Top Ten Puppy Problems and How to Solve them using Positive Training Methods [Part one]
Welcoming a new puppy into the family is really exciting, and it’s completely normal for puppy parents to find themselves asking the question, “Why does my new Puppy…?” when meeting the demands of their highly energetic addition.
Today on the blog, we are breaking down the Top Ten most common Puppy Problems that new pet parents face and positive training methods to help calm puppy parenting.
Right here in part one, are the top 5.
Check out part two <link> for the rest.
The Top Ten Most Common New Puppy Problems:
- Toileting in the house
- Not sleeping at night
- Howling, Barking, Vocal (in a crate) (home alone)
- Biting
- Shredding furniture, objects, things
- Stealing objects
- Not listening out of the house
- Pulling on leash
- Not coming back when called
- Growling (when playing)
Puppy Problem: Toileting in the house
“Why does my puppy keep peeing or pooping in the house?”
New puppies only have small bladders and one of the things they need to learn is when and where is appropriate for them to toilet.
House soiling is a normal part of puppy development. Puppies have small bladders, limited control, and are still learning where it’s appropriate to go potty. Common reasons include:
- Lack of Bladder Control: Puppies under 6 months don’t have fully developed bladder muscles and may not be able to hold it for long periods.
- Inconsistent Schedule: Puppies thrive on routine. Without a consistent feeding, playtime, and potty schedule, they might not know when or where they’re expected to go.
- Miscommunication: Your puppy may not fully understand where they’re supposed to go yet. If their environment is unclear or there are mixed signals, accidents are likely.
- Stress or Excitement: Changes in the home environment, unfamiliar people, or even high-energy play can lead to accidents.
How to Prevent It
Preventing potty accidents starts with setting up a clear and consistent routine and environment:
- Establish a Regular Schedule: Feed, play, and take your puppy out to potty at the same times each day. Puppies often need to go right after waking up, eating, playing, or drinking.
- Use a Designated Potty Spot: Take your puppy to the same spot each time so they associate that area with going potty. This consistency builds the habit.
- Supervise or Confine: If you can’t supervise your puppy, keep them in a confined space like a crate or playpen, where they’re less likely to go potty. Most puppies are reluctant to soil their sleeping area.
- Watch for Signs: Learn to recognize when your puppy needs to go. Circling, sniffing the ground, or suddenly stopping play are common signals.We recommend you get started pro-actively potty training your puppy.
How to Train Your Puppy to Go in the Desired Place
Training your puppy to go potty where you want them to takes patience and positive reinforcement:
- Choose a place in the environment where your dog feels comfortable being in and can eventually access on their own safely
- Reward Immediately: As soon as your puppy goes potty in the right spot, praise them and offer a high-value treat. Timing is crucial – reward within seconds so they connect the behavior with the reward.
- Use a Cue Word: As your puppy starts to go potty, say a cue like “Go potty” or “Do your business.” Over time, they’ll associate the word with the action and learn to go on command.
- Limit Free Roam: Until your puppy is fully house-trained, limit their freedom in the house. This helps you prevent accidents and reinforces where it’s appropriate to go.
- Clean Accidents Thoroughly: If an accident happens, clean the area with an enzymatic cleaner to remove any lingering odors that might encourage repeat accidents.
With consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement, your puppy will learn where it’s appropriate to go potty, and accidents in the house will become a thing of the past.
Key points to remember are:
- Choose a spot your puppy feels safe in.
- Never rub your puppy’s nose in the wee or poop if they do have an accident.
- Give your puppy plenty of opportunities to go. This could initially be every couple of hours, particularly for young pups (yes, even overnight!)
- Praise and reward them for getting it right
- Avoid shouting at them if they get it wrong and accidentally toilet in the house.
However, if your new puppy is continuing to toilet in the house even when they have plenty opportunity to go outside or in their “potty area”, it may be worth considering:
- Try a better cleaning solution to clean previous accidents thoroughly. Here is one of our favorites: CLICK HERE
Even after a thorough cleaning, a dog’s excellent sense of smell may recognize where it has been in the past, and it may be more inclined to toilet again. - Monitor your puppy constantly, or when you can’t, ask someone to watch over them.
it’s much harder to have an accident if you’re always watching out! - If they start showing signs of sniffing around certain places, or looking for out of sight areas, they may be signaling that they need to go.
- Puppies will prefer to stay clean and not toilet in their sleeping area, using a crate or X-pen for sleeping can help avoid accidents happening (but remember to spend time crate training first to make sure they are happy in there.)
- Respond when your puppy asks. If your puppy is in a crate, it may start to squeak, bark, or paw at the door. Make sure you always respond to your puppy.
It’s important that we provide frequent opportunities to toilet in the right places so that your puppy doesn’t need to become vocal in their crate.
Check out the How to Potty Train Your Puppy Video
Puppy Problem: Not sleeping at night
“Why does my puppy wake up frequently throughout the night?”
Just like us humans, puppies and dogs have sleep cycles and it’s totally normal to wake up through the night.
It becomes a problem however if your puppy is waking up and being vocal through the night or being unsettled and moving around, disturbing your sleep too.
For this we want to consider our puppies sleeping arrangements as this can impact their (and your) quality of sleep.
Make sure that your puppy has a safe comfortable sleeping location, away from distractions, noises or high traffic areas in the home.
