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Originally Posted by Heidibaby  Where to start to answer everyone or update situation. Long story short as possible, she was using peepad since 3wks & is nearly 11wks now, reverting backwards from how she was using them Sun & Mon. Now waits till gets out of pen to go, so trying leave her in until she goes. I thought everyone said they had small bladders? How does she have holding power bc insists go outside on rug instead?
Other behaviors toward cat shocked me and was told she's wanting to be Alpha. Cat backed off as friend extremely confused (he was friends with my prior turtle and didn't make such perplexed faces). From other behaviors I described I was having with her, I evidently need to show her I'm Alpha and growl when gets out of line & visual, like pointing or arm movement.
Hoping things start to get back on track, beginning with Alpha issue. Really sucks bc breeder/vet & service dog trainer (starting basics soon)all knew I havent had a dog in many yrs bc last time, pup was going great then became a nightmare. Failed classes and I was told he felt prior cat was suddenly Alpha. I tried to re-establish - told deepen voice, walk hard but not growl... I didn't know that helped. Anyway I lost the battle and he went to live with stepsister family who begged me constantly for him and it worked out for great, no problems, no other pets & man in house.
Oh I'm shocked at young age of her the Alpha thing and don't understand why dogs want to 'walk on me' like I'm not Alpha??!! |
Like with everything else, I hope my posts are helpful because as another pet owner, what I am doing might be different from what you are doing, and hopefully you will get some useful ideas from them.
I get what you're saying about what to do if she's suppose to be in a pen because you also want to bond. The pen is a training tool, and things will change! Eventually she will spend less, and less time in the pen.
How I used the pen with my old man Kaji (RIP) and how I plan to use it with Ijak, is like I mentioned before, he will stay in the pen while he cannot be watched. When I will let him out, I will open the door, pick him up and IMMEDIATELY take him to his designated potty area. That can be a piddle pad or, as in my case our backyard. If I pick him up, he can't have an accident while we get to the designated potty area. I'll give him a 15-20 minute potty break. Puppies can get distracted so easily, so it's important to give them a chance to sniff, and actually potty. Of course, I will be encouraging him the entire time. If in the allotted time he doesn't potty, back in the pen he goes for 20 minutes and then we'll try again. If he does potty in the right place, and I can commit 100% of my attention on him, then I will let him roam, or I will engage him in play/training. By watching him like a hawk, I can correct unwanted behavior. For example, if he were to lift his leg to mark, I would distract with a noise (clap, or a loud "nuh uh") then redirect to a more positive behavior. At least that's the plan! It worked with Kaji, but he was already an old man when he came home. Ijak will be 13 weeks. I hope it works with him too!
As for the rug, can you move it temporarily? If she's using just the one rug it may be best to move it until she's fully potty trained. (I'm assuming your home isn't full carpet) Also, try to really clean it. I've had luck with Nature's miracle to remove pee smells.
As for the piddle pads, I am stealing this from the puppy book provided by my breeder:
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“I thought he was pee-pee pad trained?”
He was. As much as a three month old puppy can be.
Puppies love their homes, and when they leave our house, they leave their litter mates, their
mother, and people who have cared for them. It is only natural that they have feelings, and
these feelings are expressed as stress. Your new puppy is experiencing new sights, new
sounds, new rules, new humans, and new toys. This does not erode their desire to please
you—yet it causes them stress.
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As for your issue with the cat... sorry! I'm no help. I'm allergic to cats, and Kaji passed away a couple of months ago. My plan of having 2 pets at once didn't work out. I'm sure others can chime in that have a yorkie and a cat at the same time.