puppies

[Lbybug]

Guess what!!!

I got a puppy.

And while I already love him very very much, he's frustrating the heck out of me. I'm trying to be patient, but BOY, this is a lot of work, but it'll be worth it in the end right?

I got a miniature dachshund male. a little weiner dog. his name is stretch. (it was supposed to be toby...then milo. i settled on stretch today). I've had him for 24 hours now.

here's where you and advice come in

what is your BEST suggestion for new dog owners? i've gotten a lot of advice from a lot of people...but what's your advice?

[FairChild]

Use a bitter biter spray on things you do not want puppy to chew. Electric cords being one example. Good luck with your new puppy!

[pam]

For real..protect electric cords. Our dog chewed through many lamp cords when a puppy.

[Lbybug]

yeah, my puppy already loves my laptop cord. grrr. but he's learning not to go near it.

[LonelyGargoyle]

My advice? Cook him and eat him. haha. Ahhhh Becca !! I thought I was the only puppy in your life. But I don't have that loving trust in my face that puppies always display----so, I'm out I guess.

[Elphaba]

what is your BEST suggestion for new dog owners? i've gotten a lot of advice from a lot of people...but what's your advice?

Hey Bug, does he eat his own poop? Because, if he doesn't, then consider yourself a very lucky dog owner.

While he may burn your house down chewing on a power cord, that is better than watching him eat POOP! I know, because Xander is almost three years old now, and he STILL EATS HIS OWN POOP!

Burn your house down? Watch him eat poop? Burn your house down? Watch him eat poop?

Here's the thing. You can recover things lost in a fire. You can never recover the sanity of never having to watch your dog eat his own poop! See my point?

(You probably think I'm kidding. NOT!)

Elph

[pam]

You have a sick dog Elphie. lol

[Lbybug]

Hey Bug, does he eat his own poop? Because, if he doesn't, then consider yourself a very lucky dog owner.

While he may burn your house down chewing on a power cord, that is better than watching him eat POOP! I know, because Xander is almost three years old now, and he STILL EATS HIS OWN POOP!

Burn your house down? Watch him eat poop? Burn your house down? Watch him eat poop?

Here's the thing. You can recover things lost in a fire. You can never recover the sanity of never having to watch your dog eat his own poop! See my point?

(You probably think I'm kidding. NOT!)

Elph

hahaha phabs. he's disgusted by his own poop. so no eating it for him.

[Tarnished]

Ok, having a puppy is much like having a child, this means sleepless night, destroyed things all the wonderful things that drive people crazy about children, but puppies are also very sweet. With each dog we have owned there has been a short time while they are a puppy where I have asked myself, "Am I going to end up hating this dog?" So having spent a lot of time with dogs in my life here is some of my advice.

* Potty train him. Decide how you want him to be potty trained, whether it be paper trained or trained to go outside. If outside (which is what I have done with all my dogs) then take him out every few hours (this involves the sleepless nights) this will get him used to the idea that potty happens outside. Have a key phrase that means, "Go potty" whether it be "hurry up", "go potty", "do your business" something that you can say anytime you go outside with him that tells him it is time to potty. Make sure you are consistent. If he has an accident make sure you catch him at it, grab him, tell him no in a firm voice and take him out immediately to potty. Keep him there till he goes potty. When he does potty outside give him lots of praise. If you don't catch him but just come across the dreaded wet spot then don't punish him, he wont understand why you are mad at him. Clean up any accidents with a cleaner that will remove the scent as if there is any scent left he will think that is where he can go potty.

* Decide where in the house he is allowed, and what furniture he is allowed on, then be consistent. This tells him where he can and can not go and what he can and can not get up on.

* Scent mark the "puppy" toys. Any item that is his toy to play with spray with a particular scent, make this scent something that is particular to him, maybe vanilla or some other scent. This will teach him which toys are his and which things are not. Anything that you really don't want him chewing spray bitter apple on (can be found at most pet stores that carry dog supplies)

* Supply him with lots of acceptable items to chew on, puppies chew it is just natural for them, by having things that they can chew on and not get in trouble for it makes the chewing time easier on them and on you.

