Puppy Tips Blog

I have a miniature schnauzer puppy and every time he see another dog he starts barking at the other dog. How do I get him to stop…Does anyone have any suggestions to what to do??

You can bring a toy with you each time if he starts to bark direct his attention to the toy.Soon he probably will feel more confident be next to dogs.

When the new puppy(2 month old lab mix) eats, he will take one piece of food at a time, walk away, eat it and then do it over again. I know its not a bad thing, I find it pretty funny. I was just wondering why he does this. Thanks in advance

It's an instinct left over from the days of the wolf. The pack animals would rip a piece off of the kill and take it away to eat it before another member grabbed it away. Dogs still have this instinct. Especially the weaker, young and older dogs.

we just got a puppy about a week ago and he is 3 months. does anyone have and good ideas or tips that worked for potty training their dog?

trust me this will work i have pits if there in tha home and it pee's, make it smell tha pee everytime it pees and hit it on tha behind a good time, after a while it want be peein in tha house so what you do then is get a door flapper or just take your dog outside and it'll pee on its own, improvements takes about 2 weeks but ill work…..

We have a new puppy, who whines if you aren't petting or holding it. It is really bothersome at 3 am. I really need help. This our first house dog.

so in other words everytime it whines you hold it or give it attention? This needs to stop immediately! if you do not give it attention when it barks and whines it will eventually figure it out and stop. Praise the dog when it makes no noise at all and sits quietly. My dog did this too and it drove me nuts. he would sit in his bed and emit a high pitch whine that only a few of my friends and i could hear. DO NOT scold the dog or talk to it when it whines, still interprets it as attention

good luck!

Holly is 11 weeks old and is already going after a ball and bringing it back to me. She's 80% house trained. Should I give her snacks when she does her business outside in addition to good behavior? I've broken the bones into small pieces. I'm crate training her and she's doing well with that also.

1. Take some of the food she's supposed to have each day and set it aside. Then use that kibble for treats/rewards whenever she "does good." That way you can be sure you aren't overfeeding her.

2. Yes, a small treat is fine when you're rewarding her for doing her business, especially on command. But don't forget lots of praise. You see, it's not that she remembers the treat, it's that she remembers the FEELING. So if you praise, stroke her back and then treat her, what she remembers is "when I got to this spot and do my business, I feel real good afterwards."

Treat her for everything she does that you like. When you go on a walk, mention her name. If she looks up at you, treat. She's learning her name AND she's learning to focus on you outside. When you call her for her crate, put a treat inside and let her find it–she'll start to associate her crate with fun surprizes.

3. Almost all treats are too big. I have a 20 pound dog (3 years old). His treats are no bigger than the size of a pea (and some are smaller than that).

4. Think of the treats in a hierarchy. You start with the kibble (for doing run of the mill things). Than move it up a notch–maybe something like part of a dog biscuit. Then you have what are called high-value treats. These are the things that the dog goes frantic over. My dog's high value treats (they don't have to be food) are (from lowest to highest value of the high value items): cooked hot dog slices, cooked salmon scales, tugging with his rope toy, cheese sticks, and his soccer ball (he'll kill for his soccer ball). I don't recommend hot dogs and cheese sticks for a puppy but that illustrates the hierarchy. And the reason this is important is that I use the high value treats to reinforce the important stuff. With a puppy, that's probably recalls or "come". Use the lower value treats to reward things the puppy is already doing (like the house training).

However, something I'd bet would be a good high value treat that is the right size would be Zuke's mini-treats. They're a bit smaller than the size of a pea, hold their shape well (so you can put a bunch in your pants or coat pocket and not get left with a bunch of crumbs), are very healthy, I have yet to find a dog that doesn't love them and they chew easy. I've listed the website below–all of their stuff is quality.

Shes part boxer and shes also mixed with something else I believe Lab but I'm unsure! I am really having the hardest time! My husband wants to get rid of her but I just can't I am attached to her! She is very playful and I really enjoy her! So if anyone has any tips on how to potty train a puppy or how to get her to stop whining please help me so I don't have to get rid of her! Thanks a lot!

