Am I doing this right? HELP!!

[KMitchell]

Ok everyone, I really need some advise and encouragement! I know you all must think..."What is this girl doing with a puppy!"....Well, truth is, I have NEVER had a puppy before so Mia is my first and I want to do everything right! I am getting a little frustrated at times with her biting and yapping at me. Also with the whole potty training deal. So, can you tell me what I am doing wrong/right?!

Biting:
Well, Mia tends to bite my fingers, toes, hair, and everything else! Whenever she does, I firmly tell her "No biting!" and give her a toy to play with, but she sniffs it and bites again. I again tell her "No biting!" and try to play with the toy with her...Only she keeps biting me! After a couple "No biting's" I put her in time out (in her crate) only I read somewhere on the internet not to use their crate as a punishment. I am confused! Anyway...When I put her in her crate she yapps for a while then lays there...I usually leaver her in there for about 5 minutes and then take her out, as long as she isnt barking.

Yapping:
Whenever she starts yapping at me, I'll turn my head away and ignore her (this is what I read to do on the internet) but she ends up biting me...I understand that she is a dog and dogs bark, but she is starting to do more and more of it!

Potty Training:
OK! Here is where I need lots of help!!! I am trying to do the whole crate training thing, but I dont know if I am doing it right! I put her in her crate whenever I cannot keep a close eye on her and let her out to play. She stays in her crate during the day too (since I work) but I leave the TV on for her, and Im only gone for about 6-7hours. Ok, whenever I take her out, we go straight to the potty pad and it takes a few minutes (and a lot of her running away) for her to finally go. When she does I give her LOTS of verbal praise and also give her a little bit of Nutri-Cal (this is what the vet said to do). Then we play for a little bit and before I know it she is off peeing in a corner! I understand that it is my fault for not watching her closer, but we can be playing, and she starts roaming and Im still watching her, but the next thing I know she is squating! I am usually really good about taking her to her potty pad when I see her sniffing, but I cant follow her around all the time! What am I doing wrong?!

I am getting a little frustrated with training right now, because I feel as if she doesnt listen to me! Oh, one more thing...I was having her sleep in her crate at night, but my husband left on a trip a few days ago and I have had her sleeping in bed with me. She is doing great about waking me up at night when she has to potty...Should I not have let her sleep in my bed with me?

Any advice on getting her to walk on a leash? She walks behind me and chases my feet!

How about brushing? Whenever I try and brush her she bites at the brush! I try to sooth her and make her feel very calm, and I tell her "good girl" very calmly...How do I get her to let me brush her?

I LOVE my baby more than anything, and I just want her to be well trained, but I feel like I am doing a horrible job! Please help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks a bunch...
Krystal & Mia

[Chloeandj]

You are doing fine!!! She is a baby and will outgrow a lot of this stuff. Do not worry about her being a holy terror, she will get better. ;)

Tiny bladders fill up quickly and need to be relieved about every 20-30 minutes during waking hours and especially while playing. Go potty, play 20 minutes, go potty again. This will all get better as she grows. I know it seems like a lot of work, but the times flies and in two months she will be bigger and can hold it longer.

Same with walking on a leash and biting fingers. Telling her no and directing her to what you want her to chew on is great, but remember you will need to tell her and tell her and tell her, she is a rebelling child at this point. Consistancy is so key with raising a puppy.

If she is yapping and then biting your face, I think a little time out might help. I did this a few times to my yorkie when she was a very feisty puppy. I just didn't know what else to do, but putting her in her pen and ignoring her for several minutes and giving her a chance to calm down worked great for us.

For grooming, spray the brush with bitter apple and let her try to chew the brush. She probably won't want to do it again. I also did this with my yorkie and it worked great.

[maltesemum]

Jodi has given you great advice!

consistency is the key, keep up what you are doing & she will learn:D

[pixelgirl]

Puppies tend to bite on fingers and stuff, when they get their adult teeth. As I mentioned on the other thread about hair pulling, teach your dog to react on "ouch", that will make her more sensitive not only to your fingers, but also to toys (as they'd stay alive for a little bit longer). ;)

Good Luck!

pixelgirl.

[daisysis]

You sound like you are doing the right stuff..just will take awhile. MY little girls are out side trained with a doggie door..at first they just went out the door came in to get a treat than.. I added potty treats..I have created little monsters. some days they go in and out just to get a treat..LOL
But they still have a oop's once in awhile..Don't give up One day it will all click in
Mine all sleep with me and I love it and they still know I am the boss(ALPHA)

[M101]

I am in the same situation that you are in. Babe is 8 mos. old. He had to be taken in because of the owner becoming ill.

My Method: I have been sitting w/ Babe on his level down on the floor trying to evaluate what causes him to be distracted; etc.

