16 week old puppy issues

[Jasper'sMomma]

I have a 16 week old Australian labradoodle. We got him at 12 weeks old. He is very well behaved and very smart. He is in puppy classes that we go to once a week. The clicker training is going great...He is being crate trained at night next to my side of the bed...sleeps straight through (11:30pm-9am. And during the day he is free to roam unless I am not home, and he has a play pen about 10x10 to hang out in. We feed him in the pen -morning and evening- and he goes there if he is thirsty or I tell him kennel...he does not potty in the pen or the kennel.

Our issues are:

1) Barking!! Jasper will bark at my 9yr old Labrador (Tux) if he won't play with Jasper and it won't stop until I interfere (Tuxedo will to nothing but lie there) sometimes for 10 minutes?? Also, Tux and Jasper do play and then the play gets rough, should I intervene or wait until Jasper says "uncle"? How can I get Tux to establish limits?

2) Working on house-training, Jasper will go to the door if he can see the backdoor, but if he is in any room where it is not visible he will squat in the corner of the room, however he has only had 3 accidents since we got him...how do I get him to go to the door? Or am I just not being patient enough. He has had 4 weeks of consistent training, with me home not working - training him. Any suggestions or comments??

Thanks so much!

This is my first forum to be a part of! It has already been helpful!!

[lindamarie]

Hello Jasper'sMomma!

Sounds like Jasper is fairing rather well AND still being a PUPPY!

Tuxedo sounds like the gold 'ole patient Lab at 9 years old........the kinda laid back kind that you can stumble over!

Not sure I can give the perfect answers to solve your concerns but:

1. Who gets rough when they do play? If it's Tux, you may need to step in. If it's Jasper, Tux will know what to do as an adult dog.
I know. When Bogart plays with his year old silkie terrier buddy, Joey, and Joey starts to SQUEEEEL.....I flip out. Both dogs had the same trainer so we use the shout " AaaaahT" in a very low pitch and LOUD command they usually stop.
I have noticed that Joey likes to squeal for attention that we give and uses it a sympathy thing.
You have to watch, but try to let them work it out together.

With the barking at Tux to play...that is so puppy normal.
Try to distract Jasper or give him a command.

2. Hmmm.....I guess I'd take him out more often.
Make some happy sounds like "let's go, let's go, outside, outside" while clapping your hands and sorta running to the door yourself. He may get the idea.
He will catch on eventually but wow! Run of the house at 16 weeks is a tough one and he REALLY needs to be watched and go out more. Even if he doesn't have to go, he may catch on as you take off happily running to the back door several times a day.

[becka]

My puppy (Sadie, F1B labradoodle) is 17 weeks old, and while she has been housetrained since 12 weeks (I got her at 10), I still never let her out of my sight while we're in the house (she's crated at night and when I'm not home). If we're in a room from which the back door isn't visible, I ask her if she needs to go potty every few hours, especially if we've been playing or if she's just woken up from a nap.

Of course it helps that I don't have a very big house and it's all one level. She does tend to follow me from room to room rather than the other way around, though she has been known to take naps in rooms by herself.

Also, are you using Nature's Miracle or something similar to make sure that all traces of the accident is removed?

[Jasper'sMomma]

Jasper goes outside every 3 hours now. We started at every 1.5 hours. He can go longer but I don't make him hold it. If he walks to the door he gets to go outside no matter how long since his last outing but I don't let him play if he initiates going outside. Do you still think more often is necessary?? I don't let him have any accidents but how do I know when he will tell me vs. me just always initiating potty time?
We didn't give him full roam of the house right away...plus he pretty much stays in whatever room that I'm in by following me on his own. He is actually getting pretty independent - more and more each day. He follows me less and less; the older he gets the more he just stays where he is laying until he gets curious enough to come find me! You think he should be in the playpen more, even when I am home?


And the play, Jasper starts the rougher play and Tux is more than willing to match his enthusiasm- once he is up and moving, lol but he won't keep it from getting to the really rough physical wrestling and gnarling and 'fang displays' from both of them. They are still playing but then Jasper will squeal and tux will feel guilty. And not want to play for a while- Hence the whole Jasper barking right at Tux scenario. (Or tux is just old and tired sometimes and just wants to chill).

Other than the play issues, Tux and Jasper get along better than I could have ever hoped. Tux has always been an ‘only dog’ but we thought he was lonely and we wanted him to have a companion…


Lindamarie- thanks again for your input, I really appreciate it! So does Jasper…and Tux!!!

Becka- ohh Sadie sounds so much like Jasper , and yes we got rid of the smell. He has only had a couple of accidents in the first week and none in the same spot…do you have any other comments? Are you having any issues with Sadie? we have a single story home as well...


Jasper is about 10lbs bigger than in these photos, so he is getting much more confident!!

[becka]

"I don't let him have any accidents but how do I know when he will tell me vs. me just always initiating potty time? "

I wonder about this ALL THE TIME! How do I know if Sadie is really housebroken? She does go to the door when she wants to potty, but (of course) also when she wants to play.

