My puppy is driving me bonkers!

[maxiesmommie]

I am so glad I found this site.  Ok, guys here it is.  Long story short, about three weeks ago I had a doctors appointment and overheard this older woman who was also waiting to be seen talk to the receptionist about her DISGUSTING neighbors.  She immediately drew my attention (I normally do not intentionally eavesdrop on people, unless of course it's juicy!), anyway she was talking about her neighbors who had newfoundland pups as well as the mother and father.  She stated that they were being abused and mistreated.  The babies were kept outside in the cold ( I live in NJ by the way and it was cold a month ago) and the parents were being beaten.  Like I said, she drew my attention as well as the other people waiting to be seen.  I asked if the authorities were called (thank goodness for Animal Cops on Animal Planet) and she said that they all had been taken into the custody of a foster parent from the humane society.  So even longer story short, I now have one of those little pups.  I raced to help one of these "little" guys out and drove home with an eight week old female.  My husband and I had discussed getting a puppy in the near FUTURE for our two boys ages 3 and 4, but never truly discussed it.  We haven't had a pet since our beloved Sandy passed, a truly wonderful Dalmation.  Needless to say, I came home with "Maxie" to cheers and jeers.  She's now 11 weeks and I need some advise.  Please understand I have had dogs all my life, but never this young and never this breed.  She is biting my boys and peeing and pooping in her crate. All my other dogs never pooped in their crate.  I know I did not make a mistake in bringing her to be a part of our family, but she sure is one difficult puppy so far, please if anyone has ever had a puppy that young, I would very much appreciate any suggestions or thoughts.  The poop and the pee do not compare to her biting by sons.  I know she is teething so I have an abundance of chew toys, nyla bones, kong toys, but she prefers the sweet meat of my boys.  Help!  

[nickerbokker]

so....here's my experience....

i have had a LOT of puppies, but my newest angus is still a lil boy at only 6 months. 

i got ang when he was 5 weeks old.  the mom died right after birth (2 days actually), and the puppies had been hand raised and so she just sold them at 5 weeks.  i picked him up, and he peed and pooped the whole way home LOL..it was a 6 hour car ride.  ANYWHO.....wit h the pee and poop, it really depends on two things.  1-is how big the crate is.  with angus, i bought the smallest crate, the only for cats, and even put a shoe box in there so he didn't have room to spread out.  if they have room to pee and try to get away from it, they will try it.  you will never get her crate trained that way...you need to give her ONLY enough space to lay down in (she shouldnt be in there long anyway).  PLUS, during the night, i took out angus every hour.  i didn't want him to have the chance TO pee in there.  #2-is if the puppy cares.  its rare to get a dog that LIKES to be covered in poo....but some are "special" like that lol.  in that case, someone else will tell you what to do. 

with the biting, this is what we have always done. 

1-grab her snout and hold it closed and yell no bite
2-have a water bottle attached to your hip, and when she bites (even if you are 20 feet away), you squirt her and say NO.  i find this works best because half the time, they dont know where the punishment is coming from and it freaks them out LOL.  (works GREAT with barking too)
3-lightly flick her nose.  THEY HATE THAT.....dont do it hard, but doing it at all will piss her off enough to learn it is wrong. 

the biting will stop, you just have to stay on top of it!  and the pee will too (dont read any  of my other posts or you wont believe me LMAO).

good luck!

im sure you will get great advice from the other people on here who actually know what they are talking about!

SEE YOU AROUND!  POST LOTS AND LOTS OF PIX!!!!!

[TwoNewfies]

Hello!  Welcome to the site!!  We have 2 Newfoundland puppies, our Bella is 11 months and Rocco is 11 weeks.  Bella was quite easy to potty train, but our little Rocco has been a bit more challenging.  What someone said above is true, make sure the crate is just big enough for them, but not spacious enough where they have "room" to go potty in the crate.  With Rocco, he eats teice a day and I make sure I feed him by 4 or 5 pm, so that gives him time to digest and potty a few times before bed time as he sleeps in his crate for now.  As for the biting, that's something that you'll want to tackle now as it could become a larger issue as the puppy grows and you don't want your sons injured by a biting dog, or have the dog bite others and other animals. Rocco is mouthing a lot, and what we did is this: we went for a private session with our trainer who we take Bella to for obedience class..our trainer suggested we do a tongue press, similiar to holding the pup's snout and saying "no bite". The key is to be consistent, and it does take a while to see improvement... .but if you keep at it you will see progress being made. I think its great that you rescued one of the puppies from this litter. It makes me sad when I hear stories about animals being abused and beaten, even though I know it happens!  Keep us posted on how things are going with your puppy

[greek4]

Biting...
What do your boys do when she bites them?
Ideally they should not pull their hand away or run, that will entice her to chase and it will become a game for her.  They should scream loud enough to scare her and then ignore her.  She will learn if she bites, she gets startled and she doesn't get attention. 
The water bottle, nose holding and flicking can also be worked into this.  My Newf mix was a rough play biter and now has a very gentle mouth.  You can also work on telling her 'Gentle' when taking a treat but putting cheese or peanut butter between your fingers and working with her to gently remove it.
It all depends on how she is biting the boys.  Does she jump on the also?

