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12 days and housebroken!!!

783 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Beaumont67
Thank God for doggie doors. Twelve days and now she is totally going out on her own to do her business. No accidents in four days inside. I think the worst is over, housebreaking wise, can't believe how easy this was to accomplish. It was 12 days of non stop work but we did it. This breed is much smarter than I anticipated. Now I have to start protecting the furniture from chewing. Based on experience, do you think Bitter apple would be the best choice to spray on my furniture durring teething or is there something else better available? I have leather furniture that I am worried about as well as wood. I'm trying to be one step ahead of her so when she does start chewing, as all pups eventually do, she won't like the taste of it and stay away from destroying my furniture.
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Love shopping:

Are you a thrift store nut? I am. It is the thrill of the hunt; not the money that draws me. I really don't even like the "real stores." I am the best dressed for the most less. I love it.

Now to you dog...

Keep appropiate things to chew available. I've never tried bitter apple. But could it stain your furniture?

My labs liked my wood furniture posts not my Dobes. But the Dobes liked my leather sandles. It seems that they are attracted to things which may be a little worked and "dirty." Yet, I've never had a saddle chewed. I think the leather is too thick. I wouldn't put it past latigold leather however its softer.

What you have to do is keep an eye out and make things you don't want chewed unavailable. That means when you are not able to watch, you crate.

I suggest keeping an eye out. Dobes also seem to want to check on papers. I've lost some papers this way.
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I'm not even so much concerned with my furniture as I am with my stairs, they are walnut. lol. THe furniture can be replaced but the stairs? Oh no that would be impossible. I'm going to spray the bitter apple, and no it does not stain your furniture, I just didn't know if there was maybe something else better out there. Its been a very long time since we had a puppy in the house, my three rescue dogs never ever chewed and they were a bit older when we got them so its been a long time since I had to go through full on puppyhood. We are having so much fun with this pup every day, she is really giving us a run for our money. I lost three lbs in the first week without even trying! lol. Its been 12 days of being on top of her 24 seven, always making sure we had one if not two pairs of eyes on her at all times, but I'll tell you this, after 12 days to have a dog go out on their own and not have accidents and wake you in the morning "telling" you she has to be let out of her crate to go potty, thats an accomplishment. I've housebroken dogs quickly but never this quickly,this was fast.
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Well it seems that walnut is a hard wood and perhaps not as tasty as the maple furniture legs to my bed were.

I don't think stairs "sit" in the right area for chewing. But there are no guarantees.
The easiest thing for furniture is supervision :)

Also I'd make sure she isn't left alone in the yard too at that age. She could develop a few different kinds of issues. That being said, I also use a dog door. I don't leave puppies in the yard alone though.
Bitter apple...I'm getting some today! and just FYI Gemma is starting to chew on our stairs..be sitting in the yard reading a book (that's spanish for DT) while she's playing with one of her 1500 toys and suddenly hear something strange and shes got a chunk off the step. She's a stair stalker/sneak attacker. We are luckily replacing these stairs with deck, but I think the root cause for this is bugs...they were rotting at the ground and I think she's after the bugs that are in them. She's a very lethal expert hunter of all things creepy and gross.
The easiest thing for furniture is supervision :)

Also I'd make sure she isn't left alone in the yard too at that age. She could develop a few different kinds of issues. That being said, I also use a dog door. I don't leave puppies in the yard alone though.
No no she is never ever left alone outside. When she goes out the doggie door we still have our eyes on her, there is still too much she can get into, (ie grass, eating rocks, etc etc), its just a convenience with her actually doing her business outdoors as opposed to having accidents indoors.
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loveshoppinglv
- 12 days and potty trained...you obviously have a very smart puppy
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You don't need "bitter apple" to stop leather & fine wood chewing...just bandaide training.
My girl, tried to chew the computer cord on day2 (@ 8 weeks old)...one very sharp NO, corrected the problem.
- never to venture to the computer cord again.
Given lots of toys, loving play and constant supervision...we had zero furniture destruction.
- and she could be left unsupervised on her own, in the freedom of an entire house at 4.5 pup months old

Back in 1977, with my first dog, she ate the loveseat & corner of our coffee table / not trusted alone till 1 y/o.
- but this was the dog I learned my lessons from & the dog I learned to train
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