A puppy is like a baby. He will relieve himself anywhere, anytime. Because a newly adopted adult dog is unfamiliar with your home, he may not understand where he should "go"! Housetraining, or teaching your dog to go outside to relieve himself, is an important lesson your dog must learn.
It is up to you, the new parent, to housetrain your new puppy or dog with patience, love and understanding.
CRATE TRAINING
In the wild, wolves live in a den or cave. It is important the entire wolf pack keep this area clean. The same idea works with your family pet. Your dog’s crate is his home, his bedroom. It is likely that your dog will not like to soil his bed. Therefore, he will wait until he is let out to do his business.
HOUSETRAINING WITH YOUR CRATE
On average, puppies can hold their bladders one hour for every month they have been alive, plus one hour. For example, if you have a three month old puppy, he can wait 3 + 1 = 4 hours. If you work longer than this, the best solution is to have someone (a neighbour, a relative, a dog walker) come in at an appropriate time to let your dog out.

100 PER CENT SUPERVISION
Supervision is the key to housetraining! While you are at home, your dog must be supervised. Whether you are watching television, making dinner, on the phone or on the computer, your puppy must be watched. While it sounds like an impossible task, it isn’t. Keeping the crate in a social part of the house makes it easier. Using a house lead – a small, thin lead with a little clip on it – also helps immensely. Outside, you put a lead on your dog so you can control him. If the lead is removed after returning home, control is lost. For example, when watching television, have the lead tied to a couch leg. Your dog can have his blanket and toys with him. He’ll feel safe and comfortable. The majority of accidents happen when your pup wanders off and you haven’t noticed. You don’t want him to sneak off into the kitchen and find a puddle a short time later. If your pup is kept from wandering, the possibility of an accident is diminished because he will not eliminate where he is sitting. 100 per cent supervision means ensuring your dog is playing with you, in his crate, outside or on his house lead.

SCHEDULING
In the morning, take your dog outside. He should urinate and possibly have a bowel movement. Spend about five to seven minutes with him and then bring him in. Do not play with him yet. Feed him breakfast, either in the crate or with the lead, and supervise it. If your pup did not have a bowel movement earlier, take him back outside about 15 minutes after he has eaten. Use the lead to keep your pup moving along while outside. Otherwise, he may start sniffing, stopping and playing to avoid the job at hand. You can say “hurry up” and your dog will begin to associate these words with the task at hand. Praise him excessively when he has eliminated. Bring him back in the house and place him in his crate if you are going to work. Continue to supervise him with the crate or the lead if you are home. When returning after being out, go directly to the crate, let him out, praise him and put him back in. Feed him his meal, take him outside 15 minutes after he has eaten, praise him after he eliminates, and bring him back in. Continue to follow the same steps consistently.

While you are home, you should take your pup outside on a regular basis. Even if your pup is in a crate or on a house lead, he still needs the opportunity to eliminate. Also, be careful what you wish for! A pup who barks to go outside may be cute and clever now. However, you must try not to fall into the habit of leaping up every time your dog wants in or out. It is a very submissive gesture on your part. Have your pup wait a moment or two.

Setting up a schedule is also a good idea. If your pup is under four months of age, take him out for five minutes every hour on the hour. If your pup is over four months old, take him out every second hour on the hour. The schedule will help you remember when to take him out. Go out for five minutes only. It provides the opportunity to eliminate even if your pup may not need to go. Take your dog out after active play and also after napping. If an accident occurs, you may have forgotten to take him out .

FEEDING TIME
Having a puppy drink a lot of water and then placing him in his crate is much more unkind than letting him be a bit thirsty for an hour or two. Adult dogs should have access to drinking water at all times. However, this is not the case for untrained pups. Most parents will not allow their children to drink a big glass of water before going to bed. Avoid setting your pup up for failure. Restrict his water intake to three or four drinks daily and make sure you remove the water dish about three hours before bedtime. This will help your dog sleep more comfortably.

If it is a hot evening, supply your pup with a few ice cubes. They will enter your dog’s system at a slower pace. When feeding your pup, provide a high-quality food that is a good source of protein. The food must be concentrated so your puppy’s body doesn’t require much of it. If you feed less, your puppy eliminates less. Food is directly related to how well puppies do in their housetraining.

