The damn puppy *rant*

Im going to go ahead and say it is the yellow lab part of your dog that is causing the issue...yeah, she is a puppy...but my dog is a full yellow lab, we think about 3 years old..and she is STILL a puppy in actions...she doesnt know personal boundaries, she licks my hubby constantly, is always trying to lay ON me (not next to me...full on dogpile attempts)...she has to be reminded to poop when she is outside or she will get distracted by something else and come in and have an accident on the floor..she is smart, and she knows sit, lay down, leave it (sometimes she pretends not to hear this one), stay, she goes up the stairs and sits when my husband opens the front door...but if she were to, say get out of the yard, she would be off like a shot, "exploring"...and lots of times we tell her not to do something (like taking stuff out of the trash) and five minutes later she will be back again doing it....we love her like crazy, but from what we have seen (my mom and dad have a yellow lab also, she is 7 and just now is calming down... ) this is quite typical for them.... good luck! i hope everything works out and the puppy calms down with the other breed influence!

 

I have sympathy, a puppy is such hard work just like a baby and it takes months and months of hard work each day to get a well trained, well adjusted dog. People think it's easy but it's not.

We got our dog when I was only just preg with my DS, so I know how exhausting it can be. Our pup was slow to get house training too, maybe 4months in all, but consistency is the key. Along with patience. Can you take back some of the training from your OH if you think it isn't being done correctly??

If you really hate the dog perhaps you should consider re-homing it with someone who will love it as it deserves. I don't mean to be rude, but you chose the dog not the other way round.

 

The piddle pee thing she does when people come up to her is a sign of submission, we got our puppy from the animal shelter in february and she still does it, although its not as frequent anymore. We keep a spray bottle of water in our kitchen and when the dogs come into the kitchen we take it out and they leave the kitchen, we dont spray them all they have to do is see it and they know they arent supposed to be in there.

Our puppy had accidents in the middle of the night but she sleeps in the bathroom and will scratch at the door when she needs to go out, so she very rarily has accidents in the middle of the night, we dont feed them after about 2 in the afternoon though, so that helps

 

I'm going to say it...dogs r like babies, they pick up on vibes, u r understandably tired n fed up but since I can feel your frustration n anger thro your post I'm guessing your pup can def feel it from you too, mayb it's a case of lots of praise n reassurance so she gains confidence?? Sorry if that's out of turn just had lots of dogs n a sensitive baby lol I can deaf say I was to blame for a slice of my baby's high strung attitude in the early days!!! Xxx

 

Probably not going to be popular for this one, but it sounds like the complete wrong time to be dealing with this puppy. Move her on and try again in a year or two.. This whole situation will be infinitely worse when a newborn comes along.

 

Potty training a puppy can be rough, especially when the timing is difficult. We got one of our dogs when she was 10 weeks old right before OH got into an accident and was bed-ridden for a month and I was taking care of him and a puppy. Some tips I have are:

- Don't free feed the pup. Feed 3 meals a day if she is under 5-6 months and 2 meals a day if she's over 6 months. This will create a bathroom schedule for her. Once she's used to eating at the same time every day, she will likely poop at the same times every day. For my dogs - one of them poops first thing every morning and last thing every night and we don't have to worry about in-between because she's on a schedule. The other dog poops once every afternoon and that's it.

- If you catch the pup going pee or poo in the house, immediately grab her and run her out to the grass. Don't punish her, but if she continues to go potty in the grass, praise her like crazy.

- Make sure she gets enough exercise. Running around during the day will encourage her to empty her bowels during the day and will also help her sleep through the night, reducing the urge to poop in her kennel.

- If she is pooping a lot and it's not very solid, switch her food. Not all dogs digestive systems work the same. Mine do best on a high protein, no grain diet.

- If she's wetting herself in excitement, have her greet people outside rather than inside. If it's out of fear, let her hang out in a back room somewhere until guests are sitting down before letting her out and instruct guests to ignore her. One of our dogs can be nervous and does best if he gets to greet everyone on his own, rather than everyone trying to pet him before he's checked them out.

