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 9 hours ago by Mairead

[Dogsfevr]

You say deck .Does this puppy have to go down stairs to get to the grass??
Is the door open for pup to go out or is he reliant on you opening the door each time.
5/6 poos is alot does he get treats,chews & kids scraps???

Puppy is teething so eating can be a trying experience on sore gums just like children but dont leave the food down,he gets 5 mins to eat then pick it up .
You set the rules not the pup unless he truly hates the food.

Puppy hasnt been taught apppropriate ettitique with playing .its littermates would have flattened him if playing to rough but humans tend to encourage the excitement & then get offended with the reaction so the pup has no clue what you actually want .
And yes when pup is getting over stimulated the puppy pen is useful,useful for giving it time out & useful for teaching the children its time out that their over the top playing has caused this result so pup is going inpen for its own safety .
Its not always the dog fault & thats important to factor in training .
You dont get to poke the bear & then cry foul at the result.

You have brought home a dog always remember that ,he s not a 3 child or a furbaby but a dog & learns quickly at this age when correct direction is given .
Puppies follow you everywhere especially when totally reliant on you to open door,do this do that .
Pup needs to learn Nothing in Life is free &  be taught to be happy in its own company .
Puppy schools often arent great unless focused based on teaching you how to train your pup.

What is it like to be brushed ,it should be experiencing that 2/3 times a week to learn good brushing manners on a neutral spot like a benck,on top of washing with non slip matt 

[Amber983]

Thanks everyone for your advice. In relation to your questions:

- He was raised in a breeder's home but I think the puppies were mostly in a playpen in the garage. The puppies had a nice clean setup with bed, blankets, toys, fan, TV etc.  They were loved, cared for,  played with everyday and very friendly towards people - but probably didn't see much grass.

- Our deck has 1 step on one end and 2 steps the other but he can zoom down them with no problems. He has explored the whole yard and runs around with the kids on the grass everyday. He has great bladder and bowel control as can hold it 6 hours overnight.

- We will install a doggy door on our laundry door soon. I am totally fine with potty training taking a while but just wondering if I could be doing something different or better as he is not getting it. It has only been 3 weeks and he is adjusting to a lot of new things so I'll just continue to be patient. 

- He eats at 7am, 1pm and 7pm each day and I measure his food according to his energy needs.  I slowly transitioned him off royal cannin from the breeder to Scratch kangaroo. His poos were dry, black and too hard on royal cannin (probably from the synthetic iron) but now are firm and normal.  

-  He only gets treats when I'm training him and I break them into tiny pieces. They are all 100% dried lamb, pork or chicken. No food scraps,  occasionally a couple of frozen blueberries or a piece of cucumber.  He now likes the lamb Lyka but none of the other flavours. I am only giving him little bits to slowly introduce him in conjunction with his kibble. 

- I do believe that the reason he is rougher with my six year old is because they both feed on each other's excited energy and get too excited.  I am also working with my son to show him how to tone it down and not excessively laugh,  run around,  jump etc. He adores the puppy and wants him next to him at all times but I do set limits so puppy can sleep and relax. The puppy will also sit on the couch with him and they have quiet time together too.

- I lightly brush him everyday.  He likes it when sleepy but will bite the brush when playful so I pick my moments. I trimmed his eye hair, gave him a bath and will book him in with a groomer soon. 

- He is probably spoiled for attention and affection. There are four of us and my boys were asking for a dog for 2 years. He is just so adorable too!