Bladder Control & Agressiveness

[LisaluvzCav]

Hi everyone,
When we got Clara at 6 weeks old, which I know is way too young to leave her mother, she had no bladder control and was always peeing I knew it would be a long process but now she is just gone 10 weeks and can hold her pee for 8 hours during the night with not one accident I'm soo surprised, she still isnt house trained but is getting there! can anyone tell me how long there 10 week old puppy could hold it for Also she is getting a bit aggressive and its becoming a concern. She always growls when she is playing with her toys and sometimes snaps at us if she isnt getting her own way. She is still biting our hands and we have let out loud noises as if she has hurt us but it doesn't bother her also we have held her mouth closed this makes her want to bite more! Sometimes it is just mouthing but others im not so sure its like she gets really mad and snaps any other techniques i could use? we have walked off on her when playing and swapped our hands for toys. Thanks

[Laura&Lia]

Hi

First of all, I don't know exactly when they are supposed to "hold it" during the whole night, but 10 weeks seems too young to me.

With our second puppy, Maia, we needed more time. I would say that she didn't hold it during all night until she was about 3 months or even a little bit older. She just needed to go more often than our other dog.

We started setting an alarm at 4:30, then the next week at 5, the next at 6 and so on. We did exactly the same than wit our other dog, but I guess all dogs are just different.

[Janice]

On Reuben's second night onwards (9 weeks) he was dry all night from 9pm till 8am and even then when i opened the crate he didnt dash out, just sat there with the door open!!

The actual house training was a bit of a nightmare though. 99% done now at 7 months.. dont know how we will fare when the weather changes and we have to shut the doors though, he goes out on his own as they are all open at the moment!!

[Yorkysue]

She's doing very well at 10 wks for toilet training. There is no hard and fast rule for when she will be totally house-trained. During the day she will be active and drinking water and eating so accidnets will happen (at night if she's very tired she will sleep straight through) All dogs are different just like babies and small children, but you must be doing something right
As far as her snapping a bit, again - she is a little baby and she is just trying out her growls when playing with toys (our adults still growl when playing with toys/each other etc - it's normal.)

I wouldn't hold her mouth closed when she trys to snap - this will definitely make her worse. Holding her mouth shut is very very restraining (and intimidating) - a bit like someone putting their hand over your mouth and nose - which would, I think, make you snap too. (VBG)

Instead just say very firmly (don't shout) 'No' and then look away and ignore her for half a minute or so, after which resume normal interaction.

Has she got lots of dog chews? - she will continue to chew a lot and mouth etc until her second teeth are through, then you should see a marked improvement.

[LisaluvzCav]

She's doing very well at 10 wks for toilet training. There is no hard and fast rule for when she will be totally house-trained. During the day she will be active and drinking water and eating so accidnets will happen (at night if she's very tired she will sleep straight through) All dogs are different just like babies and small children, but you must be doing something right
As far as her snapping a bit, again - she is a little baby and she is just trying out her growls when playing with toys (our adults still growl when playing with toys/each other etc - it's normal.)

I wouldn't hold her mouth closed when she trys to snap - this will definitely make her worse. Holding her mouth shut is very very restraining (and intimidating) - a bit like someone putting their hand over your mouth and nose - which would, I think, make you snap too. (VBG)

Instead just say very firmly (don't shout) 'No' and then look away and ignore her for half a minute or so, after which resume normal interaction.

Has she got lots of dog chews? - she will continue to chew a lot and mouth etc until her second teeth are through, then you should see a marked improvement.

Thanks thats good to know i was getting a bit worried! I was thinking the same althought ive read it a few times on the net that it is ok to do anyway i wont be doing it again! Yes she's got lots of chew toys but always loves to rob socks out of the laundry basket haha at what age will her second teeth come through?

