Hi

I got a 11 week old puppy cocker spaniel last week...hes driving me mad!!!

How can i get him to stop chewing curtains, carpets, furniture, me? Ive tried a firm no but that doesnt work...what can i do?

He pees and poops on his training mat, hes gone outside 3 times when desperate, how do i get him to move away from the mat/floor?

Humping-he keeps trying to hump me, only me!

I think you can get a non-toxic spray to put on his main chew-places to deter him, and of course you should try to get a range of dog toys he can chew, and encourage him to play with them. Have you thought about taking his training mat outside into the garden sometimes and getting him to use it there to start him off? Humping can be about showing dominance over the "humpee", so your puppy mightn't be convinced about your role as boss of the house. You've only had him a week, so he's still adjusting to his new home and new rules. Remember to make a fuss of him when he pees/poos where you want him to, but don't scold him for any accidents

Hi thanks for the reply.

He has got loads of toys i try to deter him by putting the toy by him trying to get to stop biting me but doesnt help. I got the spray and that didnt help! I know hes only been here a week its just so tiring!

He has been outside afew times when desperate so im hoping we can build that up

Everything else is ok, hes sleeping well and eats his food.

Try hide sticks for chewing mine loved them .

My dog didn't become fully 'clean' till he was about 6 months old; he's 7 years old now & he never wees or poos indoors. I used to use an old rag to soak up his wee that he'd done on the carpet, put it under his nose for him to get a good sniff /smell of it, then took it & him outside & made sure he saw me put it where I wanted him to wee & said the word 'wee-wee' to him; to this day I just have to say the word wee-wee & he goes to the door.

Thanks spaniel lover that sounds like a good idea. I might give that a go. I know it will take time i just wasnt sure how to start doing it

At 11 weeks, he's teething and he's chewing to ease the discomfort in his gums.

Try lots of chew sticks and chewy bones in different shapes until his new teeth come through. The chewing stops in its own time, don't worry.

As for the antisocial behaviour, you might like to try distraction, when you stop the naughty behaviour by giving a toy instead.

Just be careful you're not giving loads of attention when the dog misbehaves.
Try withdrawing all attention instead - folding your arms, refusing to look at the dog or acknowledge him, turning your back - they're all guaranteed to make the dog feel a touch neglected and change his behaviour to something that gets him lots of pats and treats and hugs instead.
This works really well, and there's no shouting or scolding involved.

Postman's knees keeps a dog entertained for a very long time.

Bitter apple spray will stop him chewing things. Do you have him in a crate? Crate training is great for confining him and they're also brilliant for house training. Our dog loved her crate and used it as a bed until she was two. It stopped her chewing when we weren't there. When you're house training you have to watch the dog all the time. If they start to crouch down pick them up and rush outside with them. Never tell them off, but praise them a lot when they go outside. Take them outside very often, say every 30 minutes. You'll soon crack it if you watch the dog all the time. The beauty of the crate is you can put the dog in there for a break. The dog feels safe and you get time off. Dogs won't normally soil their beds.

You puppy needs to have lots of games, so it's important to actually play with him. If he wants to hump distract him and play with him.

Have you started classes yet. Dogs love going to classes and mixing with other dogs and learning lots of new things.

thanks to all so far

He is sleeping in a crate. We appear to have near enough mastered that. He was for the first few days crying near enough all night but thats calmed down and we have him in a routine. He gets up 6:30am goes to the toilet (we have started taking him outside as hes usually desperate to go by then) then play and food until 7:30am when he goes back in, hes out for 1 hr for toilet, food, play at 1pm then back in until 5pm when we let him out all evening until 10m/10:30pm for bed time. When we get home in the evening we let him out and dont let him sleep until its bed time. Once he is in there he is so tired he cries for 30 seconds then goes down, I also let him out once in the night usually 1/2am for a wee then straight back in. Hes really good at that, some nights he has even voluntariliy gone into his crate, I think hes learning to go in there when tired.

I was thinking about it this morning and he only seems to bite, hump, scratch me, not my flat mate. He also likes to be close to me-sit on me etc, maybe hes bonding with me more? I read that humping is a sign of possession-maybe he thinks Im "his"?

I know it will get easier, and most of the time he is a good buy playing with his toys, sometimes he just runs round like a mad un and then he calms down, I just fear for my furniture and curtains!


Thanks once again-please keep posting any suggestions!

It sounds like he is spending far too much time on the crate,7.30-1 pm -5pm with an hour for toilet food and play is far too long to leave him in, he needs to go out to the loo in the garden every hour or so, and should be out of the crate for most of the day, with the door open for him to come and go.

