[DinaS]

We got a little daschund over the weekend. She is an adorable loving 12 week old puppy that has not been housetrained. We have her gated in a little space in the laundry room with her crate and paper for her to go to the bathroom. The problem I am encountering, we are out of the house for 12 hours at a time. I have someone coming in for her every 5 hours. She will have gone to the bathroom on the paper and will not go outside. I do not want to make mistakes with training her and want her to be house broken. I just do not know what the best route for her is. Please help.

[labman]

Discontinue the papers and leaving her loose in the gated room. A 12 week should be able to go 5 hours in a crate. I am glad you found somebody to give her breaks.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.

Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
Puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
Around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
Realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
Seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
Enough to avoid all accidents There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
Inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
It up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
A crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
Already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
Something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start in crates as
Little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
In the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
The dog have its crate all its life.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
The less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
Non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
To the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
Repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
Praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
And maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
But it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
Inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
Go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
Inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
House until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
Needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
Drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
Sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
Have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
They go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
To going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
Your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
Even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
Effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
It going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
Puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
Sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
It and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
Work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
The other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
Plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
Shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.

[revabeal]

I have a 10 week old blk/tan daschund female pup.. when I got her, the owner stated her head leaned to one side once in a while, but she was normal is all other ways.. i.e. playing, eating, etc. the last 3 days her head leans constantly and she runs/plays/sits with it this way. She runs sideways and falls over sometimes, seems clumsey more than a usual pup, and at times she seems to look straight at you, but doesn't see you. She was fed, without my knowledge, some turkey from the table at thanksgiving, and it seems since then this has been happening. Could this be the problem? She does eat her dogfood well and drinks well, and plays well,. she just seems mentally challenged now... she also has been scratching one ear a lot... could she have ear mites. am very worried... please help...

[labman]

Doesn't sound quite right to me. Wave your hand in front of her face. You may want to hold a toy or treat. Do her eyes track it? If not, could be a vision problem. A 10 week old should be on a regular shot program. The every 2 weeks my vet wants may be excessive, but you need to take any medical records you have to a vet and set up a schedule. At her first appointment, the vet can look at the tilted head and vision problem.

I don't see a little turkey hurting anything. I am sort of a curmudgeon on sticking to dog food for a dog, but a little meat from the table once in a while won't hurt. A LITTLE, ONCE IN A WHILE.