- Peeing when being scolded: what is she being scolded for? A stern "no" should be enough. Yelling or waving your hands around are never a good way to teach a puppy what is good and bad. If she does something, remove her from the situation, give her a "no", or put her in the kennel for a minute or two. That should be enough. Dogs don't react well to harsh scolding. Also, remember to praise her and give her a treat when she's doing the right thing. They really do pick up on that. When she's quietly chewing on a bone, give her a treat. When she chews something she shouldn't, say "leave it" and remove the item from her mouth.

Puppies are hard work, but I applaud you for being willing to work on helping her become a well-behaved member of your family.

 

Labs can be quite stubborn as pups ( we have a black lab mix ) and he was a NIGHTMARE of a puppy.
But it's also just puppy behaviour as well, just keep training her, if you spend the time now and teach her as much as you can she will be the perfect little lady. Maybe ask a dog trainer to give you some tips as well. My DS2 was 3 weeks old when we got our dog it was very hard work lol!

 

I second this. I wouldn't want the dog to stay in a home where it is not wanted. This is a living animal it deserves to be loved and you obviously have no love for it. I have two labs and they require training and some days they still make my eyes crossed. Dogs are a commitment and if you took that lightly then yeah, rehome the dog.

Also to expect a puppy to hold its elimination over night is WAY beyond its limits. They can only hold it one more hour then the months old they are so if they are 4 months it is 5 hours. Maybe a bit of research will help you realize this dog is not all doom and gloom.

 

My guess is that she was taken away from her mother too early and is extremely nervous, paired with having a kennel that was too big in the early days (ie she can poo in it without having to lie in it, it's too big), and also that she's still too young to expect total consistency, especially given the two previous factors.

 

Sorry if this comes off as harsh. I may get some heat for this, but dealing with dogs/puppies the wrong way is one thing I can not tolerate.

1. A dog is a family member. You wouldn't chain your son/daughter in the back yard all day, so don't do it to a puppy. If you put that dog out on a chain every day, you're going to accomplish NOTHING. She's not going to get enough attention, she'll get really excited every time she sees you, jump on you, etc. and it will make you want to go out to see her less and less. It will be a vicious cycle. And she doesn't deserve it.

2. Don't free feed. As pp said, feed her 3 small meals a day for now, then move to 2 meals a day when she's a bit older. This will help her body create a cycle and she will go potty at the same general time every day.

3. If the kennel/crate is too big, your dog is going to look at it like this: one corner is for sleeping, the opposite corner is for playing, and the far end of the crate is for peeing/pooping. Dogs will not pee/poo where they sleep. Get her a smaller crate. It should be just big enough for her to stand up, turn around and get comfortable. As she gets older, move her to a larger kennel.

4. Until you get a smaller kennel, she may keep pooping in the one she has. She's your OH's dog, too. If you get up in the middle of the night and smell poop and it makes you vomit, wake his ass up.

5. Five weeks is WAY too young to be taken from the mother, but what's done is done so I won't get into it. But that is where many of your problems stem from. During the first 8-12 weeks of a puppy's life, the mother teaches him/her how to be a dog. She will teach him/her confidence, life lessons, how hard he/she can bite without it hurting, and much more.

6. Take her on a walk. Put her on a leash, take her out, and walk her until she's exhausted. If you can't do it, make your OH. Dogs need to let off energy. A tired puppy is a well behaved puppy. Play with her. Be with her. Maybe you wish you didn't have her, but you do, so you need to follow through and deal with her. If you don't start working with her now, she will not just turn into the perfect dog one day. Things will get worse. If you want to see results, work for them.



I'm sorry if that seems harsh. My grandfather is a veterinarian and I have seen way too many animals end up on a chain the backyard, ignored and unloved. It's not right. If you can't give her what she needs, give her to someone else who can. And don't replace her. A different, smaller puppy is not what you need. If you can't work with this one, who's to say another puppy will be any different?