It looks like the OP goes to work. Difficult with a puppy, I wonder if she could get someone to help out. My son has a friend who has his dog all day, when necessary, and uses a dog walker some days as well. His 9 month old labrador is never left very long. I think this is very important as dogs need company and activities to do.

that is why you shouldnt really get a puppy if it is going to be shut away for that long as it will miss vital training and socialisation which is what is needed at this stage, i dont think a lot of thought probably went into it before the puppy was bought.

cocker spaniels are not the easiest of dogs to toilet train and letting it use a mat in the first place was not a brilliant idea the op needs to be home to toilet train the dog, be putting him outside when it wakes, after meals, after playing and at regular intervals to teach him what he needs to do

as for the biting the op needs to look up ian dunbars bite inhibition article and then decide what method she is going to use and stick to it but again she needs to be home to do this and teach the leave command along with all the other training the puppy should be receiving these early stages are crucial for a happy balanced dog

It's a bit late now, as she's got the puppy I think the best thing to do, is to try and get help from friends, relatives, or someone you can pay to help out. My son pays a small amount to a lady who is happy to collect the dog and look after him and take him for a walk. I'd also recommend taking the dog to classes to learn to socialise and to learn obedience.

My Cocker is 18 months and God he was hard work as a puppy!!

House training and sleeping through night wasn't an issue he was brilliant at that, but he was such a nippy puppy and used to chase my daughter around the garden trying to bite her feet, we had tears on many occasions!

In the end we fenced part of garden off so she could play in peace until he had outgrown that horrible phase!

He still pinches items and runs off with them, especially clothes but we've just learnt to keep stuff out of his way!

He's never chewed or damaged anything but when he was a baby if we couldn't supervise him he went in his cage, now he has outgrown the puppy chewing phase he can be trusted to be left in room and he's doesn't damage anything.

My dogs problem is he's not trained at all (and I have tried!!) he jumps up at us constantly and pulls so bad when walking him, I think now he's older and a little calmer I need to work on this!

I wouldn't have another pup as they can be so demanding but it does get easier, my dogs breeder was a great help and support when mine was being naughty.

Now though he's brilliant (apart from the jumping up and pulling) he no longer nips so him and my daughter play on garden together (he likes to play in her playhouse and he's that daft he lets her dress him up!!).

He's the most loving affectionate little boy you could wish for and constantly wants fuss and cuddles and loves laying on sofa watching tv with us.

Hes a rubbish guard dog,barely hear him bark and would lick an intruder to death, he also loves other dogs he's got no nastiness in him at all!

Our dog is two and we go to obedience classes, we also went to puppy classes. The obedience class is brilliant. We've both learned so much from it and my dog loves going. She is so much better behaved now, in every single way. As well as teaching them all the basic commands the dog has learned that she has to do as she is told and, as a consequence she is quieter, she looks to me for commands and is brilliant off the lead. The other great thing about the class is that you can ask the teacher any question about your dog's behaviour and she has a solution.

Dogs are so intelligent that given half a chance they give you the run around! You have to be two steps ahead of them, all the time.

Originally Posted by TWS:
“that is why you shouldnt really get a puppy if it is going to be shut away for that long as it will miss vital training and socialisation which is what is needed at this stage, i dont think a lot of thought probably went into it before the puppy was bought.”

I think this is abit harsh, we did think about how we would be leaving it during the day when at work and spoke to loads of people who have dogs and some of them left a dog at home all day without going home! Ive read online that crate training is the best thing to do to stop them chewing funiture. His crate is equipped with everything he needs, water, food, toys, bedding so hes got lots to keep him occupied. Not everybody who has a dog is able to be with it 24/7. Hes fine when we leave him in his crate during the day-he just sleeps!

we are looking at taking him to training maybe in afew weeks. He is still in his first few weeks with us so its going to take time to adjust. He is getting better than what he was when we first got him. I just thought if anybody had any helpful hints and tips that they could share with me?

no its not harsh yes dogs can be left all day, puppies not so much especially young untrained ones, i used to work all day and my puppy went to creche, when he was older i would get an aunt to come in and walk him if i was going to be out for more than a few hours on the weekend to have a puppy and raise him successfully these things should be in place first

waiting a few weeks to start training is not ideal you need to get right on it in the beginning the same with socialisation, i start training from the moment a puppy comes home so they are pretty much walking to heel before they even have a lead on outside, they enjoy it and the mental stimulation is good for them

too many people get puppies on a whim without thinking things through like they are inanimate objects that will sit in the corner and do as they are told then dont commit the time to them and wonder why they pee and poo in the house, are unsocialised and bite and tear up the house