[mamadog]

First of all it is wonderful that you wanted to help one of these puppies, and just like human babies we forget how much work they will be! Raising a puppy is a ton of work. No getting around that. I was at my whits end with Finn for about a month and a half. I couldn't enjoy him cause I was too busy cleaning up after him. I hadn't had a puppy in a LONG time. After a month I told my husband we had made a mistake, I wasn't cut out to raise a puppy (anything that's that much work should move out and go to college someday I told him) My copasity for suffering is endless, so he is still here, and now the furry love of my life!
As for her biting the kids... here is my take. You are the big dog, but puppy may be confused about the kids cause they're so much smaller than you, and you're the "big dog" for the kids too . She is trying to assert herself with them and gain some status in the pack. She needs to be taught that the kids are bigger dogs too. Show the kids how to grab her snout, with you there ofcourse and when she bites THE KIDS need to grab her and tell her no! She just needs to learn that she can't dominate them. There are some great dog training books out there and obedience classes could help a lot. The kids would be encouraged to go to the classes with you. Untill she gets this she should never be left alone with the children. And the kids need to be taught how to handle her. A dog should never bite a child, but that doesn't mean it's always the dogs fault.
Give it time, remember how hard a newborn was the first time? It does get better, I promise!!!  IF you try classes and it doesn't help and you really can't connect with her, a responsible re-homeing,  if done properly, might be best. But (no offense) by taking her into your family you owe it to her to be patient and try to make this work and do everything you can. She's just being a puppy. And just look at that face.... she doesn't mean to be a pain!

Vicki

[dohertyswissy]

Congratulation s on helping one of these puppies in need!  I think we all here can agree that raising a puppy can sometimes drive you INSANE, but will ultimately be a rewarding experience.  I have a 6 mo. old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and sometimes he REALLY makes me want to pull ALL my hair out! 

Like everyone said here, it important that the puppy knows that the kids are in charge, just as you are.  Some dogs have a tendency to thing that when the dominant person leaves the room, that they are next in line.  I highly recommend puppy obedience class.  I don't have any children myself, but both my husband and I attended, since we both needed to be dominant over Ranger, esp. considering he is going to weigh more than me when he is full grown!  Alot of parents and kids were there and each took turns practicing the commands with the pup.  There is a wonderful article that was included in our puppy package from our breeder called "Teaching Kids How to Be a Puppy's Best Friend" by Sigrid Frye-Revere.  It is in reference to Swiss Mountain Dogs mouthiness, but the advice is universal to all dog owners who have mouthy dogs.  I'll see if I can find it somewhere online and cross post it.

Nicki is right on when it comes to crate training!  Does the puppy bark or make any noises when she needs to go out?  For the first 4-6 weeks we had Ranger, he would bark and whine in his crate when he needed to go out.  We never left him in there for more than 4 hours at a time.  I'd come home at lunch from work to let him out.  At about 4 1/2 months we tried leaving him for longer and longer periods of time.  Most puppies have very little bladder control until around 5-6 months of age (Swissys are notoriously slow potty trainers...are n't I lucky  ).  Now, he sleeps in the bedroom and no accidents so far.  However, he is still crated when we are not at the house and we still have accidents when he is out and about from time to time.

Good Luck and keep us posted on the progress!

Heather

[jabear]

Congratulation s on getting a Newf and saving it from alife of misery. You are an angel in my eyes. 
As far as the potty training goes, there have been lots of threads around here that should help you out a bit. I don't know about crate training as our boy has never been in one, but I do know that consistnecy is key when training. Bear was sooo easy to potty train- about 2 weeks and he was almost 100% but then I was up every 2 hours or so to make sure he had no accidents. Reward the potty when it is in the appropriate place and praise, praise, praise her!
As for the biting, try giving her toys to bite and teach her "no", "drop it" and "leave it" commands as quickly as possible. Encourage the biting by playing tug of war and fetch games but the commands are key if  she is to leave your body parts alone. Remember, Newfs use their mouths as a tool and need to be encouraged to use them properly. You may want to try a squirt bottle and rattle can to get her attention if she doesn't listen also, then correct her. Good luck! Keep us posted on her progress and post some pics when you get a chance. I can't wait to see this little bundle of joy!

[lil rufus]

My husband and I just went through training with our Newf and the best way to correct him is.....
Anytime he is in the house with us (except sleeping) he as his leash on with a choke collar.  When he does something wrong we yell NO, pull/pop the leash, and then praise him for listening.  He caught on to the idea in the first week and now all we have to do is say NO really loud and he knows we mean business.  Try it out.  It worked for us!

[LuvmyMal]

We did not have a problem with the pee or poop but trust what Nickers tells you make the crate only big enough to stand up and lay down. With biting I am with you on that subject, roll up newspaper and pop the wall or something to create a loud noise and yell "NO". Nothing else worked for my mal except that. We had pillows in the crate for tonka when we first got her and they took up the extra room. We just bought a chilly bone for her and that is wonderful for teething, you soak it in water and put it in the freezer for 1 hr. she chews on it forever. Good Luck!

