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Posted by Topic subject:   Puppy is a handful!
puggleowner
Member

Posts: 10
From:Grand Rapids, MI
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-17-2003 07:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for puggleowner     Edit/Delete Message
My husband and I have a 7 month old pug beagle mix- she is so adorable and sweet but is such a handful! We have had her for about 4 months now...first of all, I wonder if she will ever calm down! She is really good on the weekends, but during the week she is a terror- we keep her in a large cage all day, so I'm sure she builds up energy without us around, but I give her at least 2 long walk/runs when I get home and play with her constantly! Also, she has been very stubborn in her housebreaking- she will have no accidents for weeks, then will "relapse" and have 4 accidents in 5 days! At least at this time, she seems to only go in the basement (we don't have a door to our basement so we can't block it off), but we really don't want to put up a barrier because if she is going to go, we'd rather have it on cement rather than our new carpet! Has anyone else had similar problems with puppy craziness and housebreaking at this age? Will she ever calm down and become fully housebroken?

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Jamiya
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From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-17-2003 08:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
We haven't had too many housebreaking issues, but we have a lot of other issues!

Our Nala (mixed breed) is about 6 months old and is a handful, too, to say the least. She is totally wild at certain times of the day, no matter how much exercise we give her.

Everyone assures me they do calm down. Supposedly they mellow a bit at 6 months, 9 months, and a year. I have even heard some people say 5 years (I am hoping it doesn't take that long).

Just hang in there and try to enjoy it. A positive attitude and a sense of humor help a LOT!


Jamiya

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jmr
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From:Tulsa, OK 74104
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-17-2003 08:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jmr     Edit/Delete Message
getting her spayed will help calm her down a little bit. It also sounds like she needs more exercize.

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puggleowner
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Posts: 10
From:Grand Rapids, MI
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-18-2003 05:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for puggleowner     Edit/Delete Message
She already is spayed- we had her spayed early, around 5 months or so- it didn't really seem to have any impact on her. Also, I don't know how it's possible to give her more exercise during the week- I give her a 1 1/2 mile walk/run when I get home, and another 1/2 mile walk about 2 hrs later- being outside beyond 6:30 is difficult here because it is already dark then at this time of year. Plus we play fetch with her in the house all the time too. I have heard that switching her to adult food will help calm her down because she won't get such a "protein high." Has anyone else heard of this?

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puggleowner
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From:Grand Rapids, MI
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-18-2003 05:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for puggleowner     Edit/Delete Message
Jamiya- thanks for the positive words- I actually did notice a slight (very slight ) calming down of her at about 6 months, so maybe she will calm down a little more at 9 months- let's hope! I have thought about getting another dog (adult, definately not ready for another puppy!) or cat for her to play with (she likes cats, thinks they're like little dogs)- Does Nala have any other animals in the house? Do you think it helps?

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Jamiya
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Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-18-2003 06:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
JMR, thank you once again for your thoughtful words.

Puggleowner, Nala was spayed the day before we got her, at around 12 weeks. If she was less active because of that, I'd hate to know how she was before. I have never heard of spaying affecting activity level, so not sure where JMR was coming from with that.

Like you, we also cannot possibly exercise Nala any more than we already do. She goes for a 1-2 hour walk and a 1-2 hour romp in the park every day.

I have noticed, though, that her periods of hyper activity don't really correlate with the exercise. There have been days when we couldn't take her out for one reason or another. The hours where she was usually out walking or running were hard to get through (since she was being a terror in the house instead) but she collapsed at about her normal time that night. It seems about 9pm, she zonks and becomes a lump on the floor - about the same time I go to bed to recover for the next day and my husband stays up and watches her. (Thinking I got the short end of the stick.)

And there have been days when I take her out for a very brisk 90-minute walk and come home and the second she is off the leash she goes NUTS and I have to take her outside and chase her around the yard to wear her out.

I think she is possessed.

We do have 2 cats in the house, and no it does not help. Actually, the cats make things MUCH worse, because she wants to play with them and they don't want to have anything to do with her. That means I spend half of her crazy time pulling her off the cats. If your dog likes cats and they like her, however, your experience may be different.