I certainly do not think that about my dog. I want to spend time with him and enjoy him. We took him to the vet and told him we would be a work during the day but able to go home for 1 hour and he said this was fine. Not everybody has the access or money to able to pay for a creche or have somebody to stay with him. I know loads of people who have successfully trained dogs whilst leaving them at home during the day. As I said in my previous post I wanted HELPFUL hints and tips to aid me training him not a lecture. Thanks

The pup needs someone there in the day for most of the time,putting a pup in a crate and leaving it most of the day is all well and good, but the poor thing will end up with socialisation problems,now is the time when you need to be with pup most of the day, making him feel loved and keeping him company, you really need to reevaluate and get friends and family to help and make sure that pup Isnt shut in a crate all day, what kind of life is that for a dog? Get help and get people to dog sit when you can't be there and only use the crate at night or when you pop out for an hour or so, don't use it as a baby sitting service.

Dogs do need company, they are social animals. I know you're asking for help on this and I'm trying to help you.

Quite simply, you can't just leave him in his crate all day and go to work. You've got to sort something out and quickly. My son doesn't have much money at all, but he's chosen to have a dog so he's organised everything around the needs of the dog. When he's out all day a friend has the dog. If he's just out in the morning a lady comes and takes the dog and walks him. He has to pay the lady, but he realises that he has no choice.

Start puppy classes as soon as possible. Your dog needs to socialise and learn basic commands. Don't leave it, the dog needs it now.

People are trying to help you, but the bottom line is you have the puppy and it's your responsibility to look after him properly. Whatever the vet said to you, the truth is dogs are pack animals and highly intelligent. They should not be left alone all day, they need company, games, walks, love, attention and training.

This is how it is. You've got the puppy now, so you must do the right thing for him. That's why people are being so insistent with their posts on here.

I think it's ok to use the crate during the day. The crate is the dog's bed. Our dog loved her crate and would go in there whenever she wanted to sleep.

At least with a puppy, they do sleep a lot of the time, but as the dog grows up they sleep less and need to get out and about.

When my dog was very small I growled at her when she went to chew anything she,wasn't allowed to....a sort of aaaaghhh...noise. Followed by a no. She very quickly got the message and within about a week or so didn't attempt to chew anything that wasn't hers.

It is not advisable to leave puppies alone for more than two hours. They need consistent training. It isn't harsh what posters have advised it is the harsh truth. Your puppy is spending far too much time in the crate and is not getting enough mental stimulation. If you think you have problems now, they will be nothing compared to what you could possibly have later on. Cocker spaniels are my breed. I love them, but people get them and do not realise what they have let themselves in for. You only get back what you are prepared to put in. Puppies are extremely hard work, but all have the potential to grow into wonderful lifelong companions as long as the effort is put in now. Is your cocker a working strain or show strain?

Is there noone that can pop in for a couple of hours a day? I do advise you to take him to puppy classes asap. There is no need to wait. Early socialisation and training is vital for a young pup.

www.cockersonline.co.uk is a great forum for cocker spaniel owners that have great advice for new owners, of not just cockers but all dogs.

We were very lucky with our dog as there are only two days per week (Monday & Thursday) where he would need to be left but my dad loves him so comes to see to him on these days!

We leave the house at 7.45 and my dad comes up at 10.00am and stays with him till 3.30 then he's left again until we get home at 6pm.

The rest of the time either me or my husband are at home.

If my dad didn't come up then he would go to doggy creche or we would get a dog walker.

God all the doom and gloom on this thread!

OP, I have a new pup who is 10 weeks today, I have had her for 2 weeks and like your pup, she is slowly getting used to the routine here. I have to leave her in the crate from 8am - 2pm three days a week and she is fine, although she has my other dog sleeping in the bed beside her. But anyway. I wouldn't dream of taking her to obedience classes yet, for one she won't have had her second vaccination until 12 weeks so she isn't old enough to mix with other dogs for a while.

The "stop chew" sprays are useless, all you can do is leave a basket of treats and toys that she likes to chew where it is easily accessible and encourage her to chew them, lift anything you don't want her to chew up high, and scold her when she chews the furniture. As for toileting outside, even if you take the pup out every 5 minutes it will still have accidents, this will ease as he gets older and learns to hold it in, which the crate training will help with. They can easily learn that outside is where you pee, but it takes a bit longer for them to learn that inside is NOT where you do your pee. Personally I have found the puppy pads don't help with this and you may find your pup will pee on your bathmat, rugs and anything similar to a pad for years to come.

Regulating mealtimes will also help with controlling inside poo, as you should find him going perhaps 15 minutes after a meal.

I recommend the books of Caeser Milan and Victoria Stilwell, without whom I would never have got my first dog trained. This is a very good book, I found it really helpful and quite puppy specific: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Me-Dog-h...1051580&sr=1-1