# 11 week old Border Terrier questions



## BruceUK (Jan 13, 2012)

Hi all

My wife and I got a 10wk old Border Terrier pup (Alfie) last Weds, our first dog, and after an absolutely exhausting week we have a few questions!

First some background though. We're pretty lucky in that we've just moved house and my wife is not going back to work for a month or so and has plenty of time to spend with Alfie, plus I work from home 3/4 days a week, so can give him time during the day too. 

That kinda leads to my first question, which is are we spending too much time with him? He seems pretty happy in his crate and doesn't cry for more than a minute or two whether we're in the room, going out or going to bed. He's never once had an accident in there, just settles down for a sleep, but I'm thinking maybe we should be making more of an effort to leave him alone for a few hours at a time as my wife will have to get a job again at some point.

The second question is on settling him down after play time. For the first couple of days my wife would take him out for his hourly toilet trip, come in, play for 10-15 minutes then he'd settle and rest until the next time they went out. Increasingly though he won't settle down again unless she walks around having a cuddle with him or we get him back in the crate. Is it simply that we aren't getting him tired enough (we can't walk him for another 1-2 weeks as we're waiting for jabs)? Or are we over thinking it and just settling him in the crate is fine? Sometimes it feels like punishing him to put him in there which I don't want to do, but we're not telling him off we just play a bit by it and close the door quietly behind him when he goes in. Is that ok?

The last question I have (for now at least!) is about his biting. I've read the sticky, and we're trying to do the 'ouch and stop playing' technique to inhibit it. How long can we expect it to take to get him to stop biting hard? He only does it when he's excited.

Thanks in advance!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Congrats on your puppy! 

You are so lucky that your puppy seems happy in the crate! It might be a good idea to start taking a couple short trips out during the day, just to get him used to being in the crate when no one is home. It doesn't have to be long, and you can alternate, a quick 10 minute trip to get the mail or visit a neighbor, and then later in the day, maybe a 30 minute trip to the store. The next day, maybe an hour shopping trip, then, later, a quick walk around the block. Basically, you want to give the idea that no matter how long you're gone, you'll come back. 

It's really good to leave your puppy something to work on while you're gone, like a frozen, stuffed kong. We use peanut butter for the stuffing! That may keep his mind off you being gone.

Now, if your puppy starts reacting badly to your short trips out, you might need to do a bit more leave conditioning, starting with shorter chunks of time (1 minute) several times a day. But, it seems like all is going well!

I have to say, I use to cuddle and walk with my first pup, when it was bedtime and he wasn't settling down!  Just like a baby, it settled him. But, there are other ideas. Like, when our dogs were puppies and got the "zoomies" (kind of like an over tired toddler who really needs to go to bed but is SO tired that they get extra hyper!) we would sometimes just put them in the crate. They might not like it at first, as they're hyper, but, just like an over tired child, when you tell them it's bedtime, they're out like a light in 2 minutes! 

As for the biting, it can depend on several things. First, how consistent you are. If everyone in the household isn't doing the same exact thing every time he bites, it will take longer. Also, it can depend on how persistent your little pup is. But, be patient, because biting and nipping is the way puppies play and explore the world, so it can be tricky to get them to stop.

Our first pup took 4 weeks. Our second 1-1.5 weeks, our foster pup, about 2 weeks.


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## CricketLoops (Apr 18, 2011)

I don't think you read the forum rules, because I'm pretty sure there's a bit in there that states "if you're going to talk about an 11 week old border terrier puppy, you MUST provide pictures."

Okay, not really, but I'm super jealous! Border terriers are one of my absolute favorite dog breeds!

On alone time: It is generally a good idea to get a dog used to spending time alone. If he's used to always having a person home with him, it will be harder for him to transition to your wife working. You may already be doing this, but start leaving him alone for short periods of time when you go out and do errands. Work up to the amount of time he'd be left alone when your wife starts working, but remember to still address his potty needs.

On settling down: If what you're doing is working, and you don't mind doing it, I don't see a problem with it. What I choose to do to calm both dogs and puppies down is give them a chew toy -- often, they chew themselves to sleep. My favorites for this are kongs stuffed with frozen peanut butter, yogurt, or wet dog food and bully sticks. 

On biting: This is individual to every puppy. Remember, the general idea you are trying to communicate to your puppy with this method is "biting with a certain strength or intensity = play time over." Your "ouch" or "yelp" is the signal to your puppy that he's at that threshold. Keeping in mind what you're trying to teach him usually helps the process go faster.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Oh, CricketLoops, I forgot all about the bully sticks! Chewing on those used to put our little guys to sleep, like a baby with a bottle! It's been awhile since they were puppies, so I forgot that! So cute!


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## BruceUK (Jan 13, 2012)

Thanks for the replies 

Good to know we're doing okay, he's a very good boy and we can see him learning every day! The 'ouch' thing seems to be working, he does play a bit rougher with me than my wife, is that normal because I'm a bloke?

Here are some photos CricketLoops, not great quality but the best I have at the moment as he doesn't stay still for long!


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