The issue with the biting/barking is the dog is likely not getting enough training stimulation that makes the dog think. Zoomies can be a sign of insufficient exercise OR over being tired.

At 12 weeks puppies are becoming more independent and less needy. At this point they need to start to learn about training. Free Shaping with food and a clicker can really tire a puppy out as well as build your relationship with your dog.

Because the potty area is easily accessed he uses it whenever he wants to. Frequency when active is pretty common in my experience with puppies I have played with outdoors.

 

The issue with the biting/barking is the dog is likely not getting enough training stimulation that makes the dog think. Zoomies can be a sign of insufficient exercise OR over being tired.

At 12 weeks puppies are becoming more independent and less needy. At this point they need to start to learn about training. Free Shaping with food and a clicker can really tire a puppy out as well as build your relationship with your dog.

Because the potty area is easily accessed he uses it whenever he wants to. Frequency when active is pretty common in my experience with puppies I have played with outdoors.

Thanks for your inputs. We will increase his playtime and hopefully distract when he bites - especially during zoomies.
We are doing short training sessions of 10 minutes (each - with just basic commands), 3 - 4 times a day.

As for restricting his access to the potty area - we are worried about potential accidents inside the house.. may be we will try to partially close the door and see if he can let us know when he needs to use.

 

Remember that at 12 weeks old he is still a baby. He will be a baby (mentally) for around 2 years so do not expect too much too soon. Once he can go outside to potty you will have to start potty training all over from scratch.

 

True true, we do keep in mind that he is a baby (and already dreading his "teen" months which will precede our human kid's teen years 😅 )... and each day is new learning for us...

With many rainy days ahead and hearing stories about infection spreading from dog parks etc in many forums we are thinking about having a permanent potty place in one of the nooks in the house as well... in the meantime mentally preparing to start over when we take him out.. 🤞🤞..

Thank you so much for your reply.. hoping to learn more from these forums

 

This is a Golden Retriever.. do you realize how much pee and poop an adult Golden Retriever (especially fed commercial dog food) makes? Are you SURE you want THAT in your house for the typical lifespan of a dog (10-14 years)???

Once your puppy is 16 weeks old he should be able to be vaccinated and the vaccines should elicit an immune response as by 16 weeks the Mother's Antibodies (that can interfere with the efficacy of a vaccine immune response in a puppy under that age) should be gone. If vaccinated at 14 weeks and again at 16-17 weeks your dog should be good to go. Please talk to your veterinarian about this!

 

Haha I understand 😄... the indoor one is just to give him an easy access during rains and in case of emergency- as we stay in a high rise. We do plan to take him on walks as often as possible once all the vaccinations are over. He is on homemade foods and commercial kibble as occasional treats but still we understand that he will need as many breaks as possible..

We will plan for easy access to outdoors but not sure how sooner we will be able to plan for it.

I have a quick question- do dogs with quick access to fenced yards, go eliminate themselves and come back or should they be trained to ask to be let out? Asking so we can be prepared if we plan for a potty place in our balcony and for future reference.

 

That really depends on what works best for the household, and to some degree safety hazards in the area and the dog's behavior. I prefer not to allow free access for multiple reasons - my fence has a couple spots that I'm worried the dogs could get under if they really try (we'll be fixing that this summer, it went in last fall and we didn't have time to deal with it before the snow), we have predators that might be interested in my small dogs (and possibly venomous snakes - haven't seen any on the property, but we know they're in the area), and my dogs will bark at neighbors and passerbys (working on blocking sightlines better), which is rude and something I don't want to allow them to practice. My house also isn't very well insulated, so I'm concerned about a dog door letting cold air in during the winter. They do get to have the door open on nice, warm days when someone's home, but only because that person can keep an eye/ear on them so they can intervene if something happens or they need to lose outside privileges until they calm down enough to stop barking.

