# Puppy hides A lot and lays down/ Help.



## chrisgritz (Nov 16, 2011)

Hey i just recently got my first dog, not going to lie... kind of regretting it, its a Husky/Pit, all he does is hides in corners, and lays down most of the day, is this normal for a pup? Will it change later? He is 6 weeks old, even when he was with his brothers and sisters he was the outcast out of them, any idea why he does this? Sigh idk what to do, i don't even know how to train him, i bought puppy pads but he poops all over the place and its soft and i have carpet so its ruining it a lot. I need help, i might give it away idk.

add: Sometimes when i try to pet him while hes laying down etc he tries to move away a little.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

What exactly is the "might" contingent upon?


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## chrisgritz (Nov 16, 2011)

Curbside Prophet said:


> What exactly is the "might" contingent upon?


Very little. Actually no i will keep him.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

In that case... Have the dog checked by a vet, hire a dog trainer, and use a crate for potty training. Read all the stickies in every forum, and good luck.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

He is only a baby, and shouldn't even be away from his mother and siblings yet. He won't be very active until at least 8-10 weeks. But he sounds shy and like he hasn't had a lot of socialization. So go slow with him, don't do anything to scare him, just keep things happy happy and play as much as he wants.

If you aren't totally committed to doing everything a dog needs throughout his entire life, it's best to rehome him now, before he get too attached to you.


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## chrisgritz (Nov 16, 2011)

Willowy said:


> He is only a baby, and shouldn't even be away from his mother and siblings yet. He won't be very active until at least 8-10 weeks. But he sounds shy and like he hasn't had a lot of socialization. So go slow with him, don't do anything to scare him, just keep things happy happy and play as much as he wants.
> 
> If you aren't totally committed to doing everything a dog needs throughout his entire life, it's best to rehome him now, before he get too attached to you.


Yes you are right, but i am going to keep him, however i have had him for about 3 days now, do you think i should take him back to his mother for about 2 weeks or is that a bad idea? Btw at 6 weeks old how long could they hold their food before they have to poop? hes just used the puppy pad for the 2nd time which made me happy, and finally pooped outside


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

If you plan to train him to go outside, it's probably best not to use puppy pads. They'll confuse him. Either pottying inside is OK or it's not, it can't be both ways. If you have a small puppy-proof area for him to stay when unsupervised (recommended), you can put puppy pads down for easy cleanup. But actively training him to use them could be counterproductive.

I don't think I'd recommend taking him back to the breeder at this point. But you will need to work extra hard to teach him bite inhibition, and make sure to socialize him with other dogs as soon as he's vaccinated.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I agree with what's been said so far. If you can, it would be good to take him to his mama for a couple more weeks. A mama and brothers and sisters really teach a puppy a lot about playing nicely and also about bite inhibition.

Every puppy has a different personality. Not all puppies are super outgoing. Also, at 6 weeks, he's still developing, and may become more curious and playful with time.

I also agree with not using pads. I know some people find it helpful. I used them with my first puppy, as we were in an apartment and pretty far from the outdoor potty area. But, I found that he got used to peeing/pooping on the soft texture of the pad, and pretty soon he was peeing and pooping on all my throw rugs, bath mats, door mats, and anything else remotely pad-like.

So, my advice would be, put him on a feeding schedule, and then:

-take him out to potty way more often than you think you should, maybe every 30 minutes. 
-say the same potty words every time.
-praise him like crazy and give him a treat as soon as he finishes.
-when he is awake, you should not take your eyes off him, as he may sneak away to a corner and pee or poop without being seen.
-when you can't supervise him and keep your eyes on him, you should put him in a crate or pen.

Good luck!


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

A few considerations:

- Read all the stickies on all the subforum. Chances are at some point or another you will need the information
- Puppy proof an area of your home. Put something on the floor it is okay to have an accident on (such as a piece of linoleum), take up any cords, anything that could be chewed and contain the area with a x-pen or use a crate
- Take up the puppy pads. Puppies have a very hard time telling the difference between a puppy pad and a rug. It is a floor covering and therefore okay to use in a puppy's mind
- He will most likely have some issues with nipping/biting as he was taken from his litter/mother too soon. Read "The Bite Stops Here" and be prepared
- Not all puppies have the same activity level. If he checks out at the vet as healthy chances are good that is just his developing personality
- You will need to do plenty of socialization however you must also weight this with common (and often fatal) chances of catching parvo and other diseases he isn't immune to. Without his complete set of vaccines he isn't immune and could become very ill. You still have times but as soon as he is immune he needs to start having positive experiences with everything
- Tether him to you so you can keep an eye on him every second of every day. He is only 6 weeks old. He can't hold his stool or urine for more than an hour at most. He needs to go out at least every 30-45 minutes if you want to be accident free in the house
- Set a timer to remind you to take him out
- Don't count him as "hard to train" or "dumb" if he can't transition to longer times without an accident. You got a very young puppy and a general rule of thumb is an hour for every month of age. Don't expect him to be able to go 1 1/2 to 2 hours without a trip outside until he is at least 3 months old. Continue taking him out every hour for the next month or two to prevent accidents. He might understand the concept but his body hasn't developed enough to comply with the training.

Good luck - puppy raising is tough.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

A six week old pup can hardly run 3 steps without tripping over himself. He'll probably alternate 2 hours or so asleep, 2 hours awake. When he's awake he should be running and playing. He'll sleep so deeply that you can't hardly rouse him. That goes on for a week, week and a half maybe. 

He needed 2 more weeks with mom, but that won't happen so you'll have to step in and teach bite inhibition (it's not that hard to do, look it up). Handle him as much as possible, and if you know people who have dogs that are reliable with other dogs and have all their shots, get him some face time with them if possible.

Throw away the pads. Dogs are reluctant to soil their living area; you have to show him that the whole house is the living area. This will take time. The basic idea is to deny his access to the floor for potty purposes. That means he's either outside, in his crate, or somebody has eyes on him 100% of the time. In addition to taking him out at timed intervals, when you catch him in the act, interrupt it, carry or escort him outside to finish, then reward him. If you don't catch him, clean it up without comment, using an enzymatic cleaner (I use ispropyl alcohol). Any residual odor will mark the spot as a toilet for him. Punishment is ineffective, because after about 15 seconds, his brain won't associate the punishment with the act of eliminating. 

Dogs usually poop very soon after eating (right away, up to 1/2 hour or so) as a full tummy puts pressure on the bowels (and bladder).

Be kind yet firm, and consistent. Good luck.


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## chrisgritz (Nov 16, 2011)

I just want to thank everyone here who has replied, you guys have helped. Def have made progress, i am a dog noob so all this info is extremely helpful, thank you once again!


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