First Dog !!!!!!!!HELP!!!!!!?

Question

Recently I just got my first dog and she is a puppy (8 months old). She is a {part Doberman & Pit Bull}, mostly Doberman. I am asking any dog owner for advice and tips for anything. (potty training, behavior, feeding, etc).

I have one problem. When I am not home she tends to get on the furniture and sit there. I know she knows better because when I am home she doesn't do this. What can I do to stop it? Also she knows to go use the bathroom downstairs. I set out newspaper and sometimes she'll use the paper and other times she wont. What can I do to get her to use the bathroom on the paper?

what is spayed?

Answer 1

We put those little toddler barriers so the dogs dont go in the living room...you can get them at a baby store or target. They are pretty cheap too. Also does your dog have a dog bed, they would be less likely to go on the couch if they have their own bed. It will look like they won't use the bed but believe me they do when no one is there or looking!

As for the pee, whenever she goes somewhere other then the newspaper rub her nose in that pee...omg they hate it so they learn to only do it on the newspaper.

Answer 2

Crate train your dog.
You hae a very headstrong assertive dominant breed of dog and it is going to need much training. Firm and consistant training. Get into a class now. Get her spayed.
At 8 months old she should not be using papers in the house for the bathroom. She can hold her bladder and has control take her out more often and get rid of the newspaper or puppy training pads or you will have them forever.
I never paper train puppys as it teaches them it is ok to go in the house as long as you do it on paper. Not good with big dogs and a 8 months she is almost full grown.
Get after her for going in the house and take her out often about every two hours or so.
As far as the furniture she should be crated or kept in one room when you are gone so she can not get into anything that could hurt her. I use a baby gate and keep mine in the kitchen.

Answer 3

How often are you away from home? If you are away a lot then house training is going to be very difficult. Maybe you should get a petsitter if you are away a lot? I believe that if the dog has an accident in the house it is the owners fault for not letting them out in time. Annoying but true.

Paper training is useless. If the pup learns to pee on newspaper then she'll have to learn all over again to go outside. So effectively you are housetraining her twice. Plus she might think that as long as her front feet are on the paper then she is doing it right... so then you get her peeing next to the paper- D'oh!

DO NOT rub her face in it. Dogs have VERY short attention spans and unless you catch her in the act she will have no idea what you're punishing her for. If you catch her peeing inside, give a firm "NO" and quickly take her outside and when she pees outside give her lots and lots of praise. Try to train her to go on command "be clean" or "do your business" or something like that. When you see her going for a pee outside, say the command and praise her... she'll eventually learn to pee when you say the word which makes winter walkies so much easier. And do keep in mind she is only young. If she has a lot of doberman in her she probably won't be fully grown until 15 months... which means her bladder won't be fully grown either! An adult dog can hold it in for up to 8 hours (but would be fairly uncomfortable) so just imagine how long you could go without peeing for when you were 8 years old... not all that long. So be consistent and be gentle and praise praise praise when she gets it right.

