Help :( Puppy problems

[qbear]

Hampton is 3 months old and there are some things I really need advice on. First, he does not get along with my bf's mom's dog. She's a tiny maltese and a part of the problem is that she isn't socialized with other dogs and she starts shivering when she sees him. The other part of the problem (the part I'm most worried about) is that he barks at her and nips wanting to play even after she has yelped at him loudly a few times and is clearly afraid. I'm not asking how to make them get along, that's probably a lost cause, I'm just wondering how he's going to learn to stop when another dog says "no". Is there something I can do to enforce this?

Another problem is when we stay with family, he mistakes carpet as a place to go potty sometimes. It's mostly our fault, we forget to close doors, but yesterday we had him at a family get together and he poo-ed right on their rug in the middle of the party! How do we curb this? In general, he poops and pees outside when we take him. How do we teach him that it's ONLY okay to poop outside?

[hayleedog]

I think as far as him and other dogs go you will have to teach him the word 'NO' or else he may learn it from a bigger dog. I have been blessed with the most mellowest of chows so I feel fortunate that Hannah even when snapped at by a smaller dog will just walk away.

With the having accidents in the house it may be him trying to tell you something. Chows generally go to the bathroom in a designated spot (at least Hannah does) Hampton may be confused but you need to let him know it is unacceptable to go in the house. When I first got Hannah she decided to go in the house until I laid the law down. Then when we moved she did it again. I've come to understand it is the uncertainty of being uprooted that has her confused, it comes from being re-homed so until she gets that though we may change our living quarters she will never lose ME I will have to expect her occasional accidents.

Hampton is a beautiful boy, I hope you two figure things out. Good luck

[giseleassink]

The poo part is probably bc he is too excited. My dog trainer said that this is actually something they look before do a play time with other dogs, it shows your dog is comfortable enough to do that in front of the others.. My Dogs will do that and carpet is extra special what we do is get them to go do their business before hand and don’t feed them until the party is done or we are able to give enough attention to take them out again before he gets done inside of the house… Hampton is still a puppy 
On the nipping the other dog he is just playing… the poor other dog is just too small to say a NO in a confident way… even tho I saw a 4lb jack making my 15lb mix puppy stop bugging him… keep introducing him to all kinds of dogs

Good luck!

[Rory's Dad]

At 3 months, the interaction with the other dog is probably a combination of things. Yes, primarily it is puppy play. But any yelping that its too rough should not be ignored, by your Chow or by you. Then comes the attempts at domination. Your chow is testing boundaries.

And, yes i agree that carpeting may be confusing your Chow, particularly if there are any odors left behind by the Maltese. This is pretty common, particularly with small dogs the homeowner may not even be aware that an accident happened. I would suggest keeping your chow harnessed when visiting. It gives you better control.

When the puppy play starts heading south, take control. Tug the Chow away from the situation, and verbally correct. Same for 'accidents'. Keep a sharp eye out for signals (circling, squatting, etc) and dont be shy about interrupting. As a puppy, pick him up and bring him to an acceptable place.