Am I doing things right?

[kkendra]

Brought Lola home yesterday and I'm not sure if what's happening is normal, please help!

1) The first thing I did was to get her comfy in her crate. At night, I place the crate right next to my bed. She did not whine or anything and slept through. I was reading how everyone's puppy seems to whine when they need to go toilet to be let out. Lola only whines when no one is in the room and the crate is locked. She will play with her toys when she's awake and I have no clue if she needs to toilet or not. So when I take her out of the crate, the first place I'll go to would be our side yard for her to toilet. I'll stand there for 15-20 mins for her to do her business, but she will just sit there and stare at me sleepily. The minute I bring her in, she'll go toilet on the carpet. How do I stop that? I don't think she understand that I want her to toilet outside

2) I tried putting on a leash when she's in the house so I can keep track of her, so when she starts peeing I can bring her outside, but she'll bite and fight the leash, refusing to move one single step.

3) According to her weight, I'm supposed to feed her 2 cups of kibbles per day. I use half a cup to train her and the other half in the morning, the remaining half cup in the afternoon and half cup at night. Is that fine? She looks hungry all the time.

Other than that, she's an angel most of the time. She does get a lil insane playing with herself in the mirrors but it's so cute!!

[sutsibe]

Quite normal! She probably toileted in the house at her breeder's home, so isn't used to the idea of 'going' outside. It will just take patience on your part. How old is she? You could try running around with her a little bit in the yard before trying to get her to eliminate - that can sometimes stimulate things. Once she does, give LOTS of praise (you can give a treat of some sort, but I prefer praise - you always have it with you, and puppies generally are as happy with praise as treats). You can leave her in her crate for short periods when she hasn't 'gone' outside, and if the crate is small enough, chances are that she'll let you know when she needs to toilet.

As for the leash, when she fights it, just stand there quietly, and let HER pull on the lead - don't pull back. When she stops or makes a move forward, give loads of praise, and tell her what a good puppy she is! She'll soon discover that it isn't a bad thing, and if SHE doesn't fight it, it doesn't fight her. Once she's got that idea, you can start encouraging her to come to you/follow you - much easier than fighting her by pulling on her...

[mydiamond]

1) try to teach her the concept of potty-training first =) How big is her crate? What if you divide the crate into two sections? I recommend putting a piece of wood or anything to divide the crate into two places: bedroom and toilet. The toilet section must be covered in newspapers while the bedroom section is full of toys and blankets. Put some of her pee and poo on the newspapers so that Lola will think: "hmm this part smells like pee it must be a good place to eliminate" but make sure you wipe her paws after she urinates so that she doesn't bring the pee scent to her bedroom section. Might sound weird--but don't clean up the toilet section too quick. Let her know the difference between bedroom and toilet by scent. If toilet smells clean and fresh she might sleep on the newspapers and go potty on her blanket! O_O so, yeah it's all about scents ^_^ going potty outside might take patience, but she'll learn in no time just giv her a lot of praise (and dog cookie) if she "goes" on the grasses so that she knows it was a desired behavior

2) oh this is a common problem, but I can't solve it myself =\ sorry. You can look around on the husky questions section tho, lots of people has asked about this and found answers already. I think there's a user called Ottis Austin here that has the same problem and posted a thread in the husky question or "training&behavior" section. Good luck on your search hehee

3) She may look hungry all the time but DO NOT feed her more than you supposed to. Huskies gain weight real quick you don't want her to have obesity. And yeah I like the idea of breaking the meals into three small meals a day rather than one big meal that is one way to avoid bloat ^_^

any other question just ask, she looks like a real cutie.. Good luck and have fun with Lola!! ^0^

[kkendra]

@Gigi, She's 8 weeks old, I'll try to do what you suggest see if it works, thanks!

@ Olivia, thanks! The crate is just enough for her to turn around and sleep, section half of it but as the crate is my room, I wouldn't want her to pee on the other side of it. But I will try not to feed her too much.

[Andy]

Aww bless at 8 weeks old EVERYTHING is new.

She doesn't know what is expected of her.