* Take him to an obedience class, this is not so much for the puppy but rather mostly for you. Each time we get a dog I attend an obedience class with them, because even when you have had a dog before you find that you forget things. Obedience will set down behaviors that you can set up for an orderly house, and it also allows you to start setting yourself up as the alpha of the house. Dogs need order to be able to act appropriately and knowing where they sit in the pack order is very important.

* Start now at doing things to make sure that there will be no unwanted behavior later. Practice taking his bowl from him while he is eating, give it back but make it a learned thing that the people can give or take food whenever needed. Play with him, with his paws (this will make nail clipping easier in the future), with his mouth (this will make any pills you need to give him or taking things out of his mouth easier in the future), with his ears (this will make ear cleaning easier), and in general give him an all over rub daily (this will allow you to take note of any wounds or bumps or lumps that may come up over time).

* If he is a nipper at all begin to work on this as well. When he bites make a loud yipe sound (so he knows he hurt you) and give him a firm no, tell him to get a toy and immediately put a toy in his mouth, praise him as he bites the toy. This teaches him that biting is not acceptable and if he wants to bite then he can bite a toy.

I know there is more but I can't think of them right now. If or when I do I will add to the list. I hope this is at least a bit helpful. Have fun with your new puppy!!

Edited November 13, 2009 by Tarnished

[Guest]

Miniature Daschunds are very energetic and curious dogs. They are quite clever too. The trick with min daschunds is lots and lots of patience, consistency, attention, and maturity. These are definitely not one for the kids. They get easily bored when left on their own which usually translates to chewing. These are dogs you will need to spend lots of time with - playing, walking, and the like.

I suggest crate training your min daschund. They are notoriously one of the hardest to potty train. My dog is another - a bichon frise. The crate helps 2 ways - it will aid in potty training and also it keeps him out of trouble when you're not watching him. He will learn to associate the crate with safety and rest - like it is his "den". You didn't mention how old the dog is. If he is only 2 months old or so, he can't stay in the crate for more than 3-4 hours at a time except at night-time. You can't leave him outside in the yard unsupervised either - they're barkers and diggers by nature and would get excited with the least provocation. If you're not completely paying him attention, you will need to put him in the crate close to you. Consistency is important for a daschund, therefore, you will need to establish the house rules at all times. He can't be left unsupervised to "break the rules" because it makes training him harder. Once he is trained, then he is a very loyal dog, very clever, and will give you years and years of fulfilling companionship.

Do some googling on crate training. Also, while you're at it, google clicker-training as well. I love clicker-training. It makes training much easier.

Send me PM's if you have more questions.

[Guest]

P.S. Dogs are pack animals. He will need to understand you are alpha-dog...

[beefche]

Watch Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan. Watch it faithfully.

[Tarnished]

I agree with the clicker training, best way to get a dog to learn the right thing right away.

[Guest Godless]

For real..protect electric cords. Our dog chewed through many lamp cords when a puppy.

I have that problem with my cat. I'll have to try that spray idea.

[Guest]

I have that problem with my cat. I'll have to try that spray idea.

Spray is good but it really doesn't correct the behavior. If it's not the electric cord, they'll move on to something else. There's a skit about how to correct behavior like this one in one of the clicker training websites. When I got more time, I'll go hunt it down. Of course you can correct behavior without a clicker too. I just found it easier with a clicker. I use a clicker for my bird too, so it's the same technique really among all my pets. I haven't tried it on the hamsters because they don't go freely around the house, but there are several videos out there of trick-trained hamsters using a clicker as well.

[Guest Godless]

Spray is good but it really doesn't correct the behavior. If it's not the electric cord, they'll move on to something else. There's a skit about how to correct behavior like this one in one of the clicker training websites. When I got more time, I'll go hunt it down. Of course you can correct behavior without a clicker too. I just found it easier with a clicker. I use a clicker for my bird too, so it's the same technique really among all my pets. I haven't tried it on the hamsters because they don't go freely around the house, but there are several videos out there of trick-trained hamsters using a clicker as well.

