Alright, as I posted on the welcome mat forum, I'm in need of some advice on what to do with the new girl. So if anyone can help out, soooo much appreciated.

First off, I have the crate training going pretty well. She will not go potty in there and will sleep in there for quite awhile. She's still adjusting and sometimes will whine for a bit when she first goes in, but for the most part it is working.

One thing I want to know is about socialization. She is only 9-weeks but should she be shy around people? She will follow me everywhere and wants to be near me all the time. It was quite a busy time over Christmas with different people in and out and it is only her first week here but I am wondering about the socialization process. Should she still be shy around my parents who she sees everyday? What are the best methods to ensuring she won't really be afraid of people? (I had her outside for potty once and someone walked through the ally and she went hiding). Honestly, I just can't remember how Zoe was when she was little, but she grew up to be kind.. although shy around new people at first.

I have read around here about potty training and this is one of my first tasks to do. We have made quite a few messes in the house so far and this is to be expected. It just gets a bit frustrating because I know she can hold it longer but refuses to so far. She usually will go outside whenever I take her out but it might be only 10 minutes later and she'll go in the house. It's very difficult to watch her like a Hawk at all times when I have some things I have to do. I'm not sure putting her in the crate every time is the best idea? (I understand she is very young and it is all a process.. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right process)

What do you guys do for this process? I'm trying to get on a schedule here of taking her out every 30 minutes while she's awake. Also, I try to keep her up and playing for about 2-3 hours and then to sleep in her crate for 1-3 hours (depending on how tired she is and how long she sleeps). Is this a good method? I praise her outside and firmly tell her "No No" inside.

On that note; and this is an area where I'm not very knowledgeable, but how often should you feed and give them water? How much should they be eating throughout the day? I feel that I'm very out of whack with this and would like some ideas on controlling eating/drinking habits. This could be the reason for going to the bathroom so much.

She prefers to bite my hands for playtime instead of her toys. As all of you know, this hurts I'm going to try to do the yelping idea and ignoring her when she nips me. I don't think that worked for Zoe though and I had to endure it.. ack!

Okay, Okay, I have really asked a lot for now. If I come off as overwhelmed.. well, I am lol. I just forgot so much on how I raised Zoe; the things that worked and didn't work.

I appreciate all those who read this and hope everyone had a good holiday with their babies!

Hi there! We got Kody a month ago at 12 weeks and he LOVES water. He will drink the entire bowl if I let him. We have a 4yr old female that we got at 7weeks old. I too forgot how we had raised her, but it's been fairly easy with Kody. Maybe because he learns from Mya. I feed him a cup and 1/2 in the morning and in the evening and let him drink water when he wants while i'm home, but when i'm going to work or before bed time I try not to let him drink too much. He's pretty good with the crate and won't do any of his business in there, but does have accidents in the house sometimes. Like you said, she's very young and at that age Mya was scared of people also. She became such a friendly doggie within a few weeks of having her though. She absolutely loves people! Kody has always been friendly so every dog is different. I would try to socialize her with people and other dogs as much as you can. Even though Mya is great with people she's not very nice to other dogs

I know it's frustrating, but you sound like you're doing a great job!!!

Since she's so young, you should divide her food up into 3 or 4 servings. I feed my new girl, who is 9 weeks old too, in the morning, afternoon, and evening and use some of it as treats.

As for being shy, just try to socialize her to as many people as possible. Let them give her treats, so she learns people are cool!

I know you feel bad about keeping her in her crate, but when you can't watch her she should be in her crate. I keep both of mine in their crates unless I'm there to watch them. I let Elara out to potty every time I let her out of her crate and if we've been playing for a while. If she doesn't go when I let her outside, she has to go back into her crate until next time. This way they learn, "Oh, I have to go potty outside before I'm allowed to play."

Have fun with your new pup!

Potty training was alot harder with my second one. I finally set a timer to go off every half hour to keep her (and me) on a schedule. She would have accidents in between but I kept to the schedule and she improved weekly. When she stopped having accidents in between the half hour then I would extend the timer until I no longer needed it. At the time, I felt like she would never learn that going inside was bad, but now that I look back...she just needed more time to adjust and my first mistake was expecting her to be just like my first dog. They are like kids, everyone is different. Just hang in there.

I have a suggestion for the crate that has really been successful with mine.... I save their favorite treat, a flavored chew, for when I have to crate Willow. She now goes into the crate and waits there calmly the minute she sees me reach for them.

Potty training with our first one was WAY harder then the second, we brought Embry home at 10weeks and he would not take to going potty outside, he was going on puppy pads until he was 9 months old. it was miserable.

