Puppy and Daughter Help!!

About the puppy - I don't know where you are, but if you're near Boulder the Boulder Humane Society has great puppy classes. And she will not grow out of this - nip it NOW!

S.,
I am responding to the puppy part. It is very unlikely that your dog will grow out of "it". Housebreaking and manners take training. I think you must get into a dog training class or it will be be very difficult to live with this little guy. One thing I think you need is a dog crate. This is not a cage, should not be used for punishment, but is your dog's room and will keep him safe and out of trouble when you can not be watching him. Make it a good place with a kong and when you can't watch him, in he goes. As far as house breaking, take the dog outside everytime it changes activity. If it is sleeping, when it wakes, outside right way, when it stops playing and starts looking around, outside. When he is doing his business outside give him tiny pieces of hot dog. If he starts peeing in the house, startle him and get him out right away. As for the manners, your trainer will help you with that, teaching him sit and down and having the kids do that will help. I am sure he will mellow out but if he doesn't have to, why would he.
Good luck and find a training class in Cheyenne. Also check out http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/. She is a great trainer and has some excellent books that are easy to read and follow!

I hope you'll get a lot of advice about your daughter. I remember those times when one of the children would be insecure and want to hog the attention for a while! While hitting and screaming are inappropriate, we seemed to be able to work it out - hugging two children at the same time, giving the insecure one something to do with the other child (high fives, perhaps?) - just anything that will divert the strong feeling and make the other child/children seem like friends and not competition. The behavior would go away after a while (at our house, it was usually a week, but it seemed like long week!).

I just need to point out to you that you have two babies in your family... a fifteen-month-old girl and a nine-month-old Bassett. You will need to teach both of them (and the teaching actually has a lot of principles in common). My husband and I raised four children, and now our "second family" consists of puppies we raise for a service dog organization.

If your daughter had for some reason been kept in one environment and was then transferred to another one, she wouldn't know what to do, either. That's the way your puppy feels. Mr. Basset needs you and your husband to teach him. This is going to be more work for you, but you'll have a happy, and happily obedient, dog if you do.

I don't know where you live, but if you're in a city, the Petsmart and Petco stores have classes for dogs that are well worth your while. You go there to learn what to do and then you work with Mr. Basset every day. If you and your husband can both take him to class, so much the better, because the pup needs to know that you both are his leaders. I know people who do these classes with very small children in tow, so it can be done. Your son might enjoy helping in ways he's able.

There are books you can learn from as well, but if you can get the professional training, I recommend it. Bassets do not have the most compliant personalities in the doggy kingdom and you will be thankful for a teacher's help.

As far as the house training is concerned, since you're at home, you can put Mr. B. on a sort of schedule. Does he sleep through the night without needing to answer the call of nature? If he doesn't, take him outside on a leash, let him do his thing, and bring him right back in the house to his crate (or wherever he sleeps). In the daytime, take him outside first thing in the morning, after every good nap, after he eats, and just before he goes to bed. (When pups are really little, I just take them out every hour during the day!) Pretty soon he'll get the idea. He needs to be able to give you some sort of signal when he needs to go outside; a friend of mine installed a bell by the back door low enough for her dog to hit with his nose. Some dogs invent their own signals - a scratch at the door or a bark. Give lots of praise and some *little* rewards - puppy biscuits broken into little pieces, perhaps - when he does what you want him to do, and be as consistent as you are in teaching your children. It will take some time for him to be proficient, though, so lay in a supply of Nature's Miracle or another good stain/odor remover to make sure he doesn't find any leftover potty smell in the house after he makes a mistake.

If you love dogs, there is nothing better for you and your children than a happy, well-trained dog - and the dog is happier, too! The effort you put in now, as busy as your already are, will pay back.