Answer 4

Have a time when your dog goes outside. Every four hours to be exact (when your home do this). Take her outside right away in the morning. I am not sure on feeding but we do feed our Rottweiler two times a day. When you buy food make sure that you talk to your vet before buying it. Make sure it's the right brand and it's soft enough for your dog's teeth (that's why you talk to your vet.) On the back of the back it should list how much they get feed, if it doesn't talk to your vet about proper feeding. Don't jog your dog's feeding time around. Meaning always feed your puppy at the same time each day. I read on the internet, actually on Yahoo! Answers (thanks to the person who wrote this answer it has really helped me out and I tell everyone with a female dog to do this!)quote: put a teaspoon of cidar vinegar in your female dogs water everytime you change it, it neutralises the acid in the urine and doesn't burn your grass/ lawn so much. If you live in a big city (and even if you don't) and you want your dog to be friendly take her jfor walks around town and let different people pet her. This will get her use to being around different people and will help her be a nice dog when she grows up. Pit Bulls are actully really nice dogs if treated the right way, same with rottweilers. I have a simple answer and solution that will keep your dog nice for the rest of their live, treat them how you want to be treated. Dogs love attention and effection so every free second that you got love and be around her. You might also want to concider bring her to a day dog care center or friends house during the day until she gets older. Until she's potty trained, the day dog care center or your friend can look after her and teach her potty training skills. Since you work this might help her with her potty training. I am guessing the reason why she goes and sits on the couch while your gone is because she misses you during the day. The day dog care center or a friend house during the day might allow help on this. Hope I helped some! Good luck with your new dog!!! Oh and spayed is making it so she can't have puppies, if you don't want anymore dogs do this!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Puppy needs to go out more. For the first year, she needs to be out at least every 4 hours. Has she been spayed yet? She's still young enough.
There is a spray you can get at the pet stores which is excellent for keeping dogs off furniture. There is also another spray that when put on papers will get the dog to want to "go" there.

Now for you! Look in the TV Chanel guide and find a show called Dog Whisperer". The man is a genius! He also has a web site under Dog Whisperer. There is so much you can learn from both the TV show and the web site.

Answer 6

I agree crate training is the best but you have to use it all the time not today and then you forget tomorrow. as far as the news paper they say if you leave some waste on the newspaper it will remind them to go there personally newspaper breaking grosses me out but that is just me alot of people have to do it because they are gone all day at work. when your dog goes to the potty in the house show them what they did scold them and make them go sit on the paper for a few minutes eventually they will get the point and reward them when they go on there own.

Answer 7

I have a doberman and also a pit. be ready for a dog that "knows it all" My doberman is really relaxed, but LOVES to run. Good luck when she gets loose. However, she will be the most loving dog you will probably ever own. be sure you get her on a regular feeding schedule. and take her out regularly too.*Take her to the same place each time.* at 8 mon. old it's a little harder to potty train but be patient. don't rub her nose in it either, you'll just have a stinky dog. try crate training, most dogs don't pee where they sleep. my pit did at first, but a few mon. later she's all good. pits also are know to chew on EVERYTHING!!! so crate training is your best bet. Try to find a good trainer too, she will be a strong dog leash train her asap! Good Luck!

Answer 8

I would recommend crate training as well. It will be hard at first, but it will pay off big in the end. Expect her to cry and maybe bark. (hopefully you aren't in an apt.) Make sure and get a crate big enough so she can turn around and stand up, but not any bigger. It is not cruel as long as you don't leave her in there for too longer. They key is to get her to want to hold her bladder. Her crate will become her "safe place" where she will go when she is scared, wants to be alone, or is tired. She won't want to soil her crate, so she will want to go outside. Realize that she is a baby and won't be able to hold her bladder for too long at first. Her muscles need to get stronger. Make sure when you do get her out of the crate you take her directly to where you want her to potty. Carry her, don't let her walk because she might get confused and go on the way. Praise her and give her lots of love or even a treat!
The crate will help with the furniture problem too. Check with your veterinarian...I'm sure they can give you more info. on crate training. Good luck!

Answer 9

You could put up a pet gate and keep her isolated when you are away...not allowing her access to the whole house. This would help her use the papers because she would want her area clean.
It would also keep her off your furniture when you aren't home. I would suggest a downstairs bathroom or kitchen for this purpose. You would have to get her a dog bed for this area so she has something soft to lay on and, of course, you would put her food and water bowls there as well.

Answer 10

I would definitely crate train her. It's not cruel, it saves both of you heartache. She won't get into trouble and you don't have to worry about unexpected accidents. We are in the process of crate training 2 puppies, 3 mths, and it's a blessing.

I would also suggest a basic obedience class, especially with such a strong dog.

Just don't give up on her. With our first dog, she's 5 yrs now, I thought she would never sleep or go potty outside and now she's a lazy, lovey, fairly well trained pup!