Try paper training to get her to go toilet outside.

Have a sheet of newspaper, or puppy pads and put her on it as she starts to do bizzyness.

She'll get the idea she has to do it on the paper.

Then gradually move the paper to the back door and outside she'll get there eventually.

Some dogs take to potty training straight away other struggle past a year old.

As for how much food. 2 cups sounds a bit much for an 8 week old.

but you'll know when it is coz she'll get the runs.

[Mazz]

I find the best approach to potty training, or housebreaking, is to not use papers or potty pads. They can extend the time it takes to get the training done and can cause more confusion than clarity of what the dog is expected to do. There are, however, times when all else fails and you have to rely on them.

Set up a schedule or routine. At eight weeks, a puppy cannot hold for much more than an hour or two. So start by taking her out on a regular frequency, say every hour to hour and a half. First thing after playing, after waking, and after eating (might want to wait ten minutes or so after eating) - take her out. If the outside session produces no results after five to ten minutes, come back inside with her. Then after maybe a few to five minutes, take her out again. During the night, I assume she does not go all night without needing a potty break. At least Zoya could not go all night when she was that age. I set the alarm to go off every two hours. I'd get up, take her out, when she did her business I'd praise her and bring her back to her crate.

If she messes in the house, don't scold her or reprimand her, simply take her outside immediately. If someone else is at home at the time, have them clean up the mess while you are outside with your pup. Otherwise, bring the pup back in after a few minutes, put her in the crate, while you clean up the mess, and then let her out of the crate. Ignore the mistakes and praise the accomplishments.

The chances of getting a productive session outside will be better the more consistent your routine. And when it happens, make over her like there's no tomorrow.

This is how we approached potty training with Zoya. We brought her home at nine weeks. By eleven weeks, she was letting us know when she had to go potty. She probably had maybe eight or nine accidents in the house during the two weeks. The real key is to be consistent and have a reliable on time routine. They will learn so quickly if they realize what it is you expect of them. If you are inconsistent, don't establish a routine, they have a more difficult time understanding what is expected of them, and it will take longer to get the potty training completed.

[kkendra]

Thanks Andy and Dave.

She's having runny stools!! I thought it was due to the changing of puppy food, maybe I need to cut down to 1 and a half cup?

My side and back yard are concrete so I went to get her those artificial grass to toilet on.

I now take her out of the crate every 2 and a half hours to toilet in the night, she will do very well on those trips, toileting only on that patch of grass. (I praise her like crazy when she does that)

It's daytime I'm having trouble with...I would take her out every hour and she would run around the yard, but not toilet.

After waiting for 10 mins, I'll bring her in and that's when she'll run to a corner and do a #1...and she'll be done when I get to her.

I'll still bring her out and put her on the grass for 5 mins before going back in again, but the same thing will happen again 45mins to an hour later.

It's only been 2 days and there's already been 5 accidents

Am I doing something wrong or do I just need to give it more time?

[Removed #5]

Patience, love, patience, attention, patience! No canine will willingly mess in it's own den, the trick here is to help Lola realize that your home is her home (den).

Everyone has their own way of handling this - mine is to give a firm "NO!" when puppy messes in the house and immediately take them outside; obviously as soon as they do it outside I let them know how much I appreciate it (well, I do appreciate it, I don't have to clean up a mess in the house!). If you have the time, take her out shortly after each feeding and stay out till the relieves herself, then praise her!!

Since momma has been cleaning them up, it'll take some time for them to get the right idea; you're replacing the dam (but there are some things at which I draw the line!) they'll accept that but have patience and they'll get the idea that "home" is more than just the crate.

(( Like a few others here, I've been tempted to name my dog 'NO!' ))

[jnetser]

If you take her out and she doesn't do her business, put her back in her crate and try again in 5-10 minutes. Don't let her walk to the crate, carry her. She can have freedom inside the house AFTER she goes potty outside.

Make sure you attach a potty word when she is doing her business, such as "do your business" or "go potty". If you are consistent with this you will have a dog that will potty on command which comes in quite useful. And like has already been stated, when she is successful, make a big deal out of it with praise, then playtime in the house.

