So any tips for a new puppy owner?

I just recently purchased a Daschund (around 3-4 months old I believe) for my girlfriend as an X-Mas gift. I don't have really much experience with pets, and she has some with another pet, but never raised it really. As you can imagine it's been a bit hellish these first few days. He's obviously teething so it will chew on anything. Also seems to be a pretty bad biter. I'll let him bite my arms/hands a little, but sometimes he'll really clamp down and actually hurt me. I've read a few different things I should do, reaction to that. Main one was to let out a loud "Ouch" or some other kind of cry and then walk away from him. Saw something else saying to let my hand go limp, after the bite. Neither has been successful thus far.

Potty training has been the other big hurdle. He absolutely refuses to go outside and do his business. At night I believe it's because it might be too cold for him so that's understandable. During the day, or after eating/napping though he won't do a thing. Just before I literally took him out after I woke up, we walked to the usual spots I'm hoping he'll use and nothing. Then I get upstairs, sit down at my computer, turn around and he squats and pees in the middle of the living room. Needless to say it's frustrating that I JUST took him out and he refused to go outside and waited until inside instead.

Sleeping, for us, has been a bit of a battle, though that's to be expected. First night he was in his crate/cage in the living room and us in our bedroom. He whined and whimpered all night. The following night (last night) I decided that we would bring the cage into the room so he knows that we are there with him. Problem is he had been sleeping in this little bed we plan on using for him, by my side for a majority of the night. So when I put him in the crate/cage and put him in the room he was none to pleased. I went to the bathroom to wash my hands real quick, came back and immediately smelled bad news. He pooped all over the cage and pissed in it. It was obviously due to nerves and not liking the situation. I want to put that bed he likes in the crate, but I don't want him to soil it. And I plan on that being his bed outside the crate for when I feel comfortable leaving him unsupervised.

Obviously he's got a lot to learn and I plan on being patient, with him. I've read up on numerous tricks/tips for various things and they don't really appear to be working. Definitely not gonna give up though because we do love him. Just gonna be a rough couple of few weeks/months.

TL:DR version: Got a new puppy, and need some tips/pointers that could work.

***edit***

Also any suggestions for products is cool too. Thinking of getting a play pen for him. Also anything like reusable pee pads or something? We are running through those like they're going out of style.

Prepare to deal with @rorie squeeing all over your puppy.

For the house training, what you should do is take him outside and stay with him until he takes his dump and then bring him inside. I recommend you do that twice a day, probably in the morning and then in the evening. Also, make absolutely sure that whenever he takes a wizz or a poop inside you clean that up really well, using products that get rid of animal odors, otherwise the scent will make him consider that part of the house a toilet.

For the chewing, I recommend getting him some bones or one of those dog toys that's a bunch of ropes tied together. Tobasco sauce is supposed to be a good thing to put on chair legs and stuff so that he won't chew on them, but when I tried this with my dog, he just thought it was tasty. There's this stuff you can buy at a lot of pet food stores called bitter apple, I believe. It's a nasty tasting spray that dogs can't stand. Spraying that on furniture legs worked for me.

Finally, I recommend posting pics or your dog.

Welcome to the Daschund club sir. I love my little bastard(Slurms McKenzie). Ours is about a year and a few months old. The bitting I agree with the ouch method and be stern with the pup. He will try to do it again but as long as you're consistent with the ouch/no than he will learn. Though probably will be better about it when he stops teething. Chew toes(bones) and ice cubes helped our pup out a bit. The potty situation is still rough for us to. We had him in a apartment for most of the first year so he learned to pee/poo on a pad so when we take him out, since we're in a townhouse now, he just goes crazy and enjoys the outdoors rather than taking care of business.

Not sure if any of that helps but enjoy the little guy. Also I'm on mobile so if some of that sounds confusing I'm sorry.

Yeah, that whole biting...we read on the tips and tried them all, but finally just struggled through the whole process 'till she had grown enough and stopped on her own. It was pretty nervwrecking at times, but we just got used to it. A little at least. We were also suppose to have the puppy sleep in her own comfy bed and wouldn't even let her get on the sofa, but...well, you just can't resist those "bambi eyes", thus she happily ventures through all of our furnitures. So maybe I'm not the best person to give out any kind of tips, now that I think about it!

@glottery: yep same with Slurms. Tried not letting him on the bed or couch and now he sleeps with us. Luckily he's a short hair so there is almost no hair in bed. Damn those eyes!

