New puppy troubles

My family just got a Brittany puppy this past Saturday and she is proving to be more of a handful than I remembered a puppy being (my last pup was a poodle that I got in the 4th grade and he passed away after my college graduation-and he was 5.5 pounds of canine terror, not social at all). So now I am the mommy and we decided to add a dog to the family. My husband and I talked about this since we found out we were having a little boy (sorry, don't mean to be gender bias) over a year ago. My son is turning one and we figured now was a good time-I researched breeds, talked to rescue groups and the local shelter, various breeders of breeds we liked and we went with a Brittany. Why? The tempermant, when well bred is supposed to be excellent for kids, the size was good for a house pet, sporting breeds tend to be easier to train and are more focused on thier person, and the breed has not been overbred so they have fewer health problems than some of the other breeds we considered. Plus they are a very pretty dog with little coat maintenance. So all the reasearch done, we contacted a breeder of dual purpose dogs (to get the best tempermant and health). We visited, picked our little girl, and a week later picked her up. She is 11 weeks old and has lived with the breeder, litter mates, and her mom and dad.

I knew, really I did, that this would be tough-but I am about to pull my hair out and this is only day 5!!! She is home now while I am at work-I work 5 days a week, my husband works a rotating shift so she will only be alone 2-3 days each week. The 2 cats are getting used to her so she has them for company. But she is off the wall with energy. She knows sit, come, leave it, and is doing ok with potty training (the pee pads today will throw a curve in that I am sure). She is sniffing everything (bird dog) so I never know "is she exploring or ready to pee" so I take her out all the time. I don't think I have relaxed since she got home. And my husband and step girls aren't that interested in her after only five days. So I am up with her before dawn for a long walk, and all the ones in between, untill her long (30 minutes before she falls out on the ground like she cant go any more). I am back to no sleep mode. She is learning to be gentle with the baby, and PJ calls out "katie" all the time and looks for her everywhere. He even stuck his paci in her mouth today so I had to get that back-but one leave it from me and it was on the floor.

I just need to know it gets better?!? How long till the major puppy phase passes. And is this puppy behavior or getting adjusted to us behavior. She is jumping on everyone and I can't get her to not do that. Plus she is very quick to get on the sofa-that might be for safety sake, PJ is pulling on her a bit despite my best efforst. I watch a lot of "Dog Whisperer" and now I am watching all her actions for signs that she may later become aggresive. Am I paraniod? I know my two cats (shelter finds) drove me crazy for two-three weeks. I even thought of taking them back-but once we got used to each other all was well. She has let me clean her ears and trim her nails. I take her food bowl up and rub her face while she eats to show her she doesn't need to be food aggresive (our poodle was-I still have a scar on my arm from getting near him while he was eating).

When I took Katie in to our vet Monday he was amazed at what a wonderful Britt pup she is. He said that he has seen some poorly bred Britts that are nervous snappy dogs, but Katie was very good and calm and was a fine example of a Britt (he is a fan of bird dogs and wondered why the breeder didn't keep her for show use). So am I expecting too much of her. She is chewing on everything-bitter apple has been applied to every surface in the kitchen before I left her with her toys, crate, pee pads, water, and door gates closed. I want to be a good puppy mom but at 5:30 am today, walking her around the 1/2 acre yard for lap two of 4 in the rain, I just thought this was a huge mistake and I should try to take her back to the breeder asap. And I am trying to find a local puppy class with no luck-and my husband, who was all for the puppy, said she is a "money pit" and nothing else should be done with her that isn't free. And we talked about this prior to getting her-we agreed that this would be a $1,000-1,500 venture up front by the time we got her, all the gates, crate and toys, and vet bills. I just don't know what to do with her. I am really thinking she could find a better family, where everyone is involved with her care.

from the sounds of this you are not ready for a puppy..honestly you would be better off with an adult.. puppies are like children, they need attention and love to stay happy, they also need somthing to do or they are going to have tons of energy stored up and start becoming destructive...Have you talked to her breeder? A good breeder should always be there for you and your pup to awnser any and all questions you might have. You have to remember she is only 11 weeks old, still very young, shes going to chew shes going to jump, because she does not know better...whenever she is chewing on somthing she isnt supposed to take it away from her and replace it with a toy that shes alowed to chew on, and praise her whenever shes chewing on one of her toys...whenever she is jumping up on you say "off" and GENTLY push her off of you...as you already know brittanys are working dogs, they need to be both mentally and physically stimulated..somthing that will keep her busy is a toy called a "roll a treat"..as she pushes the ball around a treat will randomly come out, heres a site that sells them..
http://www.pettoysplus.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=312
You NEED to put her in puppy classes, yes it can become expensive but it is a must..as she grows bigger and older you will be happy that you did...honestly if you dont think you can give her your all, it would be in her best intrest to give her back to her breeder..
good luck, and just remember to be patient, puppies are going to be puppies..keep us updated on her progress

