advice please

I thought we were making headway with Bear, he is approx 9 weeks old right now.

At first he was using the training mats when going to the toilet but now he is eating the mats and weeing all over the house, he also likes to poo up things (walls, cage bars etc) he even poo'd on the couch right in front of my other half tonight!! We are taking him to where he should do it but then he refuses to go. When he does wee he tries to drink it and also eats his poo!!!!

I have provided him with loads of suitable chew toys and when ever he starts chewing something naughty he is presented with his toy but he is just so determined! My sons sponge bob cushion has very tempting arms and legs and this weeks obsession seems to be trouser legs and shoelaces which makes walking through the house interesting. The main problem is chewing my kids, they make delightful teething devices apparently!

He is not due his next injection til the end of next week, is there a chance he will calm down a bit once he starts getting worn out from walks?

I really don't mind the playfulness and he is learning when enough is enough slowly, my main issue is with the toileting. I would love to get him out in the garden in the hopes that he will prefer to do it outside than in the living room but my garden is the local cats dirt-tray right now and he isn't inoculated yet.

He is much better going in his cage now and doesn't trash it which is good and he is also the master of 'sit' and 'paw'. It does seem like all his previous knowledge like toilet training has been pushed out of head with the sit/paw commands LOL

Also he is still waking 2-3 times during the night, each time he wee's and poo's. I am making his last feed a little earlier to see if we can cut this down to maybe waking 1-2 times a night. Is this usual and if so when is he likely to grow out of it (I look like a wrung out rag LOL)

He is still sleeping for a majority of the day which is lovely but when he is awake all hell lets lose when is this likely to calm down a bit?!

Ah, you're finding out (like we've all done at some time) what it's like to have a staffy pup!

With the toileting, you might have to go back to baics. Take him into the garden every hour, using a 'trigger' word such as "Toilet" or "Wees" etc. If he wees or poos give him a treat & loads of praise. If he doesn't then bring him in after about 10 minutes. If he wees or poos inside, just clamly take him out & use the trigger word. Then come back in & clean up the toilet inside. He will get there, but remember he really is still a very young puppy - he will have trouble holding his bladder & bowels for very long.

The mouthing/nipping you'll have to start cracking down on - those teeth are like needles & his jaws are about to become incredibly strong! As soon as he starts to nip say "No!" and turn away from him. Don't talk to him, don't even look at him. Once he's calm, give him gentle praise. With patience & consistency he'll get there!

We have found in the last 3 weeks (the first 2-3 weeks my husband and I didn't know what to do) Vlad has improved.

We never had a huge issue with toileting other than some accidents, but he was very mouthy and liked to bite... he has started to realise we won't give him attention or make a fuss of him when he does this and has become much better!

When we first bought him home we would constantly take him outside (it's very tiring and very repetitive, I know) and use trigger words (I learnt that from here!) and wait for him to pee and poo. He doesn't do ANY of his business in his bed and we get up in the morning, usually before he wakes up and take him out and he is a HUGE wee! I also try and take him to the same place in the garden.

As for the sleepless nights.. it dos get better. I honestly thought it never would, but Vlad now sleeps from 9-9.30pm until around 7am (and that's because we wake him!) We have found feeding him a little later but also giving enough time for toilet before bed (usually around 7.30 is his last feed and then he plays for a couple of hours, goes to the toilet, them comes in and sleeps for the night. We have found a couple of cuddly toys in his bed helps as he likes to snuggle.

As a brand new dog and staffy owner I found a new puppy VERY overwhelming! Some days (and several times during the night!) I found myself in tears because I thought I must have been doing everything wrong!You will get there. In a couple of weeks, I am sure things will start to settle. It's like everything begins to click! Just remember discipline and loads and loads of love! I love waking up and getting massive cuddles in the morning because he can't wait to see us!

You might need to have a family meeting as well and explain with everyone in the house what the rules are for the dog. You all have to treat him the same way and enforce the same rules so that he will clearly understand. He is still very young but with patience and consistency he will get it.