[iljs83]

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and thought I would say hello.  I have a 6 mo. old newf pup (Noah) and a 10 mo. old Boxer (Brady). They are great buddies.  I will up date these pics with one that has both in it together as soon as I can get them both to pose together. Any suggestions?  Noah is 4 mos. in this pic and Brady is 8 mos.

[mastiffmommy]

maxiesmommy... ... nice to have you here, and hats off to you for rescuing that puppy 

I think you have gotten some real good advice here. It is hard to remember that they are just infants  really even if they are so big. And especially a dog who most likely have never really had someone to tell her what is okay and not, and the younger they are when you start telling them that the easier it will be later on.

So the poop and pee first. A crate is good, but being a little puppy there are things mommy needs to do for her. Before she gets into the crate, make sure she is all pooped and peed out. And to start with, take her out very very often, so to not really give her a chance to go in the crate. Most dogs dont go in there if they really really dont have to (youll always find the dog who dont care thoug  )  If she is somewhere at night, where it is quiet hopefully shell sleep well, I think if she wakes up, thats when she feels she needs to go and will go in the crate. Even set your clock and take her out in the middle of the night for a few weeks, make the time inbetween the pee/poo walks longer and longer, so she gets used to holding it a little, but still knows that "help" is on its way 

When she is not in the crate, during day, just make a point of watching her real carefully, after taking a drink, after playing, after a nap, you know all the situations when she will most definately go potty.

About the biting. It is not uncommon for a puppy to bite, a playful bite that is. The dogs that are real bad with it, you may have to tell your kids (two legged) that a real rough play isnt such a good idea until the puppy knows what is good and what is not good to do. the wilder the play the more excited the puppy will get and then she just cant control herself. When she does use a command like "leave it" or "ignore" or whatever you choose, youll have to say it 1750 times, but sooner or later it will get in there  you can also when she does to you, push a bit of her lip in between your hand and her teeth, that way she bites herself and they tend to be not too impressed by that hehe. But a good start is probably to calm the play down a bit, and tell your sons, why and explain why they have to do and play with her in a certain way, to help her learn how to do things right, kids usually like the idea of helping. Also tell them about her bad start in life, that will probably also make it easier for them to understand.

Good Luck and please please post some pics and let us know how things are going

Marit

[jabear]

Noah is a beauty!! Brady is too!! Welcome! I can't wait to see more pics of your boys!

[moonlitcroatia]

so....here's my experience....

i have had a LOT of puppies, but my newest angus is still a lil boy at only 6 months.  

i got ang when he was 5 weeks old.  the mom died right after birth (2 days actually), and the puppies had been hand raised and so she just sold them at 5 weeks.  i picked him up, and he peed and pooped the whole way home LOL..it was a 6 hour car ride.  ANYWHO.....wit h the pee and poop, it really depends on two things.  1-is how big the crate is.  with angus, i bought the smallest crate, the only for cats, and even put a shoe box in there so he didn't have room to spread out.  if they have room to pee and try to get away from it, they will try it.  you will never get her crate trained that way...you need to give her ONLY enough space to lay down in (she shouldnt be in there long anyway).  PLUS, during the night, i took out angus every hour.  i didn't want him to have the chance TO pee in there.  #2-is if the puppy cares.  its rare to get a dog that LIKES to be covered in poo....but some are "special" like that lol.  in that case, someone else will tell you what to do.  

with the biting, this is what we have always done.  

1-grab her snout and hold it closed and yell no bite
2-have a water bottle attached to your hip, and when she bites (even if you are 20 feet away), you squirt her and say NO.  i find this works best because half the time, they dont know where the punishment is coming from and it freaks them out LOL.  (works GREAT with barking too)
3-lightly flick her nose.  THEY HATE THAT.....dont do it hard, but doing it at all will piss her off enough to learn it is wrong.  

the biting will stop, you just have to stay on top of it!  and the pee will too (dont read any  of my other posts or you wont believe me LMAO).

good luck!

im sure you will get great advice from the other people on here who actually know what they are talking about!

SEE YOU AROUND!  POST LOTS AND LOTS OF PIX!!!!!

Gripping the snout and saying, "No bite!" is what was recommended to us, too. It worked quickly and effectively.  I like the squirt bottle idea - we used a super soaker.   

[Jen]

When we had a problem with Thunder jumping on and nipping our children and their little freinds, we solved very quickly!!!   This is what I did: went to the dollar store and bought a whole bunch of little squirt guns (kid size) and filled them up and placed them in a large tubberware bowl at the entrance of our home, gave one to each and every member of the family and every guest (kids comming to play with our kids).  OH BOY did we have lots of fun training him to stay off our kids!  My BIG rule was they could only shoot the water gun if he was misbehaving (found that kids like to shoot him for the fun of it) but with proper parental supervision it works GREAT