Responding to the situation with your daughter . . . my little one started yelling and screaming and pushing when my husband and I hugged and kissed. A friend recomended that we ask our daughter for permission. I was a little conserned at first but after the first couple of times of asking her if it was alright, she could care less about it now. As far as the interaction with your son, maybe set some personal time aside, 1:00 - 1:30 is daughter time and 1:30 - 2:00 is son's time, and after is together time. Make sure to include private time for yourself and husband.

Take the puppy to obedience class now. He will not grow out of it! We adopted a 6 month old puppy who had house training issues as well. Crate training worked wonders--2 hours in crate, go outside to pee/poo, PLAY intensively for 1 hour or a bit more, back in crate for 2 hours, etc. It also sounds like he has a lot of energy--make sure he gets a lot of running and outside time. Our vet recommended a trainer that actually came to our house (pup had on leash aggression issues) and she gave us some calming techniques and advise that has really helped. A puppy is a LOT of work--a 3rd child really.

Kennel train the puppy... it will be crazy the first few days the puppy will whin, cry, bark and howl... oh an d did i mention the nights are worse than a new born... but be strong and steadfast...it works... also... puppy obiedence call any vet and they can recommend some one in your area... from there pyou should be okay... good luck as for your daughter... TIME OUT.... it works like a charm... now i am a little more strict than most but even at 15 months... it works... keep us posted

S., I feel your pain about the dog! we got a beagle who is 7 months. The thing I have learned is that he needed to be trained. They don't grow out of it, we just get used to it. We go to a lady named Lisa Sickels,her company is Wags. She works in different Doggie Day Cares. Our one is City Bark in Parker. You can google her, she is so nice and awesome but she will tell you that it takes work and consistency. She is super cool. Having a dog gets stressful. I had no idea! good luck!
M.

Hi S.,

The worst thing you could do is to continue to keep the dog outside. This creates socialization problems for the dog which could lead to aggression. Not only are dogs extremely social creatures, they just want to be near you and part of the family. Dogs need boundaries, discipline, and exercise; just like kids. Probably, what is happening is you are letting him in after hours of time on his own and he's so excited to see you and be with you that he becomes a little Tazmanian devil. Is he getting enough exercise? A puppy should be exercised AT LEAST 1.5 hours a day. A tired dog is a well behaved dog! This could be walks, puppy play dates, dog park, etc. Sometimes, people get a Bassett because they think they are lazy and require less activity; this is not the case. All the Bassetts I know are precocious and enjoy lots of exercise.

Some other posters said to get a crate; YES!!!! This is a great training tool. If you need further advice; I have tons of experience raising pups and am the state rep for Dogs Deserve Better. Just send me a message and I can give you more info and tips. :) Good luck and enjoy this wonderful addition to your family!

I can't help you with any classes since I'm not in your area, but I *highly* recommend the book "Good Owners, Great Dogs". It is amazing. Our dog had puppies a few months ago and along with the instructions and vaccination schedule when we sold them came info on this book. It is the best dog book I've ever read. The first time I read it was when we were on our third dog (a lab) and had 5 kids, so we knew that between a typically rambunctious breed and a lot of small children, we needed all the help we can get. By 4-5 months old she was one of the best behaved labs I've ever seen.

It will take some dedication from you, but you can address the issues that you are having with the dog within a few weeks.

As far as your daughter, I'm kinda stumped as mine have never gone this far (hitting) with parental preference, but if it were me I'd try two things. #1, ignoring the tantrums when you are hugging your husband, etc (I'm assuming she's on the floor and not being held when this is happening), or if your husband is playing on the floor with your son, either move or move her so that she starts to figure out that her tantrum only earns her a negative reaction and not the attention that she is seeking (yep, she's old enough to figure out cause and effect!).
Also I would try incorporating everyone playing together and interacting positively with her at the same time to see if that helps. It won't necessarily do anything for her being a daddy's girl, but may tone down how she treats everyone else, and help her see that dad can be with others as well as her and she doesn't need to be possessive.
Good Luck!