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Introducing Hefeweizen! New member with puppy questions :)

1K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  Our3dogs 
#1 ·
Hi All!

I have been lurking on this forum since I decided to get a golden puppy about a year ago, and now that my baby is 10 weeks old and I have plenty of questions I thought it might be time for my first post! I have attached some pictures to make the introduction. :)

My boyfriend and I have never had a dog before, so we have done a lot of research but might be missing some common sense things. Potty training and crate training are going well. She has had some accidents in the crate because I am a very deep sleeper and have been late to wake up to some of her middle of the night crying (my poor baby), so I am thinking about setting a more structured pre-sleep potty schedule for her or setting an alarm for myself to take her out before it happens. I work from home and accidents in the apartment have been minimal in our 2 weeks. She's wonderful at sitting, walking on the leash, playing, fetching, and is learning her name! She really is the perfect puppy.

A main question I have is about her being overly submissive to other dogs we have met. On our second day home, our neighbor's terrier bit her and gave her a fright - he jumped up and grabbed her leg while I was holding her to take her out to potty. That dog has always lunged and barked at me, and we have stayed away since. The breeder told me that I shouldn't hold her/coddle her around other dogs, so from then on I ask if the dog is friendly/vaccinated and then put her down for meetings if the people are into it, and all of her other interactions have gone well but usually begin with her rolling on her back. However, in our first puppy class, when we let her out to play with the puppies she ran around the room scared with her tail between her legs! It wasn't what I was expecting at all from my playful, confident pup (but then again, she ran up to EVERY person in the room to say hi). Do some puppies need time to warm up to other dogs, or is she scarred forever from the terrier bite? :(

Another thing she has been doing in the past couple of days is growling at my feet. We usually play "chase mom" outside or down the hallway (the breeder recommended this to eventually condition a good recall, rather than chasing puppy around) and she LOVES it but always seems so focused on catching my feet. When the game ends, or if she wants to play while we are inside, she pounces and growls at my feet! She has gotten some good bites in on our toes. Is this normal? The growls upset me because they sounded mean and she has hardly made a peep in the past 2 weeks, but I think she just wanted me to run around and play with her. How can I teach her that sometimes we play and sometimes we relax? I have heard of people teaching a "settle" command but don't really understand where to start. Right now I've been putting her in her crate, because when she gets really bitey sometimes she is over-tired (I call her a crabby toddler).

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help calm a first-time puppy mom's concerns!! Enjoy the photos. :)
 

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#2 ·
Oh my goodness -- she is beautiful! Seamus is now 17 months and we have been working on the "settle" command. He is getting it - slowly. When he is crazy we say "settle" and (sometimes) he will lay nicely.

When he was your baby's age, he would also get "crabby". I found that was the best time to put him in his crate for a nap. He definitely needed it.

I don't know about your other questions -- hopefully someone else will. But welcome!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Oh my gosh!!! Thanks for sharing photos, I could cry she is so cute :)

Good for you and good for your puppy that you've read and researched and are reaching out here to learn from people who've been down the road before. You are setting your puppy and yourself up for success with all your effort :)

Your puppy should be getting to the point of not needing to go out during the night. Feed her supper about 5 hours before bedtime and take up her water 3 hours before bedtime (unless your house is super hot or she has a big exercise in the heat before bedtime, then she would need some water). She should be able to go 7 hours overnight. Otherwise, set an alarm and get up in the morning very early. Keep trying, she will get this. Also, did you make the crate, sleep space very small? She should only have room to lie down.

Don't worry a bit about her growling during play time. If you are playing, it's ok. THink of little kids playing 'pretend' she is learning to be a dog and she needs to play, it's all good. Substitute a stuffed toy for your skin or clothes so that she can 'kill' something without hurting you. It's ok to be discouraging her from biting you now, she needs to begin the process of learning not to put her teeth on people. Just understand it's a process. She's a baby and won't learn anything in just a few lessons, you need CONSISTENT repetition over weeks and months to teach dogs effectively. Even the smart ones :)

If you're not signed up for puppy obedience class, it's not too early. Good places fill up fast and you will want to invest in this time and effort for training. It's good for her and for you.