I'd keep it up with the every 30minutes and maybe keep her like in the kitchen and put up a puppy gate, that's what we do.

Zoey was a lot easier to train, we brought her home at 20 weeks, she was completely house trained, and crate trained.

Since I got my new puppy, I'm doing potty training way different than I did with Siku. With Siku I made a few mistakes like:
-using pee pads = she thought she was allowed to go in the house
-kept her on the back pourch which was puppy proof = I wasn't watching her all the time, so she had lots of accidents

Took me a good while to get her to stop going potty on the pourch and even now I trust her better in the house than on the pourch, cause I never used the pee pads in the house.

With Elara:
-she's in a crate if I'm not watching her = won't pee in her crate
-didn't use pee pads = didn't associate being able to pee with being inside

Hope that helps! It's quite a learning curve with puppies. It already feels like it's been forever since Siku was that little and it's been less than a year! I keep trying to remember what all we did with her and make sure we do it will Elara too.

It sounds like crate training is going well, so I'll let that go without comment

The potty training thread (it's a sticky at the top of the forum) has a lot of great suggestions, many of which have been echoed here. Patience, persistence, and staying ahead of your pup's bladder are key Also- make sure you are cleaning the previous mess spots with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle which can be found in almost any pet store.

Being shy is dependent upon the pup. Koda is VERY forward and not shy at all. Hailey, while friendly, hesitates before new people. If she seems abnormally shy, then every time you have a guest, give them treats to give her. High value treats if necessary. You want her to learn that people are cool like Sara said

She should have round the clock access to water and she should be fed 3-4 times a day. Puppies, as some have suggested before, should be getting at least 3 cups a day spread across a number of meals. It's better to OVER feed a puppy than under feed. You can adjust later as a adult, but you want to make sure she gets the right nutrients as she grows.

As a 9 week old, if you got her at 8 weeks, I would continue the yelping. The most important part of that is SHUTTING DOWN PLAY after you do so. If you go right back to playing afterwards, she's going to think "Wow, he's weak" but keep playing just as rough. If you stop playing with her, she'll learn "Hey, if I bite like that, I don't get to play." She needs that in order to stop. The yelping and stopping play is how her litter mates were teaching her. Continuing that will be the best way for her to learn.

Good luck! And welcome to the forum

Thank you all for the quick and great suggestions! It really helps relax me a bit knowing that I'm somewhat on the right track and that this is just part of the process. Seems like forever ago since I did it!

I was curious, do any of you recommend giving them tiny pieces of treats if they go potty outside? Or is that more or less not a good thing and praising is just better?

I'm trying to figure out how to respond to everyone but I didn't realize I'd get this many replies so quickly lol. It's a very good thing and all the suggestions are just great! As I've said, it does help take some of the anxiety away knowing all of you are here.

I will definitely try having others give her treats so she warms up to people. Hopefully my brother and his girlfriend can visit again soon so I can get her around more people. I was tentative on giving her treats because I heard that you should wait till they settle in, but seems like it should be okay.

Any recommendations on toys? Considering my hands seem to be her favorite things to play/chew on right now :\ She has a good bit of toys, but more interested in other things.

I really have to figure this name thing out. I become too much of a perfectionist trying to find the perfect fitting name. I see someone else on here has the name Sora It is a lovely name and I definitely don't want to steal it.

Melissal - Kody and Mya are beautiful huskies! I'm glad you are having a blast with them. I appreciate the advice on the feeding habits as well. It's good to know that Mya was shy of people also but turned out alright. I believe Zoe was the same way.

SaraB - I will try out the treat thing. Have you ever felt that you have to put them in their crate too much at times? Or is there such a thing? I think part of the stress is that I'm having to watch her like a hawk and not getting other stuff done and delaying everything. Does Elara still whine when you put her in her cage if she hasn't been out too long? I have been suggested to use those pads but have already turned down the idea because I thought to myself that it would encourage them to constantly use them in the house and not care about outside. Beautiful huskies you have there

26Nikita - Potty training is definitely one of the most challenging things from memory. It is the first thing I want to get out of the way although I know it will take time. I like the idea about the crate thing with the treat. I need to organize all of this much better. I do time it to get her out every 30 minutes but will have the accidents in between as well. One would think they wouldn't have to go so much! But it is nice to hear that this isn't abnormal. Another pair of beautiful huskies you have there

Janet&Embry - Ack that is a long time. I hope I don't have to go that long with it. I was considering a puppy gate idea since I have one around and perhaps confining her to a certain area when she is out during the potty training and playtime... for her own safety. Again, two beautiful huskies! Everyone has two, I might just have my hands full with one for awhile

Koda - That was my mistake for not having a good stain/odor remover. Instead, I've been using the Water/Vinegar method, but I don't think it has done very well. I did order Nature's Miracle from Amazon over the weekend though and can't wait for it to get here in a few days! Would it be wise to have different types of treats for different scenarios? I definitely have to work on this yelping thing. I haven't put full attention into it (and my hands show.. ack!) because I've been so worried about the potty training. Though a few times when I have done it and ignored her well, she would get mad that I wasn't paying attention to her. Seems to be the way to do it, but she will usually go right back at them. Lovely huskies you have Another pair!!