I actually looked at a very nice rescue Britt who was 2 and in our local shelter, but my husband refused to think older dogs because of the fear they will attack the kids (I would have been fine to go that route-this was a fairly calm dog given the circumstances). He was the one dead set on a puppy. I really think the breeder went overboard on telling me that Britts can be very quiet and reserved dogs and that the father was very mellow and a couch potato unless he is hunting. I hate to say it but I think my husband and I need to sit down and discuss taking her back to the breeder. If he decides to help out more and we keep her (getting a little help with her would make a world of difference-or help with the baby while I walk her), I am getting one of those balls. Since she rarely eats all her kibble in the morning, I can put some of the left overs in the ball for her to work on. I am also thinking of asking my boss if, instead of a pay raise in Dec, could I bring her to work with me 1-2 days a week. I work in a govt based office so I don't know if they will go for that but worth a shot. Hey it would save the govt that 5% pay increase.

Also, since we didn't see this possibility coming up-how do you ask a breeder to take a dog back? Would it be terrible of us to ask for the money back (she was $700). I haven't sent in her microchip paperwork yet so they can give that to her new owner and we did the 2nd round of shots plus kennel cough for her. I feel so bad for getting her and not keeping her but if the fam isn't going to pitch in as they said they would I don't see much choice in the matter. My second rescue cat had worms that the shelter overtreated for and it took two weeks and a lot of vet visits to get him back to normal. I got through that. I feel like such a failure that I didn't do better by this dog.

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Originally Posted by luvdatbritt

I actually looked at a very nice rescue Britt who was 2 and in our local shelter, but my husband refused to think older dogs because of the fear they will attack the kids (I would have been fine to go that route-this was a fairly calm dog given the circumstances). He was the one dead set on a puppy. I really think the breeder went overboard on telling me that Britts can be very quiet and reserved dogs and that the father was very mellow and a couch potato unless he is hunting. I hate to say it but I think my husband and I need to sit down and discuss taking her back to the breeder. If he decides to help out more and we keep her (getting a little help with her would make a world of difference-or help with the baby while I walk her), I am getting one of those balls. Since she rarely eats all her kibble in the morning, I can put some of the left overs in the ball for her to work on. I am also thinking of asking my boss if, instead of a pay raise in Dec, could I bring her to work with me 1-2 days a week. I work in a govt based office so I don't know if they will go for that but worth a shot. Hey it would save the govt that 5% pay increase.

Also, since we didn't see this possibility coming up-how do you ask a breeder to take a dog back? Would it be terrible of us to ask for the money back (she was $700). I haven't sent in her microchip paperwork yet so they can give that to her new owner and we did the 2nd round of shots plus kennel cough for her. I feel so bad for getting her and not keeping her but if the fam isn't going to pitch in as they said they would I don't see much choice in the matter. My second rescue cat had worms that the shelter overtreated for and it took two weeks and a lot of vet visits to get him back to normal. I got through that. I feel like such a failure that I didn't do better by this dog.

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Your pup came with a written contract right? if so it most likely will say that if for ANY reson you cant keep the puppy, you must bring it back to them...i would read over the contract, see what i says about refunds and such..honeslty most breeders will not refund your money, i know on my great danes contract it says that i must bring him back if i cant keep him, and no refund will be given..i would read through her contract again, then call th breeder and talk to him/her

Nope no contract. I used a breeder that I found through the AKC breeder listing who had the hip certification done on the parents. The other breeder listed her price ($450) but no info on the parents.

I did talk to my husband and said this was probably a mistake and we should think of taking her back. After a long talk (by phone) he agreed that he isn't helping as much as he should-he felt the pup liked me more so he would leave her to me. He also has agreed that a puppy class would be good for her and has agreed to go to all the ones his work schedule allows (about half). He said he can see that if he doesn't work with her she will be a one woman dog. He is also now thinking that maybe we could try taking her to a puppy trial for bird hunting (the ones that do not require us to kill a bird-although he is a big hunter). Once we talked about it he agreed that not keeping her and working with her sends the wrong message to his girls (9 and 11) that if a pet is hard work, chuck it. We are going to make them help with her to-they will be feeding her when they come over. PJ, I am sure will feed her when ever possible-she cleaned up some nasty squash he didn't like yesterday. Won't feed himself, but will feed Katie.

