# New Puppy Advice



## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

Hi there,

Sorry for the long first post!

We’ve had our Cockapoo, Minnie for just under 5 weeks now. She is 4 months, 2 weeks old.

She is a lovely dog, fantastic around our kids but has clear anxiety issues. I wonder if anyone could offer some help.

Bed time and during the day when we leave her is when the issue starts. 

She will relentlessly jump up at the door we left out of, barking, eventually weeing/pooing at the door, despite her training mats being in the same room. She will then continue to jump in her business and manage to spread it everywhere. It’s becoming quite depressing to come down too. 

I go to bed late, around midnight, once the kids are in bed (around 7pm) she will chew a bone/sleep on the sofa with us until midnight. I will take her out before I go to bed and she will usually have a number 1 and 2. Yet, still manages to poop through the night, I’m assuming the anxiety causes this? She is well walked throughout the day so generally should be tired when we go to bed.

The toilet training is a concern, she goes out in the garden and does her business but seemingly can easily forget she has training mats and just go on the carpet. Despite me taking her out a lot, she will still manage to soil in her crate and get it all over her!

I have for the two nights tried Minnie in a crate and this has helped her crying somewhat (and the fact she can’t jump up at the door), however she is still soiling her crate which goes everywhere!

Is this a time thing? Is there anything I could be doing to aid in this? I stop feeding her at around 3pm to combat the poos through the night but she still manages to do it the majority of the time. She is fed the recommended amount for her weight/size.

Thanks,


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## Dig (Dec 27, 2018)

Hi, sounds a tricky one to deal with and solve, but I’m sure you’ll get there. Im no expert so others might have better advice, but initial thoughts- As your puppy was a bit older when it joined your family perhaps it brings established habits with it so it might be worth asking what the routine was with previous owners. I’m also wondering if taking Minnie out for her last pee and poo a bit earlier might give her time to settle back down again before you are leaving her to go to bed. It might look to her that you’ve got her up to play and then she’s wondering why you’re leaving. Have you tried sleeping downstairs, maybe playing some soothing quiet music to help her settle? Or having her cage close to where you sleep so that she can sense your presence, just until she gets into a better routine. We found a crate really useful and our dog now goes there voluntarily, but I have to confess to having to sing 🙂 and soothe quietly for 10-15 minutes for the first few nights. After this he mostly settles no problem. We also put a little treat in there eg gravy bone and as soon as we say ‘are you ready for your bone’ he trots off to his crate. This does all take time to establish it as routine. Hope things work out for you soon


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

Dig said:


> Hi, sounds a tricky one to deal with and solve, but I’m sure you’ll get there. Im no expert so others might have better advice, but initial thoughts- As your puppy was a bit older when it joined your family perhaps it brings established habits with it so it might be worth asking what the routine was with previous owners. I’m also wondering if taking Minnie out for her last pee and poo a bit earlier might give her time to settle back down again before you are leaving her to go to bed. It might look to her that you’ve got her up to play and then she’s wondering why you’re leaving. Have you tried sleeping downstairs, maybe playing some soothing quiet music to help her settle? Or having her cage close to where you sleep so that she can sense your presence, just until she gets into a better routine. We found a crate really useful and our dog now goes there voluntarily, but I have to confess to having to sing 🙂 and soothe quietly for 10-15 minutes for the first few nights. After this he mostly settles no problem. We also put a little treat in there eg gravy bone and as soon as we say ‘are you ready for your bone’ he trots off to his crate. This does all take time to establish it as routine. Hope things work out for you soon


Thank you for the response. I did actually find some music for 'dogs' on youtube, 15 hours worth of soothing music that I had on today. I also left my dressing gown (!) next to her crate last night, she was better than most nights, a lot quieter so maybe it did do something.

The taking her out earlier would be possible. I don't tend to bring her in and just leave her in her crate straight away, I tend to get her in the crate and sit with her for a bit and give her a little treat.

I have read some things about how she was treat in her previous home. She was the last of the litter and was an older puppy which I always found strange. I think she was going to be kept but then they changed their mind. I think she was kept quite isolated though in stables but they had a large family so well socialised.

My wife who has been home to her today has reported no mess in her crate so that's good to hear, although I've been in this position before and then she goes backwards tomorrow! I'm trying to get a routine going.


