puppy advice needed

[rattylucy]

does anyone have any tips on housetraining a puppy & also calming him down. i have a 12 week old jack russell, yesterday i walked him for 30 mins, came home put him in the garden and he then came in and did a pee on the floor. No matter where i leave paper he pees & poo's wherever he fancies.
Also he is a little hyper and continually chews & bites me, i tell him no and put him in his bed then 5 mins later hes doing it again. He's even had my nose and lip on numerous occasions.
I've had a puppy before 12 years ago but can't remember her ever being this hard work. Any advice would be very gratefully received x

[lankeela]

At 12 weeks walking for 30 minutes is far too much. You would be better spending 30 minutes in the garden and as soon as he wees or poos praise him like mad. You must stay out with a puppy, they want to be with you and if you put them out and leave them they don't concentrate on what they should be doing. Confine him into a smaller area and if the door has to be closed put papers down so he can wee, if you are getting cross when he does anything he is getting confused, so ignore when he does do anything but make it easier for yourself by making the area smaller. At 12 weeks they are still learning how to behave with people, and their mother and litter mates would give a sharp squeal (ouch!) if they got nipped. This tells the puppy how far they can go without hurting. Always have something ready such as a toy or chew to take their mind off biting you. Again ignore the biting once you have squealed your disapproval, turn you back on the puppy and immediately end the game or put the puppy in its pen or cage with a bone or chews and toys. If you haven't got a pen or cage, then I suggest you invest in one, they are worth their weight in gold and give the pup someone of their own they can sleep and eat in, provided you don't use it as a punishment. Spend your time with him playing using a ragger (rope toy) that he can chew on (they need to chew to loosen their baby teeth to allow their adult teeth through). Give him things like toilet roll middles and empty plastic milk bottles which will keep him amused and can be thrown away after.

[BeatySwalls]

=hi ratty i recomend c age training it. buy a cage and coax it into the cage with food and treats. then close the door for longer and londer periods of time. the dog will grow to ove its cage and feel safe. it wont mess usually in its own bed. before you know it it will be house trained and you can go out for the day and leave it in its cage (with plenty of water mind) care free.

when i was young my dad used to rub the dogs nose in it and give it a firm no with a slap on its nose. this method is very out dated now and cage training is the best all round.

good luck!

[madmaggot]

Lanleela's answer pretty well covers the method to use in both instances ratty.
The only thing I would add is to watch him like a hawk when indoors and you will see when he is looking for 'somewhere to go', immediately whisk him outside to the place where you want him to pee. When you see him start to go ,say 'pee-pee' or whatever command you prefer, then praise as Lankeela said. In this way you can actually train a dog to 'go' on command which makes life much easier.
Oh, and get some spray from the pet shop that gets rid of the smell from previous little messages, he will be less tempted to 'go' again in those places.
If you use a crate, don't ever leave the dog locked in it for long periods or use it as a punishment.

[BeatySwalls]

lankeelas answer maybe ok but why spend 30 minutes in the garden waiting to prase it for pooing when you can just leave it in the cage and watch tv then after immediately take it out and you will only have to wit minutes if not secods. then you praise it.

[rattylucy]

hi all
thanks for the advice, maybe i'm just expecting too much too soon. He was following my older dog into the garden but i had to have her put down last week so it's now just me and the puppy. I do have a crate which i only usually use in the car to keep him safe but will bring it into the house and try him in that. He's now as calm as anything lying next to me on the sofa and having some fuss. I'm actually wondering whether he needs another canine companion to play with who will teach him to not go too far with the nipping.
Anyway I will perservere, thanks again for the advice.

[madmaggot]

Just be patient ratty; remember he is a baby. You wouldn't expect a baby to know what to do when it first arrives and the same applies to dogs (fortunately they do grow up a bit quicker though lol).
Please don't try to use the crate as a toilet training aid. A crate is brilliant and very useful but it should be the dog's sanctuary, not just somewhere to lock him away for hours.
Feed him in there, with the door open, and whilst he is still young shut him in last thing at night when you go to bed, to keep him safe. He should go in as readily as he would any bed, don't force him. In the daytime only shut it if you have to such as if you go to answer the door etc.
Good luck