I think my main thing was feeling really overwhelmed and needing to vent. Pets are such a big commitment-my oldest cat Thomas is 16 and my "baby" of the cat world, Riley, is 8. Both were special needs adoptions so we have been through a lot. Dropping the pup on them has been a little tough too-they aren't fond of her. I have taken it slow and let them get to know each other. Riley will go to Katie if she is crated, gated, or asleep. Tom-not so much. It is like introducing them to the baby when he arrived. I'm a bit of perfectionist and that is out the window now. But that is good too-since Katie arrived I don't feel like PJ must be kept in hospital like clean conditions. And he has more freedom because of all the double baby/puppy proofing. He is a bit jealous of her if she is on my lap-but she is great at licking his fingers through the baby play yard gate in the living room while I vaccume, fold clothes, or get his dinner ready. In the BK days, these tasks were impossible because PJ would scream until I picked him up and carried him with me. It is sometimes my nature to focus on the down side of things. When I think about it there are lots of "ups" to Katie. And for a puppy of 11 weeks to go from the place she always knew, to a house full of kids, toys that make noise, cats that don't like you, and new rules on behaving-I guess she is doing okay.

Do you have any tips to get her to quit using one spot in the house to potty? All of the poop accidents are in one spot. There was some privacy in that location (blocked by a quilt that I would lay over the baby gate) so I took out the quilt and if she is back there too long I just call her to me-she comes right away. I have used the spot bot with pet odor eliminator on the area with in minutes of the accidents. She was pee pad trained when we got her but I have been taking her out to potty and she does well with that.

My best advice would be to work out a very thorough schedule, and stick to it! It sounds like your Brit puppy is like just about any other puppy. There is always pull-out-your-hair moments, just like with babies of any species! You need to tell your husband that you BOTH made a commitment to this puppy when you bought her, and he cannot cop out of it this quickly, especially since he insisted on a puppy! Here's my puppy schedule... my little guy Fozzie (a Corgi mix from rescue, we've had him since 8 weeks) is now fully house-trained, never nips hands, has most of his basic commands down, and has not destroyed anything in weeks. Is she destructive or has potty problems? If so, it's a good idea to tether her to you with a long leash for atleast a week, so that you can monitor what she's doing at all times and correct her if needed. Make sure you use lots of small treats through out the day to reward her for being good, too!

* 7 AM go on a walk around the block. Play in the backyard if he's excited, with his tug toys or with a squeaky toy, until he's tired.

* Hang out and sleep while we get ready, keeping him with us even in the bathroom if we're taking a shower.

* 8 AM-ish, gets his big meal (usually Raw). Gets taken outside for a while immediately after eating & drinking.

* If we're leaving, he goes in his x-pen. He gets a molecule ball full of kibble, a large puppy Kong stuffed with treats/fruit/meat and frozen, one large rawhide role, newspaper/potty pads (he holds it now so he does not use these, anyway), and a couple other chewy toys.

* 11 AM- 12 PM, if no one has been home yet, some one comes back to take him outside and play with him for 30 minutes to 1 hour and allow him a potty break. Back in the x-pen if we're leaving, with his molecule ball re-filled and given a new treat to entertain himself, like a bully stick or some peanut butter inside of his Kong.

* 3-4 PM, Come home and take him out to play again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

* 5 PM, he gets his dinner. Goes outside immediately afterwards.

* 6 PM, goes outside to play & potty for 1 hour. Run around with him, play fetch, work on commands & recall.

* 7 PM Go outside again for a potty break.

* 8 PM Go outside again for a potty break.

* 9-10 PM, go outside to go potty and come immediately back inside and go to his crate, with a big cookie or a chewy to reward him for going to his crate.


What is very important, with your busy work schedules, is to be sure that your pup gets plenty of exercise, both mentally and physically. Teach her to play fetch to tire her out pretty quickly. Even if you aren't in puppy Obedience (which I highly recommend, do you have a local Petsmart or feed store to contact?) you still need to work on training your puppy at home to obey commands such as sit, down, stay, come, leave it, go potty, etc. The biggest benefit of puppy classes is the socialization, so you need to go out of your way to seek out people/children/dogs/puppies/cats who are friendly and willing to play with your pup. You should introduce her to other dogs & puppies as often as possible, because playing with them will give her much-needed manners.

Thanks for the schedule tip. I finally had to do that with my son, I didn't even think of it for her. I am talking to a trainer now who is calling 2 other puppy parents to see if we can form a puppy class-I should know by tonight if she can get the class together. Cross your fingers for me. She can do private lessons but I want Katie to see other dogs and more people.

