introduction/my insane puppy

Hi everyone.
My name is Amy, I'm new to the forums and I desperately need help! One week ago today, my boyfriend and I got a ten week old yorkipoo puppy. She was amazing the first few days. She didn't have any accidents in her crate and hardly any accidents in the house. Then...the past few days she's pooped and peed in the house quite a bit. But she also goes outside when we take her. Sometimes, she goes inside after we've had her outside for a while!! My boyfriend and I are very consistent and take her out every hour, sometimes more if she's sniffing around a lot. We also say 'outside' when we take her out and use the same door every time. Sometimes she goes to the door and barks and whines and when we take her out she goes. I'm so frustrated! Also, how the heck do I get her to know her name??? (Which is Cleo by the way). How long does it takes for dogs to start to recognize their names?
Also, she seems to be very calm one minute and the next minute she'll lunge at either one of us and try nipping our faces. She's only three pounds but she's got some sharp chompers! HELP HELP HELP!!!! Thanks.....


Amy and Cleo

Hello and welcome!!

To start off with it sounds like you and your bf are doing things right when it comes to house training now all you need is time, time until she "gets it". Some puppies understand the concept within a week others take a few months it really depends on the individual puppy and how fast their muscles are developing which allow them to "hold it" longer. I'd recommend keeping her on a leash in the house and always having her attached to either you or your bf. This way, there's no way she can sneak off to go have an accident and you can always catch her in the act in order to stop her and take her out immediately. Don't forget to praise her whenever she goes outside!!!! OC's 2.5years and very much potty trained but I still give him a "Good Boy!!!" and a couple pats for going outside. If no one's able to watch her at all make sure she;s in her crate!

Getting a puppy or dog to learn their name is actually quite easy. They usually catch on over time but a way to really enforce it is to say the name in a very upbeat tone and if she looks at you tell her she's a good girl and give her a treat. Do this a few times (always say the name when she's looking away from you though - it helps if there are two or more people so you can go back and forth) and when se starts getting really good say a random word in the exact same upbeat tone as before (such as "tomato" or "chicken" or "carpet") but don't do anything when she looks at you. Don't even look at her, just stare off to the wall, or the ceiling. When she gets good at only looking at you when you say her name and not other random words you can start varying how you say the name. Evrything from a quiet whisper to an arnold swartzenager (sp?) immitation. Toss in a few random words later on and ignore her when you say the random words, praise her when she looks at you when you say her name.

Whenever she lunges at either of you immediately say "ouch!" as if you just got bitten by a huge dog and immediately get up and ignore her for a short while. Be consistant with this and she'll soon learn that lunging ends the fun. When she's being a good girl make sure to praise her and even invite her to play a bit. Same thing applies if she nips you.

Welcome to Chaz! I just wanted to tell you that OC just gave you some really great advice

Yes...I agree with OC!! Just be patient...sometimes it's one step forward and three back. Remember....puppies are babies and it takes them time to learn. Hang in there!!