here I am, puppy-sitting!

[Csara]

Ok, so we are puppy-sitting little Sammy the baby yorkie. He is only 3 months and less than 2 pounds. What a little bugger!! Poor Janice (our cat) is scared of him and he just wants to chase her around. I had to confine him to the kitchen b/c he will run wild around the house...he even made it all the way up the stairs. :eek: He is in the middle of being potty trained so I have to really keep an eye on him and he's quite a handfull. I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty stressful 10 days. I might be back here often asking for advice. ;)

[Mel-icious]

Ahh, poor Janice and C. I hope it gets better for ya! Potty training is hard work, I feel for ya. ;)

[Csara]

I am going batty. He wimpers when I have him in the kitchen, even though I am right here in the next room with the tv on (my mom said he likes the tv). So, I let him out and he runs all over the place, he wont just sit down with me. I took him out for a little walk and I have played with him for the majority of the day...I just need some time to breathe. I can't entertain him every second of the day. HELP!!! What should I do about his wimpering?? Should I just ignore it?

[Csara]

Oh and Janice has been upstairs all day. I had to move her food dish up there or she wouldn't eat. I feel so bad for her. :(

[veda]

so are you & Janice having second thoughts about your family ttc? :biglaugh: only kidding of course... when janis was young, we'd get her new things to play with really often & take her out & get her tired a few times a day (only 15 or 20 minutes works wonders) just running them... mmm... & we had a friend who used an indoor leash. maybe he'd feel more "with" you with that??? & Janis would spend a good amount of time destroying coconuts. one of those could take a 2LB Yorkie several days :eek:

anyway... if you get bored, you could post a pic of him next to Janice just to show us :D happy puppysitting!

[Csara]

I found a way to block off the other room so I had him out here with me, but then he jumps up the stairs. He can even get around the baby gate. All he wants to do now is go upstairs and see Janice. OMG!! This is really hard. I am going to have to put his little leash back on like you suggested V, and see what happens. oy vey!!!

[veda]

:biglaugh: csara

[Csara]

ok what is it like 6 minutes later and he is sleeping peacefully right next to my leg. :biglaugh: Not that this will last long......

[lovebug]

the joy of a puppy! He is all hyper too being somewhere new. You basically do have to watch him at all times. Just like a baby. He will only sleep for a bit. Then have to go out. Enjoy!

[Csara]

ok, pup just found a favorite spot to take a poop....behind the couch. :rolleyes: Is there any way for me to stop/control this??

[angelrenee]

Keep him from behind the couch? Will he use a puppy pad if you put one back there? Of course if your couch is like mine, trying to get at anything back there is impossible!

I'd try keeping him from getting back there in the first place. Of course, I've never had a doggie so I don't know how hard that might be. :)

[Csara]

LOL, we tried but he is so tiny he manages to fit anywhere he wants to go. :rolleyes: I think I will have to keep him gated in the kitchen after he eats until he makes so I won't have to go searching for it. :gag:

[Neneuu]

Rules for the pups -

Take outside after play, sleep, eat! That should help reduce the accidents in the house. Altho when they are young - and if that pup is anything like mine, after they are brought back in, they pee on the floor right in front of you!:rolleyes:

do you have a crate? Those are magnificant inventions!

[Csara]

Actually my parents wanted to potty train him to go inside. Don't ask!! I really don't know why but that's the way they want it so I am stuck dealing with it right now. FUN!! haha. He actually is great with going pee pee on the pads and on newspaper, but he hasn't figured out he is supposed to poop on there too. :rolleyes: Anyway, yes we have a crate for him. He sleeps there and I put him in it if we are leaving the house.

Thanks everyone for the tips, btw. :)

[angelrenee]

You know, they make litter pans for doggies now - we use one for one of our rabbits since it has a low entryway. Actually, they make litter for dogs, too, but I don't know what it's made of. Maybe he'd like a box or something to go in? You could put a pad in a box and put some of his poop in there so he can smell it. Maybe he'd catch on. I dunno, I'm used to cats and rabbits who litter trained themselves.

Actually, with some kittens we had, I waited until they chose a single spot to go in and then just put a box in the way. They picked up on it in only a couple of days. This was when I was raising foster kittens who had no mommy to teach them what the box was for. Except for burying their deeds (which I never could convince them to do), they caught on pretty well for having been taught by a human instead of a cat. :)

[Csara]

Originally posted by angelrenee
You could put a pad in a box and put some of his poop in there so he can smell it. Maybe he'd catch on. I dunno, I'm used to cats and rabbits who litter trained themselves. LOL!! ewww, that is too gross. But yes, worth a try. I do actually have a litter box for him w/ newspaper inside. He knows to go pee-pee in there or any of the other 2 pads I have laid down. I don't know if it's confusing to have more than one spot for him to go, but I am tired of constantly wiping up pee. He's not my dog, ya know? I have already given up half my house for him and ALL of my time...and he is the size of a hamster. :lol: He's so adorable though, I can't really be mad. ;) Anyway....cats are sooo much easier. This confirms what I already knew.... that I am definitely more of a cat person. :D BTW, for (kitty) litter training....I heard that you are just supposed to wipe their paws in the litter and they will know what it's for. :huh: They are so smart. :D

[angelrenee]

I heard that you are just supposed to wipe their paws in the litter and they will know what it's for.

Which works great if you have two things going for you:

a) The kitty doesn't run away from you the minute you touch their paws, and

b) You don't already own a spastic grownup cat who teaches them to just run away from the icky poo! :rolleyes:


On the grossness of the moving the poo trick, it may actually convince him that since his poo isn't behind the couch but in the box or on the pad you set out, he should just go there. I know some bunnies will tend to go where ever they find their poo as gross as that sounds. You can often retrain their litter habits by making their favorite spot smell liek someting else (flowers or some spray or something) and another place smell like them.

My smallest bunny is just barely larger than a guinea pig and he can be quite the handfull. I can see how a hamster sized doggie could be even worse. :)

[lovebug]

As far as getting him not to poop behind the couch, after he eats he will need to go like 10 to 15 mins after. That is what the books say. I say sooner! So after he eats then take him out and let him do his business. It may take a bit. Walk around with him. For some reason the move they get the urge! lol! Then when you bring him back in just watch him like a hawk! lol! When he starts sniffing around in circles or tries to find ways to get behind the couch it is time to go back outside. Stay out there until he does it. Since he isnt going to be living with you full time this is confusing to him. So you just have to be patient. My mom thinks I am crazy every time I get another puppy and we go out what seems like every 30 mins. The littlest of sniffs they are out just to see if they will go. I always have the them trained in two weeks or less with my boxer! So it works.