Bichon puppy refuses to stop whining?

valpuk

Hello ! ! !

I got my very first puppy as an early X-Mas present from my other half.

I'm 22 yrs of age so I believed that it would b a piece of cake training this little ball of fluff since i'm mature for a first-time puppy owner.... She now has me hiding under my duvet at 4a.m. begging her to go asleep.

Don't get me wrong I absolutly adore Sassy but I cannot seem to get her to stop whining at night...or in the morning...or in the evening.

The first night we had her, she was whining on her bed so I picked her up onto my chest to comfort her, even when i put her onto my chest she whines so i put her down tryin to teach her she cant whine constantly. Dont know if i am doin it right?

Bichons are known for tryin to run the house the way they want, so i would like to get on top of this A.S.A.P.

She will b allowed sleep on the bed with us once she is fully toilet trained. She seems to be getting the hang of paper training in less than 6 days which seems promising!!!

Anyways I would really appreciate any advice and/or criticisms in order to learn how to train this bundle of joy.

From
'Under-Slept Female in Offaly'

Sigma Force

Not many puppys are a piece of cake, be prepared for less sleep, it can get worse before it gets better. Have you her in a crate at night, I found a crate great although you still must get up at night to let them out for a pee because they are so small they can't hold it in all night.
You have to also be cruel to be kind, if you know the puppy isn't hungry or thirsty isn't in any kind of pain or discomfort and doesn't need a poop or wee and is just doing it for attention then ignore the pup. Well, not totally just put your hand down beside the crate and reasure the puppy.
Also presuming the puppy is already fully vaccinated then lots of short walks to start out with and play time and walks lots before bed (although don't over excercise at this age) and the puppy should be more tired.

I'm afraid a lot of it is just not giving in and having some sleepless nights but the sooner you keep the pup in a set routine and stick to it the sooner things should change.

Warm cosy bed like vet bed in the crate and a safe toy like a puppy kong.
A snugglesafe heat pad (always use cover provided) will help make puppy feel warm and perhaps a jumper or something with your scent on it might help.

Oh the joys, I spent about 4 months getting up in the middle of the night with our last dog, she wasn't whiney at all but could never hold on all night till the next morning for a pee. Even if I'm late letting them out now, 5 years on she still can't hold it some smaller dogs just don't seem to be able to but in fairness she's hugely improved.

bigpinkelephant

Dude, don't let the dog sleep on the bed with you and your boyfriend.
It's a total passion killer and he'll be posting in PI before you know it!!!

sweetbubbly

If the puppy is whining DO NOT PICK HER UP!! Just ignore her completely! You are creating a bigger problem for yourself. The best thing you can do is buy a pair of ear plugs and ignore it. It will stop. Never EVER respond to the pup if she whines, if you do, you are teaching her that she will get your attention if she whines. I know it can be hard to listen to, but you have to just ignore it. She will eventually realise that she is not getting the attention she is looking for.

Another tip for you is to only pay her attention when YOU want to, never when she wants it. This will teach her that you are the boss. If she is climbing up on you just gently push her back down and say No or ah ah. Only allow strangers to pet her when she has sat down. That way she will understand that she does not need to jump up on people to get attention. Puppies are cute when they jump up on you but when she's still doing it 3 years time I can assure it ain't cute! Especially when you're on your way out in those gorgeous beige trousers, dirty paw prints will never be fashionable!

Where are you having her sleep at night by the way? Is she in the same room as you?? If she is, put her in a different room, with the lights off.

I also wouldn't advise letting her sleep on your bed. Passion killer it most definately is, but it also gives her the impression that she is an equal with you. That will spell big trouble for you in other areas of discipline with her.

Hope you find this useful, I know it seems strict, but you will be thankful in a year when you have a well behaved pup.

P.s if you want any tips on house breaking let me know. Or getting her to go in the same place in your garden.

valpuk

Thanks you very much for your advice.

At the moment I have her paper trained using newspapers (she just had vaccine and cant be let out for wk after it so newspapers have to do til then)

She sleeps on a very large dog bed which kinda resembles the cushion off a sofa. She can get up and down off it as she pleases.

She sleeps in the hall at night but I leave the bedroom door opened so she can stil see us... if she begins to cry or come in and out during the night then i close the bedroom door and she gives in after about 20 mins and gets back into her bed.

Last night was the first night i did not have to close the bedroom door at all, i put her onto her bed in hall and she stayed there until 8 am WOOHOO (so happy with her for that ) But that is just 1 accomplishment from a very very long list. :(:(:(:(:(

She has taken to chewing EVERYTHING and although she cannot do much damage since her teeth are small I need to get her out of it ASAP since i am among young kids almost every day ranging from 18 months - 8 yrs old and the kids are infatuated with the puppy... i dnt want to see them gettin a nip from her coz her teeth are fairly sharp.

I brought her out into yard today for 1st day to see how she'd get on and she loved it! So much so that she is now fast asleep in front of the fire.:D;)

I would really like to learn how to get her to do 'her business' in one area of the garden once i get her going outside. I take it this would be a much more tempting approach than a 'dodge-the-poop' !!!:p:p

Sigma Force

Was the puppy not fully vaccinated when you bought her?