EXERCISE
It is important that your pup gets a lot of exercise, especially while crate training. You can play fetch, chase or hide and seek in your home. You can call ‘come’ at the same time to provide further training. Anyway you do it, your pup needs to be able to run and play.

We have a beagle/lab mix that we've had for almost 3 weeks now. She is about 7 lbs and 11 weeks old. We got her from a rescue shelter where she was rescued with her litter mates. We don't know much more about her history. We live in a two-bedroom apartment and we keep her in her kennel at night, in the second vacant bedroom. When we got her, the rescue shelter told us not to put any sort of bed or anything in the kennel with her at night because it gives them an absorbent area to go to the bathroom on. She has been barking all through the night every night. We can't sleep and I'm scared I'm keeping the other people in our building up at night too. We put a washcloth in with her to give her a little something soft to lay on, and that helps a little, but she still wines/barks every night and it's been almost three weeks now. We've even tried the ticking clock next to the kennel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

If you spoil your dog like me, to get it to stop barking all you have to do is put the dog on your bed and rub behind its ear. They will become relaxed and will either go to sleep or just stop barking.

We've just rescued to puppy from the SPCA and he occasionally has some mishaps on our carpet. Have been showing him to the offending spot and stirnly saying 'no' then immediately leading him to the lawn in our garden so he gets the message. Is there any other tips you can share please? Thanks.

I had this problem and it takes about a week or two to get it into their fluffy heads. Keep doing what you are doing and it will pay off, but make sure you catch them in the act and don't shout at them when you see a recent wet patch on the floor as they won't know what you are on about.

A good tip that works for me is to give 'weeing' a name. So when he/she is in the garden urinating you say 'wee-wee's' or something like that as he she is doing it. It is good because if i am leaving the dog behind when i go out i can take her in the garden an say wee-wee's and she will go. Then i know it won't be a problem when i leave.

Also, prepare for your house hold to be chewed in the next couple of months.

we got a new 5 month old lab/pit bull mix puppy a couple days ago. We adopted him from a rescue group. We have a 3 year old golden and I am unsure if they are getting along. The puppy bullies the golden by nipping/biting at him on his face, and body or he takes whatever the golden has. My golden is very jumpy and DOESN'T stop the behavior but the golden seems very nervous around the puppy. My golden will run towards us and gives us this look like "help". Right as my golden sits or lays down the puppy runs and jumps on him. Sometimes the puppy will come up lick his face and keep going, the golden still even jumps or seems extremely nervous about this too. The puppy was in a foster home with two older dogs and did fine, the golden has played with friends dogs many times and was fine. The odd thing is that my golden is not fixed but the puppy is. Should I be worried and what can I do??

The best suggestion I have to offer is be patient. The two of them are getting used to each other still. Likely, the puppy is trying to be playful, and the golden isn't yet sure what to make of the puppy. With the puppy jumping on the golden, it does seem like its being friendly and playful, and the golden may not be used to such a fiesty youg pup. Give them time, and they will quickly be good friends. Unless they outright fight, I wouldn't be conserned, and even then they may just be establishing dominance. Most fights are all bark and show, not actual intentional damage. Don't reassure the golden too much, or it will just rely on you to handle everything. Make sure the dog learns to handle the situation on its own. But, from the sound of it, they will be getting along great in no time.

My husky puppy stayed at the vet for 2 days when we were gone. I know she is happy to be home. Since being home she is crying for no reason, and barking more. She is not sleeping either. She is biting us more and jumping on us. What should I do? Is she excited? How long will this take before it stops?
my puppy was boarding for 2 nights at the vet.
She is almost 12 weeks.

Was the puppy kept in a kennel the majority of the time at the vet? Probably so. If she isn't normally kept in a kennel a good portion of the day, this in combination with the new surroundings and missing you is a big change for your puppy. The biting is pretty typical of puppies. Try bitter apple on your hands. Another technique recommended by my vet was to reach in the puppies mouth and clamp down on the lower jaw pressing the tongue down. This is very affective and harmless to the pup. This will end eventually when the puppies teeth fall out. The barking….well she has been in a kennel full of barking for days. Get your puppy back into a routine and things will get better soon enough.