Help me be a great puppy mom!
February 4, 2010 5:52 PM Subscribe
New puppy, lots of questions!
I lost my female doberman in December, and finally decided last week it was time to get my dog family back up to 2 members. I adopted Nick, a assumed-to-be 12 to 14 week old schnauzer mix from the SPCA. He's cute as hell, seems to be very smart, and is getting along great with my senior male dobe, Ike. He's already crate trained, and has no accidents in his crate at all. He's about 10 pounds, and is ALL legs.
I've always had dogs, but they have a)always been dobermans and b)I have always adopted them as adults. Small fuzzy puppy is a whole new ballgame for me, so I have some questions.
1) Housetraining - we've got the crate training part down pat, and he definitely understands that outside and grass = pee and poop. Having the older dog has helped, I think, since he follows him around and basically does whatever he does. However, despite keeping him in the same small room with me whenever I'm home, he is pretty consistently having accidents. When I see him about to pee/poop, I say 'No' and immediately pick him up and bring him outside. He then proceeds to do his business, and gets lots of praise. My question is, how do I teach him to let me know when he needs to go? The bell on the door idea sounds great in theory, but we hang out in my office in the evenings when I'm home so that I can watch him. He can't very well run to the back door when he's in the office with me, so.....? Also, at roughly what age should I expect him to stop having accidents?
2) Submissive peeing? Even if he's recently been outside, he will often squat and pee when someone bends down to pet him. He seems super outgoing and not scared of new people at all, but new person almost always = pee on the floor. He even does it with my husband and I sometimes. Is this something I need to be concerned about, or is this just a young puppy thing? We'll be starting puppy obedience/socialization classes once he's finished his last set of shots, but that's not until early March.
3) Neutering - What is the best age to get him neutered? I have been a rescue volunteer for years, and we always alter puppies ASAP to guarantee it's done before the dog gets adopted, but is this ideal? His testicles have dropped, but he has not started lifting his leg. Is there an ideal age for a young male puppy? I see conflicting advice ranging from "as soon as possible" to "let them get a little testosterone in their systems first". He has tried to hump my doberman twice, which I corrected him for (while laughing). My dobe was not amused. :)
4) After he's tuckered himself out playing, he really, really likes to be in my lap. He usually will sit and watch me on the computer, or curl into a ball and sleep. Is it wrong to coddle him and let him be in my lap so much? He's lap-size now (barely), but I expect he'll top out around 20 pounds, and I don't want to start any bad habits.
5) Any other puppy and/or schnauzerish tips would be greatly appreciated! I've probably fostered and rehabbed 100+ dobermans, but this small fuzzy guy has me fretting like a new mom!
I lost my female doberman in December, and finally decided last week it was time to get my dog family back up to 2 members. I adopted Nick, a assumed-to-be 12 to 14 week old schnauzer mix from the SPCA. He's cute as hell, seems to be very smart, and is getting along great with my senior male dobe, Ike. He's already crate trained, and has no accidents in his crate at all. He's about 10 pounds, and is ALL legs.
I've always had dogs, but they have a)always been dobermans and b)I have always adopted them as adults. Small fuzzy puppy is a whole new ballgame for me, so I have some questions.
1) Housetraining - we've got the crate training part down pat, and he definitely understands that outside and grass = pee and poop. Having the older dog has helped, I think, since he follows him around and basically does whatever he does. However, despite keeping him in the same small room with me whenever I'm home, he is pretty consistently having accidents. When I see him about to pee/poop, I say 'No' and immediately pick him up and bring him outside. He then proceeds to do his business, and gets lots of praise. My question is, how do I teach him to let me know when he needs to go? The bell on the door idea sounds great in theory, but we hang out in my office in the evenings when I'm home so that I can watch him. He can't very well run to the back door when he's in the office with me, so.....? Also, at roughly what age should I expect him to stop having accidents?
2) Submissive peeing? Even if he's recently been outside, he will often squat and pee when someone bends down to pet him. He seems super outgoing and not scared of new people at all, but new person almost always = pee on the floor. He even does it with my husband and I sometimes. Is this something I need to be concerned about, or is this just a young puppy thing? We'll be starting puppy obedience/socialization classes once he's finished his last set of shots, but that's not until early March.
3) Neutering - What is the best age to get him neutered? I have been a rescue volunteer for years, and we always alter puppies ASAP to guarantee it's done before the dog gets adopted, but is this ideal? His testicles have dropped, but he has not started lifting his leg. Is there an ideal age for a young male puppy? I see conflicting advice ranging from "as soon as possible" to "let them get a little testosterone in their systems first". He has tried to hump my doberman twice, which I corrected him for (while laughing). My dobe was not amused. :)
4) After he's tuckered himself out playing, he really, really likes to be in my lap. He usually will sit and watch me on the computer, or curl into a ball and sleep. Is it wrong to coddle him and let him be in my lap so much? He's lap-size now (barely), but I expect he'll top out around 20 pounds, and I don't want to start any bad habits.
