# stressed with my 11 week old puppy!



## tdallas (Aug 4, 2008)

I have an 11 week old golden retriever named Trixie and I love her dearly! I have had her since she was 7 weeks old and the poor thing has already had a number of problems. She's had worms (3 times!), a seizure due to the severity of the worms, and an abnormal lump on her head that was found to be a goose-egg from hitting her head while playing with the other puppy in the house. But she is quite the trooper and has toughed through it all!

I'm having some trouble potty training her. She spends most of her time outside, she really enjoys it, but also when I am at work, my roommate just leaves her out there and doesn't really let her in the house. He has a 13 week old South African Boerboel (in the mastiff family) and the puppies play together all the time, but lately, he's left my puppy outside and his inside, which isn't really good, especially in this summer weather. When she is inside, usually only when I am home, she is alright but still pees on the floor from time to time. And the past few nights in her crate, she has peed in her crate and then rolls around in it. I put her to bed around 11pm last night, woke up around 4:30am specifically to let her out, and she had already peed and rolled in it. I thought waking up in the middle of the night to let her out would solve the problem, but it didn't, so now I am stuck! I cut off her water around 7pm, sometimes 8pm if she is playing more, and I let her out several times before I put her in her crate to sleep. I've run out of ideas, so any advice would be greatly helpful!

My other issue is my roommate. Him and I have been friends for 4 years, and I am currently living in his house (it was left to him when his mother passed away earlier this year). His 13 week old puppy is like a puppy prodigy. His puppy is already potty trained, sleeps in the bed with him, wakes him up when she needs to go to the bathroom, sits by the back door when she needs to be let out to go potty, rarely chews on anything, and is picking up on training extremely quickly. She is a very laid back puppy. Because of this, he thinks that something is wrong with me puppy because Trixie is not like his puppy, Shift. He constantly says my dog is stupid and puts her down. Before I moved in, I asked him if he cared if I got a puppy, and I told him the only thing he would have to do, is let her out to pee a few times during the day when I am at work, and feed her whatever meal I am unable to, which is usually lunch. He gave me the go ahead, but now he seems like he might have regretted telling me that. By choice, he leaves her out of her crate when I am at work, but he leaves her outside all day, while his dog is inside. He keeps them from really having a chance to play together, which they love to do, and never allows Trixie a chance to be inside, even if she was in her crate. I really don't want my puppy to be an outside dog, I really want her to enjoy being inside, and to enjoy laying around inside with me when I am home, so I can actually get some things done around the house instead of always having to look outside and see what she is up to. She does enjoy it outside, but I don't think she likes to be out there all the time. So I am trying to figure out how to deal with my roommate, because his negative comments about Trixie are discouraging to me in training her and just upset me in general, because he treats her like dirt, and when you treat someone's puppy that way, it almost reflects how you treat the owner, and I do take it personally, she is like my child. 

So what do I do about my roommate, how can I better potty-train my puppy, how can I get my dog to stop peeing in her crate and rolling around in it, and how can I find more patience to take all of this on, on top of working full time, paying bills, and trying to get used to a new city, a new house, and meeting new people?!


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## Faith's mommy (Feb 26, 2007)

i don't know what advice to give on the roommate - he does not sound like someone i'd leave my dog with. leaving an 11 week old puppy outside in the heat all day is dangerous. does she have access to shade? lots of fresh, cool water?

has your vet checked her for a bladder infection or a UTI? sometimes when you have to give so many meds to a little pup it throws their system off. i'd hate to see her getting punished for not being able to hold it when it's a medical condition, not a training issue.


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## AmyinAr (Feb 26, 2008)

I would never leave my puppy with someone who would leave her outside, that is really dangerous. I would crate train her during the day, it will keep her safe and will help housetrain her. If he is not out there praising her when she goes (or someone) then it's no surprise she hasn't learned to go outside.
With her coming from a breeder who would let her go at 7 weeks (too early) she missed some socialization lessons with her mom and siblings. She also has clearly come from a place where she got worms and has other problems, this is not going to help her with her behavior or training, I would focus on getting her healthy right now. She might be getting the worms over and over b/c she is outside and has access to poop to eat that has worms in it ... she needs to be supervised and inside until she's healthy (and always in my opinion) I would be moving asap.


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## avincent52 (Jul 23, 2008)

> So what do I do about my roommate, how can I better potty-train my puppy, how can I get my dog to stop peeing in her crate and rolling around in it, and how can I find more patience to take all of this on, on top of working full time, paying bills, and trying to get used to a new city, a new house, and meeting new people?!



Why is your friend's dog a "puppy prodigy?" Probably because he's is home all day, and probably spends a lot of time while you're at work training his puppy. 

It's not realistic to expect him to care for your puppy the way you do. No, Trixie shouldn't be left outside all day. But he'd probably be happier to have her in the house if she were actually trained a little (or a lot). As it is now, you're giving him the job of watching your untrained puppy when he's got one of his own. 

In a strange way, he's doing you a favor by getting you to realize that you're dropping the ball when it comes to training (and, yes, even caring for) your pup while it's still early enough to do something. If the puppy is being "treated like dirt" then you bear some of the responsibility because you're allowing it to happen. 

It seems to me that you underestimated the care and training that a puppy requires. 
You're just going to have to change your priorities and spend more time with the puppy. 
What she learns --or doesn't--in the next few weeks will go a long way to determine if she's going to be a happy, well-trained, well-adjusted dog or a dog with behavioral problems for the rest of her life.