All of this advice is so helpful. You guys are awesome! Hopefully things will turn around.

No worries! That's what we're here for

I wouldn't worry about different treats for different scenarios. Just stick to rewarding her when she does something right (potty training, meeting people, etc). Koda used to get VERY mad when we ignored him after he used his mouth too much (huskies are VERY mouthy, this is a common problem), so I found the best thing to do was separate myself physically from him. After he mouthed my hands, I'd yelp, say "No!", and turn around and either confine myself in another room by shutting a door behind me, or putting up a baby gate to keep him from me. Even if it's just for a minute. The physical barrier helps.

I think the Nature's Miracle is a good idea. You'll have a lot more success that way.

My two love peanut butter in their kongs. It drives them bonkers. Raw marrow bones (from the grocery store) are fantastic crate treats... keeps them occupied for a long time and are very healthy for them! They also sell something called the Everlasting Treat Ball which is great! We use the "special treat" for crating too and it works wonders.

Don't worry about crating "too much" for potty training. She'll be okay. You just want to make sure you're giving her ample play time.

Haven't you heard the saying, "Two huskies are better than one?" There's also, "You can't have just one." Both are extremely applicable.

And don't worry about "stealing" names. Do you know how many Koda's there are?!

My dog trainer recommened giving puppies treats after they go potty outside. I always mean to, but I always forget the treats! So yes it's fine and recommened!

I sometimes feel like I keep her crated too long, but she usually just sleeps when she's in it. She gets pretty tired out after playing with Siku or when I have a training session with her. You can also put them on a leash and tie it to your belt if you want them around the house, but can't keep an eye on them. That way they always go where you go! I never did this myself, but I've read it works. Also baby gates are great. I have two myself, so I never lose sight of my dogs in the house.

Thankfully Elara is great in her crate. I think it's cause she sees Siku in her crate and thinks it's just fine. It was much harder to get Siku used to the crate when she was little. Elara sometimes whines if she has to go, but she has had two accidents in her crate. They were both overnight, so I don't know if she whined and I just didn't hear it or didn't whine.

As for toys, my girls pretty much love anything! They really liked stuffed toys, but be ready to sew them up or just toss them out, cause huskies are great at killing toys. Mine also like the Wabba made by Kong. My older one like elk antlers to chew on, but it's a little too hard for puppies. What I really want to see is how Elara likes mozzles. Siku loves them and ate the last one right before we got Elara. But they are dried cow or pig noses. They are kind of soft, so I bet they would be great for a teething puppy. Carrots are good for teething too.

SaraB wrote:

I sometimes feel like I keep her crated too long, but she usually just sleeps when she's in it. She gets pretty tired out after playing with Siku or when I have a training session with her. You can also put them on a leash and tie it to your belt if you want them around the house, but can't keep an eye on them. That way they always go where you go! I never did this myself, but I've read it works. Also baby gates are great. I have two myself, so I never lose sight of my dogs in the house.

Thankfully Elara is great in her crate. I think it's cause she sees Siku in her crate and thinks it's just fine. It was much harder to get Siku used to the crate when she was little. Elara sometimes whines if she has to go, but she has had two accidents in her crate. They were both overnight, so I don't know if she whined and I just didn't hear it or didn't whine.

As for toys, my girls pretty much love anything! They really liked stuffed toys, but be ready to sew them up or just toss them out, cause huskies are great at killing toys. Mine also like the Wabba made by Kong. My older one like elk antlers to chew on, but it's a little too hard for puppies. What I really want to see is how Elara likes mozzles. Siku loves them and ate the last one right before we got Elara. But they are dried cow or pig noses. They are kind of soft, so I bet they would be great for a teething puppy. Carrots are good for teething too.

I freeze the carrots and Kody loves them for his teething. Mya loves them too! Amen to the huskies killing toys comment!!! A stuffed toy with a squeaky doesn't last more than 10min around Mya! Kody is getting good at killing them too..lol. The one and ONLY toy that always survives (I swear, I have like 10 of them) is the wabba by Kong. That's actually the only toy that Mya "allows" Kody to play with without wanting to kick his butt!!!

lol. Well Siku did kill her first wabba, but she still likes to play with the big squeeky ball that was in it!

yep, Mya killed her first one too, but has still has the ball. The others have lived to see another day..lol

Lonnnnng night haha.