As for the neighbor's dog, keep her away from any and all dogs you don't know extremely well. You want all her experiences to be good. Puppy playdates with other puppies can be very good ways to get her exercise but you don't want her to be bullied or frightened. Keep getting her out in the world, let her meet children and people and never leave the house without tasty treats to keep things fun for her :)

Good instincts on the crate time when she gets over tired or over stimulated. Just like toddlers, she may not know she needs a break or down time. Pat on the back for you, good instincts :)

Take lots of photos, you won't believe how fast she's going to change :)
 
#4 ·
Thank you so much for your replies!! She is growing so fast and you can already see in some of the pictures how big she's getting (ranging from 8-10 weeks).

We are in a puppy obedience class that uses positive methods and seems really structured around Susan Garrett's (sp?) Crate Games and "ItsYerChoice" type of games to teach self-control. This is where she ran around scared during puppy playtime. I wouldn't have chosen some of those pups for her to play with in our everyday life, but of course it's part of the class for them all to run around and I feel a little like I don't have control of her experiences there, which isn't great but maybe I'm overprotective.

She will sleep through the night from 10pm-5am, but our typical schedule is that she falls asleep around 7:30-8pm (after I take away her water) and cries to be let out around 10-11pm. I feed her dinner at 5pm. Last night I must have been so deeply asleep that I miss the "alarm" and around 2 am she pottied in one corner and squished herself sitting up against the other corner. :( The crate is just big enough for her to lay down and I took out the bedding because she pottied on that too. I know that she doesn't want to do it in there so I feel terrible for missing her cues, and I will make a point to wake her and potty her at 10-11pm pm whether or not she is crying.

It's so good to hear that the growling during playtime is okay. Those noises really worried and upset me because I've never had a pup and a growling dog is a big warning sign to me! Is it a sign that playtime is getting too intense and we should calm down, or do I just keep going and ignore it? We do the high pitched "ouch!" and ignore her if she bites, but we know it will take a lot of time and consistency to get through the landshark phase. We are planning to dress her up like a shark for Halloween. :)
 
#5 ·
Welcome! Your girl is so adorable! Is her name Hefeweizen? Do you shorten it?

Some dogs are more submissive than others. Your dog could have been like this before she got bit to be honest. Its not uncommon for puppies to be intimidated by dogs who are bigger than them, or overwhelmed at puppy class when there are lots of puppies, different play styles, noises, and action. The trainers at puppy class should separate the puppies based on play style and group them together based on who is more aggressive/confident and who is more cautious to prevent the pups from getting overwhelmed. I have a 5.5 month old, Piper, and she's very submissive, and was like this too. She's come out of her shell nicely with a lot of socialization. She loves to play, but still rolls on her back often when she's first meeting a dog to show that she's not a threat. She's still in her first fear-impact period, so you want to protect her as much as you can, which means don't introduce her to dogs who don't like puppies, and if she's freaked out by a dog who is being to aggressive, it is perfectly ok to step in and remove her from the situation.

She just needs some time to warm up to other dogs. She needs lots and lots of good and safe interactions with dogs. She might not be the ultra alpha dog at the dog park, but thats OK.

The growling and biting at your toes is normal. She's just being a playful puppy and is in full landshark mode (those puppy teeth hurt!) She's just trying to get you to play when she wants to, when you don't necessarily want to. Try to redirect her to a toy she can chew on instead. If she's overstimulated, you can put her in her crate for a break.
 
#6 ·
We call her Hefe ("Heffy"). :)

Thank you for the response! It's true that she might just be a submissive girl and I never got to see her play with dogs before the bite, but I will watch closely during the puppy playtime and let the instructor know if I'm feeling concerned about the match-ups and her early experiences. I'm not a fan of the instructor, which is really too bad because it is a really highly-rated agility and obedience training center in the area. I get the vibes that this might be the first class she's taught because a lot of people, including the owner, were watching the class and cutting in with comments. In that case, she might not have the experience to choose which puppies should place together.

How many toys did you buy for your pup? Ian Dunbar's book recommended 15 of varying types, so that's what I bought. We have kongs for the crate, fetch toys, stuffies, ropes, puppy nylabones, etc. Since then I have purchased an additional stuffy and a tug toy. She loves her toys but cycles through them in about 30 minutes and gets bored, which is when she goes for the toes, hands, or my wooden desk legs! Do I hide a couple a day and rotate? Do I keep buying more? I'm happy to spoil her with more toys but my wallet might not be so happy! :)

One more thing - I think this is normal but she likes to eat grass and leaves. Is this common for pups and should I discourage it? I pick her up to stop her after a few munches, she's never thrown up or had an upset tummy, but her poops look like a garden.
 
