New MORKIE Puppy

So, my husband I decided that after a year of marriage we should jump into getting a new puppy so we got a little boy morike (maltese/yorkie mix). We've had "Waffles" about two weeks and I cannot ever remember having to deal with a puppy behaving the way that he does! It takes alot of of you! I do know that puppies are babies and they will act like it, but does everyone have this much trouble adjusting? I guess it's just that when you have a dog and you're younger, you don't take part in the training, but now it's mostly on me.
My biggest problems of course are the chewing, biting and the house-training. Does anyone have any help for me? We live in an apartment and it's tought because we've heard the puppy pads are good and then we hear that crate training is the best, mostly because we both work. I just need some advise from some of you. HELP! You read so many different things from different places and it's just s confusing to me!


<3 Danielle

Hi, welcome to Chaz!

I suggest taking a look around both the Puppy Forum and the Dog Training forum. You will find plenty of answers to just about all your questions.

Crate training and taking your dog outside to go to the bathroom is best as puppy pads tend to confuse them because they don't understand why sometimes you let them go in the house and sometimes you don't. There is lots of crate training/housebreaking articles (and biting and chewing articles ),like Zoom said, in the training and puppy section. Congratulations on your new puppy, and good luck!

Welcome to Chaz.
Do/Can you come home during lunch time?

Personally I think puppy pads are a waste and prolong housebreaking/training.
If your goal is to have a puppy that "goes outside" then you need to think of a way that you can do that now....and delete the puppy pad step.
Of course I understand some apartment dwellers want to use puppy pads indefinately and that is fine if you enjoy cleaning and changing them.
What are your intentions? Outside potty/ Inside potty? or both?

Honestly, I don't view "training" a dog to go on a pad in the house as training at all. All of the people I have talked to who have done this, wished that they hadn't. Because at some time or another some begin to go other places off the supposed "puppy pad". You need to take your puppy out frequently to do his business. And confine him to a crate or a small area at night and get up in the night to take him out while he is very young. Young pups cannot hold it as long as adult dogs do, their bladders are very small especially in small breed pups/dogs. If you do opt to train on a pad better be sure to keep it changed because some won't go on the pad after it's soiled.

Congrats on your new puppy! Yes, they are a handful when they're little. You'll get used to it after awhile, and before you know it you'll have a dog!

As for the pads, I agree that they can be a bit confusing for the puppy. It really depends on your puppy too, IMHO. I am training my puppy to go potty outside, but, when it is 4:00 in the morning taking the fluffy, tiny little guy out on the wet, frozen grass is a huge pain. And if I am away for a few hours, I can't expect him to hold his bladder the whole time. So, I compromise and have him use the pads ONLY at night and when I'm gone a long time. BUT -- my puppy has a very clear preference for doing his business outside. He'll try and hold it if he can and wait for me to take him outside! And when he's a little older I will stop using them. Our other two dogs used pads in this way when they were very young, and now they are both 100% housebroken and only go outdoors.

If you are away for hours at a time I would suggest confining your puppy to a small exercise pen, with a bed on one side and a pad on the other. The pen I use for my tiny pup is just a little bigger than two pads laid side by side. Crate training is good too, but if you leave the puppy in the crate for longer than he can hold his bladder then it doesn't help, since the puppy may lose his desire to not soil his "den" (the crate).

As for the biting and the chewing -- puppies just seem to want to put everything in their mouths! When he tries to chew on something he shouldn't or want to chew on YOU, tell him no and immediately show him/give him what he should be chewing on. Forming a fist with your hand is also helpful if he trieds to chew on you, so your fingers aren't so enticing.

I hope that helps you a little. That's just what has worked for me, at least.

Good luck!

Thanks so much everyone. I guess alot of it is trial and error, but I want to put a stop to bad behavior while he's a pup.

Yes, crate training is the best for teaching a puppy house training, and to keep them and your house safe while you are away.

i too would potty train outside, rather than puppy pads, but only if you are able to get the dog outside during the day. It is cruel to ask a young puppy to "hold it" longer than what is physically comfortable for them to do so.

The general rule is that "puppies can "hold it" one hour for each month they are old, plus one" so if your puppy is three months, he can hold it 4 hours.

Some people will argue that their puppies could hold it longer, but that does not mean the puppy wasn't miserable trying to do it. Plus asking them to hold it too long increases the chance they will get a bladder or urinary tract infection.

Since you are in an apartment, if you can't come home at lunch, maybe one of your neighbors can walk your dog, or you can get a dog walker to do it every day.