[Karen and Ruby]

Hi everyone,
When we got Clara at 6 weeks old, which I know is way too young to leave her mother, she had no bladder control and was always peeing I knew it would be a long process but now she is just gone 10 weeks and can hold her pee for 8 hours during the night with not one accident I'm soo surprised, she still isnt house trained but is getting there! can anyone tell me how long there 10 week old puppy could hold it for Also she is getting a bit aggressive and its becoming a concern. She always growls when she is playing with her toys and sometimes snaps at us if she isnt getting her own way. She is still biting our hands and we have let out loud noises as if she has hurt us but it doesn't bother her also we have held her mouth closed this makes her want to bite more! Sometimes it is just mouthing but others im not so sure its like she gets really mad and snaps any other techniques i could use? we have walked off on her when playing and swapped our hands for toys. Thanks

Hi

It may be worth teaching her a 'leave' command- its one of the first thing we teach the puppies in the classes that I assist with.
Hold some food in your hand and let her sniff/lick/try to get it
Wait patiently untill she moves her nose away then release the food and praise.
This needs to be repeated until she understands and leaves the food alone. Once she understands (which could take 2 days or could take 2 weeks - start to add the leave word as you show her the food. She will then associate the word with the action.
Practise in as many new environments as you can. When she is understanding you can try with toys during games. Wait untill she is happy playing and ask her to leave to toy - if she does then praise and either give the toy back or have food ready. Again practise in as many environments as you can.
Its a great way of teaching Clara some manners and also easier when she still has baby teeth as if she nips accidently it wont hurt as much.
While she is teething she will need alot of options for chewing- if she picks up something you dont want her to have (ie a shoe or the remote) you can ask her to leave and give her something else instead. \putting chews in the fridge is a great way of helping sooth gums also!!
Growling is natural dog behaviour (she is trying to 'kill' her toys) I think its very cute. If she bites you say 'OW!' in a high pitched voice and walk away and ignore for a little while. She will very quickly learn that nipping means end of fun and she will soon stop!!

Im not one of these people that wants dominance over my dog - Ruby has access to everything I do and everywhere I do - however as a Puppy she didnt and I worked very hard to teach her some manners and polite behaviour so that once she grew up I could trust her and have a wonderful life together full of friendship and love.

As for toilet training it will come in time and alot of Cavvie owners I have spoken to say that it seems to take longer than other breeds.
Ruby wasnt completely clean until 7 - 8 months old.

Good Luck with Clara and enjoy her puppy years as much as you can!! You will never get it again with her!

Karen and Ruby

[Yorkysue]

Hi

She will start teething from about 4 months old, it's quite normal for you not to see any of her puppy teeth fall out, as she will probably eat them! but you might notice a few wobbly ones. She should have all her adult teeth by about 5 - 5.5 months old, though sometimes the odd puppy tooth will still linger even though the adult teeth have all come through. They normally will come out by themselves over the next month or so.

[Nastya]

I was told that a reliable measure of how long a puppy can hold it is Number of months a puppy is = Number of hours can hold. So a two and a half month old puppy should be let out every 2.5 hours. I have a shih-tzu mix who was bity, growly and aggressive when he was younger. We were suggested to use Nothing is free approach. It is when a pup is required to do something for you before he gets a treat, before he goes outside to play, before he gets his food. I was also told to make sure that the pup didn't have access to all of his toys all the time. I was to establish myself as the owner of all good things, be it food, toys, walks outside. That way, toys were put away until it was "play time" and they were put away when I decided they should be put away. I started getting Sam to sit or lay down for me before he got his leash put on, got his food or treats. He also did not have free rein of the house or toys. This was not a fast process and at times Sam is still growly, but his behaviors have reduced dramatically by the time he turned 8 months of age. Good luck.

[chloe92us]

LOL- Cavaliers are harder to train than other breeds- yes, I have found this to be the case. My 2 YO still has the occasional accident if it's wet outside! I've learned if it's raining, he has to be in his crate or he will sneak off somewhere and mess in the house. In general, it took a full year for my two to be trained 99% reliable. That's why I love rescues- they come trained (mostly).

[heather r]

Agree with others that cavaliers take longer to house train. Abigail at a little over a year is trained as far as poo but I still watch for signs that she needs to go out for pee. If we leave for an hour or so, I leave her in her crate with a toy.

Agree that you should begin training "leave it". Abigail now knows this means to stop chewing something whether inside or outside.

Good Luck, Soon this phase will be just a memory

Heather R