He's still so young, and accidents are bound to happen. I agree with what has been mentioned in the above replies. Consistency is VERY important for them, otherwise they just end up confused, not knowing what is expected of them.

When my girl was a little pup, I also wondered if there was ever going to be a light at the end of the toileting tunnel........and there is. Soon enough, if you keep doing the right thing...everything will fall into place.

Good luck.

I echo these replies. Even though I've been tearing my hair out myself tonight with a 10/11 week old pup, it does change.

I still get tripped up (daft mutt trying to sit on me while I walk). We still have howling (not as bad). And I do have to feel like the meanest mom in the world when he bites my toes for milk....... but they're worth it

*runs after Paddy who's chewing the carpet - sigh*

Thanks guys, it is nice to get a bit of reassurance. We are doing everything you say (apart from taking him outside but that can start from next Friday )

Good night last night, either I was so tired I didn't hear him or he actually slept all night. I was woken at 6am which is perfectly acceptable.

In the mornings he is put in his cage in the kitchen while I sort the kids and make breakfasts and lunches, he stays in there while I do the school run. As far as I know he is no longer howling. What I find really cute and funny is the sulking, when I get home I tell him what a good boy he has been and make a little fuss but he just glares at me through slitty eyes and hides his head in his bed, after being home for half and hour he will start talking to me again. I do LOL at his sulks.

I need to try and get some pics on here so you guys can see him, he is so leggy and skinny and certainly not as chunky as KerryAnn's Paddy, I am wondering how stocky he will get or will I end up with a really gangly staffy LOL

Yes indeed pics please

With my wee lad wee put him in my little girl's travel cot at night which was still new as wee did not use it lol, we also have a cage in the living room for day time. For 4 night's this week he has not widdled on his puppy mat's in his travel cot which is just brill, he was gettin up maybe 2 to 3 times a night when he was about 6 weeks old but know he goes down at night about 10.30 pm and gets up for 8am straight to his pad for pee but poo's he likes to do where ever he settle's after his mad run about to look for some where to poo lol it's funny BUT not funny cleaning it ewwww , advice i would use a cage it has helped us when he starts to growl and bark at my girl who is 5 yrs old, i think he is trying to boss her about as he has nipped her a couple a time's she is getting better but it is hard to tell a hyper 5 yr old to ignore her pup when he bark's or growl's, he don't listen he get's put straight in to his cage or (BED I CALL IT). Good luck

O another thing take his water away about 8pm that way he will have an empty bladder for bed time, and play with him on the floor at his level i grab Teeva's tug a war rope and act as if i where holding it in my mouth and growl at him he love's it and tires him right out he then follow's me up the hall way to tell me i want to go to bed lol.

Oh the joys of having a wee puppy. One thing, it is a good idea to thouroughly clean any accidents and to remove all trace as they tend to go in the same spots if they can still smell it. I use warm saopy water followed by a squirt of a half/half mixture of surgical spirits and water in a spray bottle. PS: This works great to mask other doggy odours as well.

http://shop.rufusandcoco.com.au/p-94-wee-away.aspx

After reading the comment above, I just wanted to share this product! We use it all the time! It gets rid of stains, and it gets rid of the scent after your pet has had an accident. It smells nice for us too Not too long ago, Vlad went on the tiles and we didn't notice (first and only time... usually follow him everywhere!) but because it was a while before we noticed, we were able to clean it, but there was a stain on the tiles... we put more of this product on and left it for a couple of hours, came back and cleaned it... stain gone! But it really works. Always goes into our shopping trolley

bear21911 wrote:I need to try and get some pics on here so you guys can see him, he is so leggy and skinny and certainly not as chunky as KerryAnn's Paddy, I am wondering how stocky he will get or will I end up with a really gangly staffy LOL

Definitely pics!

At his age it's almost impossible to tell what he'll be like as an adult - the only way you can have any idea is to look at both his parents.

Just stick to it and it will be rewarding even tho sometimes your ready to tear your hair out,