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Comment by liane, emi, and helix! on May 27, 2012 at 11:59pm

hi shou! i hope the potty training is getting easier!! it was really tough for me at first too -_____-;

also, did you ever end up finding bells? i actually make customized doggy bells ! i wouldnt mind making you one if you dont have one yet (: free of charge! 

Comment by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on May 7, 2012 at 10:07am

Shou, I do still feel like this is a submissive peeing behavior, so the key is to make him feel comfortable with his place in the 'pack'. It's important for your housemates to understand that even though Mickey is your dog, as long as they live with him, they are part of his pack.

If he is hiking some and not some, then he is in that transition time. It's not a 'marking' vs. 'urinating' issue. He will eventually hike always. Male dogs just switch over gradually. Since he is already neutered that will help with him not marking in the house, but it's very hard to keep them from doing it at the vet. So many have gone before them, that they feel obligated to follow the trend! I make an effort to keep my males in the middle of the lobby at the vet, away from plants and corners that are prime targets. It's still hard to keep them from marking there, though. Fortunately the employees understand because they wipe it up all day long from every male dog that comes through. (Been there, done that, so I know!)

Sometimes you have to show a pup how to play with their toys. Brodie had no clue what toys were for because he apparently never had any. Now that he knows, he will play on his own when he's really happy. Otherwise, he only plays with them when Kadi is playing.

The key to all of it is patience and consistency. Definitely get him in an obedience class too. The sooner the better for that! (Although the cone needs to be gone by then!)

Comment by Shou on May 7, 2012 at 6:28am

Miranda: Thank you for your reply! I sure hope you're right. Haha. The thing is, the breeder had told me, that these were things that I had to work on, and I was kinda prepared, though I'd never had a dog before, so doing everything is different than just reading about it. But he was SO good the first few days that I thought I had been so lucky to get a such a great dog! ... He tricked me with those big corgi eyes. Lulling me into a false sense of security!! Hahaha.

 

I will try to get as routine as I can, but my work is not the same time every day, so sometimes it's difficult to be there at a specific time every day. The only good thing is he never pees in his crate, or in my room. So at least if I leave him at home, he's in his crate and will learn to hold it. You guys are really lucky that you can spend all day with the dogs!

 

Hmm never knew dogs were intrigued by laser pointers too. I might have to try that. Haha. I feel bad that he mostly just has chew toys cuz I feel like he gets bored with them, and I can't really play with him with those toys. We did try fetch today, with one of those little rubber balls.He seems to have trouble keeping the ball in his mouth without trying to chew it. But he brought it back a good 5 times, and then he gave up. Haha. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow. :]

 

I'll have to try your trick with the paw wiping. Though I think with this guy, he might get more excited. Haha. But I will see if I can get it to work.

 

And thanks again. I'm trying my best to say "good boy" more than "bad!". It's difficult sometimes. But I will do my best!

Comment by Shou on May 7, 2012 at 6:18am

Chris: Thank you for your reply!

 

The thing is I'm not sure if it's submissive peeing because he doesn't do it all the time. And it's always when he hasn't gone to pee for a while. But they happen to pet him, and he'll just let it all out. Would it still be submissive peeing if they don't do it every time? He didn't do it today though, so I'm really glad about it. Do you know how I might help make Mickey feel more secure around my roommates? They do sometimes help me take him out, when I'm at work sometimes, so it would be good if he got comfortable with them.

 

I do try to keep my eye out and I never leave the house without putting him in the crate. He was so good about not chewing the first few days though. I guess I got a false sense of security. Haha. I do have a bunch of toys for him to chew on, and he'll chew on them sometimes. But I don't know. Maybe he's bored of them? Tonight he tried chewing on all of his toys a couple times and then gave up, and then he started to chew on pretty much everything he could get in reach of, and I kept having to tell him no and steer him away from everything. :\

 

I do feed him twice a day. Sometimes he poops twice, sometimes only once. But lately it seems it's usually in the mornings. If I take him out at night, he'll only pee. He sometimes can reach the water dish (if he angles the cone right) but sometimes he forgets how to do it and can't reach it. Haha. Poor boy. And sometimes he squats and sometimes he lifts his leg. Will he end up always lifting his leg? I get a little bit wary every time he lifts his leg because I don't know if he's marking or peeing... So far he's only marked twice... Tried another time, at the vet, but I told him "no" and he put his leg down. (Good boy!)

 

I do try to mess with his feet often. And usually he's ok about it. Either he'll ignore it, or he'll try to stop me, realize it doesn't work, and just tolerate it. But when I get the towel, or worse, the baby wipes, he always tries to bite them. Even if I tell him "no", it doesn't seem to be working very well. :\ He started mouthing when he gets excited too. I'm trying to break the habit by stopping the petting when he does, but it's turning out to be harder to break than I thought...

