u/Chahine_sama

So week 4. I genuinely thought it would be getting easier by now.

We have Bandipur — Bandy — a 15-week-old Tibetan Spaniel we picked up from a breeder in Normandy. He is, honestly, the sweetest little guy. Super affectionate, always wants to be near us, makes us laugh every day. We're really glad we got him.

But I'd be lying if I said we weren't struggling. Multiple things feel stuck at the same time and I'm not sure which one to focus on first, or if we're just doing it all wrong. Hoping people here have been through something similar.

**The potty thing has completely broken my brain.**

He has somehow figured out that outside = playtime and inside = bathroom. Every single time we take him out, he goes into full exploration mode — sniffing everything, chewing grass, staring at leaves — and produces absolutely nothing. Then we walk back in the door and within two minutes, he goes. Every time. It's so consistent it feels intentional.

We've tried staying out longer. Same spot every time. Cue words. Nothing. I've genuinely started dreading our outdoor trips because I know exactly how they're going to end. Any tips here would be huge because we're kind of at a loss.

**The biting is relentless, especially at night.**

We've tried the yelp noise, redirecting to toys, timeouts, ignoring — he does not care. He just comes right back. The specific problem is that we sleep on a futon on the floor, so in the hour before bed he basically treats us like one giant chew toy. It's hard to wind down when a small dog is launching himself at your face. Not aggressive at all, clearly just play — but exhausting, and we haven't found anything that actually works for him.

**He can't be alone for even 10 minutes.**

This one worries me the most honestly. My wife is home full-time right now and I'm almost fully remote, so he's basically never been alone since we got him. We've tried short absences — 10 minutes, 20, up to an hour — and every time we check the camera he's in full panic mode. Crying, pacing, completely lost.

I know the constant presence probably isn't helping, but we're not sure how to course-correct at this point. He's clearly very attached to us which is lovely but also... maybe too much?

**And he couldn't care less about treats.**

Which makes everything else harder. We've tried all kinds — he sniffs them and walks away. From what I've read, Tibetan Spaniels can be pretty independent and not super food-driven, so maybe this is just breed stuff? But it means positive reinforcement isn't really landing for us and I'm not sure what to replace it with.

---

I want to be clear: we're not going anywhere, Bandy is family and we love him to bits. But right now it feels like things are stacking up rather than improving, and I can't tell if we're missing something obvious or if this is just... what week 4 looks like and we need to be more patient.

Any advice welcome, especially from people who've had Tibetan Spaniels or other independent breeds. What finally clicked for you?

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention and probably should have included — he's started showing what I think might be resource guarding, specifically with small sticks and bits of wood he finds outside. The moment he picks something up on a walk, he clocks that we've noticed and immediately tries to move away. If we get close to take it from him he gets evasive, keeps his head low and turned away, and makes it very clear he's not giving it up without a fight. No growling yet but the body language is pretty deliberate. It hasn't happened with toys or food at home, only with stuff he finds outside — not sure if that changes anything or if it's the same issue. Flagging it here in case anyone has thoughts on how to handle this early before it becomes a bigger problem.