Also, Nala gets jealous. If I pet a cat, she goes nuts and starts jumping on me and chasing the cats. If I hug one of my children, she leaps up and down and tries to get between us. She figures if anyone is getting attention it should be her.

I have considered another dog, but I think it would be best to wait until Nala is 1-2 years old. I don't want her to bond more with another dog than with her people. I am also considering an adult dog, rather than a puppy. There is NO WAY I could handle another puppy, but a calm adult dog might be just the ticket to settle her down and give her someone to play with. I am thinking of signing up to foster dogs for the local Golden rescue, and that way we can try it out without commiting to 15 years with another dog.

My sister had good luck with adding another cat to her household. She has 2 older dogs and a young Golden (about 3 years old) and two cats. The Golden really didn't have anyone to play with as the cats avoided her and the other dogs are old and crotchety. She got a new kitten and the Golden LOVES him!

You should see the pictures of this big dog and teeny tiny kitten. The kitten decided the Golden was his mommy and would try to nurse on her, and the dog would humor him. The vet says she has to make the kitten stop grooming the dog because the long Golden fur is giving him hairballs!

He is all grown up now (or nearly so) and they are the best of buddies.

I have thought about getting a kitten for Nala (easier and cheaper than a dog and my daughter would die for a kitten) and seeing if a cat that is not biased towards dogs would work out better. But I am afraid she would kill a kitten on accident.


Jamiya

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tuttifrutti
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Posts: 166
From:Dallas, Texas
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 11-18-2003 03:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tuttifrutti     Edit/Delete Message
I think a kitten could help! We have a 5 yr. old cat and the dog loves her and always wants to play, but she would rather avoid him and not play. Our neighbors recently got two kittens, and one of them thinks it's name is Gracie (our cats name) and that she lives down here, except she is still fed a few houses down. She ends up on our porch everytime I go out and call my cat, Gracie, who comes when called, by the way, and my dog LOVES her, and she loves him, so it all works out. I think a kitten really could help!

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Maisey
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Posts: 585
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-18-2003 04:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
LOL Jimaya, I think you HAVE to move to Portland, Witt and Nala are soul mates, I'm sure of it!
I don't know a whole lot about pugs, my neighbor had one and he was about as lazy as you could get, of course he was overweight too. All he cared about was escaping to my yard so he could be with my children. It was his greatest joy to hide out with them and lavish them with kisses. He passed away in a house fire this past summer and we miss his visits greatly.
I do know Beagles pretty well, mine was very active and I didn't get her until she was 5 years old. I know a couple people with beagles and they all seem to be a bit of a handful at leaste when they are young. Excersising her will help and it seems like you are doing that. The fact that you said she is much better on weekends then during the week when you are away for long hours tells me that she is probably needing mentla stimulation as well as attention. She misses you! Try some games like hiding bits of hotdogs around the house and telling her "go find" or putting a few chunks in a bucket of water and letting her try to bob for them. Get a Kong and become an expert stuffer. Leave the TV or radio on for her when you are gone so she at leaste hears something interesting. Play games with her that challenge her mentally or teach her obedience basics, make it fun and be creative. This recommendation you should take at your own risk>>>> buy a laser pen and take her to the park or out in the yard at night and let her chase that until she drops. (may produce an addict..and to my knowlege there are NO 12 step programs for dogs with laser pen habits). Last but not leaste...have a sense of humor, learn to take a deep breath and count to ten and pray for early maturity.
Smiles, Maisey

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Jamiya
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Posts: 501
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-19-2003 05:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
I would LOVE to move to Portland, Maisey.

I wouldn't say Nala is any better on the weekends. In fact, for most of the day (when she would be in her crate during the week) she is pretty droopy unless we do something with her. Left to her own devices, she tends to nap during the "crate hours". But she is just as hyper when she wakes up as during the week!

One morning, I took her for a long walk in the morning, which is not her usual time. Then I was talking to my mom on the phone so I went outside and sat on the deck and let her run around and play. After a while, she laid down on the deck (she never does that unless she is chewing on something). She stared at me for a while. Then she got up and dragged herself over to the back door and stared inside longingly.