1. Being on his level vs. standing over him I feel is non-threatening.

2. Babe is easily trainable w/ consistecy in my words.

3. Babe is on a schedule for eating; playing; grooming; etc.

4. I can predict when the puppy needs to do his business--after he eats;
after having water; playing. The key is to watch when the head and tail
go down; sniffing the floor. However, Babe knows where the paper is.
Because I am there I quickly roll up the soiled paper; and put down
new. Sometimes he will do both his business, but will not do it on a
soiled paper--new must be down. I can almost get him to go on command
now--and he will.

5. Babe is in a corridor type area. He does not have access to the entire
house. Babe sleeps in a dog bed, not his carrier/crate. He likes his toys
w/ him. He also has a fence bolted into cabinets to keep him w/n the
space. Eventually I will permit another larger room for him--when I know
he will locate the paper on his own.

6. The biting is a problem. He thinks fingers are toys. And although I quickly
provide him his favorite toy to chew he pushes that away and still goes
to my fingers. I still remind him of his toy. Sometimes there is a struggle
and sometimes he will simply go to sleep on his grooming mat. If he
doesn't stop biting, I simply stop grooming him and leave him for a minute
or two and come back and try again. I find he only tries to bit when I
want to groom him. Or he is just being fussy for no reason.

7. To relax your puppy try massaging the puppy--find the favorite spots and
you might find you have a very calm puppy in minutes. Also, I put on
classical music softly in the background.

The only serious issue I have is the grooming time sometimes...today he did
not want to cooperate no matter what--I feel guilty that I could not groom
him--he wanted to play for an hour--and he won. Tomorrow is another day.

Why are you crating your puppy? How old is your puppy? I wonder if a time-out mat might work. Somewhere he felt safe. Maybe he doesn't like the crate.

The last puppy I trained was an Afghan a very long time ago. He was the brother I never had. Sadly, somehow he was poisoned. And I promised I never would let a dog into my life again. But here I am. The other issue I have is that two other people here are changing the commands I give Babe. Therefore, I have to start over each day w/ my training. They won't follow the method of my commands--so consistency is lost.

Remember the puppy needs to learn the rules of your household. He/she is a new family member. Punishment methods I don't think should be used--but reassurance; patience...

Lastly, a puppy left alone for many hrs. is going to feel lost. It is my understanding that a Maltese should not be left alone longer then several hrs.
Find something sound-wise that he likes--stereo; TV; a ticking clock that will keep his attention in your absence. I find that Babe will sit by the door when I leave the room for a few minutes and listen for my return. This puppy however, previously was not provided the attention he required. He was left outside; or in a closed room; fed food he should not have ever had; exposed to a blaring TV; yelling; etc. Total abuse. I'm trying to de-program him. And every morning when I come in I get 20 minutes of his kisses on my face, and see his happy face/wagging tail, and I melt. I would never return him to the owner. Abuse is abuse.

Also, try giving the puppy a tube sock w/ a couple knots tied in it to put in his mouth when he wants to bit.

I hope this has been helpful. It may not be 100% right. But we must keep trying.

Hang in there...Tomorrow is a new day...a better day!

[lilybellesmom]

Krystal, how is training going? I know that it is going to be difficult the first several weeks, it gets better and better. LB took about 3 months or so to be fully potty trained. A lot of sleepless nights, but it was worth it. I keep her in her crate when we're out of the house and when we sleep. I come back for lunch and play with her and Kira for about an hour and go back to work. She has never gone in her crate. She barked a lot when we first started crate training and I felt awful, there are times that I stayed outside the door waiting for her to stop barking and usually it takes 5 minutes then she's calm. I let my neighbors know about the training and apologize for any inconvenience and they are so nice about it. It's now so easy, all I do is have some treats ready and tell her "Okay, LB time to go to your room for a little bit" she goes in and I put her treats in.

We've never disciplined her in her crate because I wanted her to feel safe in her den. I would put her in time out on a gated area of our condo if she was a bit unruly. Then when she calmed down in about a minute or two I would take her out.

Now LB goes on her pads and outside when we take the girls for our walks. For pad training I first put pads all over the place, then little by little I took pads away when she started understanding that the pads are the place to go. I also watched her, when she started sniffing around and start doing her #2 twirl I would place her on her pads and say go pee or go poo.

She's doing great, there were times when I thought will she ever get this? But consistency and patience is key. Maltese are one of the smartest breeds out there. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

[KMitchell]

Well, we are doing a little better! My boyfriend and I have decided to do the crate training a little different (or maybe it is how it is supposed to be done). We have decided to take her out of the crate, try and get her to go potty...and if she doesnt, she goes back into the crate for about 5-10min and try again. We have decided to do this because usually when we take her out, we try and get her go and she wont! So we think that she doesnt have to, but then she goes and does it behind one of my chairs! She is a little stinker, but I love her! I hope she catches on soon....Oh, and also I have taken her water away and saving it for only feedings. I usually have it out for her all day and she would go get water, play and then pee on my carpet! Well, we will see how this goes!

**I have posted a new thread reguarding a popping noise in Mia's leg** Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Thanks for checking in!
Krystal & Mia