Sounds like you are on the right track, it just takes vigilance and time.

[kkendra]

Thanks Al and Julie, lol Lola still doesn't know her name, bet she thinks hers is "NO"

[kkendra]

Glad to say Lola's been doing better with the toilet training but I need help again!

1) Is it normal for a pup to have limp tail most of the time? She'll only lift it up once in a while.

2) I've been noticing that every time she wakes from her nap, she gets eye boogers, is that normal?

3) She gets overly excited when it's meal time (will bark and run around like crazy) and I'll wait til she sit before giving her. But once I start bending down, she'll act crazy all over again and again the wait. After 3 or 4 times, she'll start lunging at me! How do I make her stop?

4) Is having hiccups normal? She's been having it 2 to 3 times a day...

5) Will be going out for about 4 hours tomorrow (haven't left the house since she's home) - should I put her in the yard or should I crate her? It's getting cold here and I don't really want her to be out that long, just worried she'll toilet in her crate and have to bear with it til I'm home. Any advice?

Thanks again!

[mydiamond]

@kkendra

1) Yes that's very normal.

2) Well that happens all the time with my Diamond and nothing bad happens..

3) Does she know the word "no"? You must tell her that her behavior is unacceptable by saying "no". If she doesn't know what is "no", simply turn around and go away with her food bowl in your hand. Don't worry she won't die out of hunger if you make her wait for 15 more minutes. Don't stand there while holding her bowl! Even if you're not giving it to her she can still see it and she still know that whatever happens you will give it to her in the end. But if you walk away, she will know that she won't get it in the end.

4)Hiccups? O_O oh idk... should go ask an expert about this.

5)take her for a walk first before you leave. And then put her in her crate (if she's crate-trained). Well if you divide her crate into two sections it won't be a problem if she eliminates in her crate right? ^_^ or if you're really worried ask a friend to watch over Lola while you're gone.

[Removed #5]

1) Figure it like this, tail up in what I think of as the Husky position = happy; tail loosely hanging down = relaxed, everythings okay; tail tucked under = scared or angry (fight or flight) Most of us spend our time in an 'okay' state, dogs (hopefully) do too.

2) Normal unless they're extreme, then have the eyes checked out. A little sand is not an indication of a problem.

3) Don't put her food down UNTIL she stays in sit. She moves, pick it back up, give her the sit/stay command; she'll get the idea QUICKLY!

4) Occasional hiccups aren't unusual; often or extended might be a problem, like with people they're also an indication of nervousness.

5) Teach her to use the crate. If she messes in it then she'll learn that that's not nice. A dog will not intentionally urinate/defecate in their home - for the time being the crate is her home when she can't be out. She'll learn. Just make sure you get her out as soon as you come in so she doesn't thik of the crate as punishment. Fir the length of time you're going to be gone she should be okay.

Now to compare my answers with Olivia .... not too divergent, just combine our answers ( or not )

[mydiamond]

1) Figure it like this, tail up in what I think of as the Husky position = happy; tail loosely hanging down = relaxed, everythings okay; tail tucked under = scared or angry (fight or flight) Most of us spend our time in an 'okay' state, dogs (hopefully) do too.

2) Normal unless they're extreme, then have the eyes checked out. A little sand is not an indication of a problem.

3) Don't put her food down UNTIL she stays in sit. She moves, pick it back up, give her the sit/stay command; she'll get the idea QUICKLY!

4) Occasional hiccups aren't unusual; often or extended might be a problem, like with people they're also an indication of nervousness.

5) Teach her to use the crate. If she messes in it then she'll learn that that's not nice. A dog will not intentionally urinate/defecate in their home - for the time being the crate is her home when she can't be out. She'll learn. Just make sure you get her out as soon as you come in so she doesn't thik of the crate as punishment. Fir the length of time you're going to be gone she should be okay.

Now to compare my answers with Olivia .... not too divergent, just combine our answers ( or not )

well the main idea of our answers aren't really different x) won't be hard to combine? =P

[kkendra]

Thanks guys! Will give them a try!