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Permalink Reply by Jenni & Dave Fields on January 29, 2009 at 2:26pm

Hi Jenni
I cannot answer #1 for you but I can tell you not to worry about the freckled bellies. If you look on other people's pages here you will see lots of freckled bellies....she is fine. As far as wrestling, believe me you will know if they are fighting. Dogs let each other know when enough is enough!

enjoy your new baby! This site is a wealth of information and help-everyone is very nice and always willing to help!

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Permalink Reply by FuzzyButt on January 29, 2009 at 2:43pm

Only thing I can suggest is confining her in the area with the pee pad if you leave the house. She's a puppy and shouldn't be allowed to have full run of the house yet. If you are home that's different. Just a baby gate to block off the area will work fine.

Jenni is right on the other things. Unless you hear a lot, and I mean a lot, of constant yelping and screaming they're just playing. You have nothing to worry about there.

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Permalink Reply by Lou Ann Lemaster on January 29, 2009 at 2:46pm

Don't let her run free when you leave the house. Pen her in the room that has her pads until she gets older. Even if it means putting up gates at each entrance into the room. She's young,and really shouldn't have free run of the house by herself. Keep her where the only place she can go do number 2 is in the room where her pad is.

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on January 29, 2009 at 3:07pm

Corgis play as if they are killing each other, but seeing the tails wagging (Sid is undocked) I know he is having a blast. There would be ear-splitting yelps if someone was really getting hurt. When Sid plays he makes these weird growly sounds, sounding as if he is attacking some poor creature!.

It really is a good idea to confine them to a room or area when you are away. Sidney is 18 months old and we still don't give him free reign.

Freckles? Normal! You'll notice quite a few changes as Emma matures.

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Permalink Reply by Krista Meyer on January 29, 2009 at 5:09pm

#1 - Well as far as the potty training goes I'm really not sure how your dog will respond to reprimands but when Domino was potty training she also went "tinkle" on the pads but wouldn't potty on them. She too did the "ninja pooping" all over the house for a while but when we found it we would take her over to it, show it to her (but don't actually get it on her) and tell her "no!"
It did take a while, and quite a bit of patience on our parts but eventually she stopped going inside. My advice would be to take her out as frequently as possible (about ever 2 hours) when you're home; we began to notice that some of her accidents were because we would forget to take her out and you can't get mad over your own mistake, they can only hold it for so long. Also, positively reward her for going outside. I tell Domino to "go potty" a couple of times and when she does I tell her "good girl." When we get back inside she gets a treat for going outside.

#2 - Domino's tummy was pink when she was a baby too and now she's covered in fur. I don't see any freckles on her but I hear it's normal so I wouldn't worry unless she starts scratching or seems uncomfortable when you touch her or she lays down.

#3 - When Matt and I brought Domino home to our old apartment at a mere 9 weeks our roommates were babysitting a full grown Beagle. I thought, as any good mother would, that we should keep them separated because Domino was so small and I didn't want her getting hurt. Well we let them get to know each other by sniffing and whatnot, keeping a good eye on them. When they started playing rough I got a little nervous, especially when I heard a loud "yelp!" when I looked away. Fortunately to my surprise it wasn't from Domino, she had jumped on Senora (the beagle) when she wasn't looking and bit her ear! From then on I did still watch them closely but knew that Domino could take care of herself. I wouldn't worry about them hurting each other, if so the hurt one will make it known and you can separate them for a while.

Hope this help! Emma is a cutie!

Krista

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Permalink Reply by Laura & Lola on January 29, 2009 at 7:55pm

Congrats on your new addition!!!

1. You can't really reprimand after they've pooped/peed where they're not supposed to because they don't remember doing it. You have to catch them in the act, loudly say NO, grab 'em, & put them outside (where ever you want them to go 'potty'). We would praise Lola every time she went outside to 'potty', so now we know her actions when she needs to go... we just ask 'you need to go potty?' and she'll dance around. So be sure when your little one is going pee/poop where they're supposed to, say 'good potty' (or however you want to phrase it) and they'll know that's what they're supposed to do! As for when you're not home, the confinment is best... we crated Lola until she was about 1 1/2 :)

2. Lola's belly went through that too... I was actually just looking at the puppy pictures of her & there was the dark freckles!! They went away & she's a white color now :) Nothing to worry about!

3. Puppies and dogs are pretty tough... if they get hurt, you'll know!!

Good luck with them!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jenni on February 4, 2009 at 11:11am

Thank you for everyone to replied to this! It helped a lot! Emma is pottying in the house less frequently and I've learned to relax when her and Sebastian rough house

:)

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Permalink Reply by christy markovich on February 4, 2009 at 3:33pm

In response to questions #1, ditch the puppy pads. Puppy pads are too confusing to your baby. I have had dogs my whole life and many different breeds along the way, and I have found that newspapers and puppy pads give a mixed message. Potty should be an outdoor event, no matter the weather. I'll give you the secret of my potty training success: use your crate...if you don't have one, get one ASAP. Second of all, it's all in the timing. When your puppy wakes up or you remove her from the crate first thing in the morning or after work, take her outside immediately. Carry her if it's a long way to the lawn or yard area, to avoid elimination before she gets there. She will pee within about 15 seconds. Walk around a little and in most cases, she will also poop."Go potty," is your only communication with her. No other talking or playing with her until the deed is done. Praise her and then back into the house for a drink, breakfast, dinner whatever is the next meal, a little play time (about 15 minutes) and back outside for another chance to pee and poop. If it's a no go, into the crate for a little nap/rest time, and then back out again. Don't feel bad about the crate. She will see it as her own little cave eventually, even if she does not like it at first. Put a blanket in there for her. In most cases she will not pee or poop in it, unless you get one that is too big. Get a small one to start with and a larger one when she is older. I currently have 3 corgis and my youngest is almost four months. When she gets tired, she sometimes goes in the crate and lays down and falls asleep on her own. I am very comforted to know she does not see it as a punishment or a prison. She needs the security of it and as a "pack animal" dogs like to have something they can call their own. When we first put her in there she did not like it all...whining, crying etc. I put a light weight blanket over it so she could not see out and that did the trick. I have her in the family room which is where all the action in our house takes place, so she feels a part of everything even when she is in her crate. The noise of the TV is almost always on and it does not seem to bother her sleep at all. She has not had any accidents in about 2 or 3 weeks, but she is on that schedule I described above. My other two(ages 6 and 3) were trained in less time, but they were puppies in the summer and trainig was easier. It takes a little work to get yourself into a routine, but going outdoors is the only way to get them to understand that the house is not a bathroom. Good luck and have fun!

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