5) Any other puppy and/or schnauzerish tips would be greatly appreciated! I've probably fostered and rehabbed 100+ dobermans, but this small fuzzy guy has me fretting like a new mom!
How often do you take him out? The rule of thumb I've always heard is that a puppy can hold it for as many hours as they are months old. So your puppy should probably be taken out every 3-4 hours.
posted by chiababe at 6:13 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by chiababe at 6:13 PM on February 4, 2010
1) My mini schnauzer wasn't totally accident-free until she was about a year and a half old BUT I think that is older than normal...we live up 4 flights and don't have a yard, so she probably didn't go out as much as she was supposed to. Still, 12-14 weeks is still super young for him to have no accidents, so I wouldn't worry. Maybe, though, when you're in the office, there can be a "going outside" signal that the dog does by just sitting next to the door. So for now, whenever you see him hanging out near the door, immediately take him outside. Hopefully he'll learn that if he wants to go out, he can sit by the door!
2) Sadly, my dog still does this, but none of the other schnauzers I know do it. For my girl, I just tell visitors to NOT LEAN OVER my dog when they greet her. Instead, they have to just walk in and ignore her, until she comes to them, and hopefully not even acknowledge her until she has calmed down a lot. Or, they can kneel on the ground and wait for her to approach. It's still probably hard for a little puppy to contain his excitement when there's a new person around, but this might lessen the issue for now.
3) (This I don't know anything about.)
4) This isn't "wrong", but I don't think it's a good idea - it seems like the natural consequence of letting Nick nap on your lap will be that when he has to nap elsewhere, he'll cry and whine. It's unbearably cute though, and I probably let it happen too often with my own dog.
5) Hurray! Enjoy the new puppy!!!
posted by violetish at 6:37 PM on February 4, 2010
2) Sadly, my dog still does this, but none of the other schnauzers I know do it. For my girl, I just tell visitors to NOT LEAN OVER my dog when they greet her. Instead, they have to just walk in and ignore her, until she comes to them, and hopefully not even acknowledge her until she has calmed down a lot. Or, they can kneel on the ground and wait for her to approach. It's still probably hard for a little puppy to contain his excitement when there's a new person around, but this might lessen the issue for now.
3) (This I don't know anything about.)
4) This isn't "wrong", but I don't think it's a good idea - it seems like the natural consequence of letting Nick nap on your lap will be that when he has to nap elsewhere, he'll cry and whine. It's unbearably cute though, and I probably let it happen too often with my own dog.
5) Hurray! Enjoy the new puppy!!!
posted by violetish at 6:37 PM on February 4, 2010
One way to make sure he doesn't pee in the house is to put a leash on him and attach it to you so he's always with you. This serves 2 purposes, you can keep an eye on him (he shouldn't be left alone at this age) and it'll help him bond to you more than the other do (important becaue you want to be the boss not the the other dog). And like chibabe said, he'll need to be taken out more until he figures out some way to alert you to his needs.
As far as lap sitting goes, we have a 40 lb. lapdog. When we got him he was a mere 10 pounds. His Superhero name is The Cuddler. We wouldn't have him any other way.
Sorry to hear about the submissive peeing. I have no advice about it. The dog next door was like this and I always felt bad for the poor dog. Hopefully Nick will gain some confidence from the older dog and grow out of it. I'd definitely ask the vet about this.
posted by wherever, whatever at 6:39 PM on February 4, 2010
As far as lap sitting goes, we have a 40 lb. lapdog. When we got him he was a mere 10 pounds. His Superhero name is The Cuddler. We wouldn't have him any other way.
Sorry to hear about the submissive peeing. I have no advice about it. The dog next door was like this and I always felt bad for the poor dog. Hopefully Nick will gain some confidence from the older dog and grow out of it. I'd definitely ask the vet about this.
posted by wherever, whatever at 6:39 PM on February 4, 2010
Pick up Ian Dunbar's "Before and After Getting Your Puppy." LOTS of great tips and reminders for socialization with humans and other dogs, training habits, little games, etc.
posted by barnone at 6:53 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by barnone at 6:53 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Many of my family's various dogs over the years have been submissive pee-ers. I'm sorry; it really sucks. One dog has never really gotten over it, but we got him as an adult and he's an insanely stupid dog. The two younger dogs had it a little bit as puppies but they've grown out of it now. Hopefully your puppy will grow out of it, but the best remedy I've found is to make a big production when you come home every day. When we coo and holler and jump around with our dogs that's when they tend to submissive pee, while they do much better when they get a very subdued greeting. With our older, crazy dog it really helps to wait for him to approach us -- he doesn't get pet until he walks up to our hand and touches us. That way he knows what's going to happen and doesn't get startled and then pee.