Thank you everyone for contributing and answering a lot of my questions.

I have attempted the treat idea for when she goes outside. She caught on quickly and looks at me whenever she goes. Of course, now she tries to go a bunch of times outside to keep getting them! I don't constantly give her one though. Tricky smart dogs! It just amazes me that even on a 30 minute timer she still will have accidents in between. I know she can hold it, but I guess this is the learning process.

I am really going to have to try your advice, Koda, to separate myself physically. Just standing up and looking the other way doesn't seem to work as well. Sometimes she just finds something else to play with.

I forgot to pick up those Kong toys. I have one around but it was Zoe's and I won't use any of her stuff. All in her box and will stay there.

I have heard that two huskies are better than one and that you get one and you end up with another! I always felt bad that I never got another one for Zoe to have company, but I also know that I probably can't handle two in the current state. But it all seems to be working out for all of you. Such lovely huskies.

Sarab - Thankfully you have only had a few accidents in the crate. The only one I've had was the first day I got her. I put her in there to start training that night but since she was so new and scared she just piddled in it out of fear. But, we are over that now.

Frozen carrots, eh? That works well? I ought to try that and probably try to find some suggest toys here to keep her more busy. I have a few Kong toys amongst a ton of other things, but she easily gets bored and onto something else... like my hands. Honestly, she is so much like Zoe was when she was that little.

Agreed about tearing apart toys! Right now they are still alive, but I know this won't last!

Ack, I hear her whining in her cage. She's been in for about an hour as I had put her in there because she was tiring out. I'm wondering if she's doing this just to get out now more so than a potty thing. I still have much to do! Including finalizing a name!

Oh, we are having a bad day!

She did make a little mess in her crate. That was my fault, though, because I was just ready to get in the shower and started hearing her whimper. I figured she would be fine for another 20 minutes buuuuut we had just a little piddle in the cage.

Other than that, she likes to pee all the time! I think this is where I get so frustrated because I take her out every 30 minutes and while she does go, she will still go in the house in between. It's just very strange to go that much? Number 1, not number 2. Number 2 barely happens in the house. I wonder why she is doing it that much.

I guess it is typical (I am reading around the forums to get ideas from others that had the same issues). Maybe I should crate her more? I've been trying to do this as a schedule. Have her out for 2 hours or so, then crate her for 2 hours or so or until she whines if she's been in there for awhile which suggest she has to go. Maybe I should only have her out for 30-50 minutes and then crate her for awhile? I'm trying to figure out suggested crate times as I don't want to be a bad parent

Ah, Zoe eventually loved her crate.. well mostly. I hope I can get to that point. All I would have to say to her was "Go To bed!" And she would go right in. I know I'm comparing a lot, but I understand all dogs are different. It is the only thing I have to compare to, though.

I would put in a call to the vet. A phone call is free and piddling that much could be a sign of incontinence or a urinary tract infection. I would call and see what they suggest. If you're taking her out every 30 mins like you said and she can't hold it in between, then I would be a little concerned.

Otherwise, remember to clean the areas thoroughly. Have you done that yet?

Hi Koda,

When she did it in her crate earlier, I forgot to mention that she was in there for a good hour or so before I showered. That was my fault. At times, she will stay in there for hours and sleep away without any messes. And at night she does fine for hours until she needs to go out at some point.

I have yet to clean the messes up properly as I'm waiting for Nature's Miracle to get here (should be tomorrow).

Oh, I hope there isn't any major issue. That's a scary thought. I'm meant to go to the vet around January 20th for updated shots and such, would it be alright to wait until then to get that checked to be on the safe side and see how we progress the next few weeks?

I'd be okay waiting, but keep an eye on her. You said that she continues to go in between your 30 min intervals and that would have me concerned. If that's a common occurrence, I would want it checked out. My sister's dog gets meds for incontinence and does just fine. It's not a big deal but it's something you'd want tested so she could be treated.

If she had a UTI, she'd be drinking a LOT of water. If her fluid intake is large (like you're refilling the bowl a couple of times a day) and she's going more than every 30 mins, I would take her in sooner rather than later. That make sense?

No worries I'm sure she's okay! And I would see how the Nature's Miracle does. It should help a lot.

Thank you, Koda!

