Puppy behavior

W

WhoseHouse

250+ Posts
Just got a new puppy (a lab) and she's 9 1/2 weeks. At first, she was sweet as can be and only had to be told "no" once and she didn't do whatever it was again. Now, she just ignores us (it's been four days since we got her). I feel like maybe we are saying "no" so often that she doesn't care anymore? The main things we are trying to get her not to do is chew on things (unless it's her bone/toy) and jump on people.

Also, she is old enough to sleep through the night but still wakes up once and cries once around 3:00 am. At first I thought she needed to go outside to potty, but she just plays.

Any suggestions?? I think she's going to be a good dog, but she's well on her way to 100 lbs so we want to start early- dogs that big must be well-behaved!
 
You really have to ignore the crying at 3:00AM or it will never stop. I know it sucks, but just let her cry it out and go to sleep. She will stop once she figures out it won't help.

When you catch her chewing on things just replace it with a toy or a bone. Sooner or later she will get the point.

Puppies are awesome, but damn they like to test you for a while.

Good luck. Make sure that you enjoy her while she is a puppy.
 
I would agree with Flyin Shoes and would just add that puppies explore with their mouths and your puppy is right in the heart of that age where this is to be expected. I assure you that your puppy is not ignoring you.
 
If you say "no" and then do nothing to reinforce it, she'll realize she can just ignore you and continue on her way. Tell her "no" once and then go correct the action. Don't hit her, but take whatever she's chewing on away or move her away from it and give her something appropriate to chew on. Soon she'll realizes that when you say "no" she may as well stop b/c you're going to fix it anyways.

If shes whining in her crate, take her straight outside (no touching, no talking, no nothing), wait for her to go to the bathroom (again no touching, only give her the "go potty" command whichever one you use), and then lightly praise her when she finishes. Take her straight back inside and back into the crate. No fun time. If she doesn't go, just take her back inside with 0 praise or attention. Soon she'll understand that whine = go to bathroom outside and then back into crate and that whine does not equal playtime.

My puppy has the bladder control of a whale so we have to take her out during the middle of the night. If you are confident that your pup can make it through the night w/o going in her crate, then ignore her whining. Just keep in mind that cleaning up a dog and crate covered in pee/poo is no fun.
 
Are you in a house? Try and find a room inside the house(with no walls that touch the outside). At our house we had to use the laundry room. I am sure that you could still hear my dog outside, but there is no way to get through that period without teaching the puppy that crying will not help change the situation.
 
Make sure and use positive reinforcement (as mentioned above) when correcting actions. They will teethe for a while, so make sure you have multiple teething toys on hand (ropes, nylabones, etc). I would wait to start using any of the flavored bones because they will hurt your puppy's digestive system and are really meant for dogs/pups over five months old. You also might want to invest in some bitter apple spray.
 
What mustang orange said.

I have a lab that is 13 months, and the key is to tell your puppy no, along with some reinforcement if they do something wrong. Also, I cannot stress enough that you must get chew toys for you dog. Be careful with the rubber ones, because your dog might chew them to pieces and start swallowing them, which could mess up their stomach.

The rawhide bonds I have used have been good for my puppy.

As for the crying, I recommend just putting your dog in its kennel in the bathroom closest to your bedroom at night. It worked for my dog anyway.
 
the kennel is your friend, the kennel is your friend, the kennel is your friend. Agree with the "let'em cry" phase ... it sucks, but it stops almost overnight once they get it through their thick puppy skulls. I think the rule of thumb is that they can hold their bladder for 3 hours plus how many months old they are? Or maybe just how many months old? So if they're crying too soon, you can be pretty confident that you're not terrorizing them.
 
When she jumps up on people, don't give her ANY attention, including telling her no. Once she jumps up just turn around and take a step away. Once she has all 4 feet on the floor praise her and give her the attention at that time. Have everyone you encounter do the same and be consistent.
 
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