Stubborn Puppy?

Question

My wife & I have a cute lil black n' white Cocker Spaniel. She's about 11-12 weeks old now. We're having a hard time training her to go potty outside (meaning letting us know when she needs to go potty). She also bites the crap out of ya, but only us not someone she doesn't know so I guess that's good, right? We keep her in a crate at night or when we leave. We just started putting her outside on a leash & then we'll bring her inside to eat, etc. We don't want her to be a complete outside dog but we want her to respect our furniture & belongings. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Get her into training because especially at her age she can be broken of those very bad habits. It is never okay for a dog to bite. Not you, not anybody else. Putting her outside to protect your furniture and belongings will eventually create more problems than it will solve. Puppies need a lot of human intervention to train appropriately to go outside. It isn't the puppy's fault that she is not trained. It won't be yours either if you get her into training.
Some things that help with potty training, very close supervision at first. Take her out frequently and watch her when she is not in the crate. If she starts to circle or sniff like a dog usually does when they are about to go, scoop her up quickly and take her outside to an area where she is expected to go. Praise her each time she does her business outside.
Beyond this, take her out every couple of hrs regularly until her last potty just before you go to bed. Then first thing in the a.m. take her out. Don't let her walk thru the house or she may pee on the way. If she whines in the middle of the night take her out.
She will get more control over her bladder as she gets a few mos. older.
Then you can lengthen the time out of the crate and eventually she won't need constant supervision.
Leaving her on a leash outside is dangerous and will create possible destructive behavior like chewing thru the leash, biting on the house, barking excessively etc. She will be miserable.
Work with a trainer for problem solving anything that isn't working and work with that trainer on how to take control of your dog and stop the biting. GL with your puppy!

Answer 2

first, she is a puppy; if you are having a hard time it is b/c you are not paying enough attention and/or investing time; puppies are not use to leashes if the breeder didn't train them to get use to them; expect things to happen just like you do a child; if you give a toddler a crayon and no supervision, your walls will have pictures on them; same with the puppy, if you are not watching her at all times until trained, oops there goes your furniture and belongings; just b/c you train the pup to go outside doesn't mean that it will be an outdoor dog just a dog you goes outside to do his business; biting is common, it is how the mom and pups played and learned from each other but the Mom and pups would let the puppy know when the line was crossed; she can't be expected to hold herself for long periods, I would say 2 hours at best; take her out often, praise when she goes; don't use pads in the house; watch and learn her behavior , circling, excessive sniffing is a sign , take her outside; respect comes with proper training, time and patience; the better trainer that you are, the better she will be; supervise her , don't allow her to wander out of your sight that is an accident waiting to happen; you don't have to tie her outside , that's not training , that's laziness; if you want a great dog, invest yourself in her training.

Answer 3

Puppies have no physical control over elimination until they are at least 16 weeks old. Right now, you are fighting natural development. She won't tell you she needs to go outside until she understands that is where she is supposed to eliminate.

I think that keeping her outside so much is a big mistake. It is vital that she be indoors now for socialization and learning manners as well as for housetraining. How can she learn to not eliminate indoors if she is never there?

Crating is an excellent way to train her. Keep her confined when you are not able to supervise her. Take her outside frequently (probably 10 times a day) and on schedule. Stay out with her so that you can reward her for eliminating outside. If you see her starting to eliminate indoors, clap your hands to interupt her and rush her out. If you find an accident but didn't see her in the act, do not punish her. She will think she is in trouble for whatever she is doing at the moment, not what she did in the past.

It takes about one year to housetrain a pup. You have a long road ahead of you, so hang in there!

Answer 4

I had the same problem when i got my puppy. When you put her in her crate, leave dog toys in there so she has something to chew on. Also try leaving her toys in the house in one specific area, this way she will know whats her's and what she can chew up. As far as "potty training", its pretty difficult and takes time. If she makes a mess in the house, make her look at it and tell her very firmly NO. Then put her in her crate-make sure she doesn't have to go anymore first. I am not very fond of spanking dogs but my neighbor does and thier dog is very obedient, but only out of fear. If your going to spank her, make sure that you dont hurt her. Just let her know that what she did is wrong. It's okay to let her sleep in a crate but if she is able not to make any messes at night, get her a dog bed and let her sleep on your bedroom floor. Doing this without messes may take some tim. And if all else fails, sign her up for training at PetsMart. The course is usually 8 weeks long though. Good Luck!!! And remember to be pacient

Answer 5

i have to say we still have problems with our dachshunds that are 7 months but i know the best thing is to watch if you spot it sniffing take it out. Treats....they usually learn quicker if there is something they like involved. take it outside and if she goes give her a treat. Good luck and it does sound adorable.... i love cocker spaniels.

Answer 6

My puppy was like that when she was younger, I thought she would never get toilet trained or stop biting, but she grew out of it an now she goes out by herself =)

Answer 7

Have a look at the website below for loads of pup info and advice

Answer 8

Don't leave her in the crate at night - she's probably afraid alone. She needs to know there's someone with her.