Help!

I am having such a hard time with Dixie. She is very nippy and she growls and barks at me when she is playing. Also potty training is horrible. I know I have only had her a little over a week, but she just does not seem to be catching on...at all. I don't know what to do. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much in advance. Lydia :cry:

 

I am no expert but my Rosco (6 months old) I got him 2 1/2 months ago and he still will go in the house once in a while, I am trying to make him stop, what I do is I go out w/him and praise him like crazy for going potty outside when I first got him I would take him out every so often and keep saying the same words "go potty" and when he would go I would have a treat ready for him that worked for my Max but Rosco is more complicated but I think in time after all the scolding he will learn now he knows as soon as I say "what did you do" he runs in his little bed. Are you crate training I think that would be easier I would have done it but I already had Max and he never had that and was fine so I couldn't do that to one and not the other. My friend got their puppy a few days before me and he is doing good but will go when he gets excited but they crate train and love it, maybe try that. As for the bitting I am not real good at that my dogs are really babies they just play. sorry can't help there, that is where Puttin and Nern and all those senior members come in handy....LOL

 

I am just going to copy and paste my responses to other posters who have posted questions in regards to biting and potty training...If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Biting:

Housebreaking/Potty Training:

I know a lot of the above is a repeat, but hopefully the info. provided will help to answer some of your questions, and give you some guidence on these issues!!!

 

You've already received EXCELLENT advice!! I will just add that I'm not too far ahead of you as far as training goes...

We've had Molly & Emma 3 weeks tomorrow and we are still trying to learn to pick up on the signs for going potty! They don't always circle around and sniff.. so, we really have to be on top of them as much as we can It's hard to keep track, especially with two! :lol:

We are experiencing the nipping/biting too.. I'm not sure if we are close to the time they are supposed to be teething, I'll have to read up on that. Molly and Emma do have a tendancy to transfer their 'play' biting to us though.. if we are sitting close to them and they are playing they come to us and do the same. They simply don't know any better. We have just been trying to yell out when they bite in the hopes that they'll eventually understand that playing like that with us is unexceptable.

As already mentioned, it takes a lot of time and patience!!! They will all get it, we just need to continue to train them

 

Thank you!

I just wanted to thank you all for the ideas you have written. I am crate training her and I am atempting to take her out, when she wakes up, ten minutes after she eats, etc... However, here is my problem, she will go outside and urinate and then play for a few minutes and I think she is done, however, the second she gets back in the house she will poop on the floor. A little irritating, if you know what I mean. I am just going to keep working at it and see what I can do. :|

 

I'm not sure if this will help but.. I read somewhere that it takes about 15-20 minues of movement to stimulate the urge to go poop. I don't know how true that statement is.. but, when we go outside we always give them plenty of time out there to do everything.

If they truly don't need to go, they will let us know by heading back into the house on their own.

Good luck!

 

I think what my baby shi poo said pretty much answerd it all, very, very good advice, in fact I am on my second puppy and did not know that you should not scold your dog or get angry I do, do that in fact today my little Rosco went in the house and I caught him and scopped him up and put him outside to go and then don't you know I took him out and he came back in and did it again a little while later well then I was really mad I say "what did you do" very sternly and I patted him on the but and made him go in his bed, he knew I was mad. :x

Maybe you can help w/this one baby shipoo, I feed my dogs food from a local guy (pet pantry.com) they have very good food for them and they love it. But no matter what they eat out of each others food so when I moved into new house I just kept one set of dishes because they both eat the same food now. How much should I be feeding them and how many times a day, I am horrible I just put food down and don't measure they always eat together and I really don't know how I would prevent that. I have an issue w/time, right now I have none so I kinda slack w/this one because I am so busy w/new house. I do let my dogs have the run of the house but only when I am home other wise, they go in the kitchen and that's where their bed and food is........

