[kangamom]

I have a brand new miniature daschund. I bought her a crate and a couple play toys. But I need advise on how much time she should be in the crate versus how much time she should be allowed out. We have only been putting her in the crate when we aren't home. She sleeps in our bed and we take her out at night when she wakes up. Is this wrong? Any advise would be great.

Also, I currently take her for walks, but I don't put her on a leash yet because she is so small. She just follows behind or next to me. Should I change this also?

One last thing... Are Daschund's one owner dogs? What I mean is my fiance' bought her for me because my kids are leaving the nest and I needed someone to feel my emptiness but I want to know how I can be sure she will be faithful to just me.

Thanks in advance. ::) ;D

[labman]

The crate is a Godsend when you can't keep an eye on the puppy. Otherwise enjoy each other's company as much as you can. I think letting the dog sleep in your bed is a matter of personal taste unless status issues develop. I see advice on it ranging from always to never. The dogs see all the
People and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
The pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
Outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
Reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
Or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
A treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/. Take your little dog seriously. It does.

As she gets a little older, she will become more independent, and keeping her with you without a leash may not work. This could lead to tragedy.
You should stay with a flat fabric or leather collar until your puppy is 5
Months old. Then you can go with the metal slip collar with the rings on each
End. Otherwise you could damage its windpipe. Put it on like this for the
Usual dog on the left position. Pull the chain through the one ring forming a
"P". Facing the dog, slip it over its head. The free end comes over the neck
Allowing the other end to release pressure when the leash is slack. A five
Month old's head will still grow some. If you buy one that easily goes over
The head, it still should come off leaving the ears when the dog finishes
Growing.

Give her good leadership and lots of love, and you will always be first to her. A top dog isn't a drill sergeant, just more equal among equals. You should encourage other people to pet her while she is little. It won't reduce her love for you, but make it much easier to have others around later. Make sure that includes children. Like other fragile things, do not leave small dogs unsupervised with kids.

[kangamom]

I'm having great fun with my puppy. She is my baby and I love her to death. But?? I'm having trouble potty training her. Any advise on training would be great. I take her out when she wakes, I take her out after she eats. We spend 10 to 15 minutes outside each time. She tinkles a little and then goes in the house but most times about 5 to 10 minutes later she tinkles again.

I need any advise you can give me. :) :-/

[labman]

If she keeps straining and dribbling a little and then again soon, she could have a bladder infection. The vet can fix that fast with some antibiotics. Some dogs just seem to need to go twice. Don't be so quick to go back in. Give her just a few more minutes outside.

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.

[sagenicole2003]

:mad:
I have a full grown daschund named Willy and he is always peeing on the carpet. We take him out as much as possible and he still goes pee on the carpet. I don't know what to do?? Please help

[labman]

It is confused about who is in charge. It is quite possible it is used to
Being in charge, and intends to stay in charge. Likely it is already neutered, but do so now if not. Dogs with behavior problems should never be bred. Then you need to take over as top dog. Having a good pack structure reduces such problems. The dogs see all the
People and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
The pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
Outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
Reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
Or book is about you learning to be top dog, not the dog learning it gets a
Treat if it sits. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.

YOu will also need to constantly watch him, or restrict him. Catching him in the act of marking calls for stronger corrections than the
Otherwise effective "Bad dog!". When it misbehaves, throw it on its back, and
Growl "Bad dog!" right in its face. Hold it down until it lifts one back leg
To show submission. You can pick him up with your hands behind his front
Shoulders and hold him up with his back to you. Keeping him far enough away
To keep his head from smashing into your face, hold him until he stops
Struggling and relaxes. Others like the squirt bottle. Fill it with water
And a little vinegar or lemon juice. Give it a squirt in the face as soon as
It misbehaves. Dogs hate that.
It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

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.

[magroo15]

Many dogs find a crate as a safe place. Since they are closed in and mostly full of blankets/ towels, a dog finds it as instint to label it as a haven. My mini always want to go into its crate when something scares her. It is a natural sense for her.