Eh, I've given up on behavior correction with that one (she's insanely cute, but really dumb). I'd be happy enough just to find a good deterrent.

[Dravin]

You know cord chewing when done on a live cord can be a self limiting problem.

[applepansy]

Get a spray water bottle. Sit away from whatever you don't want him to get into, chew on, etc. Every time he starts to get in trouble, squirt him. You're far enough away he'll never associate you with getting squirted. He will think the garbage or the power cord did it. It doesn't take long.

Love him!

Enjoy!

[NeuroTypical]

Jeez - all this focus on the DONT's - what about the DO's for this poor puppy!

Surround him with things that he can destroy without upsetting anyone.

[Bini]

Guess what!!!

I got a puppy.

And while I already love him very very much, he's frustrating the heck out of me. I'm trying to be patient, but BOY, this is a lot of work, but it'll be worth it in the end right?

I got a miniature dachshund male. a little weiner dog. his name is stretch. (it was supposed to be toby...then milo. i settled on stretch today). I've had him for 24 hours now.

here's where you and advice come in

what is your BEST suggestion for new dog owners? i've gotten a lot of advice from a lot of people...but what's your advice?

Hoping you got this boy from a shelter or rescue but if not, your reputable breeder should have gone over "need to know" tidbits regarding this particular breed and provided you with a puppy care pack. If you find yourself having a lot of questions, call your breeder up and get answers. This should really be done prior to getting any dog.

There's already been some good advice given. I'll just add that this breed is notorious for back and spine problems. So be assertive in how people handle him. This breed also gains weight easily, so ensure he's on a good diet that is advised by your Vet. But stay away from Science Diet even if it's your Vet that hands it to you!

Best of luck! Having a furry companion is great :]

[CopenKagan]

Congrats on the new puppy, my wife and I have a 5 month old beagle. She is a nightmare sometimes, but she is really a sweet, loving dog.

My biggest piece of advice is to not let her fall into any bad habits. When we first got our puppy, my wife had a glass of water and she helped herself to sticking her head into the glass and getting a drink. We thought it was hilarious at the time, but it turned into a problem real quick. She's pretty much broken of it now, but it wasn't a good idea for us to let her to begin with.

Good luck! Just use patience with him, trust me, you're going to need it. :)

[annamaureen]

If he's doing something bad, don't chalk it up to just a "puppy thing" or let him get away with it! Train him to behave correctly. You're the boss.

[CopenKagan]

If he's doing something bad, don't chalk it up to just a "puppy thing" or let him get away with it! Train him to behave correctly. You're the boss.

You hit the nail on the head. So many times will my wife say, "It's just the puppy in her, she will get over it." I've owned enough dogs in my life to know that this is not the case.

Train them early to prevent them from developing habits that you will need to break them from later on down the road.

[Lbybug]

your guys' advice has been awesome keep it coming!

i got a crate today after work for him, and he already seems to enjoy it. i put his toys in there so he gets used to it being a 'good" place, and he keeps going in and out of it to get used to it. (some advice a friend gave).

i also got him a bunch of new toys to play with...things he's allowed to chew on. if he starts chewing something he shouldn't, i divert his attention with a new toy he's allowed to chew on. he loves the squeekers. i can deal with the noise as long as he's being distracted. he's sure wearing himself out with them!

i kept him in the bathroom while i was at work, and when i got home he seemed fine enough. he peed and pooped in there (i figured that would happen as i was gone for 8 hours, and he's still a puppy), but as soon as i got home i took him outside to go to the bathroom. he whined and whined cause he just wanted to play but i didnt' give up and get frustrated. and he pooped!!! he tried to get him to pee, but he wouldn't. we came back inside and i saw some of his pee "triggers" and took him outside again. and he peed!!!! i gave him lots of praise both times he did the right bathroom behaviour. now just to keep it up.

i've only been home for an hour, but already things are going so much better. i'm just so much more happy with him today than i was yesterday. things are looking up. *knock on wood*