Loving Trixie is a start. But doing the hard work of taking care of her is what's going to make the difference. 

allen


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

Assuming that moving is not an option, can you set your puppy up in a safe area inside the house and have a dog walker come a couple times during the day while you are at work? I wouldn't trust your roommate to do much for your pup at this point and leaving a puppy unattended outside is not very safe.


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## allux00 (Mar 2, 2008)

That's so messed up!!! It is dangerous for her to be outside all that time in the heat. How much trouble would it be for him to let her spend a little more time with him and his puppy? Suggest to him that she would be potty trained a lot faster if she wasn't left outside so often. No offense, but your roomate sounds like a jerk. No responsible dog lover would treat one puppy better than another in his care.


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## tdallas (Aug 4, 2008)

Okay, first things first. My roommates DOES stay at home all day with his puppy because he doesn't have a job. He doesn't realize that that is most likely the main reason why she is doing as well as she is, instead he is convinced it's the breed and his method of training.

As for him caring for my puppy, I don't see how it isn't realistic. I told him that he can keep her in her crate all day. The only thing I asked of him is that he give her one meal a day and let her out to pee a few times. Honestly, I don't think that is asking too much at all. By his own choice, he lets her out of her crate all day, but then he leaves her outside most of the day. If he wants to leave her out, that is fine, but there is no reason for him to leave her outside. And that is simply for hew own health.

And as for dropping the ball on training, I spend every moment with her that I am not at work. I have yet to even leave the house without her, even if I need to go to the store, I do so before or after work. I have spent every waking moment when I'm not at work training her, feeding her, walking her, etc. So how is that dropping the ball on taking care of her?

And about him treating her like dirt, I have spoke with him about this several times. Him and I have barely spoke at all in the past week simply because he knows how much he has upset me and he doesn't have anything to say because he isn't sorry. It sounds very childish, but I go to work, and when I come home, I go outside with my puppy for a bit and play. Then I take her in the house, usually up to my room, and I'll play with her a bit and sometimes do some training on sitting, laying down, etc. Then I will take her back outside for a bit, I'll take her for a walk at some point. I'll feed her and let her rest a bit then play with her some more and then give her some time to calm down before putting her to sleep. Then she goes to sleep in her crate. My roommate is usually laying on the couch, in the living room, watching tv. If he isn't doing that, he is doing yard work or sleeping, so it is easy to avoid him.

I'm going to talk to him and mention that she would potty train alot faster if she wasn't left outside all the time. I feel horrible going to work sometimes, but honestly, I have no choice. I mean, he doesn't abuse her or anything like that, he just kind of ignores her, which is just as bad sometimes. So I am going to talk to him again, and see what he says. I even spoke with the vet and she said she needs to not be outside all the time to potty train, so it's true.

As for her health, the worms are all gone, she is on Revolution, and she seems like she is actually healthy now! So hopefully it stays that way.


Thank you for all the advice everyone! The more I recieve the better. I am new at this puppy stuff so any tips would help, especially on training! So feel free to leave more!


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## jnmarr (Mar 7, 2008)

Puppies need a lot of exercise.. but also a lot of rest. They need constant supervision. It isn't just the heat and threat of them getting out or stolen, but they are notorious for eating anything. You pup could eat too many sticks, rocks, plants, etc. and do serious harm. They need guidance as to how to behave. Praise when they do right.. redirection when they don't.. An exercise time, then a nap in the crate, taken out for a potty break, praise when they go.. a chance to run a bit, and potty again, more praise, another nap, etc. Structure especially with feeding will help with the training. As will cleaning any accidents up with a dog urine deoderizer. Goldens need people. They do not tolerate being left outside well, for many reasons. A lot of other training methods will work well on other dogs.. Goldens are sensituve loving intelligent creatures. They long to be with you. They think and sometimes over think things. Out of lonlyness or boredom they will devise ways to amuse themselves.. and I would bet you won't like what they do. Dig, chew, destroy, etc. I am sure there will be some more qualified people coming along to advise. So glad the baby is doing better.. what a rough start! Best wishes to you with this precious baby.


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## SolidGold (Dec 29, 2007)

Have you discussed with your roommate the danger of leaving your puppy outside all day? Not only is it for heat reasons but there are so many things that a puppy can get into....She could eat something poisonous, or eat something that can get lodged in her. Puppies are like children and they need constant supervision. I would tell your roommate that you want her in her crate and only to be let out to pee/poop and eat and then put back in her crate. Also is your crate the size of your puppy? There should only be enough room in the crate for her to turn around and lie down. Otherwise they will go to the bathroom in it. But it doesn't sound like you can trust this roommate to follow your instructions. Is there anyone else that can come over and care for your pup while you are at work? You might want to consider hiring someone. Good luck


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## avincent52 (Jul 23, 2008)

Have you really considered your options here?

If you and your friend continue to fight, he's going to kick you out or you're going to move out. Who's going to care for the puppy then? 

If your friend managed to train his own puppy that well, he's probably not a total jerk. (and he is your friend, after all)

Try being NICE to him. Say hey, your dog is so smart and you did such a great job with her. Can you help me to train Trixie? Then offer to pay him or do extra chores or something to compensate him for his time and effort. 

If he feels like he's being recongized for his efforts, he's much more likely to do the right thing by your puppy.

You've tried getting ticked off and it's not working so well, is it? 

allen


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

My only comment is beware of that Boerboel if your roommate isn't working to socialize the pants off that dog! Otherwise you may end up with an aggressive Boerboel in your house! They are a strong guarding breed and it takes a LOT of work to make them comfortable around others!


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