Re kids it's not fair on the pup to have too many kids at her, it's good for her to socialise with kids but too many can be overwhelming and puppys will nip esp. at that age what you do is say a loud "ouch!" and turn your back on her or offer her a chew toy instead.

A dog will not want to pee and poop in the one area all that time they like to mark their area so you won't be able to get her to poop in one area all the time.

When you get a puppy or dog you are going to get landmines in your garden just part and parcel of owning a dog, there will be less once she goes for walks and her meals are eventually perhaps twice a day (although do scoop the poop when out in public).

Nothing wrong with keeping a dog in the bed at night, perhaps restricting them to the end of the bed (although they always crawl up when you fall asleep). It's not a passion killer at all, it's a far better excuse than I've got a headache dear lol.

Be patient with the pup she's very young and things take time to settle, before you know it she'll be part of the furniture.

Don't forget plenty of safe chew toys like the puppy kong and eventually the regular kong.

bigpinkelephant

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Nothing wrong with keeping a dog in the bed at night, ...It's not a passion killer at all

I hope you're joking! Who wants to do the deed with the dog sat there watching?

OP, training your puppy will take time, but perserverance and consistency is key. Start as you mean to go on.

spurscormac

To go along with the crate thing - it helps prevent chewing, especially at night, and when you need to do things.
We've used a baby's playpen in the kitcen & its great. Had one from the start & our cocker sleeps there too.
He would chew on anything outside, but knows that inside he just chews his toys and has never chewed furniture.

I agree on the whining, just don't give in - we didn't from day one, and he was fine until recently.
He has started to make crazy whale-like noises during the day to get our attention, but we don't resond until he's stopped for a while. Its the only way to stop it. Got to be careful, sometimes its an indication that he needs to go outside, so you just have to learn to recognise the signs.

Good luck.

sweetbubbly

With regard to popping in the same place in your garden that is actually very easy, especially with a young pup, its harder to train an older dog to do it if they are already set in their ways.
When Sassy is able to go out into the back garden its very simple to train her. First thing to remember is puppies just want to please you, thats why they learn so fast. Also be aware puppies need to pee a lot more regularly than adult dogs, which is why house training can be so time consuming. Pups always pee as soon as they wake up, and about 30mins after a feed. and generally every 4 hours. So as soon as you wake up in the morning, put Sassy on her lead, and bring her to the spot in your garden where you want her to do her business. Then say to her "go pee" or whatever term you want, just use the same thing in the same tone every time. (Its handy to be able to get them to go on command, if you need to take them somewhere in the car so you ca get them to go on the grass instead of the car...) When she goes, make a big fuss of what a great dog she is, lots of petting and telling her she's a good girl. You need to do this every four hours, bring to the same spot each time. If you are doing this regularly and she's getting it, then you can do with out the lead. Puppies will see how far the can go with the limits so if she wanders out side the "zone" say in a loud voice "Ah Ah" or "no" whichever you use to reprimand. and pick her up and bring her back into the "zone" to do her business. You need to watch her behaviour to know when she wants to pee. Dogs sniff around when the want to pee, and they sniff and tend to circle around on the spot when the want to poop. So for the first week or two, you kinda need to be on starter blocks, cause they can be very fast. Since you are paper training her, leave the paper closest to the door to the back garden. if you want the house breaking to be successful and fast, be prepared to get up during the night to let her out to pee, start with four hours after you go to bed and gradually extend that to five hours and then six, they get used to holding it. For night training I'd leave her in a pet carrier, puppies will not poop in their beds, so it will make the house breaking a lot faster!

The biting thing she is doing is called "mouthing" its what dogs do when they are in their litter or a pack, its main purpose is to see who's boss in the pack. Basically the strongest one wins all the time... and they are seen as the leader of the pack. Saying "Ow" in a loud voice should stop it. But also say your reprimand. So she knows that she's being naughty. Don't let too many children near her all at the same time. As guineapigrescue said it is very overwhelming for a pup.

Basically anything you want her to do, give lots of praise, make a big fuss, and anything you don't want her to do use the reprimand. I'd advise you to use the same reprimand for everything. Keeping it simple for Sassy will make it easier on you. Pups tend to follow your tone rather than the actual words you're saying so its important to use the same tone of voice for the individual commands.

*Penbo*

sweetbubbly wrote: »

If the puppy is whining DO NOT PICK HER UP!! Just ignore her completely! You are creating a bigger problem for yourself. The best thing you can do is buy a pair of ear plugs and ignore it. It will stop. Never EVER respond to the pup if she whines, if you do, you are teaching her that she will get your attention if she whines. I know it can be hard to listen to, but you have to just ignore it. She will eventually realise that she is not getting the attention she is looking for.

Another tip for you is to only pay her attention when YOU want to, never when she wants it. This will teach her that you are the boss. If she is climbing up on you just gently push her back down and say No or ah ah. Only allow strangers to pet her when she has sat down. That way she will understand that she does not need to jump up on people to get attention. Puppies are cute when they jump up on you but when she's still doing it 3 years time I can assure it ain't cute! Especially when you're on your way out in those gorgeous beige trousers, dirty paw prints will never be fashionable!

