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New Puppy at home, new owner needs help!?

Hi, I have recently just bought an 11week old toy poodle puppy. I am a first time owner and hope you dog experts out there can help me with some questions. (1) Excessive biting and hyperactivity The puppy loves to chew and bite, and his bites can be really quite painful! I have placed some coins in a bottle and shake it whenever the puppy gets ready to pounce and bite, but it only works momentarily as he would then bark at the dog, causing a lot of noise in the house. He would charge at my family members for no particular reason(like suddenly). I have tried many holding his front legs up, yelping and running away etc. but doesnt help at all! And to top it all off, he is very hyperactive and bites with more force every time we yelp or shake the bottle with coins. I try very hard not to lose it and shout at him, but he continues this bad behavior anyway. I put him in the crate but he whines incessantly. Can this problem be solved? I am VERY frustrated now(I am usually not a very patient person) (2) Potty training I live in a 2 storey house and placed my pup's crate on the 2nd floor, as my bedroom is upstairs and the dog breeder advised me to place my pups crate near me at night. hence, i cannot carry pup out in time for him to do his business. He likes to jump off my arms whenever i carry him too, which makes it very dangerous when carrying him down the stairs. I have allocated a spot for him to do his business upstairs and praise exuberantly when he does it correctly, but he still has many accidents. How can I successfully potty train him? Or can I leave the crate downstairs? Also, whenever I catch him almost having an accident and carry him to potty at the right spot, he would run off before I catch him and do his business somewhere else. Leaving smells doesnt help either. (3) Is it alright that I bring him outside to the public park for a walk? He hasnt had his 3rd vaccination and is having it this thursday. (I hope this tires him a little and cures his hyperactivity!) (4) What are the signs that I should look for if the puppy is sick? He has been chewing off my wallpaper lately although I already sprayed bitter orange. Will his stomach be able to take it? I will get him a checkup at the vet's on thursday along with his 3rd vaccination. Please advise. I might be able to take him to the vet earlier! (5) What should I look out for while bathing him? Do your dogs like baths? Thanks lots and lots! :D For (2), ever since he jumped off my arms(I did follow u guys' instructions) while i was putting him down a fell, he wont let anyone carry him. I experimented carrying him just now(from low height) and he would struggle in my arms, biting on the with force. I have a carrier to put him in. Should I still carry him or put him in the carrier while bringing him downstairs? Also, I heard from somewhere else that toy breeds are notorious for their difficulty to house train. Is that so? For (5), the breeder advised me to give him a short shower every 1 week or so. Maybe I should just wash his private area? (6) Is a pet bed necessary? I feel like getting my bundle of joy one but since he's such a biter he would probably chew the poor bed into bits and pieces and fabric down his throat?? (7) I am planning to go attend an obedience class. Is his age appropriate? Oh yes, and the puppy breeder just gave me basic info. like puppy proofing your house and all that in a file. He never got into such detail, so thanks for taking the time to teach me (: (8) I heard that if a puppy eats too fast, drinks too much water and runs around after that he could regurgitate food? if so, how can I treat it?(just wants to know) does its diet need to be changed??