I forgot to add that at night (because my yard is big and I don't like to chase her around in the dark) OR if I only want her to pee or poo, I take her into the yard on the leash, to her specific potty place. That way she knows that it's not play time, it's pee time. She will go potty on command, so usually before and after we get in the car, and at the end of a long walk, I always tell her "Sadie, go potty" until she goes--just to make sure the tank is on empty!

I always reinforce with tons of praise, and occasionally reinforce with treats.

Her biggest issue right now is nipping and biting when she gets frustrated and excited at the same time. She only does this to me (she's very submissive with everyone else she knows/meets) and I can usually put a stop to it with a very firm NO BITE and a firm jerk of her collar. She is a very, very smart puppy (objectively speaking, of course ) and I can always see the little wheels in her brain spinning as she contemplates whether she needs to obey me or not.

Otherwise she doesn't have any real issues aside from being a puppy--i.e. with a short attention span and low impulse control. She is learning, and so am I! We love our puppy classes.

Jasper is really adorable.

[Jasper'sMomma]

Sadie sounds so sweet! Any pics??

Jasper also is doing the nipping and biting, but its after a play romp with Tux or after he gets excited, too...

My trainer suggested saying 'ouch!!' and pulling your hand away ...IT REALLY WORKS! he was like 'oh no, I hurt my momma'

His nipping has almost stopped as fast as it started once I started saying ouch - like I just touched a hot burner! It feels silly at first but it works, the trick is not to laugh when you do it

[becka]

I've tried squealing and yiping and yelling "ouch" when Sadie bites--it only works when she's not totally riled up. In general she's a very calm dog for a 17-week-old puppy--she just has her manic moments. I took her to work with me yesterday (I teach at a university). My students were dropping off their final projects, and after a while she was relaxed enough to only respond to the ones who wanted to pet her, rather than jumping on all of them. (Although pretty much everyone who was wearing sandals got a toe-licking.)

Here are some pix. I took them with my phone, so the quality isn't fantastic.

[Jasper'sMomma]

She is soooo cute! You can really tell a difference in how much she has grown from the 15wk pic to the one at your school! She's growing up! lol

I bet she loves going to school with you...Jasper loves going places too...

(btw, how did you attach a thumbnail like that? I didn't mean for my pics to be soo big?!)

[lindamarie]

These pups are absolutely ADORABLE!!

Addressing the issue of how does one know when they're housebroken.
Usually, if they go for about 2 weeks without an accident, they are.
However, consider, if they do have an accident.....if maybe you have accepted that they ARE and just take it for granted by letting them out less.

[lindamarie]

BTW, I said pups are adorable......I forgot to mention how handsome TUX is. He looks like such a sweetheart!

[Nikkiey]

becka, that first picture of Sadie sure reminds me of when my Juneau was only 17 weeks old!!

Jasper is one cute and lucky pup to be able to have Tux to look up to and learn from! Hopfully they will be able to find a middle ground with the play.

[becka]

Sadie went to the dog park for the first time today. First we were on the big dog side-Sadie made friends with a beautiful silver-gray sheepadoodle--but I think she started to feel a little intimidated and headed for the gate after about 15-20 minutes, so then we checked out the little dog side. She was much more confident among the munchkins (though in general she was a lot more interested in their owners) and after a little while plopped herself down in the midst of a group of people in their camp chairs and drank up all the water they'd put out for their dogs!

We were there for about 40 minutes total and it had the exact effect I was hoping for--she was completely worn out!

[becka]

PS I attached the photos by using the Reply feature instead of Quick Reply (which doesn't seem to have the option of attachments--at least not for me)

[Jasper'sMomma]

lindamarie ~ I will tell Tux that you said he was handsome, too

Nikkiey ~ Yes we got very lucky that they bonded so quickly, it is so cute to watch them nap together

Becka ~ thank you! I was getting frustrated cuz I couldn't figure what I was doing wrong...

***We have had a breakthrough!!!!***

Last night when we got home from puppy class Jasper was let out to potty and didn't have to so we came back in. I started fixing dinner and wasn't really paying him much attention and when I looked up to see why I didn't hear anything, he was pacing by the backdoor staring right at me!! I RAN over to the door chanting "Good Boy" and he went outside and peed...I couldn't believe it!

THEN, later last night we were in the bedroom and I was on my bed with him and he was chewing on his bone...he sat straight up and sat there for a second, then jumped down and sat at the bedroom door (which was closed) and just sat there facing the door. He didn't make any sounds but he was wanting out of the room...so I got up and said "do you have to go potty?" and he stood up and was wagging his tail. So I opened the door and he ran in front of me over to the back door and sat down waiting for me to let him out!!! IT WAS LIKE A DREAM!!! Two times in the same day? I hope it has finally clicked with Jasper....keep your fingers crossed

nap time, my little lamb, and check out those eyelashes!!

[lindamarie]

HOOOOOOORAY FOR JASPER!!!!
What a good boy!!
He's starting to like Bogart when he was a puppy.....

So glas you had TWO major warnings, but STILL .....WATCH!
We get so excited and then one day, it happens again. But, for sure, he's getting the idea!

Becca......glad your baby had fun at the dog park. It WILL wear them out.

" A good doodle is a tired doodle".