#7 ·
Your baby sounds very much like my Penny. Penny is creeping up on the 7 month old mark here in a week or so.
When she was little she was totally scared of all other dogs. Wanted NOTHING to do with them. Right around the 3 month mark or so she started becoming interested in saying hello to others, and would always roll over on her back first thing. Also went through a submissive peeing phase there for a little bit. I'd say around 5 or so months she started getting a little more confident. She loves other dogs and does great stopping to say hello now, but in a leash free situation she still really doesn't care for in your face dogs and prefers to kind of watch a little bit and take it slow, we tried the dog park a week or so ago and it was a total failure. We'll be sticking to small meetings of one or two others for the time being.

As for the growling, Penny is a play growler. Has been since we've brought her home. The more fun she's having the more vocal and more vicious it sounds. We call it her vicious purr, cause for her it just means that she is really happy and having a great time. She has growled a few times either in warning or cause she was scared and it's a very different sounding growl than when she's playing.

For more toys you might check out your local thrift store. Usually a good selection of stuffed, dog friendly toys in the kids section. Penny's favorite is a huggable hippo that we picked up on the road at a thrift store when she was 13 weeks, it talks to her. We had gotten the kids a stuffed animal each in Yellowstone and she was pissed that she had gotten left out. Stopped by a local small town thrift store and got her a couple of her own and she just adores them. (though it hasn't stopped her from attempting to steal the kid's toys when ever the opportunity strikes)
 
#9 ·
Your little girl is so cute! Definitely agree with everything posted above. Remember, when you are in class, you can make the final decision of what you want your puppy experience, do or not do. If you think your little gal is overwhelmed with some of the puppies, then step in and move her to a quieter puppy/area. Or if you think she is being bullied by another puppy, again, just move her from the situation. It's not like you need to scoop her up, just break the attention of the other puppy. I was in a puppy class once where the instructor had an x-pen set up for the more timid pups. As their confidence grew, he then moved them in with the rest of the group. This definitely helped. But I realize not all training groups will do this. He also said to us owners, if your puppy is the bully, and you don't want the other owner stepping in, then keep an eye on your pup. Same with if your puppy is being bullied. Just move them to another area. After a few sessions you'll know which pups are the best one for your little girl to play with. It's great to hear you are working with her and care to ask the right questions.
 
#10 ·
Thank you for all the advice so far, it's so helpful to get some answers about things I've been wondering and have no other puppy parents to talk to. :smile2:

The thrift shop is a great suggestion!! I could come home with armfuls of toys to spoil my pup! Good thing I got a nice big toy basket to hide all the purchases from the boyfriend. :wink2:

I wish that the class had an xpen instead of a huge room for the puppies to play. I was not happy seeing her get chased around the room, but the instructor kept telling us to let it happen and to let them be. I wonder if she felt bad after seeing that she gave a 9 week old baby a terrifying dog experience? At the end of the class, she kept falling asleep during the activities and the instructor would make noise and hit the crate to wake her up and perform the sit at the crate door. Eventually, I told her that I was going to let her sleep and I would work on the sit at the crate door at home (in fact, she has been doing it since day 1), because it was 8:45 PM and it was ridiculous to keep waking up my pup like that! If the class were refundable, I would pull out and find a new one, but I think for now I'm just going to have to push back when I don't want to work with my puppy the way they are asking me to.
 
#11 ·
You can check out the thrift store for toys....or if you have old fleece pajamas or flannel pajamas you can turn them into dog toys. There are lots of tutorials online.

Honestly, puppies have ADD. If you actually have anything close to 15 toys (honestly, I would say start with more than 5) right now you are more than locked and loaded! They like toys, but humans (and for some reason, all furniture and cords) are much more fun to nibble on. So right now a lot of your play is just about keeping your puppy occupied and playing when out of the crate. I used to try to keep 3-6 toys out at a time and sort of try to rotate them, but if left to her own devices Piper would pull out every single toy from her basket, play with each for 20 seconds, and then spend five hours chewing on a sock (actually, in all fairness to her, she's never had access to a sock for very long ;) )

Piper likes bully sticks, they did keep her occupied for a long time, and are edible, take a long time to eat, and are safer on fragile puppy teeth than bones are. A snuffle mat is also a good way to keep a dog occupied (if they aren't the type who eats fleece) So you could always try that if you need some downtime!