Main thing is patience. He's not going to stop biting immediately, he's not going to be toilet trained immediately.

We have a 6 month old Border Collie, had him since 6 weeks, and it was a process. But he's perfectly behaved now.

You need to be effusive with your praise when he does the right thing, and stern when he does the wrong. Don't freak out at him when he has an accident, but when he starts to go grab him immediately and take him to his spot. He will figure it out eventually.

Another word of advice if he is really young: it takes a while, as with kids, for them to have consistent control. We had newspaper down for the first couple of months near our dog door, which got him used to going to one spot and helped train him to be comfortable going outside once he was old enough.

Admittedly your pup is older, but if he hasn't had the training, the above might help.

Oh and take him to puppy school! You'll get good advice on training that will help you and he will get some socialization, which is super important.

Look up crate training, it's the most effective method. If it does go in the house, do not get mad (he really doesn't know any better) just take him outside.

I got a Corgi and the puppy stage was horrendous because of housebreaking. Puppy's are cute, but are such a pain.

he will get chomped

Count yourself lucky. I wish I had a puppy =(

Understanding dog behavior/psychology and how the communicate is of the utmost importance if you want the dog to respect you and follow your lead. I recommend reading through the articles here, they're really helpful for putting yourself in a dog state of mind.

The biting's going to happen for some time, but I found the best way to curb it is a sharp "no" and a stomp of the foot on the ground. Keeping it simple helps them develop a pattern of obedience, or at least that works for me. As for chewing on furniture and such, do the same, but when you absolutely can't be around, I've found that either duct tape (on items that you don't midn having duct tape on) or hot sauce spread liberally around the base works okay. Be super careful with the latter - you don't want to make the little guy sick, so the first few times you do it, make sure you're around.

For bathroom training, I like putting down pee pads (called training pads) for my dog, but when I trained other dogs in areas where I had an actual backyard, I'd lay down pee pads and move them slowly towards the door. Again, the "no"/stomp, put them on the pad, pet them, and over the course of a month or two, start moving that pad closer and closer to the door. Make sure theyre comfortable going outside with you too - when they go outside and go to the bathroom, give them a small bite of a treat or some kind of tangible reward, along with the usual "good boy" and the like. The way to a dog's hear is through his stomach.

Try dissing

I never understood why people put dogs in crates at all when they sleep or to 'punish' them.
I had dogs my whole childhood from puppies and up and they always got used to pads then going outside to do their business pretty quick. My sister and mother have both had puppies in recent years and they never learned how to do their business well. I guess you either just get lucky or some people aren't meant to have dogs.

Either way, good luck OP. Be nice to the puppy because remember it's just a puppy.

If your puppy is pooping in the crate, then the crate it too big, the idea is that the dog shouldn't be able to lie down without lying in it's own crap, not that you want that to happen, it's just something the puppy will understand as undesirable. You can't leave them in the crate so long that they have no choice in the matter either, ideally one of you would be able to go home at lunch and let the dog out while you are training.

When you take your puppy out, try walking it, every time your dog smells a spot where another dog was, they will want to pee on that spot, eventually they will poop too.

When they do poop outside, make an event out of it, really ham it up with how happy you are, the dog will remember it and want more. My dog just turned 8 and I still praise him every morning and he turns into an idiot running circles around me he's so happy, it's hilarious.

After 5 minutes outside, I count down from 1-10 then immediately go inside, after a couple of weeks my dog figured it out and knew that he had about 30 seconds to make shit happen or he was going to have to wait, more of a long term solution, it's saved my ass more than a few days that I've slept in though.

Take your dog to the dog park, over to friends and family, everywhere you can in public to make sure your dog gets properly socialized, that was something I didn't do and my dog is extremely random around strangers, not a big issue with your small dog but something best avoided.

Crate training is actually pretty effective and comforting, they're pack and den animals, it becomes like a safe place.

Definitely clean up any mess they make when going to the bathroom, vinegar and baking soda work if the commercial products don't.

Those anti chew sprays are usually useless, I had a dog that once literally ate my stairs, took off a whole strip of hardwood. Spray didn't deter him at all. Use Cayenne mixed into a paste and put that on whatever they're chewing, works wonders.

With walks and stuff the changing direction technique works well to stop them tugging at the leash, if they're pulling ahead or to the side turn and walk another direction for a few seconds. teaches them to follow you while they're on a leash, not whatever random smell or animal they're after.

It's also never too late to teach a dog something despite what common phrases say.