Other concerns might be dogs who are escape artists, dogs who get frustrated by not being able to interact with passing dogs/people and amp themselves up barking and screaming at them, dogs who are so-called "dangerous" breeds and might get blamed if anything happens, even if they're not at fault (not a worry for you with a Golden, just giving examples of things people have to consider with free outdoor access), lots of loose cats who might be at risk if your dog think they're toys or prey, or obnoxious loose dogs in the neighborhood who might get inside the fence and be a danger for your dog. Neighbors who harrass or rile up the dog (some people think this is funny and harmless, but it can lead to serious behavior problems), neighbors who don't like dogs or are otherwise prone to complaining about barking even if it's not excessive. High crimes areas - risk of the dog being stolen/deliberately let out, fed something toxic to them, or otherwise injured. Dog doors can also be entry points for robbers, though many of the modern ones have locking mechanisms now. And so on - I'm sure I've missed a few.

Obviously not all of these will impact you due to it being a balcony and not a ground level yard. Your biggest concerns would probably be noise related - if your dog is barking at passerbys, birds, squirrels, the wind, etc and the potential impact on others in nearby apartments - and making sure the balcony is secure enough that there's no risk of your pup getting stuck in gaps or climbing over railings.

This doesn't mean dog doors/open doors are always a bad option! I have friends who use them with no issue - I would love to have the peace of mind that my dogs could relieve themselves if something happens and I'm delayed getting home. And they adore just lounging outside in the sun when I'm able to keep the door open under supervision. It's a personal choice that everyone has to weigh the pros and cons of with their dogs and their area.

 

That really depends on what works best for the household, and to some degree safety hazards in the area and the dog's behavior. I prefer not to allow free access for multiple reasons - my fence has a couple spots that I'm worried the dogs could get under if they really try (we'll be fixing that this summer, it went in last fall and we didn't have time to deal with it before the snow), we have predators that might be interested in my small dogs (and possibly venomous snakes - haven't seen any on the property, but we know they're in the area), and my dogs will bark at neighbors and passerbys (working on blocking sightlines better), which is rude and something I don't want to allow them to practice. My house also isn't very well insulated, so I'm concerned about a dog door letting cold air in during the winter. They do get to have the door open on nice, warm days when someone's home, but only because that person can keep an eye/ear on them so they can intervene if something happens or they need to lose outside privileges until they calm down enough to stop barking.

Other concerns might be dogs who are escape artists, dogs who get frustrated by not being able to interact with passing dogs/people and amp themselves up barking and screaming at them, dogs who are so-called "dangerous" breeds and might get blamed if anything happens, even if they're not at fault (not a worry for you with a Golden, just giving examples of things people have to consider with free outdoor access), lots of loose cats who might be at risk if your dog think they're toys or prey, or obnoxious loose dogs in the neighborhood who might get inside the fence and be a danger for your dog. Neighbors who harrass or rile up the dog (some people think this is funny and harmless, but it can lead to serious behavior problems), neighbors who don't like dogs or are otherwise prone to complaining about barking even if it's not excessive. High crimes areas - risk of the dog being stolen/deliberately let out, fed something toxic to them, or otherwise injured. Dog doors can also be entry points for robbers, though many of the modern ones have locking mechanisms now. And so on - I'm sure I've missed a few.

Obviously not all of these will impact you due to it being a balcony and not a ground level yard. Your biggest concerns would probably be noise related - if your dog is barking at passerbys, birds, squirrels, the wind, etc and the potential impact on others in nearby apartments - and making sure the balcony is secure enough that there's no risk of your pup getting stuck in gaps or climbing over railings.

This doesn't mean dog doors/open doors are always a bad option! I have friends who use them with no issue - I would love to have the peace of mind that my dogs could relieve themselves if something happens and I'm delayed getting home. And they adore just lounging outside in the sun when I'm able to keep the door open under supervision. It's a personal choice that everyone has to weigh the pros and cons of with their dogs and their area.

Thank you for the detailed response 👍. This helps a lot. Yes, we will consider all the pros and cons and decided accordingly. We plan for someone to be with him most of the time with very few hours of alone time when it's unavoidable.
For now taking one day at a time 😁