This could be a crate or X-pen in a room that is suitable for your puppy.
Secondly, let’s consider the age of the puppy and how long have they been with you? Can they withhold wee and poop overnight?
If your puppy is brand new to you, around 8 weeks old, they will need to have the opportunity to relieve themselves over night. Your puppy could be waking at night because they need to toilet and they are being vocal to let you know so they don’t go potty in their sleeping space.
Try set a timer through the night so you can let your puppy use their “potty area”.
Third, consider the location and temperament of your puppy. It’s common for puppies to want to be near you and its possible they are waking and vocal over night because they want to be close to you.
You are their safety net and guide as they learn to figure out this human world and it can be scary to be alone when you’re just a baby dog.
Perhaps the night waking could be that your puppy wants to be near you, so consider where you are setting them up for their night time sleep if they need to be near you, until they learn that it’s ok to be on their own.
We cover everything you need to know to set your puppy up for being happy when they are in their space and on their own over in How to Puppy-Proof Your Home
Puppy Problem: Howling, Barking, Vocal
“Why is my puppy barking, howling or squeaking?”
The first step to stopping your puppy from being vocal is to look at where and when it is happening. A puppy can be vocal for lots of different reasons and just like a human voice varies in tone, they will have different types of barking, howling or squeaking depending on what they need.
Questions to ask are:
Does the vocalizing occur when they are alone or separated from you?
How long does it last for?
Are they always in the same location or environment? (perhaps it’s only in a crate, or only happens at night?)
Once you have identified where and when the vocalizing is happening, we can then look at what it is the dog needs in that moment that is causing them to use their voice.
Some of the reasons why your puppy is barking?
- For attention, perhaps if they’re bored
- To get access to food or toys
- To signal that they are alone
- If they are frustrated
- A sign that they may be feeling anxious or worried
- To make more space by barking to make someone or something move away
It is common for puppies to struggle with being alone and away from you.
If you are noticing that the vocalization happens when your puppy is on their own, then this could be signs of separation distress.
Learn more about how to teach your puppy to be home alone, contact us and chat with a trainer: CLICK HERE
Puppy Problem: Biting
“Why does my puppy keep biting my arms, legs, and shoes?”
It is normal for puppies to bite. They use their mouths like we do hands and young puppies are figuring out how to use their jaws.
However, puppy biting can really hurt and if not taught to stop during puppyhood can lead to bigger problems in adolescence and adulthood.
Some of the common reasons why your puppy is biting:
- Teething
A teething puppy may be biting because they are looking to relieve pressure as their adult teeth cut through - Not enough sleep
An over tired puppy can become “wired” and more likely to be biting or ragging on clothing as a sign they need more sleep. - Bored, has excess energy to shift
An under stimulated puppy that is looking for mischief may be biting to expend some of that built up energy. - Learning
Puppies can be biting to learn what is appropriate ways to play and how they can use their mouths to pick up toys, objects, food etc. - Attention
A puppy that wants attention from you may quickly learn that their sharp teeth is a very quick way to get you to look at them. To them any attention is attention – even if it’s not met with a friendly response! - Fun
Puppies and dogs use their mouths when they play and they can simply be biting because it’s fun to do so! This puppy will need to learn some calm boundaries around what they can and cannot bite. - Breed Specific
Some breeds are genetically more likely to use their mouths than others and this can show up in puppyhood. Notice how labrador retrievers like to pick up and carry objects in their mouths. Or a collie would use their mouths to stop and control movement of sheep, this may be noticed in how they nip at ankles or rag on trouser legs.
If puppy biting is becoming a problem and causing damaged skin or torn clothing, set up a call, and let’s develop a plan.
Puppy Problem: Shredding furniture, objects, toys
“Why does my puppy shred everything? Why does my puppy keep biting and tearing apart our furniture?”
A puppy who is regularly shredding furniture, objects, toys, or whatever they can get ahold of is most likely bored. However there can be a number of reasons as to why your puppy is tearing apart furniture.
Similarly to puppy biting that we spoke about above, it could be that your pup is teething and looking for a way to get some relief for sore gums as the new teeth are cutting through.
As we previously mentioned, your puppy uses their jaws like we do hands and they are exploring their new surroundings. It is perfectly normal for them to grab whatever they can and test out the textures in their mouth.
Your puppy may also be shredding and tearing apart objects because this is also how they learn to dissect and pull apart food for eating. It’s a very natural process and it’s very important that puppies have an outlet for this behavior to prevent boredom or frustration building.
To help save your furniture, consider giving your puppy appropriate chews, toys and enrichment activities that they are allowed to shred so that they don’t go looking elsewhere. It’s important to make sure that they have a human watching over them so that they aren’t going to risk swallowing anything they shouldn’t.
Shredding apart appropriate toys or chews provides an excellent outlet and is considered a type of canine enrichment. Check out more about Canine Enrichment CLICK HERE
As mentioned earlier, keeping your dog in a crate or X-pen during any times when they are not supervised will make sure that they are not going to be shredding anything inappropriate.
And finally, if you do find your puppy helping themselves to chewing furniture, kindly guide them away and swap it by giving them an alternative treat, chew or toy.
In our free guide, “The Complete Guide and Checklist,” we cover everything you need to know to set your puppy up for success, keep it safe, and prevent it from shredding furniture, inappropriately biting, or consuming any toxic substances.
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