Hi everyone, I'm new to Champdogs. Heard bout it through a friend.
I have a 10 week old Old Tyme Bulldogge who is 10 weeks old. I have a few questions just to check I'm doing what I should and not being a totally cr4p dog owner!

First, is it normal for pup to growl when you pick her up after 'playing'. Just now she was biting me and I couldnt get her to stop with OWS, NO'S or pushing away so I picked her up and she growled at me which she has done since we had her at 8 weeks.

Second, she is doing her wees and poos outside but will still go inside. We have a cat and they play and when she s excited she will just pee anywhere but I shouldnt stop thier play should I? Last night she was sat on sofa with me and started whining so I took her out and as soon as her foot hit grass she peed which I thought was good as it showed she was willing to wait. But last night she peed in her own bed and I thought they never did this?!

Third, she does love to bite and I know this is not only bulldogges but all puppies but it can really hurt and sometimes she is reluctant to let go! How do I get her to stop?
I want my dog to be a dog and know her place in this house so she is a managed and well loved part of our family and I'm thinking maybe take her to classes etc? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I am a newbie in the dog world and like you a cat person.  When I got Maisie, I treated her like a weird sort of cat and how wrong I was.  You have to be strict with dogs.  You can't let them bite and you have to let them know who's boss (a concept I'm still struggling with as its ok if your cat's the boss - you can live with that - but not with a dog!)  And you have to train them.  I am only just really appreciating the importance of this.  It helps you to bond with them and again, reminds them who the boss is!  They're a bit like kids - if you allow them to ride roughshod over you, you are making a rod for your own back.  Take them to a good dog trainers that follow apdt (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) methods and are registered with the Kennel Club and practise, practise, practise till you get it right - let alone the dog. 

Don't allow her to bite or growl (ask your trainer) and be careful with your cat.  What seems to be play now may turn nasty when she gets older.  Make sure that she can 'leave it' when you ask her too.  Buy "The Perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey as this dovetails in quite well with the training.

Finally - do not give up.  Dogs are hard work just lilke children.  You have got to make sure that they are not a nuisance to other people or animals.  Training is ongoing and part of everyday life but the rewards are fantastic.

But don't take it from me...I have still not got it right.

I also really like Victoria Stillwell.  I think her book is excellent as it is aimed for the 'everyday' dog owner rather than the Crufts professional. 

Welcome to the forum - you'll find a wealth of information here and hopefully sufficient answers to the early stages of puppyhood which can easily be perceived as problems but are of course normal puppy behaviours whether a tiny Yorkie or a Giant breed such as a Wolfhound :)

House training needs to be kept on top of from day one, constant vigilance for any signs of sniffing or circling and get the little one outdoors IMMEDIATELY!  Also, after all meals, naps and play sessions pups need to relieve themselves as they only have tiny bladders and bowels plus no control over these for many weeks yet.  Use a key command word such as busy immediately on performing the toilet so making an association with where and when approrpriate to do so.

Most pups dont pee on their own bed but it's not written in stone as some will.  Often the reason is they 'leak' when asleep or their bed is in a confined place such as a crate and no room to move away from it.

Re growling when being picked up - most dogs really don't like to be picked up, unfortunately few owners appreciate this and the growl ( a fear response) is punished making the puppy even more frightened.

Read this excellent article on teaching bite inhibition - IMO its a must have for everyone with a new puppy and ideally several copies should be printed off and left in obvious places throughout the house so all family members consistently follow the same rules :)

I no longer ever recommend on sole author as I've yet to find one with which their methods suit me from cover to cover re training.  Far too much emphasis is put on dogs being dominant or needing to be shown who is boss.  Dogs are a different species from us, they know that, they see us as guardians and providers of their most essential resources food, water, shelter and comfort.  They have no intentions of taking over the world.  A dog may be dominant with another dog - to any other animal species he is either prey or predator whereas to humans he is COMPANION.  :)

Keep that in mind and IME you will not go far wrong,
best wishes, Teri

Think Teri has about covered it all but just a quick note to say the peeing in the bed at night could be because she cant hold it long enough.  So make sure you give her a middle of the night pee time, yes that means getting up like you would with a baby but shouldnt be for many weeks as they soon learn to hold it all night.

And for dog playing with cat, ours love to play with the cats and I actually think one of our cats is better trained than all the dogs as he does sit, speak, and come when called.  So let them continue to play, you will soon find them snuggled up together. :)

Good luck with your new pup.

