Puppy, cat and child problems - advice needed please

Hi everyone, I am new to the site having been directed to you by the lovely Maplecottage. We have a 14 week old choc lab bitch called Coco. She is a lovely girl, very nice natured but much more of a handful than we had ever thought possible. We have 3 main problems and I would really appreciate some advice.

1. Coco still wees in the house at least once per day. DH and I take her outside every hour so she does get the opportunity to pee but she still does it on the carpet. She goes all night without making a mess and has done for about 3 weeks so her bladder capacity is ok. When she does it outside we make a great fuss of her and give her a treat and say nothing when she does it in the house. Is there anything more we can do?

2. We have two cats that are housecats that have moved upstairs since Coco's arrival. When they do come down and she sees them she gets all excited and wants to play but of course they run and she chases them (if we can't grab her first). Now the cats have started doing wees and poos in the kitchen and lounge even though their litter tray is accessible. Has anyone any advice on how to integrate dogs and cats?

3. This is my biggest worry. I have two daughters of 3 and 5. My 5 year old is okay but my 3 year old won't leave Coco alone. She is always trying to hug her and teases her so we cannot allow them to be in the room together. Miss A has a black eye from Coco jumping up at her and I'm terrified that Coco will hurt her. Is there any advice anyone can offer here?

Please don't think it is all bad. Coco is currently asleep next to my feet with her ear turned inside out - a picture of domestic bliss!

Thanks a million

Hi there

Some initial thoughts/questions:

(1) House training
Do you have a crate for Coco? If not, I would certainly consider this (there is a good article on crate training uder the Articles section on Dogsey - look at the headings towards the top of the page).

It is best when house training not to let the pup have free access to too many rooms unless you are with her and keep an eye on her. You won't always catch her in time, but if you see her start to squat, you can rush her outside.

She is particularly likely to want to pee when she has just woken up and after she has been fed..if you don't already, make sure she goes out after both these events.

(2) When we introduced our first rescue dog to our cat we decided that there were certain rules which had to be put in place to give the cat a bit of piece. Our dog was therefore not allowed on the furniture. The cat soon got used to the idea that he was safe from the dog up high and they soon started to relax around each other.

If you have a crate, you can put Coco in their from time to time and encourage the cats into the room. Hopefully the more time they will get used to each other, the more settled they will be. Another option for giving the cats more confidence is to put baby gates up on your door ways - the cats can move in and out but the pup (hopefully!) won't be able to get through the gate. The gates won't have to in position forever, just long enough to give the cats some confidence.

You can also make ignoring the cats a positive experience for Coco - give her treats and praise for sitting with you rather than focusing on the cats. Equally you can encouage the cats to think of Coco as a good thing - get some tasty treats to give them when she is there.

(3) I know its difficult with a 3 year old, but it is very, very important that your daughter learns how to behave around the puppy. If nothing else then your pup MUST have a safe place (such as her crate) where she knows that she will not be disturbed. This area (be it her bed or crate) is COMPLETELY out of bounds to the children - i.e. they are not to even go near the bed/crate when the pup is in it.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get there.

Oh dear a typical puppy then.
Regards the weeing, I would just ignore her, but if its carpet clean it with bio washing powder they say it rids of the smell where she has been.

Children a difficult one, as obviously a 3 years old is difficult to educate, and puppy and 3 year olds are like two little playmates. Maybe a childgate across the kitchen and Puppy can be removed with a ''right this is quiet time'' to your little 3 year old, so eventually puppy and child learn that there is a ''time out'' period.

The cats may prove to be more difficult, obviously they are stressed as they are messing in different area.
Perhaps a training lead for puppy may prove good, she can go up to them but you can put your foot on the lead quicker than catching the puppy. With a Firm ''Leave'' or NO.

I am sure all will settle well and they will all live in harmony

Best wishes you puppy sounds delightful.

your puppy sounds like a typical puppy, full of fun
I can't advise on the cats or children but regarding toilet training, Mya was 7 months before she was fully house trained, just keep doing what you are doing, get her out every hour and make sure you get let her out after eating, sleeping, playing etc. I used to have to carry mine quickly outside as they are so young they don't always follow you to the door so pick her up if you think she's going to wee and take her outside, I was like a stalker and always waited until I'd seen them wee/poo before they came back in, even if I was out there ages with them, lots of praise when they do it outside.
We need some pics please

Thanks for the advice. We do have a crate for Coco and she is very happy there and I am sure that us why she is dry at night. I guess we have to keep on watching her like a hawk. I've bought some cat calming plugins so maybe that will work. Will keep you posted. Oh and will post pics when I figure out how. Thanks again.

hi,

I would sugest a crate for all 3 problems

1) suki was so hard to housetrain 12months + so bare with it, if she gets it and reverts go back to basics. we got a cage far to big for her the 1st time round but eventually she got it.