She needs at least 3 people in the class (plus her dog to show them what to do, exposure to older dogs). We live an hour away from any large city (ie Petco and soon PetSmart). The trainer has her own agility course and uses agility in the puppy class. If she can't get the other owners in, then it will be the fall until she does a class. And my husband has agreed to attend the classes too. And I have found some great paved paths along a river in our town that will work for a stroller and get her lots of chances to meet people, kids, dogs, and a few ducks.

bird dog trials is an EXCELLENT idea..here is a link
http://www.gamebirdhunts.com/bird-dog-trials.asp

Thanks:)!!! I think a puppy trial would be good, just to see how she responds and let her see other dogs.

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Originally Posted by luvdatbritt

Thanks:)!!! I think a puppy trial would be good, just to see how she responds and let her see other dogs.

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oh im sure she will love it! shes a working dog, meaning she wants to work! lol im sure shed be great at it :)

I'm glad you're putting in the effort for her. :) This is the point where many puppy owners give up, and you definitely owe it to her to keep trying! Brittany's can be amazing dogs! We have 2 on our Flyball team, owned by the same lady, and they are so in love with their owner and super-focused on her. A whole pack of dogs could run right by them and they'd still be looking up at their Mom! Just lots of time, care, & training, and in a few months you'll probably not be able to imagine life without her.

We are doing better. My husbands interest in helping more dropped again after 2 days. I kind of figured this would be the case. So Katie and I have enrolled in a puppy clase that starts this weekend. And the trainer has said I can bring my son on days when my husband works. She felt that it would be good for all the pups to see a stroller and it's little occupant. So Katie and I are getting a routine and getting settled.

On a sad note-my parent's lab has Lyme Disease (diagnosed the weekend I got Katie). Now my dad is trying to convince me that Katie should come live with him and my mom to keep Slick the Lab company as he is trying to get better and let her get through the puppy stage. They have 2.5 acres and a pond. My dad is heartbroken-Slick is 9 and is his best bud (he built a dog house that was large enough for him to get in with Slick when they got him because Slick was scarred to be outside in the country). He is totally taking the blame for the illness-he didn't put the drops on at 30 days, he let it go for a few more days and then Slick got sick. Today he called to say that despite the treatment the vet has had him on, Slick didn't want to get off the porch. They are taking him to the vet now (new vet) to ask if the treatment will really help or is Slick going to suffer and would it be best to put him to sleep. His kidney function has really dropped and the last lab test showed his lvier function is very bad too-he had issues with these prior to the Lyme. I have given some thought to letting him take Katie-I know he will be soo sad to see Slick pass away and having Katie to play with might help. He came to visit this week and is planning to come back Sat to keep my son so I can take Katie to puppy class.

hi again :)

glad to hear that you got her enrolled in a puppy class, that is wonderufl! Just remember to be patient, puppies are a lot of work..i am so very sorry to hear about your fathers dog, ill keep him in my thoughts for you...it is really up to you, do you think katie would be better off living with your father? I can imagine that is a very tough decisan, just always keep in mind whats best for your little girl. Good luck, and keep us updated!
(by the way i saw katies pics on dogster, shes ADORABLE! :D )

:) Thanks for the kind thoughts. I don't think I can part with Katie now-getting very attached. Plus she wakes PJ up in the morning and he now says Katie more than anything else. I just feel so bad for my dad. But now that he has met Katie, perhaps I can convince him to rescue a Britt. My parents have a perfect home for a Britt and they already have a special needs dog in the house (my mothers-Slick has always been my dad's dog). Maybe-depending on what the vet says-I will talk to my dad about adopting a Britt from rescue. I'm just hoping the vet trip for Slick doesn't have terrible news. But I can say that Slick has had a great life with them and has been a wonderful companion.

And when I called to check on the family from work (my husband's schedule gives him two days on, two days off) I found that he and my two step girls had walked Katie to use their words "way far off and then put her on her dog trolley and she could fetch". The girls were amazed-I have been working on fetch for a few days and the trolley lets her run full tilt. My husband even took Katie with him to run errands. She really wiggles into your heart. If only the charms worked on the cats-it would be peace in the land. Hopefully it will be good news from the vet and Katie's puppy class will be great fun.

Congrats on the good news! ;) I'm glad that Katie is now part of the family, that's wonderful. She is so adorable! Good luck with everything, definitely keep us posted (you can post updates, pics, and an intro for her in Dog General) and come back if you need any advice.