House Training and Biting

by Heidi
(Marshfield, MO)

I have a Basset Hound that is about 4 months old now. He started out so sweet, but now has been getting really aggressive with my 3 and 5 year old boys.

So aggressive he has bitten my 3 year old several times, never broken the skin, but he growls and sounds like he is going to rip him apart when he does bite.

My sons aren't mean to him, he just doesn't seam to like them. How do I get him to stop being so mean???

Also my Basset Hound will pee and poo anywhere he likes. I take him outside 1 to 2 times an hour. Especially everytime he gets up from a nap or 15 min after he eats or drinks. I have also purchased puppy training pads that have a "scent" that is suppose to attract them to go on them.

Well my other puppy which is a border collie 9 weeks old, goes on them all the time, from the day I brought her home, have had no problem with her. I just can't figure out why my basset won't, he pees on my rugs, hardwood floors, even in his own bed. I can't figure it out. How can I get my Basset Hound Puppy to pee and poo either outside or on the puppy pads when I'm not home????


Hi Heidi
I'm sorry to hear you're having such a hard time with this puppy. They're all different of course, like kids, and some are definitely more challenging than others!

The biting behavior has to stop, it's frustrating and dangerous. The Puppy Biting page on my site goes into detail on how to discourage biting, nipping and mouthing. It would help you a lot to read it. However, if your puppy is also growling, it's difficult for me to tell whether he's growling in play (most likely even if it sounds fierce) or whether he's truly being aggressive (very unusual in a puppy).

His body language will give you a clue. If when he growls, he lowers his head and sticks his butt up in the air, makes little jumps forward and back, and wags his tail - he's playing. However, if he lifts his lip or shows his teeth, puts his ears back/lower, holds his tail and body kind of stiffly, then he's being aggressive/dominant.

In both cases, he's treating your boys like his littermates and in engaging in social interaction with them the way he would with other puppies. The playing part is okay, but if he's being aggressive it's definitely not okay. If you really think that aggression is the problem, I'd strongly suggest you talk to your veterinarian and ask him to recommend a dog behavioral specialist who could come and evaluate his behavior, and show you how to work with him.

It's important that this puppy learns that your boys are NOT his siblings, that in fact they are superior to him and higher ranking within the family 'pack". Although they're young, it would help if they could take an active part in feeding, training your pup. By being in control of the food, and discipline, they show their higher status to your pup as he realizes that they have the power to supply his basic needs. Maybe they could ask the pup to 'sit', then give him his food bowl each day. And perhaps take turns in your daily training sessions, asking for a certain behavior and rewarding that with a treat.

Again, read the Puppy Biting page I gave a link to earlier in this answer it will help you cut back on the nipping.

As for the potty training issues. Again, some pups are just quicker and cleaner than others. I strongly suggest that you buy a crate for your Basset puppy, and follow the instructions on my Crate Training page. Crates are invaluable tools for housetraining a puppy, and they make life so much easier in so many ways.

By crating your puppy you'll prevent the opportunities for 'accidents' inside your house, and help him learn bladder/bowel control. It really is the simplest and quickest way to house break a pup. I'm glad the puppy pads are working for your Border Collie, but this is an exception, as most pups don't do well with them.

I hope this has been helpful, if you continue to have problems, feel free to get back in touch. Best of luck!