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## Dig (Dec 27, 2018)

Sounds really positive👍 It’s never plain sailing, but as long as you get there in the end. Maybe that isolation at the breeders has just made her a bit more anxious so keeping going with what you are doing to reduce separation anxiety, including small step separations during the day, will help her settle herself more. Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

Dig said:


> Sounds really positive👍 It’s never plain sailing, but as long as you get there in the end. Maybe that isolation at the breeders has just made her a bit more anxious so keeping going with what you are doing to reduce separation anxiety, including small step separations during the day, will help her settle herself more. Good luck and let us know how you get on 🙂


Thanks. She does seem much better in the crate for not crying however her toilet training has just gone completely out of the window. When we first got her, she was very good on her pads but since she had her vaccinations and can go outside, she seems to think now she can wee/poo in the house like she would outside! Anyway to combat this?


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## Dig (Dec 27, 2018)

I’m not too sure with that side of things as we haven’t had to deal with it, but just wondering if she is going in the places where the pads used to be or where she has previously had accidents. It might be that there’s still some odour that she is picking up that is triggering her to go there. I’d probably try full on odour eliminating treatment on your floors (much easier of course if you’ve got hard floors, but trickier if the area is carpeted).
I’d also make a real fuss of her every time she pees/poos outside until she really gets it. If you catch her going indoors I’d just scoop her up and take her outside and then praise when she goes outside. Maybe others can advise more.


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## Gaynor59 (Mar 27, 2017)

Hope you get things sorted, my Louis was insistent on ripping the pads to bits , he was my first dog , he is now 3 , I don’t ever want to go through that puppy stage again but try not to overthink it , it will come right in the end


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

I'm resigned to the fact I will have to set my alarm for 3am and take her out. I'm tired of coming down to poo everywhere every morning


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## littlesophie (Mar 29, 2012)

*New Puppie advice*

Sorry to hear about the pooping your Cockapoo is doing. My Sophie is 7.5 years old, and outside of being ill, she has never had an accident in the home. Yes my lil girl has anxieties with unfamiliar noises or with a groomer, but I do have a thunder shirt that holds her tight and it really works. I bought it during the 4th if July with all the firecrackers and celebration during that time, but I use it when she is unnerved. 

I never ever had her in a crate and I have always taken her out very 4 to 5 hours. I reward her when we return from a potty walk. She looks forward to a small treat. I feed her twice a day, once in the morning and no later than 6 in the evening. Hopefully this helps. They are the most precious, beautiful, loyal and loving dogs, I love my Sophie!


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

Hi there, I thought I'd share an update but also seek some more advice!

Minnie is now 7 months old. I'm happy to say she goes the night with no crying, sleeps in her bed and goes to the loo on her pads. Pretty much every night there will be a poo and wee. This is somewhat surprising as she goes out into the garden at around 12-1am each night, I then get up at 7am to let her out.. I struggle to understand why she can't go the night without going to the loo. From 7pm - 1am, she will go this time without needing the loo.

Ideally, I'd like her to get out of the habit of using the pads on a night as she's just going to get more and more used to this being her toilet.

I was thinking of bringing her crate out again for night time, she has been perfectly fine with it, thinks of it as a bed, but when younger would often poo/wee in it...I'm worried she will do this again. What do you think? Am I rushing things and should just be happy she uses the pads? She still has accidents around the house but I trust this will improve over time.


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## Sbmpw (Jul 16, 2019)

My puppy wasn’t completely clean at night until he was 5 months. There was always one pee an one poo. Then he just stopped. He also use to rip up the pads. I thoroughly cleaned the floors and sprayed some granny apple down. Good luck


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

Well it was a good start, no accidents in the crate between 1-7am - I'm not overly confident yet as she has been known to go the night with not doing anything. Let's see what tonight brings, it's not the nicest of walks downstairs anticipating the mess she could be in!

Fingers crossed its not a one off.


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## andybtsn (Nov 7, 2019)

So day 2 didn't go so well. Despite her going in the garden at 2am and me going down to her at 7am, she managed to poo and wee in her crate, even better, I managed to put my hand in the poo, good start...

I'm now questioning it all, should I just accept pads being used and hope she eventually grows out of it, or persevere with cleaning up poo/wee every morning. It's not ideal when I'm sorting 3 kids and have work!

I got a Cocka as they are supposed to be intelligent dogs, I'm yet to see this! To top it off she then just weed in the hall way for no apparent reason after going on a 2 mile walk and doing none of her business


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## Sbmpw (Jul 16, 2019)

I’m guessing you’ve tried the treat route? 
Is it just night times? What do you use to clean the mess up with. I was told the biological washing liquid is the best. As I’ve said my puppy wasn’t in a crate. I just accepted the fact that he wasn’t able to hold that long. Spray the area you don’t want her near with granny apple spray or lemon juice. Worth a try. Good luck


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