Public Comments

  1. Answering about the biting issue, we hold our dogs by the scruff and repeatedly, very sternly tell them 'be nice!' and occasionally bop them on the nose if they refuse to stop biting as hard.
  2. Hey i also have a toy poodle, the biting is normal give it a teddy to bite on and the hyperactivity also is you just have to give it lots of runs twice a day with potty training it is probably best that you do have it near you but throughout the day place it when it is going to the toilet outside and say 'OUTSIDE' i think that the puppy should be alright but just give it something else to chew on instead Dogs usually dont like baths make it a good temperature and watch out for some scratching give it trats why you bath it Hope this helps :D good luck
  3. aaawww
  4. I also have a toy poodle, 8 years of age. While i can't help you with things like potty training, I can tell you what I've learned about this breed of dog. My dog Joe was a very, and still is, stubborn puppy. He never potty trained, though we tried so hard. He's good about not peeing in the house, but every now and then, he does poop somewhere inside. He's been an agressive puppy since birth. My uncle actually bred him, and while you can try everything in your power to try and get them to stop, don't be surprised or heartbroken if he becomes "untrainable" in a sense. This is a breed of dogs that I've learned that while you may not find this acceptable of a dog, you don't chose what to train them. They chose what to learn. My dog, Joe, also knows very well what he is and isn't to do. But when he's mad at us, those are the very things he does out of spite. He knows not to poop inside, he knows when biting isn't okay, but if he's mad, stay away from him cause he's MEAN. My vet told me when he was little that he would have to be put to sleep because of his aggressive. However, he's 5 pounds, he's never bit hard enough to deserve that. And at the groomer, he bites his way out of muzzles, hates the sound of the clippers, and now we have been forced to completely put him to sleep to groom him. He wasn't trained for the first year of his life because he was my elderly grandpas puppy, So be sure to be diligent with your training young, because I guarantee, no one wants to readjust their lives to suit a mean puppy.
  5. That is why i hate dogs and love cats
  6. growl at him and mean it to show your displeasure this is how his mother would of controlled him and you can incorporate this in all aspects of his training, including pottytraining along with outside and point to door, growl to show your pleased as well this sounds strange but once you get it right he will understand you instantly, dont take dog out till all needles have been completed, my rotti loved a bath but most dont, nothing special just get some decent dog shampoo, oatmeal based one is very good for skin, remember no laughing growl at him seriously for naughty and have another for good, as you go you will get your own sounds for any situation, also outside command is good and will work all his life, at first you will havto physically take him to door, tell him outside with your whole arm up pointing the way, be calm and ASSERTIVE at all times and he will be like new dog in notime, growling will get you an instant submission at this age, remember calm and assertive wins the race growwlll
  7. He is biting because he needs a walk and to help with the biting u need to BARELY hit him like a puppys mother would do, with the same level of intensity as the bite. Leave him on the leash so he cant run just walk him around your neighborhood or another quiet place. While walking him or doing ANYTHING else, make sure u walk through doors first, as well as upstairs and he ate the wallpaper because he needs probably 2 walks daily, and look for signs that he has to go and try to keep him outside while he eats drinks and after excercise he WILL go around 5-10 min after all of those things, and while walking him DONT yank but GENTLY pull him to your side or behind you as he tries to get in front PLZ list the breed so i can help more.
  8. Before I get into specific answers to your questions, you do realise that your puppy's breeder should be there to answer ALL your questions, especially early days. 1. He sounds like a perfectly normal healthy puppy. With the strong independent sort, instead of yelping, rattling things, holding up front legs (dangerous!) etc., when he reaches this level, END THE CONTACT. Chances are, just as with kids when they become over-tired, he will have reached the point when he actually needs to rest. So stand up (yelp if you like before you stand), get him out to empty, and crate him. He may complain for a little while, but I'd bet he'll soon settle down and take a nap. Give him a couple of biscuits to have while you close the door. Cover the crate top and 3 sides btw. And have it in the living room during the day, bringing it upstairs at night (or have 2 crates!!). Re the yelping - if you watch a litter at play, you'll realise that if one of the stronger ones picks on a more submissive one, it will yelp, and TURN AWAY, at which point the attacker will turn to something else, or if the attacked puppy is an equally forward sort, a short spat will happen - he'll nip back!! So you yelping isn't enough, it has to go with other body language. Otherwise all you will do is gee the puppy up - and he'll love that!! 2. No peeing/poohing indoors!!! Not ever. From day one, your aim should be to have him empty outside, so no pee spot, pads, whatever. If you have him in a crate overnight, good idea, you will need to set your alarm to get him out at least once. When you carry him, put one hand across his chest, or neck, whilst cradling him with the other, so he can't jump out. When he does his biz outside, give him loads of praise, and when he makes a mistake, unless you catch him in the act (in which case your say No! and get him straight outside), just clean it up without any comment at all. He'll be watching, and picking up your body language (Poodles are smart!) You have to make the difference between being happy about where he goes, and unhappy about when he gets it wrong, obvious. Remembering that basically his mistakes are your mistakes, for missing the signs. Aim to get him out, during the day, every hour, after each nap (don't wake him up to get him out!), each feed and each short period of play. The crate is ONLY for use when you can't supervise what he's getting up to. The door should be open otherwise so he can use it as his bed. If you are at home, he should be able to run around so his bones, joints and muscles develop correctly. He should not be in a crate, night-time apart, for longer than 2 hours. 3. Do NOT take him off your property until he's had his complete set of vaccination shots, plus a week. And certainly don't take him into a public park until he has. I can't believe the people here who are telling you otherwise, with a puppy who isn't fully protected! 4. Keep him off the wallpaper (crate when you can't watch what he's getting up to!!) Signs of sickness will be lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, shivering and not wanting to eat. Briefly. 5. He shouldn't need a bath at only 11 weeks. Dogs don't need bathing like we humans do, unless they get unduly dirty, roll in something etc. Too much bathing will dry out his coat. You need, if you do bath him, to make sure the water isn't too hot, or cold (test with your elbow like you would with a baby) and keep the water /shampoo away from his eyes and down his ears. You should find that a daily grooming will keep him smart, much as with a Poodle, you may want to get him to a professional groomer for his cut (talk to his breeder about when, and how). My hounds 'tolerate' being bathed, much as even when showing/campaigning them, they still didn't have one that often.
  9. The biting needs to be dealt with immediately. When your pup goes to bite say "No" in a stern voice and then turn away from him. Repeat this as often as you need to and make sure that all your other family members are doing the same thing. It takes repetition and patience (and you need a lot of that when dealing with a puppy) but eventually he'll get the message. Puppies put everything in their mouths, including your hands, arms etc. it's their way of exploring their world. Although mouthing behavior is annoying, be careful not to confuse that with aggressive biting. 2)Potty training is just like everything else with your pup. It takes time and repetition. The reason it's a good idea to have his crate in your bedroom is because he is so young that he most likely won't be able to hold his bladder yet through the night. If the crate is in your room you'll be able to hear him when he needs to go out. Puppies are frisky wiggly little beings and you HAVE to make sure you hold him securely when ever you carry him. If he jumps out of your arms he can break a leg or worse. I'm not a big fan of wee-wee pads. I don't like anything that encourages a dog to do their business inside the house. It is very confusing for a puppy to be told to go in this corner but not in that one. If he is crated in your room, when he cries to go out at night hold him, (securely) in your arms and carry him to the lawn. Do this each and every time he needs to go, day and night. It really doesn't take all that long to potty train. 3) If the pup isn't fully vaccinated you need to keep him away from public places. The shot you are referring to is Parvo/Distemper and trust me you don't want to have your new family member get sick like that. Parvo can live on surfaces for a really long time. It's not wise to expose him to that until he's had all his shots. 4)Nausea, vomiting and changes in bowl movements are all signs that he isn't feeling well. If he is chewing and eating things he shouldn't be then you need to be watching him more closely. They need lots of supervision!! 5)My dog wasn't thrilled about bathing in the beginning and has grown to love them!! Good luck with your new pup!
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