[Friskybinx]

We recently got a new 10 week old Boston Terrier and we've been having a lot of issues with her that we didn't have with our other two as puppies.

The first issue is her puppy teeth. Noodles thinks it's a game, and probably thinks it's funny, to latch onto any body part she can get in her mouth. Fingers, toes, the inside of your thighs, feet, arms, nose, ear - just about anything. We yell "OUCH!" when she does it, and try to re-direct her to a toy, but that isn't working. Sometimes when we yell she will make a tiny little growl and hurl herself back at you. We started putting our finger in her mouth and pressing down on her bottom jaw when she does it, and that seems to be helping a bit more then the other ways.

The second issue we have is her tinkling in the house. We take her out constantly, but she will still come inside and squat. Half the time nothing even comes out, or just a drop will, even after she's done all of her business outside. Any tips on how to get her not to do this?

This is Noodles when she was 9 1/2 weeks old last week

 

[Percy&Toby]

Our puppy was biting a little, if it's a hand try making a fist (which is harder to get her mouth around and wont be as fun) if you can bare the biting then do, silently and she'll get bored. If she jumps up to nip you try turning your back, crossing your arms, walk slowly away and looking up, she'll give up before too long. When she does go down to her with a favorite toy and praise her. She probably thinks that you're 'OUCH!!' is great fun so try to be silent and she'll not gain anything from the behaviour. We've found so far that this method works, it just hurts!
Good luck!

 

[Wicket]

Try screaming bloody murder, take her by surprise and startle her. You have to do it suddenly and for a quick instant. Really send the message "OMG YOU'RE KILLING ME!" Sometimes a simple "ouch" isn't going to cut it. You could try rubbing your hands in bitter apple spray. Make yourself taste like YUCK, and praise her for backing off. Try giving her some ice cubes, or a sock filled with crushed ice. Her teeth might be bothering her, and human hands are the perfect combination of soft and squish with a firm bone underneath the skin, lol. You can try to teach her biting equals no attention by leashing her and tying her to a chair or door (something that can keep her from reaching you). Start playing with her, but the moment teeth touches skin, you take a step back from her so she cannot reach you. Turn your back and ignore for a little bit. After ignoring her, try playing with her once more, and again, the moment teeth touches skin, you step away and turn your back to her. The leash will help you get away from her so she cannot come after you to continue the game. When she doesn't bite, give lots of play, praise, and treats. This will also work if you have her in a ex-pen or baby gate, just step over the barrier and ignore.

Next time you go to the vet, get her checked for UTIs just in case. When you find out she's alright, then you can start trying to train her. When she has an accident inside the house, use a good cleaner (like Nature's Miracle) to make sure all the scent is taken out. Some dogs like to try to pee multiple times (even if it's just a drop), and the scent of old pee will entice her to do it again. Dogs noses are a lot more sensitive than ours, so they can still smell the pee even if you cannot. If you're not crate training her, start it up. You can try to put her in her crate after a romp outside so she can settle down for a few minutes, and then try letting her out. Maybe you can try to distract her by jumping immediately into play, so she doesn't have time to time to squat, lol.

 

[Percy&Toby]

Here's an idea, why not try teaching her the 'Off' command. Get a bit of food in your fingers and show it to her, she'll go for it instantly so let her have a tiny taste then curl your hand into a ball with the treat inside. She'll paw and nibble at your hand with her nose in almost constant contact. The second she moves her nose away say calmly 'Off' and give her the treat. If you get the timing right, she'll start to correlate the two actions. When she starts doing it regularly leave it longer before giving the treat. Then when she has something she shouldn't or is about to go for something she shouldn't you can calmly say 'Off' and she should think that she'll get something even better if she leaves it alone. In practice, for example chewing your hand say 'Off' and when she does move away, praise well and excitedly give a chew toy then tell her she's a good girl etc.

 

[doxiemommy]

She is ADORABLE!
For biting: don't just yell ouch, if she keeps at it, you have to leave the room, in a way that she can't follow you. The thing is, puppies LOVE human contact. IF you end human contact when she bites, it might help.

Have you read the sticky at the top of the forum pages, "The Bite Stops Here"? It has great info. Basically, you make the noise. She will probably go right back to biting, as it's what puppies do. So, make the noise again, but this time also leave the room, for 20-30 seconds. Any longer and she will get bored, find something else to do, and forget why you left.
The hardest part of this is doing the same exact thing every time she bites. But, that's what it takes to get through to them. And, remember, you're not just trying to get her to stop biting on that one occasion, you're trying to get her to learn something she'll remember for the rest of her life, so it takes time, repetition, and consistency.

For the peeing: the two most important things, in my book, are supervision and schedule. If she is not asleep, she should be in your direct sight, with your eyes on her. If you look away, or stop paying attention for a few seconds, wouldn't you know it, that's when she'll sneak a squat. So, I always say it's like a parent when their baby is starting to crawl or walk. The parent tends to follow along to make sure the baby is not getting into anything. Same with the puppy, if she's awake and on the move, make it your business to know exactly what she's doing. It's a hassle, yes, but it won't last forever.

Also, puppies do this thing sometimes, that we here affectionately (well, not really) call the "double pee". Physiologically, puppies don't have great bladder control, in fact, most puppies won't have complete physical control of their bladders til 6 months of age, give or take. That's what makes holding it difficult. BUT, that's also what makes it hard for some puppies to EMPTY their bladders all the way, too. So, the double pee is when a puppy will go outside, and then go again, a few minutes later, inside.
The way to get around this is to stay outside a few extra minutes even after they do their business outside. Good luck!