 

I really feel for you, last year Me and my then partner got a bullmastiff puppy, things where tough for us from the get go with him, he was to rough to be around my son, he growled, he bit nastily from around 14 weeks he peed and pooped everywhere! Everywhere was dirty from his paws he dug my garden up I couldn't even walk him because he would attack my hands and lead, and he wasn't a small dog he was massive! I ended up having to get him a new home when we split as it got to the point I couldn't deal with him myself and I didn't trust him around my son. It is hard work! After that experience I won't ever have a dog again with kids i know some people make it work but it was to much for me. I really hope you get it sorted soon it is a really tough situation to be in and I totally have sympathy for you. X

 

100% this. My mother has REFUSED to bother housetraining her dog, because, well, I have no idea. She figured it was just easier to pick up after it, then teach it to go outside, so everytime I see he's messed in the house somewhere, I leave it for her to deal with, because when I was younger I begged to train it, but refused.

I think Shelby has a good point with the smaller kennel though, and another poster with the letting the dog greet guests outside, or maybe just not have a lot of guests until that stage passes, I have a friend whos staffy urinates with guests, from what people advised her on FB, it seems to be a common puppy problem, that with time and love can be resolved fairly easily - good luck!

(I'd love a puppy, but I choose to not get one, as I know the responsibility involved, and I just can't do it. I find looking after my toddler MUCH easier than my friends with pets have it!)

 

I agree with everything Shelby posted, apart from the walking-at her age she shouldn't be walked for long periods as it can put a strain on developing joints. Keeping her brain busy so that she is mentally tired is much better, short bursts of training every day, using activity feeders like Kong's or similar, teaching a basic retrieve etc.
We got a pup who was very much wanted and planned for, and 3 weeks later I got my surprise BFP! It was really really hard and I made lots of mistakes-I spent hours laid on the sofa feeling sick during first tri with my pup who went on to develop horrendous separation anxiety!
Having a young dog with a newborn was also not easy but we got there in the end.

 

My little cocker took along time to get toilet training, esp overnight, amost a year! However she was not crated. What changed it for us was having her sleep with us so she could tell us if she needed to go. She also has her own flap to go out/in when needed. We got her 2 months before lo was born so it was hard work and her training was neglected. However she is now a lovely little dog and very well behaved. She is a little clingy as we got her and i was on mat leave so cuddled all day but she is fine to leave and has her own flap so can come and go as she likes...

 

I will probably come accross the wrong way too but I totally agree with Shelby. I know that pups can be extremely hard but the chain and such will only destroy her mentality further down the line. It's 100% normal for her to be how she is as a pup. I used to work for the RSPCA and had to deal with many pups. How old is she? The peeing when guests arrive is excitement. Her not wanting to go on the grass is going to be unusual for her for awhile so can be quite scary. Could you not leave a door open for her to access outdoors if she pleases whilst you're at home? If she does any slight good thing plenty of praise is key. Perhaps walk onthe grass with a treat in your hand and let her see. The fact she knows tricks shows she has the intelligence to learn. Also the toilet in her kennel will be because of her age and also once they do it no matter how clean their scent will always be there so she will see this as a regular place could your OH not put some paper down and then put the soiled paper on the grass take her iut with a treat so she can smell her scent outdoors? I understand they are hard and your OH shoould be doing more b ut it's very unfair on this dog. And because he chose to keep her he should be investing his time.

 

it's defiantly the lab in her, I have a 7month old chocolate lab and by Christ he's a little shit. but please don't deal with her poo ask your OH to deal with it, there is something in the poo that can harm pregnant women!

 

Totally agree with this. IMO chaining an animal all day is abuse. Rehome the dog if this is the best life that it can hope to have with you. Your OH needs a good talking to as well if he's happy to have a pup on a chain. I think in you original email your complained that it's freezing where you are right now...suitable conditions for a dog to be outside all day???

Sorry, but irresponsible dog owners make me very angry. If you are in the UK take it to the Dogs Trust- I've been a supporter for more than 15 years and I know that there are waiting lists for puppies in many locations. They will find your dog a good home.