My boyfriend and I just bought a new puppy. He is almost 4 months old. I have never had a dog before and my boyfriend is out of town a lot. If we let him sleep inside he poops everywhere so we have him sleep outside. He is constantly barking and whining at the door. He also jumps up and runs into the door. I have tried to tell him to stop but he just keeps doing it. He also wont sleep in the house we have for him and it is raining and I'm afraid he is going to get sick. I am so frustrated with him and I really need help!

Puppy is just like that they are playful that's why when you left it alone outside it cries because it needs companion like mom...it also do things that irritate us like what you said poop inside the house...puppy is like that because they are puppy untrained...so you have to trained him...

[lil mutt]

i think you better search for potty training infos...

Getting a dog is a big commitment and getting a puppy is even more of one. I would start potty training it right away so it can stay inside. Good Luck!

[claycath]

Hi Katie,
Your puppy is a baby and he's scared & lonely. Dogs are pack animals & need to be with others, but specially babies do. When you shush him you give him attention & you are reinforcing the behavior. Negative attention to the little guy is better than nothing. At least then he gets to see you.
First, you need to house train him by getting him on a schedule. Get a crate that is just big enough for him to turn around in & lay down in. Adjustable crates are great cos you can adjust them as he grows. Keep him in that when you can't supervise him but take him out often to potty and play afterwards. Please give him the attention he needs so he will grow up to be a great companion to you & your boyfriend. Dogs in my opinion are one of God's greatest gifts to us.
Below is a good free ebook on housetraining your puppy & if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.
www.ddfl.org/behavior/pup-housetrain.pdf

it just astounds me that people will "buy" a puppy without knowing anything about them at all!

this is a baby & puppies are a TON of work.

the crate training is an excellent suggestion, he should not have free roam of your house, but do not keep him in the crate all the time. you can google crate training.

a schedule is vital - he should be getting 3 meals a day & walked about 15 minutes after. however he should not go anywhere until his shots are completed

what about all his shots? he should be just getting his last series if he was given proper vet care. did you get him at a pet shop? regardless you should have gotten paperwork with him. there should be a report from the vet showing shots & wormings.

The first thing you need to keep in mind when training is CONSISTENCY. Dogs don't speak English and thus you've got to communicate through your actions.
First things first, the pooping. I'd recommend a crate. Don't get a huge one, just one that is big enough for the dog to turn around in. You want to keep the dog in the crate whenever you cannot watch him. This means whenever you're not home, or when you are home and are unable to devote 100% of your attention to the dog.
Limit and supervise all of his meals. 15 minutes after he's had anything to eat or drink, you should bring him outside and wait until he poops. When he does GO CRAZY with love and affection. Again, you need to let him know that this is the best thing in the world and that you are ecstatic that he pooped outside.
Leave the dog in the crate overnight, and even though he whines you have to ignore him. Even going in to tell him to shut up or be quiet will reinforce the behaviour. Make sure he goes to the bathroom before going to bed and make sure he goes outside the minute it's early enough to.
Now, remember what I said about the crate? The crate has to be small enough so that if the dog goes to the bathroom in it, he can't get away from it. No animal likes to sleep in it's own filth and a dog is no different. This is how you train the dog to use the bathroom outside.

Hope this helps!

make sure the crate is big enough for the dog to assume all normal positions. lay down, stand up, turn around. they do make some larger ones with a divider that will grow with the puppy.

My dog is 13 years old and will be 14 in August. We got him when he was 4 months old. The lady who gave him to us had named him Leo, because of the month he was born. He was only partially house broken. He had a few accidents on the carpet, and the kids (age 6 & 7) often times got the honor of taking care of the problem. It was nice to have the little green machine around, because it was designed to be a carpet spot cleaner. It was a little bigger than a shoe box. We would just add the carpet shampoo to it with water and use it on every accident. But soon the accidents stopped occurring so often. My wife at the time was a big contributor to that evolution. Because of her, we accidentally learned trained our dog to do his thing outside. My wife was the biggest pain in the rear: Constantly telling us to take the dog outside. I mean every ten minutes we were taking him out. One of the kids would take him out, and of course they would praise the dog for being such a good boy. (And maybe because it was one less mess they had to clean up.) My wife didn't know she was training the dog to go outside by constantly nagging at us all, and neither did we. But pretty soon, he was going out every 15 minutes. Then it went into every 20 or 30 minutes. Pretty soon it was an hour, two hours, and half the day. He learned, and he had a high degree of intelligence, so he also learned quick. He is 3/4 Rot and 1/4 Golden Retriever: And what a beautiful dog. Long hair like a Retriever and black with the markings of a Rot. Yet only 60 pounds. He has been a house dog all of his life. And a great companion. I don't go anywhere without him. He stays inside the truck if he can't go inside wherever I go to. It's like home to him. You'll be happy with your dog, when you both get through this difficult time. Be patient with him, and he will return the favor throughout his life a hundred fold. And you'll be glad you treated him right. Your dog is worth it all!

Jerry

My dog is 13 years old and will be 14 in August. We got him when he was 4 months old. The lady who gave him to us had named him Leo, because of the month he was born. He was only partially house broken. He had a few accidents on the carpet, and the kids (age 6 & 7) often times got the honor of taking care of the problem. It was nice to have the little green machine around, because it was designed to be a carpet spot cleaner. It was a little bigger than a shoe box. We would just add the carpet shampoo to it with water and use it on every accident. But soon the accidents stopped occurring so often. My wife at the time was a big contributor to that evolution. Because of her, we accidentally learned trained our dog to do his thing outside. My wife was the biggest pain in the rear: Constantly telling us to take the dog outside. I mean every ten minutes we were taking him out. One of the kids would take him out, and of course they would praise the dog for being such a good boy. (And maybe because it was one less mess they had to clean up.) My wife didn't know she was training the dog to go outside by constantly nagging at us all, and neither did we. But pretty soon, he was going out every 15 minutes. Then it went into every 20 or 30 minutes. Pretty soon it was an hour, two hours, and half the day. He learned, and he had a high degree of intelligence, so he also learned quick. He is 3/4 Rot and 1/4 Golden Retriever: And what a beautiful dog. Long hair like a Retriever and black with the markings of a Rot. Yet only 60 pounds. He has been a house dog all of his life. And a great companion. I don't go anywhere without him. He stays inside the truck if he can't go inside wherever I go to. It's like home to him. You'll be happy with your dog, when you both get through this difficult time. Be patient with him, and he will return the favor throughout his life a hundred fold. And you'll be glad you treated him right. Your dog is worth it all!

Jerry