Emma

I'm with Teri when it comes to books - there are loads out there and some will suit you and your puppy better than others.  Sometimes the advice is great but writing style hard to read or instructions difficult to follow.  Have a look at the ones people recommend on a site like Amazon, they offer a facility to 'look inside' some books. If you like the look of it try and get it at your local library - most have an online search and can get books from other libraries in your area and reserve them for a small fee.  I bought The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey for our most recent puppy and read it a lot but needed others from time to time to check specifics.  I've been collecting dog books for years but this time I bought a dog for showing so there were different things to learn.  As a new owner you will need a lot of reassurance that you are doing the right things, and that your pup is 'normal' - just like being a new mum!!

Classes are an excellent idea for so many reasons but one is that you will be there with others who have pups your age and it helps to get a few opinions before deciding - on anything.  With that in mind there is lot of great advice on this forum but you may find that some of your questions have been answered before so use the search facility to check - it will save you time and can give you instant responses (biting has been covered a lot recently too).

If you like the tone and information you get from one poster click on their user name and you can see the threads they've contributed to recently - it's a great place to start improving your knowledge.  Welcome to Champdogs and good luck with your pup!!

Regarding your pup playing with the cat - is this somthing you will be happy to still happen when pup is full grown? if not, then stop the play. I did not let my pup play with my cat for 2 reasons, the first - pup will grow (in my case into a huge Mastiff) and the cat can get injured by accident - think of the size of your pup when adult prancing around the cat and pawing.. Secondly, I wanted my pup to think cat = no reaction, so it is easier to stop him chasing other cats.

Just an alternative thought about cats and dogs. My previous gsd after the first few weekes of getting used to the cat used to play with him. We got quite used to the cats head gently disappearing into dogs mouth!. If they wern't feeling like playing they would cuddle up together. They also used to clean each other, I cant say that this is the case with all the dogs and catsbut we have had but certainly both first gsd and then Flattie very good playing and cleaning my cats.
Currently GSD has not got the cat dog relationship sorted this is partly due to temperment of the current adult cat but our 10wk old kitty and 16wk old pom/chi pup play together for ages.

Just another opinion.

With the breed that you have I for one wouldn't start picking it up now because you won't be able to in a few months :) and more than like due to their stature I doubt that they'd be keen on being picked up and also would be careful about it playing with the cat as again the size it will be when it's older it could cause injury.

You'd be suprised at how many small dogs hate being picked up although you see these celebs with them in their arms all the time.

Interesting comment about small dogs and being picked up. Mia seems to variable about it, it is so tempting to pick her up but I really want her to behave like adog not  a handbag item and have been really strongly reminding my daughter to keep her on the ground.

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies! Well things are pretty much the same as they were a couple of weeks ago. Bella has not messed her bed again so am assuming this was a one off.
She is starting to not go at all through the night (although we had a slip up at the weekend where she did 2 no2's indoors at night??) but will still go after getting excited in the day. This is usually after playing with the cat, which after much consideration I have decided to put a stop to. Bella can get really excited and she has started to think she can play with us like the cat and this is quite rough. She also doesnt know when to stop with us sometimes. She can get a bit fiesty. I am presuming this is normal?
Also, I am going to take her to dog training. She is 12 weeks old today so I have to do them while I can (before 16 weeks pref).
Any suggestions of how to tell if they are reputable? How much should they cost roughly? Thanks for your help.

ideally if you can go along and have a look first you can decide what you think of their training.  Stick to reward based training clubs. 

I would look for a apdt club they are entirely reward based and also do the kc good citizen awards

Mine are costing about £5.00pw  but have paid up to £10.00 pw for some training classes

Hi all! Well we have been going to dog training for a couple weeks now. Even though it teaches Bella to socialise with other dofs I think it teaqches you how to train yourn dog - which is no bad thing. Especially as its £1.50 per lesson all money to charity and they have been doing it for 10 years!
Bella is now 'pretty much' house trained. She waits by the dorr when she needs to go - doesnt go all night. I'm so proud of her. She's such a beauty she really is! I've had this last week off, with by fiance and its been a turning point for us all.
I still have issues with her intimadating my 19 month old daughter but its not like she means to. And she still play bites me (which still really hurts) far more than  my fiance but I have now realised these are all working progresses.
As for the main worry and that is her growling/knarling towards me... we'll see how this goes. Bella is becoming a much loved member of our family day after day but my daughter is my prioruty and I really hope Bella grows out of her yappy, bity, in your face stage. x

> I really hope Bella grows out of her yappy, bity, in your face stage. x

This is normal for a puppy, and only time and kind calm handling will change this as she matures and gains self control, and learns what is acceptable behaviour toward humans.

Keep up the good work