The Puppy Social Rebellion of 2009 and the War of Pee and Poop

Potty training is NOT going well for Daisy. Unfortunately, this is to be expected. Extra unfortunately, my kids and husband are stressed out and acting out as well. Extra-extra unfortunately, I have a localized infection and just want to go have an undisturbed sleep in my car. Sigh. This, too, will pass.

Daisy has been with us just about 1 month now and she is 4 months old. Developmentally she is throwing all sorts of challenges at us but I would like to diverge and talk about what she is throwing at us supernaturally.

OK, don't get freaked out and click off! I'm not going to say my dog talks to me or starts barking 10 minutes before our friends arrive. Dog trainers talk about the Rule of Threes and they vary from trainer to trainer. My own Rule of Threes is as follows:

1. it will take a new dog or pup three days to accept and settle into a new environment

2. it will take a new dog or pup three weeks to learn and challenge/test the rules of a new environment

3. it will take a new dog or pup three months to accept his or her lot in the new environment (pack role, adherence to rules, etc)

Do the math. Daisy is at stage 2, or as we are calling it DEFCON 2. She no longer feels the need to go to the bathroom outside (thank you, makers of the Flexi-lead and associated persons!) and will literally pee at your feet after you stand outside in the rain for 20 minutes.

She is also trying to free herself from the Oppressive Leash. She has figured out that when the leash is off she can have more exciting and self-fulfilling adventures around the house. So she has taken to spinning. Spinning. Spinning. Bright little thing that she is, she tangles herself up in the lead next to me then looks up and squeaks. The first few times I fell sucker as I was working on the computer and untangled her. The loops were surprisingly loose. After bending over a number of times for Miss Puppy (pardon the pun, but it was intended), I realized that she knew, she knew I was detaching the lead to untangle her. She was "checking the fence for weaknesses" ala Jurassic Park.

She is continuing to hump, to hump, to hump her lovely puppy hump, but is being corrected for it so the occurrences are slowing down.

She is testing the rules in this house. Now the Rule of Threes is not technically science; that is why I refer to it as supernatural. Some trainers and behaviorists would argue that the timing is different but as the saying goes: the only thing two dog trainers will agree upon is that the other one is wrong. Nonetheless, there is a social rebellion that takes place with teenage pups in human households and our household is at the dawn of it. Daisy is not styling herself after Che or Lenin though. She may be more of a Stalin-type but we'll see. I'm not so sure she's looking for the Greater Good for the house and may be seeking better accommodations and privileges for herself and self alone! The trick is we humans have to squash the rebellion without alienating the rebels.

Developmentally, Daisy is at a crossroads. Between 4 and 5 months, within a purely canine pack structure pups are leaving puppyhood and entering adolescence. Correction, by other dogs, becomes much more severe. Silliness and frivolity of play is not tolerated as much. Remember: in the "wilds" whether they are in the backwoods of Southern US or the great forests of Russia, keen senses, observation and decisiveness are the main reasons for survival. Consider the seriousness of a wolf portrait versus your own silly lab mugging for a family picture. In this sense, perhaps we humans have allowed dogs to evolve a sense of humor through our domestication ("protection") of them.

Daisy, however, is still "our baby" being so cute and so small. Part of her testing involves nibbling at Angus's bare feet whenever she can. Angus loves on Daisy probably the most out of all of us. Whenever he can he will put his head on her gently and say, "Ohhhhhh, Daisy!" He also pets her everytime his passes her. Dominant dogs are not physically demonstrative with their love. It is the submissive dog that will do all the touching, nuzzling and rubbing. The Last of the Great Rottweilers, Buster and Buffy had a great show of this. Buster, being the submissive dog, would lick Buffy's ears routinely. Buffy would sit like the queen she was and let him so his service. I never once had to clean her ears until after Buster died. Thus, Daisy's seemingly playful nibbling is actually a power-play in response to Angus's human affection for her. She is challenging the pack order that Alan and I have established. Fortunately, she is not a rotten, mean-spirited dog that will continue to challenge her assigned role in an increasingly aggressive manner.

Her physical development is contributing to the unstable potty training as well. Pups are still developing nerve sensitivity through the first year. They are simply not equiped to feel the urgency to "go" at times. Also, their bodies grow oddly at times. For example, Daisy's tail seems just a bit too long for her body and even she is annoyed with its intrusiveness and has begun chasing it. Often, some organs grow faster than the cavity and they will press on the bladder or bowel tract causing the feeling of having to "go" or something will move and they instantly HAVE TO "GO." Either way, pups deserve a bit of understanding in this department. Calm guidence, whispered cursing as you stand in the rain and wind for the 47th time that night and proper correction for potty-ing failures are your only weapons in the War of Pee and Poop.

Alan recently suggested, in disgust with the number of accidents Daisy has had, that we paper train her. My mother had box trained her Westie so they could bring him on their boat and it really is a great idea. I had several clients that had "grass boxes" on their high-rise terraces and we effectively trained small and medium sized dogs to eliminate in these designated areas. I do not, however, want to give Daisy at this point of her development the idea that it is OK to go in the house at all. We have Pepper's litter box already and frankly I just don't have the space for another box for my darling Daisy. Besides, she CAN and will go outside.

Again, I must stress the house training is really a mark of the handler's diligence and determination. Accidents will happen but they are always, ALWAYS training opportunities, not a cause for yelling, screaming or chaos. I have corrected Daisy indoors a number of times and she will hold whatever is coming out of her when you tap the floor and say No. She is extremely responsive to correction and will return to her duty (again, pardon the pun) after a cooling down period outdoors.

No dog can be fully house trained at 4 months just as no child can be potty trained by 18 months old. The indication of successful house training is gaged by the dog indicating that he or she prefers to go outside just as potty training for children is gaged by independant use of the potty. I expect Daisy to be still on a schedule and a short leash (ok that's the last pun for today) for some time. The youngest dog I ever witnessed showing true, effective means of going to the curb independantly was an 8 month old labrador that had a doggie door and an older sheepdog who was showing him the ropes. He would go out without his sheepdog buddy when he had to "go." Don't get me wrong. Other dogs have shown behaviors that indicate some house training effectiveness but most times it is inconsistant. Daisy will cry sometimes to go out. But not always and a lot of the time we find Mystery Puddles that have long gone cold.

Still, she is a good dog and is becoming a bitch... I mean that in the most affectionate way! (I couldn't help one more pun) She will soon be heading into her first Heat Cycle as well as her second significant Fear Imprint period (the first was at 12 weeks). I will be discussing both here in time.

Until then, good luck and good training to you all!!!

(I am NOT proof reading this so please disregard all spelling and grammar errors and don't presume I am an illiterate twit if you find some. Thank you.)