posted by lilac girl at 6:56 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by lilac girl at 6:56 PM on February 4, 2010
I've heard (anecdotally) that if you fix male dogs too early, they never learn to lift their legs.
posted by radioamy at 7:18 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by radioamy at 7:18 PM on February 4, 2010
Our dog was neutered before he was 8 weeks old (before we got him) and he raises his leg to pee. Not sure how he figured out how to do it since his only reference was our female dog. I think it's instinctive. They either do or they don't.
posted by wherever, whatever at 7:30 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by wherever, whatever at 7:30 PM on February 4, 2010
My all-time favorite resource for dog-training advice. She addresses crating, housetraining and submissive peeing (scroll down). There may be some stuff on there about neutering too.
My Boston terrier is 27 lbs (!!) and personally, I wish he'd sit on my lap more. Even at that size he's not too big.
Yay for puppies.
posted by Brittanie at 8:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
My Boston terrier is 27 lbs (!!) and personally, I wish he'd sit on my lap more. Even at that size he's not too big.
Yay for puppies.
posted by Brittanie at 8:25 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
i love the book 'how to be your dog's best friend' by the monks of new skete. their puppy-specific book isn't as good, but still helpful.
posted by rmd1023 at 4:31 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by rmd1023 at 4:31 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've heard (anecdotally) that if you fix male dogs too early, they never learn to lift their legs.
posted by radioamy
Perhaps that's true in some cases, but our dog is a counterexample. We got him neutered at ~3 months (we aren't sure exactly since he was a rescue), and he had never lifted his leg at that time. It was several months more before he started lifting it.
posted by JMOZ at 5:46 AM on February 5, 2010
posted by radioamy
Perhaps that's true in some cases, but our dog is a counterexample. We got him neutered at ~3 months (we aren't sure exactly since he was a rescue), and he had never lifted his leg at that time. It was several months more before he started lifting it.
posted by JMOZ at 5:46 AM on February 5, 2010
I hung a few strings of mardi gras beads around the doorknob. When my girl needs to go out, she noses them. I can hear the rattle throughout the house (it's a small house) and the beads are portable so they come with us when we travel.
Don't stress about submissive peeing. They grow out of it. Ask people to ignore your dog until he's calmed down, and never let them get all it's a puppy! about your dog. Ask them to greet your dog calmly (people are lousy listeners - this is easier said than done.)
I'll skip the neutering question because I can't help there. I wouldn't worry about letting your pup cuddle with you, especially if you plan to continue to let him cuddle as an adult.
Oh, and hooray for shelter puppies!
posted by workerant at 12:49 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Don't stress about submissive peeing. They grow out of it. Ask people to ignore your dog until he's calmed down, and never let them get all it's a puppy! about your dog. Ask them to greet your dog calmly (people are lousy listeners - this is easier said than done.)
I'll skip the neutering question because I can't help there. I wouldn't worry about letting your pup cuddle with you, especially if you plan to continue to let him cuddle as an adult.
Oh, and hooray for shelter puppies!
posted by workerant at 12:49 PM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
With one of my dogs I went with the lifting him up to take him outside route and it seemed to have cemented in his little puppy brain that when he needs to go to the bathroom, magic hands will descend from the sky to take him to the right place to go. He knew that going outside was the key to getting treats and praise but he didn't really piece together how to get outside short of peeing a little and having us take him. Try leashing your puppy up and leading him in a brisk jog to the outdoors instead of carrying him and pre-emptively take him after meals, drinking water, after a nap, or after a playtime.
posted by hindmost at 1:21 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by hindmost at 1:21 PM on February 5, 2010
About the neutering question: there's some orthopedic concern that neutering a dog too early can lead to skeletal problems. Developing sex hormones signal the growth plates to close, so a dog who's neutered before puberty gets a skinnier, leggier, less stable skeleton. This is a very big deal for big, slow-maturing dogs subject to joint problems. It might be less significant for a little guy like Nick.
Most vets I've talked to seem to think that individual dogs are better served by waiting till they're mature. (Even so, from a public-health perspective many of those same vets advocate early neutering, preferably before placement, because new owners can't always be relied on to carry out the surgery.)
posted by tangerine at 4:27 PM on February 5, 2010
Most vets I've talked to seem to think that individual dogs are better served by waiting till they're mature. (Even so, from a public-health perspective many of those same vets advocate early neutering, preferably before placement, because new owners can't always be relied on to carry out the surgery.)
posted by tangerine at 4:27 PM on February 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dick Laurent is Dead at 6:01 PM on February 4, 2010