Our new puppy (1 Viewer)

We brought him home on the 12th, he was born 09/10/2008. He's a Snoxie, part Dachshund, part Mini Schnauzer. He'll grow to about 10-12lbs, nice and small. His name is Truffles.









Any tips on house breaking would be great. Currently we have him in the living room in a 4'x4' play pen and he sleeps in a small crate at night. We are trying to house break him but it's tough, he likes to go in his pen and not outside. We have some special drops that are supposed to aid in training but there not working too well. I realize he is very young (9 weeks). I took the door off the crate but I think from here on out I'll lock him in it at night so if he goes, it'll be right where he sleeps, hopefully this will start to help.

Thanks for any suggestions.

That's way too big while you are trying to housebreak him. At times when you cannot keep an eye on him 100% of the time he should be confined to a space that basically is big enough for him to sit up, lay down, and turn around. That's it. We recently got a Jack Russell puppy and while housebreaking him, we only gave him crate space which was about 18 inches wide and 6 inches deep (it's an 18 inch wide crate with an adjustable wall inside to limit space).

Dogs will do all they can not to soil the space they lay in.

Also, get some spray such as "Out!" that is specifically designed to get rid of pet urine odors. If he happens to go in the house, clean it well because if the dog can smell any residule odor of urine at all, they'll be tempted to soil the space again.

It takes a while, but if you cage him when you cannot watch him 100% of the time and praise him when he does go in his designated space outside it will be a relatively easy process. But it can take a month or two.

Also, if you don't actually catch him in the act of soiling inside, don't use any form of correction. You need to actually catch him in the act, then you can apply a firm "No!" and quickly carry him outside to finish-- then praise him.

Really cute puppy by the way!

Miniature dachsunds can take up to a year to house-train, based on my family's experience So depending on how much Doxie is in a Snoxie, you may have your work cut out for you

But that's a cute little pup. (My wife wants a Havanese, so we might have a dog in a few months...)

Here's a picture of our Jack Russell we got back in August. She only weighed about 2lbs when we got her. Her name is Indy.

Must not let wife see this thread!

Got a black lab a few weeks ago, born 9/7/08, named her Kai. My first experience with a puppy, and with a breed this size.

Previously owned an Italian Greyhound, got her at seven months so the basics were already done.

Definitely agree with the crate solution. We're going on four weeks since I brought her home and not one mess in the crate. The rest of the house, not so good. Luckily she likes the kitchen and throw rugs, all easily cleaned.

As Bryan mentioned, must be watched 100% of the time, or else into the crate. I've discovered that any freedom this soon always turns into something I regret.

I recognize her patterns and always take her outside after meals, a nap, playtime, first thing in the morning, etc. Constantly praising her and hoping it sinks in. But she's young, still learning and sometimes just "goes" before we even reach the door.

Good luck with things, I know what you're going through. Please be patient, toy breeds, especially males can be a little more challenging. But it's worth it.

Doing the crate, what if he messes in his crate in the middle of the night? Do I get up and clean it or let him whine it out and deal with him and the mess in the morning?

If you were to wake up in the morning and see he's soiled his crate, the only thing you can do is clean it. Don't try to scold the puppy at this point. A puppy can't associate a scolding with something that happened prior. Corrections (and praise) have to be given during the act you want to correct or praise.

With a name like "Ron-P", why didn't you name him "Romp-P"?

I'm afraid your new puppy won't grow up to be a threat to little Dukie, whom I adopted last May.



Dukie was about 2.5 years old when I adopted him from a shelter. IIUC he had a family but then was abandoned onto the street. He was a little "rough" when I first took him but has subsequently calmed down a lot.

I think Jonny Angell and I would agree that it's nice to adopt an older abandoned pet. They are much harder to place than a puppy/kitten. Plus when I brought Dukie home, all I had to do was turn him loose in the house and he found and used the litter box in a matter of minutes. No accidents in the last six months.

Brian is giving good advise on house training. We did just about the same way, except for one minor detail. The first night Beth (the dog) slept under my armpit. Now she sleeps in between us every night. Here is a picture of my Fathers Day present a year ago:

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Cute dog, Dave. What kind is she?

It is tempting to let Indy sleep with us. We did our prior dog (a mixed breed). But Indy, being a Jack Russell, is pretty strong-willed and I don't want to encourage any dominance issues.

Cute pup! I've never housebroken a puppy, it seems like a daunting task. I've always adopted adult already housebroken dogs.

Well, we had a very successful night. We locked him in his crate at 9:30 and he slept the night through until we got up at 5am to take him out to do his business.

But yes Philip, it is quite a task, one that requires a lot of patience. I've never done crate trained a puppy before but so far it really seems to be the way to go, it's working out very well.

She is a Chiwawaand I don't know how she fits all her personality and energy into such a small creature. As far as dominance goes, I never let her win a tug-of-war and if she bothers me while I am eating, I give her a good growl that will send her into the next room.

She loves to play. Our older cat "Chumpo" is the Garfield type and doesn't put up with her very long. After a couple good right and left hooks to the head, beth will find something else to do. We got a kitten (Jack) a few months after we got Beth and being as they grew up together, they both have a little identity issues. I have seen Beth swat at the cat and I have seen the cat nip at the dogs heels while they run around the house.

Ron,
It took a few months for Beth to be mostly trained. She did well except for rainy days. She hates getting wet. We also have a pet door that allows them to go in and out as they like. Living out in the country there is not much of an issue with them getting in to trouble.

I think you are right, Ron. It generally is the best way to go. Our previous dog, we didn't crate train and, in hindsight, that was a big mistake. We're doing quite a few things differently with this one and it's working out much better than last time. Live and learn.

Are there any coyotes or birds of prey in your neck of the woods? If so, you should still keep an eye on them.

Funny - I read about that today. I think it would have to be a pretty big bird to carry her now. She has grown since that picture and is just a little smaller than the cats. Now the coyotes would be a different story. Last week I went out on our back deck to enjoy the evening weather. Beth came out quickly and stood next to me. It was nice and quiet and then I heard her growling. I looked around and didn't see anything. Then she growled again. Just then I heard the coyotes yipping off in the distance. Beth looked up at me and then ran back into the house. I am glad that she is smart enough to recognize trouble and with the pet door hopefully she can get to safety in time.

Sadly we lose quite a few pets around here. There are coyotes and badgers that wander through the subdivision, and also great horned owls and even golden eagles.

I have a 15 year old dog that has lately been peeing and pooping in the house. Sometimes I'll force him out to the backyard to take care of his business, but he comes right into the house, and takes a dump. His eyesight has been poor.

Anything I can do besides leaving him in the backyard? I've tried doing that for a few hours but he doesn't seem to sleep or anything, just waits for someone to open the back door.

Thanks.

~T

That's a tough situation. I worried my 16 year old dog would get like that before she died. What do you do? I guess the first thing would be to visit the vet to rule out any medical condition causing it which you could treat.