 

Alright, this is something kind of strange, but I'll tell you anyway. Most dogs (as a matter of fact, I have never seen a dog not do this) do not urinate then immediately poop afterwards. In my experience, it takes most dogs several minutes (sometimes longer) before they get the "urge" to poop. So, instead of taking Dixie in after she has urinated, have her stay out there for an extra 15-20 minutes. If she did not poop after that amount of time, take her in, but DO NOT take your eyes off her. Leash her to you if need be. You really want to catch her right as she is about to go.

When you catch her right as she is about to go, clap your hands to get her attention, tell her "NO" in a stern voice (not yelling), say "outside" and take her there quickly! I will warn you though, when you do that, all the commotion will probably cause her to tense up a bit, so when you go outside, don't expect her to finish eliminating immediately. Give her muscles a little while to loosen up and relax, and the rest of what she was about to do indoors may, or may not, end up coming.

**Remember though, LOTS and LOTS of positive verbal praise and a small treat when Dixie eliminates outside!!! :y_the_best:

Yep, exactly! You just gotta' give the pup(s) some time even though you think they may be done.

That's true PooGirl, sometimes they "just go" with no warning whatsoever...those are hard to catch on time. But, after a while you will notice your dog's individual warning signs that the girls will exhibit most of the time before eliminating. Just keep being positive and patient, and keep working at it...you (and Molly and Emma) will get the hang of it, give it some time! :wink:

Yeah, that's what happens! It's difficult for Molly and Emma to comprehend the fact that they can bite each other, but they can't bite you and your husband...not an easy concept. However, EVERY time it happens, yelp and walk away (taking the dog who didn't bite you with you, so she realizes it wasn't her fault)! The more consistent you are in training, the faster they catch on!

Nope, never want to scold or hit when there is an accident! The firm correction as I described above is plenty, and gets the point across. If you ever come into the room and spot an accident, never correct the dog either. Your dog will not understand what you are scolding him/her for...they simply can't remember what they did - although, I do think they sometimes know. (Sure it's frustrating to see, but just keep your cool and clean it up as if nothing happened!)

The more you catch them "in the act," the faster they will learn, and the faster the housebreaking process will go!

It's not always easy, I know, but try your hardest to keep them in your sight as much as possible so immediate correction can be given!

**Use a good deodorizing product to clean up the messes!

The bag of food should have some sort of chart on the back that instructs how much to feed depending upon the size of the dog. With premium brand dog foods, less food is fed compared to the lower quality foods. Mickey & Tigger are currently on Canidae, and according to the feeding chart (and the professional who owns the store and sells the product) they each get 1 cup of kibble per day. However, they each get a spoonful of canned/moist food (Canidae still) every morning as well.

If there is no chart on the bag, I would give the owner a call and ask what amount your dogs should be fed per day...they should be able to help you out with that! (Giving the size of your pups, I can't imagine them needing more than 1 cup of kibble per dog each day given the food is a premium brand...I would call and make sure though!) :y_the_best:

As far as how many times a day, most adult dogs are fed twice a day, but I feed mine 3 times a day as instructed by my vet due to the fact that they are small dogs, and you don't want to take a chance with their blood sugar dropping. Although, Mickey and Tigger hardly eat anything during their morning and afternoon feeding, they eat the most during their evening feeding.

If you want to ensure that both of them are getting enough, and that one isn't getting too much (since they should be fed certain specified amounts daily), you may want to separate them during feedings. If you feel as though that is not a concern/problem with your Papillons, and each of them are eating equal amounts as instructed, then you don't need to separate them during feedings. Does that make sense?

Mickey & Tigger eat side-by-side, and are pretty good about eating out of their own individual bowls, but I do supervise them during feedings to ensure they both get what they deserve, and no more or no less.

Best wishes to all of you!

 

One suggestion I forgot to mention..."Neat Sheets" are great to lay down on carpeted areas where your dog(s) spend a lot of time, and accidents often occur. They are about the size of a typical blanket, and are water-proof and machine washable! They are inexpensive and last about a month or two depending on how many times they are washed. (They'd last a lot longer if they didn't need to be washed after every accident, but washing them is a must after every accident.) When Mickey & Tigger weren't housebroken, I went out and bought several of those...they saved my carpet!!!