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I am a new German Shepard puppy owner. Kally is 10 weeks old and already almost 18 pounds! I've had her for 2 weeks and, over the past week or so, I've had some "issues" about which I would love any and all input (and help!)
Kally had been crate trained and was sleeping through the night with no accidents (at least 5 to 6 hours) when I brought her home. In fact, she never had any accidents in the crate until I'd had her for a week. Now, however, she seems to be having accidents in her crate again, up to three in a 2-day period. I took the cushion out but am not sure what else to try...or whether she's just going through a "phase."
Also...I have a cat and, b/c the puppy is so little, hyper, and biting, she jumps toward the cat and scares her so much that, for now, I'm pretty much keeping them separate. I had hoped these two would get along, and I'm hoping that they will eventually, but, right now, I can't blame the cat for being scared of the puppy's (normal?) hyperactivity. Any thoughts or suggestions?

congrats on your new puppy..Actually I must say your pretty lucky an 8 week old was going the whole nite without any accident!!

At 10 weeks she is still really young to be able to hold it all nite long,,how long is she crated during the day? If you work, is there someone who can come let her out a few times for potty breaks? Has she been having accidents in the house??

When I get a puppy I keep a pretty tight schedule,,they are OUT every couple of hours,,tons of praise for "good potties",,absolutely no reprimands for BAD potties as this is OUR fault not the dogs,,,they go out after they eat, they go out immediately upon waking up..

If you think she is peeing more frequently than normal, you may want to have your vet check her out for urinary tract infection.

As for the cat,,I have 4 dogs, and 4 cats,,the dogs are taught from the very beginning,,NO BUGGING THE CATS,,the cats have an escape room (I have a babygate off the floor about 5 inches so the cats can get under it and the dogs can't)..IF they bug the cats,,they get a reprimand..depending on how severe the infraction is,,depends on the reprimand..IF I even "think" they are thinking about going after the cats,,they get an "UH UH"..I call them and praise for leaving the cats alone..

I had a rescue aussie at 12 weeks of age who tried to "kill" my cats,,he needed a major attitude adjustment as verbally I was being ignored,,tho some may not agree (and I certainly am the last one to get physical with my dogs),,it took me grabbing him twice by the back of the neck and hauling him off the cat, (with much verbal displeasure) to get the message across..He now sleeps with the kitties..

You have a 10 wk old baby,,she needs consistency, patience and a leader..Definately protect your cat..Just my 2 cents
Good luck with her

At 10 weeks the bladder of a puppy is still very small, at best the puppy should be let out to do her business every 2 hours. As for the pup bothering the cat, now is the time to teach her not to jump at the cat. Leash training can be very effective in helping with this training. The key is to be consistant and to be patient.
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Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
PHMax
HMax@pethobbyist.com" target="_blank">Email PHMax

Thanks so much for the helpful info thus far. The suggestion about putting the baby gate about 5 inches off the floor is very helpful (funny, I hadn't thought of that!). Currently, the cat has the upstairs bedroom with her litter box and food bowls (had to be moved after the dog moved in) but I know that it won't be long b/f the pup is able to zoom up the whole staircase.

As for the pee accidents...luckily, I work from home with the exception of two nights a week. I take her out about every 3 hours and then I have a dogwalker come by on the two evenings that I'm not here. I had read and expected that she wouldn't be able to hold her bladder for very long, but the problem is that she has only started having accidents in her crate over the last week...after two weeks with one accident, she has them almost daily now, and her schedule has not varied much. She does drink a lot of water, and I'm always debating how much to let her have b/f I take the bowl away. And I did have to move her into a larger crate (with a divider a few days ago) but she had started having accidents in her small/puppy crate days and days before that. I just don't know why the change..?

>>Thanks so much for the helpful info thus far. The suggestion about putting the baby gate about 5 inches off the floor is very helpful (funny, I hadn't thought of that!). Currently, the cat has the upstairs bedroom with her litter box and food bowls (had to be moved after the dog moved in) but I know that it won't be long b/f the pup is able to zoom up the whole staircase.
>>
>>As for the pee accidents...luckily, I work from home with the exception of two nights a week. I take her out about every 3 hours and then I have a dogwalker come by on the two evenings that I'm not here. I had read and expected that she wouldn't be able to hold her bladder for very long, but the problem is that she has only started having accidents in her crate over the last week...after two weeks with one accident, she has them almost daily now, and her schedule has not varied much. She does drink a lot of water, and I'm always debating how much to let her have b/f I take the bowl away. And I did have to move her into a larger crate (with a divider a few days ago) but she had started having accidents in her small/puppy crate days and days before that. I just don't know why the change..?

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Pups can hold it longer when they're asleep, but when you're home and active, she's not sleeping nonstop. Take her out once per hour to relieve herself.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com