My Puppy

[lynyona]

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A couple of things I could do with advice on
1.Bedtime she didn't settle at night so she sleeps on our bed tried her with the crate in our bedroom next to bed howled the house down now got a dog bed on the floor same thing so back to our bed she s a good sleeper once she gets settled but if she wakes she s started mouthing and biting before going back to sleep gave her chew toy but she d rather chew us she turns to the puppy from hell for 5 to 10 minutes at a time until she settles again

2.She loves going in our back garden which is quite big but she will eat anything out there grass she eats the few flowers that there is pulls the bushes and eats the branches I am worried, are they're any particular plants that are harmful to dogs and I'm not even sure I know what any of them even are and she loves to eat the pebbles which definitely aren't good for her

 

[JoanneF]

For your first point, how much do you mind her sleeping on your bed? If you would rather she didn't, you can train her to use her own bed (make sure she is warm enough, that might be why she hasn't been settling). This resource will show you how -

I would also add that it will be imperative to teach her some independence - if she is howling because she isn't next to you. You really don't want her to develop separation anxiety. So in daytime, when she is not actually interacting with you, just walk quietly out of the room and back in before she really notices. Do it when she is occupied with a Kong and be back before she gets anxious. Your aim is to build up time gradually so she can be left without thinking it is a terrible thing. If you are working on the mouthing during the day, that will tail off at night if you choose to still have her on your bed.

The garden - puppies explore with their mouths and there are lots of things that could pose a risk, so sorry but the best advice is to watch her like a hawk, and train a solid "leave" and "drop" - by having something of far higher value as a reward for giving up whatever she has.

 

[JudyN]

I haven't watched the video Joanne posted so apologies if it makes this clear, but when persuading her not to sleep on your bed - or putting her on the floor every time she bites so she learns that she can sleep on your bed if she's good - you have to be really, really consistent. So plan for a couple of nights or so of not getting much sleep.

Also, as a belt & braces approach, I'd go round your garden listing all the different plants you have, then look them up on the internet to find out if they're harmful to dogs. If so, dig them up and replace with something safer - there's lots of lists online of safe & unsafe plants.

 

[leashedForLife]

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how old is the pup? -
If she's under 3-MO / 12-wks age, she doesn't yet have working sphincter-muscles on her bladder & bowel, & no matter what her age, if she's not yet ~14-WO or older AND HOUSETRAINED with no mistakes in the past 10-days [which BTW are always the fault of the human who's spozed to be getting her out - not the pup's], she should be on leash for all potty-trips. // She needs to be on-leash until she's 'emptied' both so that she's close-enuf for U to see what's produced & how much of it, but also to be RIGHT THERE to deliver her high-value tasty tidbit, on the spot. :thumbsup:

After she's voided, if there's a way to separate a portion of the garden that has dog-safe plants only, perhaps using an ex-pen as a "fence" or with some snow-fence as a temporary barrier, she could be off-leash in her "safe zone", away from any not-yet-determined plants that might not be good for her. That will give U more time to find out what's there as they sprout or leaf out, & still keep her safe.

If there are plants U'd especially like to keep but which aren't edible by dogs, U can transplant them outside the garden to the front of the house, or anywhere outside the fenced area - OR... U can confine the plants to a raised-bed or put them behind a fence of their own, to keep her away from them.
Fencing in an entire bed of flowers or groundcover is a common way of preventing them from being murdered by joyful dogs racing over them heedlessly - fences don't have to be ugly, they can be very pretty but effective barriers to protect the plants from the dogs, as much as the dogs from the plants.

I love both gardens *and* dogs, & have successfully kept toxic plants & pets together for years without any illness or accidents [knock wood].

- terry

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[lynyona]

thank you for your advice greatly appreciated only got1 plant in my garden which needs putting out of puppies way. .rather than start another thread.. puppy as taken to hanging from my adult sons trousers now the only thing the 3 off them have in common are that the trousers are black we have tried distracting her giving her something in place of the trouser bottom and literally nearly have to prize her mouth open to let go she doesn't do it to anyone else's just theirs we have tried the standing still time out but back she comes

 

[JudyN]

Rather than standing still, they should either remove her or themselves (whichever is easier) from the room, using a house lead if it makes it easier. You do have to be very consistent and give it time, though.

It's unlikely it's related to the colour of the trousers, but if you notice she doesn't do it when they are wearing different trousers, they could simply wear different trousers when she's there - this will only be until she's got through the bitey phase and has a bit more control of her behaviour. Even wearing clean wellies in the house, if it discourages her, is an option however silly it seems!