After you get past the first weeks of worrying about breaking her you will be fine. Plus she isn't gonna be tiny tiny fragile; she will get some weight to her. Just mind her under rocking chairs.
I think one of the troubles with housebreaking short, small dogs tends to be noticing the squatting. You sound like you are doing great.

 Quote: Mariellena Simon

She wasn’t thrilled to get in the ex-pen but she did pee and poop... At 5:15 pm I carried her football style upstairs and placed her in the ex-pen while I prepared some grooming supplies on the grooming table. SHE PEED in the ex-pen.

Glad the football carry is working for you!

Here's what I'm thinking about the ex-pen tho...you're putting her in it outside with the expectation that she'll do her business, then you put her in them in the house; perhaps she thinks an ex-pen is the place to go? You are creating an association that the ex-pen is the place to do your business, at least, while you are outside.

Perhaps, since you need to be able to sit while she takes the time she needs to do her business, you could put a longer line on her (12-20 feet, something like that), that would give you enough room to be able to sit in your chair while she sniffs around and takes care of buisness.

She's such a cutie!

leih

 Quote: melissa thom

... The most important thing imo in house breaking small dogs is making them walk at least part of the way to where they need to go to potty. The ritual is important and while walking along on a leash is a new thing for wee puppy it's an important often missed step. As far as wee and poopy in the same trip... try taking a quick short walk to help get things moving. Don't forget praise and reward for each correct act. ...

This walking thing is really important. As Melissa says, walking around helps to trigger peristalsis, and she can't help it if that's triggered after she's brought back inside. I'm keep a journal of poop times and then make sure I stay outside with her (on leash) walking around to allow for her poop schedule. As Barbara said, not letting accidents happen is by far the best way to avoid a bad habit, and the only good way not to let accidents happen is to have the dog outside when the urge comes. This will get easier when you become more attuned to her schedule.

I inherited a Bichon once. She was 16! Anyway, for the first week or so, I took her out every hour.

I noticed an automatic pick-up-and-carry thing with a tiny dog that I never had before. But I broke myself of that habit. The tiny dog needs to be moving under her own steam just like a big dog.

For the stairs, I used that football carry that Rob mentioned, with my fingers spread to support the whole undercarriage from "collarbone" to belly. But it works only with a dog who relaxes when you do it. If the dog is squirming and wiggling and trying to get loose, two hands are needed.


P.S. An interesting thing about a Bichon is that that face stays just as cute right into senior-hood.

 Quote: leih merigian

.... you could put a longer line on her (12-20 feet, something like that), that would give you enough room to be able to sit in your chair while she sniffs around and takes care of buisness.

leih

You will never regret getting one of these: http://leerburg.com/729.htm

I'll bet I have 4 or 5 of these around the house, included old worn ones that I cut down to be little drag lines indoors, with no loop.

Believe it or not, I have even laundered it when it got pooped on. I put a couple of bath towels in with it, and I attach one end to the other (fastening the handle-loop to the collar-attach thing), and I set the washer on "delicates." I do spin it, staying right there and checking on it (not to allow it to wind around the agitator), but you could also just lift it from the rinse water and drape it to dry.

I do have the cotton line, but my yard isn’t exactly “landscaped” with a puppy in mind. My husband designed it long before I decided to get a pup. There is bark mulch in plant beds and around trees. She loves to sneak a piece to chew. This was the main reason for using the ex-pen.

Tomorrow I’ll experiment with removing the ex-pen in the yard, setting my chair in the middle of her “area” and tethering the leash to one of the chair legs or hold it like a tether ball pole. Now there's an idea. Hmmm. I think I saw one at Costco.

Since drinking and eating stimulate elimination (do I have that right?), I should plan that before going out every time. Not necessarily eating every time, but at least encourage her to drink. Of course, there are the obligatory treats/rewards. She wants to drink after playing outside (it’s hot). But that could become a never ending cycle. But maybe that’s what is happening. She eliminates/plays outside, we come inside, she drinks, we play/rest inside. She pees because she can’t hold it. So we may be stuck with going outside twice in an hour, at least until she’s older. I’m going to get quite a tan this year! I can probably stop taking my Vitamin D supplement. And the bugs are loving me.

And yes, catching her squatting is a trick. Sometimes I think I’m rewarding her for laying flat on the grass but I take the chance she actually did pee. That’s the hazard of walking to the “area” on leash.

Thanks again everyone. I'm learning.

 Quote: Mariellena Simon

I ... placed her in the ex-pen (using two hands) for a drink of water while I prepared and ate my dinner (husband went out looking for a new vacuum). At 5:15 pm I carried her football style upstairs and placed her in the ex-pen while I prepared some grooming supplies on the grooming table. SHE PEED in the ex-pen.

It sounds as though you've got a great schedule here. The only thing I might adjust is the part where she went from one x-pen to another after having waited for your dinner to finish up ... she could probably use another potty break outside after playing in her pen for a stretch of time

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

P.S. An interesting thing about a Bichon is that that face stays just as cute right into senior-hood.

So true!

 Quote: Cheryl Gee

A dog harness with a handle If you can find a really small one is an idea .

great suggestion!




Edited by Wendy Lefebvre (06/10/2010 09:07 AM)
Edit reason: should've read the whole thread first!

I don't know how hard the soil is in your yard, but most pet stores sell a screw -in stake that you just turn into the ground a time or two and could use for a short term tether anchor. With a pup that small, any light metal or plastic stake would work - e.g., a tent stake. Don't want to leave pup too long on a tether, but fine for short periods. The advantage of a stake is that the leash doesn't get all tangled up.

Oh, and I think Connie made a great point above about the "pickup and carry tendency" of people with small dogs. They are just too cute, and it's hard to resist the urge. For the pups development, though, it's best that they are on the ground learning as much as possible.

I took my own advice and fired my husband. He has been generously offering his time to help with Lulu. Only it was not necessarily the way I’d asked him to do it. He was not taking her out to her spot outside on a leash…he was carrying her. He was playing and training with her in the house and not outside as I requested (more than once). I finally told him I was frustrated and felt Lulu was confused. She was not distinguishing proper behavior inside (quiet play by herself, eating, grooming, sleeping) from required behavior outside (play with handler, peeing/pooping, engagement training). I felt he was encouraging “wild” play inside (he said it’s too hot to be running around outside) and his OB training was ahead of what I had scheduled (ME stresses engagement is paramount for young pups). He said he’s following one of the books he has. I wanted to say, “But she’s my pup”. But I didn’t. I offered to let him take over the whole process. He gave up in a huff and I’m sure a lot of it is in my delivery (I’m not known for being diplomatic).

Now I have a pup going through dual handler withdrawal. She is whining and barking and is not behaving calmly. But I am getting her outside most of the time to do her duty. I started a poop diary last night to better anticipate her needs.

It is hot, so playing outside is minimal. (She just took a chew toy with her into her crate inside her ex-pen. Yay.) I'll have to try to time outside activities when the sun is not so strong. She will live through my mistakes, right?