The mobile site ate my post before it went through, so I'll try again.

Exercise him and give him a good diet. One of the worst things for a dachshund is obesity. It has enough trouble supporting its back as it is. Make absolutely sure all food is out of his reach, and buy sturdy trashcans. Dachshunds will do just about anything to get food, and I've seen them perform some amazing feats. Make sure they don't climb up to high, their stubby legs and long back means they can easily hurt themselves if they fall from a height. The sofa should be fine once he's grown a bit, but if he worms his way onto your dinner table or kitchen counter, it's dangerous. Dachshunds are hounds, and they naturally are very curious. He'll be distracted by the slightest scent, and won't think twice about disobeying you at first. Be very careful where you let him off-leash. Walk him often to sate his curiosity and keep him from getting bored. A bored dog will disobey you more and may be more prone to biting or otherwise being a jerk. Walking him will make him more loyal and obedient. Walking him for an hour a day is perfect. Also, don't always take the same route. Mixing it up will keep both of you from getting bored from routine. Eventually, he'll develop preferences. When I walk my dogs, I let them choose which way they want to go, within reason. You'll have to turn him down a couple of times so he doesn't let it go to his head, but this will happen naturally, because, again, hounds are curious as all hell. You'll be tugging his leash plenty of times. Let him grow used to a few routes, and he'll be a lot more likely to stick with the familiar terrain instead of wandering off, should you two get separated. Occasionally wandering off the beaten path and into new territory is also something to keep in mind.

I'll come back and format this later when I'm not on my phone, but I hope this'll help

Just love it duder. Treat your dog right. It's not an animal you train, feed and shout at, it's a new friend.

I would definitely not recommend this, especially if you notice he is a biter. Maybe I am overly paranoid because I own a pitbull type dog, but you can love your dog and train it to be a social animal. You are the pack leader, you are failing it if you aren't acting like it.

What I said and what you said aren't mutually exclusive. I should have said, it's not *just* an animal you train, feed, etc...

I trained our little Shih Tzu to go to the toilet outside by first making her go on a puppy pad placed inside the house, everytime she would pee elsewhere I would take her to the pad, sit her down and say 'TOILET' over and over and over again. After she got it into her head she would be punished for not going on the pad and rewarded for going on it, she would go there all the time. Then every morning I would place her on the pad the show her me moving it outside, after a while she would cry to go out and pee on the pad, then when I took the pad away she was fine.

As for the crying, I got a child's safety gate (we call them stair gates in the UK, not sure where you're from) and placed her down the bottom of the kitchen. She cried for about a week of nights, but the main thing is not to give in, don't go down to them to check on them when they cry etc because then they just think you'll come every time they cry. Did that for a few weeks and she got over it, now she tells me when she wants to go to bed and demands to be left alone during.

As for the biting she was like yours at first, she didn't really know where to draw the line, so play fighting was fine then when she would get rough I would make a noise like 'HAWWWWWWWWW' and then say 'No' then I would point to where she bit hard and say 'no!' sharply. I don't know if that's how it's supposed to be done but it worked for me.

All the luck in the world pal, I've been there and it can get so infuriating, but stick with it and they'll be the best friend you've ever had.

Regarding potty training, if you catch him peeing (or pooping) inside, pick him up and take him outside. Don't worry, he'll stop peeing as soon as you pick him up. Reward him when he does pee outside.

About the sleep situation, if you want him to sleep in his own bed, you could try putting him in it and sit down next to him. Depending on how long you've had him, he might not feel at home yet. You being next to him as he's going to sleep should help him feel safe. My dogs just sleep in my bed or on the floor next to it though, so there's probably better advice out there.

Biting is something all young dogs do as their teeth itch. If he's biting your hand/arm/whatever too hard, tap him on the nose and say a sharp "No". That worked for my dogs.

Hope it all works out well, having a dog is great.

totally agree. A dog needs training and structure to be happy. It is totally an animal you need to train. Not training would be a monumental disservice to your dog. Be 100% consistent. Love your dog, dogs are awesome. But don't fail your dog now and then resent it later when it acts out because you didn't train it.

My sister gave me the kindle edition of The Puppy Primer by Patricia B. McConnell. It was an easy read and it really helped with a number of issues, especially "potty training". Now I just say "hurry up" and our sheppard/plott hound mix takes care of business in the area of the yard we have chosen or during a walk. This is especially helpful in bad weather conditions. Good Luck.