Good advice..
I have a bichon and he was a nightmare to toilet train. You just have to be patient. I know exactly how you feel about the whining. My fella still does it and hes 13. He seems to have got into a routine of needing to pee and 4/5am so have to let him outside.

ukgalwaymcguire

bigpinkelephant wrote: »

Dude, don't let the dog sleep on the bed with you and your boyfriend.
It's a total passion killer and he'll be posting in PI before you know it!!!

totally agree, puppys like children will try too push you!!
and start as you mean too go on, she is probably just missing her mum
and other pups, try giving her some cuddle time together in the day,
with a blanket so it has the scent of both you and the puppy,
then give her the same blanket when you are putting her too bed.
tough love im afraid, but dont give up ( says she that did, and now has a king charles in her daughters bed every night and he wont sleep anywhere else,, hes 5 now!!)
wish you all thebest with your new puppy xx claire

valpuk

Hi guys,

Daily Sassy update:

Going backwards with toilet training - working on this

She is interacting greatly with our 2 yr old rottweiller (before any1 gasps in horror, Ria is that most gentle rottie you'll come across as far as i am concerned) The 2 of them are gettin on like a house on fire when they are both in the mood for playing... when Ria isn't she just flicks Sassy across the floor with her GIANT paw!

Sassy is now being let out into the garden and she has not once made a run for the gate of surrounding fields! YEAH!:D:D

O yeah and she is starting to pee outside WOOHOO ! ! ! Still working on the pooing bit!;)

She is gettin used to stopping whining at night now that we have had her in the hall the last 4 nights straight but last night she chewed the skerting boards and door frame of our bedroom door.....our bedroom door and skerting boards of our rented house...... enough said there, trying her in the crate tonight to see how it pans out.

The 1 thing I am very very worried about is that when u scold her for weeing on floor BESIDE THE BLOODY NEWSPAPER or scratching etc her entire body shakes with fear. I am so worried that she may change from the bubbly puppy to a timid shy one. Its heartbreaking to see her shake the way she does (she looks like she is petrified):(:(:(

O and we have also got her to understand 'into your bed' and 'stay' =
Since Monday we have been putting her on her bed and saying 'stay' and walkin few steps away...when she moves repeat the process until she stays as you're walkin away... we walk out of the room for 10/20 seconds and then go back and praise her. Then try it again but increase the delay time and it seems to be sinkin in bit by bit.:):)

She is now being kept far away from kids for while. I brought her up to friends house other night and there was 5 eager kids with 5 eager pairs of hands ready to pet and pull out of her and this leaves her terrified so i think i;m goin to veer away from that idea for some time.:o:o

Sorry for the essay but this is all new to me :D:D

arybvtcw0eolkf

valpuk wrote: »

She is interacting greatly with our 2 yr old rottweiller (before any1 gasps in horror, Ria is that most gentle rottie you'll come across as far as i am concerned) The 2 of them are gettin on like a house on fire when they are both in the mood for playing... when Ria isn't she just flicks Sassy across the floor with her GIANT paw!

We're all Rottie lover's here, if I had the space I'd have one too.

Btw, my cat sleeps and plays with two Staffies - more horror!!!.

You should post up photos of both dogs.

valpuk

Hope these load correctly? First time i've tried to upload pics on this site.

These are the 2 spoilt dears of our household...

Its so nice to hear from people who actually appreciate rottie's for the beautiful creatures they are... instead of gettin threats from people that they're goin to shoot her if they see her and i quote 'loose in our yard' .....if she is on our land and has no possible way of exiting our property how can she be an inconvenience to passers-by???
Fair enough i know she is a big creature but so was the BFG ?? (big friendly giant)

Beth

Gorgeous dogs!
Ria is stunning!

I have a little n large combo myself - rottie and Papillon
Its gas to watch them play ... and have her try follow him when he runs under her

There's no need to scold her when she has wee'd near the paper. If it happens when you're not there, then dont say anything. She's not going to remember it. People often say about their dogs "they know they did something wrong when I come home", but they dont - the dog just reads the body language and sees the person is angry/annoyed. Dogs live in the moment so unless you catch her, there's no point in saying anything. Scolding can scare them as you saw, so you need to make sure you keep her trust in you.

If she is doing it when you are there, an "ah-ah" will suffice, and pick her up and put her on the spot or take her outside.

Scratching - if she's definitely not carrying any little friends around with her, and has no reason to be scratching, other than the sheer fun of it, distract her with something else. A chew toy, 5 minutes training etc.

If its scratching at the door/wood/etc, then distraction can work there too.

Just make sure she has plenty of things to chew on. Puppies explore their world with their mouths, just like babies do (put everything in their mouths!), so if she has plenty to chew on, just pick one up and distract her with it. We did that from the start with our Papillon and he got the message that he can chew X, Y and Z but not anything else.

Good luck!!