Hello Everyone,

I am new to the group. I recently, on February 18th, picked up my first puppy! His name is Charley Brown. So far, he has been a pretty well behaved puppy. He goes potty outside (for the most part) and plays like a wild man.

However, I am concerned about a few things.
#1- He is 9 weeks old, so I understand he is VERY new. He definitely left Mom I think too early, but I got him at a pet store and I am not sure of the care he received there. But, he is having accidents in the house. I take him out every 30-45 minutes when I am home and he is out of his crate (which is a lot right now). And he is going potty outside and getting A LOT of praise for it.

I have three other dogs from when I lived at home with my mom, so potty training isn't really new to me...

but I cant figure out why after he JUST came in from outside he comes into my room and squats and pee's again. Maybe he is marking? I'm not sure, but I really dont know how to get him to stop doing it.

#2- He is a chewer. And (AHHH He just peed NOW on the floor & he JUST WENT OUT!)

Back to the chewing, he chews on EVERYTHING. I try to put a toy in his mouth, but he just goes right back to chewing on my slippers, my pants, sleeves, whatever he was chewing on right before that. I dont know how to get his attention off of my clothing!

Any suggestions!

Mine are chewers too. I try to sit on the floor and throw ball's or toys If the chewing still keeps up I walk away. I think if he was from a pet store he is probably not used to anything other than a cage. You are like a big moving toy. Take him on lots of walks outside. My Zoey has been doing the same thing with potty right after we are out side.

Welcome, Meghan and Charley Brown (what a cute name)!

I'm getting a new puppy next month so I'll be in the same boat as you. Maybe, you'll be able to give me some advice by then! As you say, he is still really young. I'm sure he didn't get any training at all before you got him. I think the name of the game is consistency right now and slowly he will get the idea. Good luck with your new little guy and please post some pictures!

Adorable name!

It sounds as if this pup just cannot handle not being caged and given lots of space. I don't recommend 'caging' but I think it will be necessary to confine him in a pen that starts out small and then can be enlarged. Most puppies don't want to mess up their living area, so training to outside or a potty pad can then take place. He just has too much freedom right now and out of a cage is all the same to him.

Our vet sort of hit the nail on the head I think when he said that to successfully potty train a puppy you don't take your eye off of them until their five months old. Very hard to do, but it works.

Good luck and we need pictures.

Shirley H.

Welcome .Well one thing for sure , you rescued him none too soon. As sure as Monday follows Sunday. dogs in a pet store will not be housetrained when you get them home. Nor will they be well socialized. Here's the basics on housetraining. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training...-housetraining . And chewtoy training http://www.dogstardaily.com/training...ewtoy-training

Welcome Meghan and Charlie Brown,can't wait to see pics of your new little fellow!Havs are fantastic, but they can be a bit of a nightmare to house train if they have not been given the idea from their breeder.It took the best part of 6 months to get ours properly trained,but they make up for this with their loving funny ways!Do your other dogs live with you now or are they still at home?With the chewing thing you just have to keep all the things you don't want him to chew out of his way,and give him plenty of toys and chews,until he gets the hang of it.It will get better!Oh by the way they love shredding things.

at 9 weeks this is what puppies do, they chew, using their mouthes to explore, taste, etc.
make sure Charley Brown has lots of chew toys.

please make sure he gets lots of naps during the day. Place him in his bed after lots of play, then pee-pee's and then the nap.

@gelbergirl- charley does get plenty of rest throughout the day! & I spoil him rotten with toys.. he has a lot to choose from. However, when we're playing, I only have out about 5 or so because he is almost ADD with toys and my clothes. He cant stay focused on one thing at a time so I dont want to overwhelm him with too many choices.

@clare The other dogs are my mothers, so they stay with her. However, my boyfriend (who I stay with) has a German Shepard & Charley & him get along very very very well. Charley lovesss him & Kahn (the shepard) is very protective of him. It's cute. He follows him all around the house and when Charley is crated and in the same room as Kahn, he lays outside his crate and sleeps. What do you suggest I could give him that he could shred that would be safe & not harmful to his digestive system if he eats some of it. He currently has Nylabone's and he likes them a lot but they dont shred.

@ShirleyH- I am currently reading Housetarining for dogs and more crate time was one of the suggestions the book had as well. I keep an eye on him like a hawk when he is out of his crate, so I know his accidents aren't because I am not watching him good enough. I just hate crating him when I am in the room and able to watch him. But the book said that some dogs need more crate time than others and unfortuantely, for now, I think that is what he needs. Thanks for the suggestion.

@Kathie- congrats on getting a new puppy, well next month! Is this going to be your first too or no?

@Suzi- was your pup from a store? or from a breeder? & right now, he cant go on walks just yet. He JUST broke 2 lbs and doesnt even fit in the smallest harness available. ahah. PLUS, it's winter right now and he cant make it through all the snow we have been getting. So i shovel a part of the lawn just so he can go potty outside right now. hahaha.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL THE TIPS! AND I WILL POST PICTURES VERY VERY SOON!

Puppies are alot of work, and they will chew and teeth for a bit longer, if he's 9 weeks now, he could've been taken away from his mom much earlier than he should've been Pet stores usually get their dogs from unscrupulous people who really don't care about the dogs, just making money.

Small breeds and Havanese are known for being hard to housebreak and they are harder to housebreak then other dogs, but just be patient and do a search on the forum for housebreaking or potty training and read as many threads as you can, there are a ton of great threads on that here and you will find ideas to help you as you go along. He probably doesn't understand that he is supposed to pee outside...I do not think he's old enough to mark, he's just not sure where he is 'supposed' to go, keep teaching him. I don't think Gucci was really reliable til she was 1.5 years old (as far as occasionally peeing on the floor, which I am still convinced she'd do it out of spite for me leaving her, but i know that is 'not supposed to happen, blah blah blah"...lol

Oh and to the forum!! Enjoy your new furbaby!

Kara

@Thumper- i think you're right. I think Charley was removed from mom WAYYYY too soon. He was born 12-30-10 & I got him on the 18th of Feb. So that would make him 7 weeks.. and he was at the store for at least a week because I had my eye on him. Which would have made him 6 weeks, assuming he had JUST got there...

I was under the assumption that puppies should be with their moms for at LEAST 8 weeks.
Looking at it NOW, i probably bought a mill pup or a pup that wasnt cared for properly. Which breaks my heart. But, I wouldnt change my mind on buying him. He has seriously brought me a ton of happiness since I got him.