grow up and realise we are giving you good advice. we dont want to see a little pup mutilated and mis-treated.

TrapperChamonix

TillyGirl wrote: »

There is no need to talk to anyone the way you are. You asked a question and got good advice most of which you havent taken heed of. When you come onto a site like this and ask questions like "can I cut the tail off my puppy" you will pi$$ people off and they will give opinions as well as advice. No need for you to be so rude.

You seem like an extemely immature 30 year old. grow up and realise we are giving you good advice. we dont want to see a little pup mutilated and mis-treated.

I notice you don't list the personalised posts in a row posted by Magenta.

I would think people with the dogs interest at heart would do better at postive re inforcement of the right things to do with the puppy rather than loosing the rag with the OP and effectively driving him from the site. For people who show such patience to their pets, couldn't you show a little patience to the OP.
He may not have done exerything as you would like, but as far as I can see he is taking most of the positive advice thats being posted here and he is (quite rightly) showing annoyance at the personalised attacks.

But then, I'm not part of the self styled "I have best interests of the dog at heart" secret police, So I'm probably an evil monster who beats by pets.

star-pants

Ok we all get the point - the OP has realised what's what - any further pointless comments & I'm issuing bans. Helpful advice only.

Trapper there has the right idea - Tillygirl you failed to notice Magentas comments that were tbh too late in the thread. And I personally am sick of new people coming into this forum semi blind about animals and just looking for advice and get their heads bitten off rather than some stern patience. Eitherway - end of that stuff, helpful advice from here on.

tk123

slookie wrote: »

Omost of the time he toilets on the newspaper at the back door so its slow progress.

OP we were told in puppy class not to use newspaper - just take them out every hour so you don't end up having to train them not to use the paper. We were lucky with our little guy cos the first thing he did when we got him was go to the loo outside! After that we took him out every hour or so and he caught on fairly quickly. We also crate trained him - at first he'd cry between 4-5am but as the weeks went on he was able to hold on all night so no more dawn poo-poo patol!

slookie

Oh lucky you!! I know we'll get there eventually. A couple of people have mentioned to me about these pads you can get in pet shops that help with training. Anyone have any info on these? There was one stage last night when he made bout ten different pees in ten different places, in the space of bout 20 minutes!!

Toulouse

Puppy pads? Yeah, same thing as the newspaper really. I'm a firm believer in just teaching them to go outside from the get go. No going in the house at all, always outside. Bring him out, when he pees/poos then give him loads of praise. This tells him that it's good to go outside and that's where he should be doing it. Then watch him like a hawk. If you think he's going to go then outside, stand with him and loads of praise when he does. If you miss it then clean it up and continue to take him outside. After a while he'll look to go out himself.

tk123

I'd avoid the puppy pads because they just chew them up! Rememeber as well that the pup he's just a baby - he won't have full control of his mucles for a while yet so there's going to be accidents here and there. If he's going in the same spot indoors again and again you can get sprays or clean with washing powder solution to get rid of the scent.

slookie

Ya but I notice when I bring him out that he won't go....just have to keep trying I suppose.

andreac

You just need to be patient, it could mean staying outside with the pup for a half hour.
Try not to interact with him too much and no playing until he has done his business and once he does then lots of praise or a little treat.

When pups go outside they sometimes forget that they have to go to the toilet and get distracted so try using a word, like "go toilet" and he will eventually know when you say that, that he has to go to the toilet.

Make sure you take him out after every meal, drink, play session, and after he wakes up from a sleep as these are the main times a pup will go to the toilet.