Where do I begin?

Question
Hi Kristen,
I have a 1 year old Chi(MiMi) and just recently bought a French Mastiff(Ruby). She is 9 weeks old. I am in the military which has me away from home all day. Ruby is put in her crate while Mimi is in one of the bathrooms. Ive had Ruby 4 weeks now and she isnt getting the potty training thing yet. Also she pees in her crate. I thought dogs didnt do that. When we go outside, she will do her business, thats not a problem. What am I doing wrong? Another thing, Ruby wont walk on a leash. When I put it on her, she simply stops moving. Ive tried to walk her with Mimi, who loves to walk, but that didn't help. What should I do? My problem with Mimi is that she is afraid of everything. Any slight noise or person other than myself or my daughter, she barks at. She even barks at people she sees all of the time. Why is that and how do I fix it? These probably seem like minor issues to you but I really need some help. Thank you for your time.

Crystal

Answer
Crystal, if Ruby is 9 weeks old now, and you've had her for 4 weeks already, then part of her problem is that she was taken away from her mother and siblings much too early. Puppies should not be separated from their brothers and sisters until they are at >>least<< 8-10 weeks old. The period of time between 5 and 8 weeks is crucial for social development, and Ruby missed out on all of that because whoever her breeder was was very irresponsible and let her go much too soon. Also, puppies often go through several 'fear stages,' and she's at just the right age for the first one. During this time, anything that she perceives to be traumatic will stick with her for the rest of her life.

I would suggest enrolling Ruby in a puppy socialization class, and take her out and about as much as possible to expose her to sights, sounds, smells, etc. Walks are not a good idea because at her age, she can easily pick up nasty things like parvo - her immune system is not mature enough to fight off such diseases, which are picked up when puppies walk in areas where other dogs have also walked. Additionally, a 9 week old puppy simply does not have the endurance for leash walking. You didn't say whether you lived on base or whatever, but if you have a fenced yard, just letting her run and play and explore out there should be exercise enough at the moment.

To get her used to the leash, let her drag one around when she's loose in the house/yard and you are there to supervise her to make sure that she doesn't get tangled or hung up on anything. Don't expect to take her for walks, though, until she's at least 18 weeks old, after her final vaccination. You can practice loose lead walking in your house and fenced yard until then.


At her age, it's not realistic to expect her to be able to go all day without several potty breaks. A 9 week old puppy needs to be given an opportunity to relieve itself at least once every 2-3 hours. You cannot expect her to hold it all day while you are at work. I would suggest using the X-pen technique and a 'litter box' as described on my house training web page, http://housetraining.angelfire.com if you are not able to arrange for her to be taken out to potty every few hours during the day. She's still a baby!


You do realize that a fully grown Dogue de Bordeaux is capable of seriously injuring and/or killing a Chihuahua, even unintentionally, don't you? They grow to be well over 100 pounds. Just something to keep in mind! ;^)