2) where is your litter tray?? maybe have 2, cats wont cross the dog to get the litter tray. the cage will allow the animals to see one another without getting hurt. let the cat batter the dog, they have to be in charge lol. do you have babygates for the children?? i use them to stop the dogs going upstairs this gives the cats a 'safe' area away from the dogs. feliway from the vets is good to calm the cats.

3) the cage will be the dogs safe house, mine like going in their even when the door is unlocked so, this area would be a no go for the children

Good luck
ATD x

I can't really advise R:E house-training, as Zara (GSD) picked it up pretty quickly. But I would say, just keep doing what you are doing and Coco will soon get it. Remember, labs are very intelligent dogs, but they are all very different.

We also have two cats, both nearly ten years old, so are no spring chickens. Initially, Zara was VERY interested in the cats, they, of course took a dislike to her and ran away, Zara saw this a fair game and would chase them. We just had to keep telling her 'NO' when she chased them and praise them when she left them alone. It worked eventually and now the cats rule Zara with a rod of iron . She knows if she gets too close to them, she will end up with a sharp whack on the nose (from the cats, not us!) Having said that, Chubby, our tortoiseshell cat, will tolerate Zara sniffing her ect, but will definitely tell her when she's had enough, however the other Madam has absolutely NO tolerance of her what-so-ever. Here is a pic of Zara and Chubby taken last week, it just goes to show that it can work if you give it time:



The last question I can't really help you with- I don't have kids. However, I have read that children (especially the youngest) can in fact be jealous of a new pup in the house-hold, just like they could be with a new baby in the family. It is common for them to seek attention a lot more and also tease and wind up the new pup in the hope of getting attention (positive or negative- it doesn't matter). This could be the reason why your little'un is winding Coco up. If you think it may be, try getting her to help out with Coco, help her feed her, ask her to get Coco's bowl etc. Also you could ask her to gently brush her or put her lead on, just simple things, but make a fuss when she does it etc. Eventually as Coco and your daughter grow, they will both learn their boundaries with one - another and will grow up to be great friends, so long as there are rules put in place early on.

Hope this helped.

Hi Fiona

Coco needs to go out after food/sleep/play/excitement/and when she sniffs the ground and circles and about an hour after she last went out .
You are doing the right thing giving praise and a reward. When you take her out try taking her for a short walk to a place frequented by other dogs, their scent and the bit of exercises should stimulate her to eliminate, than you will know she is empty for a while

Make sure any soiled areas in the house are thoroughly cleaned with a none ammonia based cleaner like biological washing powder to remove every trace of scent or Coco will return to soil there.

if a cat is willing, try sitting with it on your knee and either throw tiny tip bits to Coco from a distance or get someone to hold her on the lead while she sits to receive tip bits so she comes to associate the cat with a good experience while being distracted by the tip bits. If she ignores the cats give her praise.

My son has a baby gate at the bottom of his stairs and his two cats take refuge upstairs from Zak the Springer but they do venture down to tease him occasionally. They have a litter tray in the spare bedroom for emergencies.

Make sure you teach Coco bite inhibition, this is really important..
Link to teaching bite inhibition ..click here

Don't allow Coco to jump up at all, teach her to sit before the children stroke her otherwise she will jump up when she is fully grown.
Make sure Coco has a safe place to retreat to away from the children,
If you think play is getting rough split them up,

Here is an article about dogs and children by Shadowboxer (a great friend of Maplecottage )
http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=10261

And another on puppy training ...
http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=14526

Hi

It's all normal and does settle down I promise!

Dizzy is 7 months and about 3 weeks ago clicked that you have to go outside to the toilet all the time not just when she can be bothered She is asking to go out like a true professional now!

Cats we are only just getting there and it's still hit and miss! I have a stairgate and litter trays upstairs. For the most part Dizzy is good with the cats but they do still cause her great excitement at times. I have a pocket full of cheese at all times still and am teaching her to leave. Bit hit and miss tho still I'm afraid!

The advice about crates and stairgates with your girls is sound advice as the energy of 3 yr olds and puppies is about the same! When my other dog Molly was a puppy my son Connor was around 3 and did not have one top that didn't have holes from their rough and tumble. I got Connor involved in her training and he did little tricks with her like paw and all the usual bits so their interaction was also calm as well as the wild play stuff!

Good luck with it all you sound like you have your hands full but it all settles down in the end!

Ali xx