She may be a more submissive type, and it might be that bite had some impact on her. Its perfectly alright to let her take in situations as she's comfortable. The good news is that she ran around the room, and wasn't scrunched up in a corner hiding the whole time. Piper is 5 months old now and she loves to play with other dogs, but she's more of a people dog than a dog dog.

If you have time in your schedule and want her to get extra socialization with dogs who might be more timid too, you could always look into getting into another puppy class that does separate based on play-styles and personality type (even just one thats more of a puppy kindergarten, less obedience focused) just for socialization purposes. I actually took Piper to puppy classes strictly because she was a less confident pup for the socialization aspect. It helped immensely.
 
#12 ·
Thank you! I will look up making the fleece toys, but she would 100% eat the snuffle mat! :) We also have an a short length of climbing rope (from a knot tying class) that I think I'm going to tie some knots in and give to her this afternoon.

Just an update on her meeting dogs: Our neighbors just brought home a 7-week old giant Schnauzer pup (male, almost Hefe's size) and we let them play together off leash in our apartment lobby. They were both a little timid at first (this was the first dog other than his litter that he had met) but soon they were romping and wrestling and play-biting just like I thought puppies would! We see them multiple times a day out going potty and they seem to really be friends (his final weight is expected to be >100 lbs!!! I've never seen bigger pup paws in my life!).

We have puppy class again tonight, so I hope playing with our neighbor's pup gave her some confidence going into the playtime tonight. If not, I will make a point to keep scheduling play dates with the Schnauzer and possibly sign up for another socialization class with a better run playtime. The rest of the training is going well! Thank you all again!
 
#13 ·
....please forgive me but how did you came up with the name Hefeweizen?

That's a beer, extremly delicious. Friends of mine drank "helles Hefeweizen" (Schöfferhofer). Some swear it would be even better with some banana juice. No kidding!!

Besides...soooooo cute!!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hi Kaja! She is named after the beer, you are correct :) We are in Wisconsin, a very beer-loving and German state! I wanted the name Porter for a male, but that beer is so dark that it didn't seem to fit a golden and we went with a female pup! We first joked about the name Heffy, short for Hefeweizen, and it stuck. People either seem to love it or not understand at all, but that's okay with us! If I get a male pup down the line I like the names Porter, Summit (brewery in MN), and Nitro (like Nitro Stout).
 
#15 ·
Hahaha...so you're a beer lover!
May I suggest another beer-mix-drink to you then? I used to work in a pub in Berlin when I was young and so it happened that I had my first "Diesel". It's a simple beer (Pilsner) mixed with coca cola. I like it 2/3 beer and 1/3 coke. Used to drink it during summer 'cause it's so fresh!

Ordered it at Boston Pizza this year for the very first time and it was great - he did a good job!

Okay back to your puppy! Did I mention that she's sooooo cute? She is!!
 
#16 ·
Ahh, so cute!! Can you imagine the personality of a pup named Diesel?! That's what my dad calls my super strong coffee! ;)

We also met a big golden on our walk named Moose. I couldn't get over the cuteness of that name, he really lived up to it!! There must be other puppy naming threads on here, no?

I'll try to post some more pictures tonight... I've finally been using my DSLR instead of my iphone and capturing some precious moments before she gets big!
 
#17 ·
Sigh. We had another crate accident last night after puppy class. We leave around 6:30 pm and she gets late dinner there. I forgot to pick up her water and when we walked in the door afterwards she made a beeline and chugged the whole bowl! I can't expect her to not be thirsty after her dinner and all that work at class. I took her out at 10 pm and around midnight I woke up to crying and a pee accident. I've made the crate very small with the divider - just big enough for her to lay in, so she pees on one side and sits upright in the other. Does anyone have advice for this problem? I want to blame the late night water but I still wish she could hold it until I woke up and took her out. It makes me feel like she thinks I'm never coming. :(

On the bright side, she didn't romp with any of the pups but she didn't run away scared. She did some licks and play bows and tall wags and was her cute self running around the room greeting all the people. The teacher immediately noticed how confident she was compared to last week!
 
#18 ·
Update: After a lot of accidents in the crate and around the house, the motherly intuition kicked in and I took her to the vet. She has a UTI and we are treating with antibiotics now. We are not using the crate at the moment because it is easier to clean up her little pees instead of having her sit in them and ruin her "den". I think that after the infection is cleared we will be back on track with the house training like we were before.

Thank you all again!
 
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