Make sure you feed it. This is pretty important.

If someone asks to chomp your puppy, don't attempt to fight him. Just run.

Don't drown it in a creek.

Post pix before it gets all normal dog looking and therefore not as cute!

Eat it before it gets bigger and eats you.

My wife and I just adopted a Half Dachshund/Half Black Lab mix after our Pug passed away this past summer.. He's the goofiest looking dog. Anyway, as others have suggested, crate training is probably your best thing to start with. We started right away at night getting him a crate with a toy and one of his blankets.

The first week was a little rough with some whining and crying, but now he hangs out there all the time like it's his own room. We're going on 4 months now and he goes in there right away when he sees us getting ready for bed.

I can't stress enough though, get a crate that is big enough for him to turn around in and lay down, that's about it. If you get one that's bigger (learned this the hard way) they will use it as a bathroom too since they can scoot to the far side and stay away from their crap or piss. If that makes sense.

Best of luck to ya, it's a great experience!

Get a cheap food dehydrator and make your own doggie treats. There was just recently a pretty big recall for pet treats that may be killing pets. http://www.ibtimes.com/jerky-treats-recall-fda-issues-alerts-after-600-dogs-cats-mysteriously-dead-full-list-pet-treat

In the grand scheme of things, 600 dead pets may not be a big number but that's little consolation if somehow you happen to be one of them -_-;;

Basically, you can chop up and dehydrate one steak and it should last you a few weeks. I've done beef, chicken, yams, liver and a variety of fruits that my pet and I can both eat. I do still buy treats but I check ingredients and typically buy locally produced treats and tend to stay away from anything that has been imported from outside of the US.

Oh, a huge suggestion: socialize it.

Look up local dog training centers and see if they do puppy socialization. Even PetCo sometimes does it. Having a dog that knows how to play with other dogs is very important when it gets older.

There are some key points in a puppy's life when it is super impressionable, this is typically where most dogs become fearful of things. Our puppy got bit by a bigger dog, instead of sheltering him (which would have fostered a fear and distrust of other dogs) we took him to puppy socialization the next day. He was a little skittish, but almost immediately got over the ordeal and was fine.

A similar thing happened with cardboard boxes for some reason. He was absolutely terrified of boxes, so we had to start putting treats inside of various boxes to get him to overcome this weird phobia. He eats cardboard boxes now, but at least he's not afraid of them.

Just got back from work so I can finally reply to people. Also updated the OP with some pics. Not great quality, but he's a troll when it comes to taking pics. >_>

I'll have to look into that spray. How often would you have to spray it on the areas you don't want him to touch?

In regards to chewing I have some softer stuff and things a bit harder for variety. He'll usually go through them in some kind of order before deciding my arm/hands make for a better teething tool...lol.

I'm thinking maybe I'll just train him for indoors. Considering it's Fall and getting cold, plus WINTER IS COMING. It's not a great time to train him to do outdoor potty it seems. I dunno. Guess we'll see. From what I've read they aren't fond of cold/wet weather (not that I blame him).

Yeah I'm emphasizing that point. When he does bad, if I don't catch him in the act I just let it slide. When he does good I heap praise on him.

Also I live in an apartment on the second floor so picking him up when he's about to piss/poop, and running downstairs outside isn't super feasible...lol. And yeah like someone said he's a new member to our family, not just a thing to train.

I also did some reading on spinal issues that are unique to them because of their body type I presume. Pretty scary stuff. Taking him to the vet next week so I plan on asking a lot of questions.

Put a pad down where he usually dumps inside, eventually he should start using it, then you can slowly move the pad to where you want him to do it.
For the teething thing, a rope or soft rubber bone or something always worked on mine, or one of those knotted edible bone things.

Just note that praise is probably more important than telling him off, if he does it outside, let him know he did good etc, shouldn't take long.

Also, I hear citrus or pepper helps wth the furniture chewing, rub some of that on chair legs etc, won't like the taste and will go elsewhere

Another day, another unsuccessful venture in potty training. Just loves pissing anywhere, but the pee pad. I got a play pen coming for him so I'm gonna give him a nice little setup that will hopefully work out.

Oh, another tip... get yourself a blacklight and some good cleaner. We thought we had cleaned up all of Nugget's pee spots in my wife's office, but when we turned on the blacklight, it was a horror show. Get some really good enzyme-based cleaner specifically for animal stains because even if you use strong carpet cleaner, they'll still smell their scent and want to go in the same spot over and over again.

