nipping and pee pad training

Question
My puppy is 13 wks old and I take her out for a long walk in the morning, then leave her in the kitchen during the day, with an opening to her crate. she has pee pads in the kitchen.  She does not like to poop in the kitchen or on the  pee pad which is great. She waits till I get home and I take her out immediately.   However her pee sometimes is also on the floor, and I think she knows the use for the washroom, sometimes she goes  on the floor in there...cute, at this age only.  she is also a nipper and a barker.,  beagle cross!  I ignore her when she barks, then she stops.  How can I stop her from nipping, taking my towels and clothes and eventually getting her to hold her pee for the day.  Is that approx. an 8 to 11 month wait???  She is awfully smart for her age. She sits, gives paw, lies down and stays to wait for her food on command.

Answer

Hi Pearl,

Your puppy isn't intentionally peeing on the floor, it might be that her "target" (the pee pad) is too small. Try laying a thick layer of newspaper down under the pads, so clean ups will be easier.

While you are trying to stop your puppies from biting, never play tug of war, wrestling or chase type games with them. This only encourages the biting and nipping. You need to be consistent with this training. This means that you and anyone else who comes into contact with your puppy must enforce your chosen strategy every time your pup takes a nip.

There are a couple of different ways to teach a puppy not to bite. Have you tried to redirect the biting from your skin, to a toy or chew bone? For very young puppies this method is often all you'll need do. As soon as your pup starts to bite you, let out a firm "No!" and replace your fingers with the chew toy. Praise your puppy when she chews on an appropriate toy.

Let your puppy know she is hurting you each time she takes a nip at you! This method replicates the way dogs sort out this biting amongst themselves. When puppies are biting and nipping each other it only stops when one puppy lets out a loud yelp. You can use this natural way dogs learn by letting out a loud "Ouch!" every time your puppy bites. The trick is to startle your dog with your voice, and then immediately pull away and stop playing with your puppy for a while. Your pup will soon learn that when she starts to bite, her playmate (you) goes away. Don't make eye contact with, or talk to your puppy for several minutes to further enforce that she's done wrong.

Your puppy is at the perfect age to go to a "puppy kindergarten" class, where she'll learn some basic obedience training, and socialization. Ask your vet's office or a local boarding kennel for a referral to a dog obedience class.

Best of luck,

Patti