I opened the door for her and she staggered over to a chair, looked at the cat sleeping in it, shrugged, and laid down and went to sleep.

I was amazed! I thought the long walk followed by the time outside playing was what did it, so the next day I tried that after work. We walked for 1.5 hours and then I sat outside while she played for another hour. We went inside. She ran around in circles, barked at her bones, chased the cats, jumped up on the kids.....behaved pretty much normally.

It's a time of day thing.


Jamiya

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susan_cude@hotmail.com
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Posts: 81
From:Santa Maria, Ca.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-19-2003 08:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for susan_cude@hotmail.com     Edit/Delete Message
puggleowner, aren't Jamiya and Maisey wonderful? They always give such good advise!Hang in there, I know it will get better, sounds to me like you are doing all you can. Sincerely, Susan

P.S. They "and others" here, have helped me soooooooooo much!

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puggleowner
Member

Posts: 10
From:Grand Rapids, MI
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-19-2003 08:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for puggleowner     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks everyone for all your help! We tried out the "find the treat" game with Cameron and she loved it! I guess I should just relax and have a sense of humor about it, and that will help! The potty training is still an issue, though, that I'm not sure what to do about. Tonight she snuck away to the basement again and peed. I don't know how she could possibly have to go when we take her out every 2 hours at least! On top of that, she always holds it all night and all day in her pen, so I know it's not a bladder problem. Is she just being a stubborn puppy? At this point we have on average 1-2 pee accidents every 6 days or so. Will they eventually just stop? We've had her for 4 months now so I feel like she should have "gotten" it by now, and it seems like she sort of does but not quite. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated- thanks so much!

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neek
Member

Posts: 196
From:Australia
Registered: Oct 2003

posted 11-19-2003 10:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for neek     Edit/Delete Message
It must be a beagle thing hey? My friend has a beagle/jack russell mix and he is six months old, still does his business in the house, bites her daughter, attacks her persian cat and is generally a pain in the ***! He is spoilt rotten, never gets reprimanded for biting or anything bad. It drives me crazy!! Now he has decided to trying mating with peoples arms. (He did it to me last night!!) I think it's ok to show your pets that you love them, but they also need to be trained for good behavior. All I can say is that I'm glad I don't own Snoopy! OOps, sorry any beagle lovers!! Good luck!!

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Maisey
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Posts: 585
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-20-2003 01:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
Whenever I have a failure in training I take a step back. Break your training into steps, when she fails at a certain point back up and re-do the prior step. I think I would tether her to your side with the leash, get a long leash and place it around your waist. This way she can't get far enough away to commit the accident and you can catch her if she starts to have an accident in front of you. training is all about timing. You cannot correct her for peeing in the basement unless you are standing there when she is doing it. Set her up to succeed by taking her out more often and waiting until she does go potty, then HUGE reward, make a big deal, act like she just did the greatest thing ever. Reward the good behavior in a big way always.

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Jamiya
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Posts: 501
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 11-20-2003 06:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
You could also do something like hanging a bell on the door that you use to take her outside. Teach her to ring the bell when she needs to go out. I know I read about a different way to do this, but I can't find it now.

The way I did find says to rub something on the bells, like a piece of hotdog. Ask the dog if she wants to go outside and let her sniff the bells. She'll smell the hotdog and lick the bells, making them ring. Quickly open the door, let her out, praise her, and give her the hotdog. Let her out and reward her every time she rings the bell.

I don't know if this will help or not, but perhaps having a bell to ring will be entertaining for her, and it will also help you to realize when she wants to go out.

I would also do what Maisey said and take a step backwards - confine her to one room (that you are in as well, or at least watching from the next room over) or tether her to you. Teach her the bell while you do this.

Our puppy is about 6 months old and there's no way I would let her have the run of the house yet. She would eat the whole house and probably have accidents as well. She hasn't had one in a long time, but I get the impression that if we didn't see her ask to go outside, she would not feel bad about using the floor instead. I need to teach her to ring a bell.


Jamiya

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