If you have a tiled or wood floor room to keep him in, that's much better than a carpeted room. He's a puppy and can't quite tell the difference between carpet and grass yet.

Hey, my dog looks exactly the same as yours what upppp. Her name is Minnie ^_^

You have to housebreak him early in his life, or he might not ever learn. Hounds in general can be difficult to housebreak. Since you are apartment bound a crate is the best way to go. Use Bitter Apple ( found at any pet supply store) for the chewing. You can even use it on yourself if he continues to bite. Also do not let him jump off furniture or anything higher than 2 feet at this stage. Doxie's have very fragile spines.

Welcome to the new dog club : D

@kishinfoulux: One spray should probably do the job.

Its been 10 years since my pooch was a puppy. I never went in for all the crating and stuff, he goes with me everywhere (except work) even at bedtime he is at the foot of my bed. Early on I spent a lot of time training him and he knows who is boss even now but not at the expense of lavishing love and affection on him. He is an old man now but still very active and playful. Here he is on a recent walk in the park, the top of his head is about knee height he is a jack russell/border collie cross rescued from a shelter as a puppy.

Regarding house breaking it was just a case of when we caught him peeing we would say a firm 'NO' and place him outside in the garden, he got it quite quickly but he is quite smart. Believe it or not he can actually open the door using the handle and let himself out! (as long as the door isn't locked).

By the way, awesome looking puppy, really cute :)

1. Lots of positive reinforcement when the pup does something good. Lots and lots. Negative reinforcements, when they are required, should be immediate and short. Dogs don't get long term punishments like confining them to a space. They don't learn that way. So, if pup urinates inside, you do one loud NO and take pup outside for a bit. If pup urinates outside, immediately move in with the positive noises and petting and good jobs and so forth. This will take some time. Do be patient. And be consistent with your positive and negative reinforcements.

2. Exercise is extremely important. Minimum one solid hour a day. Better two hours, one in the morning and one in evening. This will curtail a lot of behaviour problems before they even start.

3. If your dog growls at you, it is important (i think) to growl or make a loud noise right back at them. If you back down first, dog will consider you to be its subordinate. This is bad news. Especially if dog is male and has not been neutered.

4. Do be considerate of your dog's hearing. It is quite a bit more acute than humans and loud noises (tv or music) will make them nervous and temperamental.

In my case I don't really have a backyard so instead of taking him outside for peeing indoors would putting him in the crate suffice?

I'm taking him to the vet this week to get checked up and also to schedule an appointment for him to be neutered. He actually is pretty quiet. Never barks and only whines when in the crate.

Also great pics Lobster and Spuds.

I have fond memories as a kid of standing in my pajamas and winter coat at night, waiting for our new puppy to stop nosing around the snow and do her business so we could all go to bed and not wake up to another "accident." It is a frustrating process, but soon she would go right to the door at let us know when she needed to go. She never figured out other things, like sit, fetch, don't eat kleenex....but she was the most loving dog ever. Congrats on your puppy, he is adorable! I second the puppy school recommendation. They need socialization and you will learn a lot too. Our dog was the shyest puppy ever, she hid behind people's legs and would run away when other puppies came over to her. But on the last day of puppy school, she ended up playing with Pongo, the most extroverted dog in the whole class. They ran into each other in the vet's waiting room once and I'd never seen so much leaping and bouncing for joy. It really helped her get over her fear of other dogs.

@kishinfoulux: the idea is to take puppy to the place you want him to use as his bathroom. Since you are in an apartment and your puppy is a small breed, it is actually quite possible to teach a dog to use a litter box. That would be more convenient. Search "dog litter box training". There are several good how to guides for it. :)

Since a lot of people have already covered tips for training, I'm just going to throw out the obligatory "take to a vet, get him started on his vaccines, and get him neutered," if you haven't done so already. Most, if not all, of puppy classes/obedience classes require proof of vaccination before you are able to attend, so if you are planning on going to one of those to get him socialized, you'll need to get him vaccinated anyways. Neutering can also help curve some behavioral problems in the future, though it won't help with what you are going through at the moment.

Good luck, and do your best to stay patient with the little guy.

Name him Portillo.

Go with God.

He's finally starting to use the outside now. He has a little spot he seems to like and he's been consistent with it. I can't tell you how thrilled we both were when she took him for a walk last night and he pooped outside. Now I just gotta start working on his obedience and getting him to stop when I tell him to, when he does something bad.