Let me right some things by you first. She's been here for 11 days so far so I guess it is still kind of new to her. There were two nights where I literally passed out from being tired and left her cage door open in my room while she was sleeping in it. Throughout the night she did go potty in my room, but seemed to have peed only once per night (and pooped as well).

When she goes so much, she is usually running around and playing in this new home and I have her riled up a good bit.

I have not got rid of all the scent, like I've said but tomorrow I should take care of all that when it comes in (if I can remember all the places). Also, over the Christmas weekend, my Sister was here with her Chihuahuas. They aren't.. the cleanest of dogs and probably peed throughout the house... which probably hasn't helped. Maybe?

As for her drinking habits. She drinks... I guess normally? She eats dry dog food so I know they tend to drink more with that. She has a medium sized bowl which I usually only fill half way. I have never had to refill it throughout the day except my normal thing is to dump what's left halfway through and put new fresh water in. So I am definitely not constantly refilling the bowl a few times a day. This is a bit scary. I hope she's just hyper and that is causing it.

By the way...

When she does this, it is small spurts. Like she doesn't want to hold it in. She has her moments though when she will be fine for 30 minutes. We had some moments like that today. But a lot of other times - piddles!

Nature's Miracle came in today so I'm going to try putting it in some areas.

Speaking of just the recent experience I had with Willow, she was this bad with the peeing too. I even thought she might have UTI as well, but then realized she was holding it for the 8 hours at night when she was crated. That seems silly that they can hold it that long in the crate, but not out on their own. I got her at 8 weeks, shes almost 6 months now, and I think it took 6-7 weeks before she would stop peeing inbetween the half hour time limit. Give or take a week... It was a very frustrating time, but I feel like once she got it, she got it!

oh and I started with her right off with praising/treating her when she went outside and gave her a stern no when she went inside, immediately taking her outside. She learned immediately that when I took her outside to the same spot that she had to do her business...but it still took a long time to get her to stop inside. I hope this helps ease your mind a bit. I think if you just stay consistent, it will eventually click for her. I also put a bell at the door and I am currently trying to teach her to hit it when she needs to go outside. She has only hit it a few times, but I think it's because my older dog alerts me for him before she needs to go and I always let them bith out at the same time.

Thank you, 26nikita

That does sound awfully familiar to what's happening here. I timed this last night and while I'm not making it to 8 hours yet, she has held it for 6 hours before waking me up to go. I generalize it as she will hold it between 4-6 hours at night before waking me up to go. If she can do that at night, i would assume there probably isn't any major underlining issue?

She does go outside about every time I take her out, which is good. But as you have said, it is very frustrating that accidents happen between that 30 minute limit. I was also considering buying a bell for the door, but I'm a bit unsure if that will work. I guess it doesn't hurt to try.

Today, we are protesting our cage a good bit whenever I leave the room. Although she has quieted down now. I may need to refresh my memory a bit on the crate training. I know you aren't supposed to pay attention when they are whining in it, but at the moment I get worried she has to go or something... which is probably ridiculous when she hasn't been in there long. Especially since she usually will quiet down while I'm in the same room. I usually leave a little light on for her and play piano music in the background.

Ah, I'm just worn out is all I start classes up again next week and I'm fearing they will take a nose dive until she can learn some things. Which probably frustrates me easier during this process.

I would still mention it to your vet. I try to always talk to my vet about any concerns I have, even if I know it might be silly because you just never know.

I got Willow on the very first day of my two week vacaction and let me tell you, I was never so ready to return to work!!! I actually think I was less stressed when I went back because then I would get a break. It's pretty tiring being on constant alert.

The bell might work better for you since you just have one dog. I have heard from several one dog owners that their dog got the hang of it pretty quickly. Like you said, it wouldn't hurt to try.

Thank you!

I'm taking everyone's advice here and am going to stay the course. I ordered some different toys and occupational things (like those pig ears) in an attempt to keep her happy and occupied.

I will mention it to the vet for sure. I am not panicking about it as much and will patiently wait for her shots later this month and just mention it if it is still happening. Haven't had any issues today, so far.

I can imagine that going back felt like a break! It truly does exhaust a person. But what did you do with Willow when you went back?

I think I settled on the name, Juno, for her

Parasomia wrote:

I can imagine that going back felt like a break! It truly does exhaust a person. But what did you do with Willow when you went back?

I can trust Dakota in the house @ all times so I am hoping Willow will eventually get there but in the mean time she is crated while I'm working. That's why it was very important to me that she associated the crate in a positive way and I worked with her on that on my vacation. In the beginning, I had to line the crate with a towel until she could physically hold it until I got home. I will eventually let her stay in the breezeway, out of the crate, but she's not quite ready for that yet.

Love the name!!!