Barking, weeing, impacient puppy

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Naja
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:13 pm
Location: Denmark

Barking, weeing, impacient puppy

Post by Naja »

Hello. We just bought a rhodesian ridgeback puppy. She's now 13 weeks old and already sleeping alone in the hall :) . She has started weeing in the living room under the grand piano even though she's used to wee in the hall on news papers, if we're not paying attention. We're trying our best to keep an eye on her at all times, but it slips once in a while. She usually goes after playing in the living room.

She has also started to bark a lot, and when she barks we tell her not to by saying "ah ah" and we're looking angry, but that just makes her barke even more - as if we're playing.

She's very impatient and only settles down, when we sit down on the floor with her on our legs. Only then she falls asleep. We cannot keep doing this.

What shall we do? What are we doing wrong?


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emmabeth
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Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
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Post by emmabeth »

Ok,

Shes still very very much a baby.

I think you would be better off training her just to go outside, training her to go on teh paper is just making an extra job for yourself, as you still have to train her to go outside in the end.

Be even more vigilant with her, take her (not put, take!), outside, every hour, after meals, drinks, play, sleep. Stay out five or ten minutes and have her on a long light leash (this takes care of leash training too), and just stand there, saying and doing nothing, when she toilets, praise and treat really well.

She will then WANT to go outside because you treat her, and she will want to go outside infront of you, because otherwise theres no one to hand out treats.

When she is really obviously waiting to go and wanting you to take her out to go (not for a few weeks yet), start to introduce a command, (preferably not someting you use in every day conversation, but equally not something you will feel silly repeating in public!), and say that word AS she wees until she associates that word with weeing/pooping.

After a few more weeks you should then be ablet o take her out, say the word and thats her cue to relieve herself, you reward her hten she can have a game. Then you have a dog who toilets in the garden immediately you take her out, and doesnt play around or hang on for ages so she gets longer outside.

If you do catch her going inside, get her out really fast if ou can, if NOT, just clean it up with something non ammonia based, and chalk it up to experience. Shouting at her will just teach her not to go in front of you, and to sneak off to do it, or do it in places htat are hard to find.

As for barking, clearly she thinks you saying 'ah ah' is a game, you bark, she barks, she barks you bark at her more.... woo! great fun.

If shes barking at you for attention then she probably needs more than she is getting - look at the clicker training thread, she is plenty old enough to learn lots of things now, sit, down, recall, paw, leave, wait, drop.... Occupy her brain with those things and she will demand less of you.

If shes barking, at you, say nothing and leave the room - barky dogs mean people leave!

If shes barking at something else, try to pre empt that and distract her, and if you cant then ignore her, go and do something really rustly and interesting to puppies in another room.

Try not to leave her with spare time to sit around looking for things to bark at!

Its not surprising she likes to settle down with you on the floor with her, she has spent most of her life with a whole heap of litter mates who would sleep in a big pile with her, of course she is more secure and relaxed with people close to her.

Consider allowing her on the furniture, on your say so (so invite only, have to get off when told to), Or get some nice squishy floor cushions and enjoy time down on the floor with her - dont personally think its fair to deny sofatime AND cuddles on the floor, if you dont want your dog on the furniture thats fair enough, but the compromise is you spend more time on the floor.

I like my sofa, so i share it with my dogs - they do all have to get off when asked to though! (and they do).

Hope this helps,

Em
Dibbythedog
Posts: 214
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:08 pm
Location: Middlesex West London

Post by Dibbythedog »

I agree with Emma beth. Do away with the newspapers and train her to go otuside. Its less confusing for her. You will need to be very vigilant and watch for the signs that she is about to go.
Alison
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