Comment by Miranda~ Moses | Maya | Maverick on May 6, 2012 at 3:48pm

You are going to re-read this blog in 6 months and let out a chuckle. I know if it was me adopting a 9 month old puppy, I would have assumptions that chewing, potty training, biting, etc wouldn't be issues I would have to deal with, which most of the time is a completely inaccurate assumption. In assuming this, I wouldn't be on guard 100% of the time, and would be writing this exact same blog. :-) Don't feel like you are the only one going through this. It'll just take time and routine.

With my babies, I potty them when I get up for work. They usually just pee and then go back to bed. My boyfriend feeds them when he gets up for work, potties them just before he leaves (when they pee and poop) and then crates our Corgi (no occassional chewing issues with the older big one). When I get home we go outside immediately and either potty (if the weather is nasty) or play for at least a half hour. If we are playing, the babies will sniff around the property and poop an excited poop. Then we are inside for lunch and chores. Back outside for fun in the sun. We do a lot of play time outside thanks to our property and the nice weather we have been having. We live near a beach and have walking trails nearby as well. I think our lack of chewing / trouble making is due to the exercise. But not everyone gets off work at 10am and has the whole day to dedicate to outside play.

As for potty training, I would take him out every 2 to 3 hours to a specific spot and wait until he does his business. When he does, treat and praise like never before. Once you get on a schedule (feeding times / pottying every so often / work schedule, etc) he either won't have to tell you he has to go because he knows a potty session is getting close and will wait, or he will go to the door that you use and will let you know. Its all about routine.

My babies love all different toys, and it really depends on their mood which one they will play with. All time favorites are the tennis ball and the laser pointer.. both are interactive and a way for you to bond with him. Dedicate 10 minutes a day for fetching. Even if he doesn't bring it back at first, or even pick it up, its time you guys will share and time he will look forward to every day.

For the paws thing, my corgis have always hated any nail trims / paw wipes. The trick is to make it relaxing. I still can't trim nails, but when the time comes to wipe paws, we go into our mud room and have a mini massage session. I find the "sweet spot" (behind ears, on the chest, etc) and get them relaxed. Really focus on their favorite spots. Give a tummy rub and then sneak in a paw or two, cooing and praising them for staying relaxed. When I need to do the paws qickly, I put my left arm under the waist and lift the hind quarters up gently, so each foot is off the ground allowing for less struggling.

Mickey is an adorable name. He is one lucky pup, and like I said, you're gonna look back at this blog and chuckle at the memory. :-) Good luck with everything. Always be patient, look at the situation from his point of vew, and use positive reinforcements. Love is stronger than hate, and a "good boy" sticks better than a "bad dog!"

Comment by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on May 6, 2012 at 7:52am

First of all, hang in there. This is not only all new to you, it's all new to him. I'm going to try to hit the 'big stuff' here.

The urinating when other people pet him is 'submissive peeing'. It shows he is insecure with his place in the pack at your home. He was probably low man on the totem pole at the breeder's house and he is trying to figure out where he fits in the pack at your house now too. Just because he doesn't act scared does not mean that's not what is going on. In his little mind he's not sure where he fits in, so his self-defense mechanism tells him to pee to show that he's not trying to take over. If he doesn't do it with you, that's good because it shows he understands his place with you. Nine months is a rough age to transition a dog because they are basically in their teen years. Think of how a boy of about 14/15 would feel if he suddenly went from living with his family to being thrust in among a bunch of strangers to live. He would be desperate to 'fit in' and scared to death inside, but not want to let it show. So, the best thing you do is help him feel secure and understand that he has a 'place' there and isn't going to be tossed out. The best thing your housemate can do is probably just ignore Mickey for now, until Mickey feels more secure.

As far as the chewing goes, that will last for a while so you can't leave him unattended. He's still in his puppy chewing stage and anything is fair game to chew. Hopefully with age that will change, but don't count on it. My Boston Terrier is 9 and he would still chew up the entire house if given half a chance.

Generally speaking as dogs mature, they will poop the same amount of times a day that they are fed. If you feed him morning and evening, he should be pooping twice a day (about 30 to 45 minutes after feeding). If you are free feeding him, that makes it much harder to get a routine established for pooping. He is old enough now that he should be a on a twice a day feeding schedule. I leave water out for my dogs all the time, and when Brodie wore his cone of shame, I had to take it off each time he needed a drink. Otherwise, I had the waterbowl dumped all over the place! If he's not hiking his leg yet, it is hard to tell when they urinate. He should start hiking soon, if he hasn't already. That makes it much easier to see on the boys. I still have trouble seeing Kadi go sometimes because she's so quick and barely squats!

Corgis are famous for not wanting their feet messed with. If the breeder didn't work with Mickey, then you have some 'make up' work to do. I would suggest that you frequently handle his feet, not just when you are wiping them, and keep treats handy so that when he's good about it, you give him one. Don't allow the biting at all, or it will only get worse. A firm 'NO!' will probably be enough. With some dogs it takes a little more than that.

I know it can be overwhelming at first, but hang in there and it will all be worth it!