Puppy potty training and biting 6 year old

[Amber983]

Hi

 

I have a 13 week old black, male moodle puppy who has been with us for 2.5 weeks. He is sweet and beautiful but there are a couple of behaviours I am concerned might become problematic if I don't address now:

 

Potty training - he refuses to go outside.  I take him out every one to two hours.  I have placed a used puppy pad outside and some of his poop for scent.  He mostly goes on puppy pads inside but increasingly has more other spots he likes.  He poops 5-6 times a day and I don't want to clean it forever! 

 

Biting - When he gets excited he likes to bite/chew us (generally not hard). We redirect to a toy but he gets particularly focused on and rough with my 6 year old and will bite his nose,  ears, cheeks, anywhere. I tell him to say no, to walk away and ignore him for 30-60 seconds but is there a better way to teach him?

 

Aside from those issues he also is a fussy eater and only eats kibble but I would love him on a more real food diet.  He can bark or growl if I don't lift him up on the couch/bed straight away or give him another treat, and he cries if left alone (though someone is home with him 90% of the time - I work from home and he comes when I walk kids to school). 

 

On the plus side he is a little angel while I work and sits in his bed next to me,  he sleeps through the night with no accidents,  he loves new people and gives the best cuddles. My kids spend a lot more time outside playing with him and off screens. I can't get him into puppy school until mid January. 

 

Any advice or experience would be appreciated. 

 

Thanks

[tdierikx]

He is still only a baby really. Just think back to toilet training your children... how long did that take?

 

You may benefit from purchasing a playpen that he can be placed in when he can't be supervised fully, or when you need to separate him from you or the kids when he gets over-excited and starts acting up. He needs to learn to be alone sometimes, but that you are always going to return and let him join in when he's behaving appropriately.

 

T.

[Amber983]

19 hours ago, tdierikx said:

He is still only a baby really. Just think back to toilet training your children... how long did that take?

 

You may benefit from purchasing a playpen that he can be placed in when he can't be supervised fully, or when you need to separate him from you or the kids when he gets over-excited and starts acting up. He needs to learn to be alone sometimes, but that you are always going to return and let him join in when he's behaving appropriately.

 

T.

Thank you.  I completely expect accidents and know it'll take time to fully train.  I just feel like it's getting worse, not better.  When we first brought him home he peed a couple of times outside (though on my deck,  not grass) but now he will only go inside.  I take him out for 10-15 minutes then he'll go as soon as he comes in. Likewise,  he used to only go on the puppy pads but now I find presents everywhere. I have been ignoring it when he goes elsewhere and cleaning it with a urine enzyme cleaner that is supposed to get rid of the scent but should I be correcting him?

 

We have a puppy playpen for when we go out. I put his bed in it,  toys, water, food (if mealtime), a snuggle pup with heart beat,  sometimes puzzle toys with treats and leave on calming music.  I usually pack down the playpen when we are home,  just due to space but maybe I should try this when he is bitting too. I just don't want to increase his anxiety.  He is getting more confident and will allow me to leave the room without following me every single time. 

[Mairead]

When I had baby puppies I accepted having to clean up until they got the idea. It helped having adults who knew "Out" command and puppies followed. 

When my neighbour had a problem with their puppy toileting on their back deck, I suggested blocking off the deck so that there was a narrow corridor from the house to the grassed yard. Does he have food available at all times? That could be contributing to the many poos if they are normal looking firm poos. [Edit: I found "How Often Does a Puppy Poop?" on WebMD] Don't be concerned about feeding kibble as long as it is a complete good quality one, it is fed at the same times every day in a quiet place where he will not be disturbed while eating, and you don't run out of it or keep changing his diet too often. I used to put some kibble in a smaller container with freezedried liver, so that the kibble smelled like treats. 

Remember habits are at first cobwebs before they are cables (Spanish saying). 

If you correct or punish the puppy it may just hide from you when it needs to go, and may become frightened of you approaching or of being touched, handled or restrained. 

Did you see the setup where the pup was raised? Particularly with smaller breeds and in some kennel situations, they can be raised on paper or concrete and have rarely seen grass. I had the opposite problem with a dog when she was boarded - she wouldn't go in her kennel and kept asking to be let out, but the kennel staff didn't realise that was what it was. 

It sounds like he is learning he can train you to give food when he demands it. You might look at the principles for a "Nothing in life is free" program for pups, if that is what it is still called. [Edit: Yes, still called that or NILIF dog training] Basically reward the behaviour you want to see, and don't reward the behaviour you don't want to see. Rewards don't have to be food, it could be your attention or your children's attention. Not rewarding is withdrawing your attention. 

Good luck. 

 

Edited 27 minutes ago by Mairead