Hey blades! My girlfriend and I recently got our very first puppy, and as excited as we are, we still have some questions. We have a spare room with nothing in it, so we decided to block half the room, lay some paper down, and threw her bed with a few toys in there and made it her room for the time being. But she keeps whining, crying, and clawing at the door. We read that we should ignore her until later in the night and check on her quickly to go to the bathroom and back off she goes. But the sound is heartbreaking and we don't know what to do! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Some dogs are much harder to train than others. There's lots of variables involved. I have 4 labs with no major issues ,so I think I had luck on my side. I feel that If they are old/healthy enough to be away from the mother, the training patterns can't be set soon enough. This is what worked well for me & mine. Maybe too late for you to do but in attempt to make things go smoother ...I kept small blanket with the mothers scent next to the pups. Seemed to help with the anxiety & transition for the first few days/nights. Sticking to the initial training is very important if you want her to learn quickly. I think what you read was not wrong in the sense of "not letting the night time whining tug at your feelings." Now Shutting her in & neglecting is a completely different story. But I don't think you would do that. The whining is natural due to anxiety & in order to get attention. As long as you keep checking in to take them out to pee they'll be fine. You can't let them get to comfortable with peeing or pooping inside. When they firmly associate peeing /pooping with the outdoors they will learn to how get your attention when they have to go out. Mine will approach me , give a distinct look of need, then move quickly towards the door. If I don't respond they make eye contact & give a good bark. There's just no mistaking it now. They're anxiety may even cause some damage to the home.Do your best to control it & keep it to a minimum & make sure they can't or aren't injuring them self. Mine were kept in the kitchen with a baby gate so they didn't feel completely separated /trapped. One started chewing on the corner two of my kitchen cabinet doors though. Small sacrifice & easily replaced. Once they realize that you will eventually always return ,the'll lose the anxiety slowly till gone. After that its all about anticipating when they need to go outside. Soft wood shavings on top of absorbent pads worked really well indoors, just in case , but frequent trips outside is what establish a strong pattern for them. The more comfortable they are with peeing/pooping inside the house .....the harder/longer it takes to set a strict outdoor pattern. The beginning can be really tough but once things get firmly established your pup will let you know in more than one way. Between the whining & the frequent night time checks/visits outdoors its hard to get any sleep but its very important to be consistent. I must have checked on them at least every 1 & 1/2 Hrs. when they were pups. Maybe more. Once a routines are learned & set, the check times can be gradually reduced in until eventually she sleeps/stays where she knows she should , wherever that might be. After training, most times even the bathroom checks aren't needed if you take them out to go before bed time. I was dangerous tired for a couple of weeks but now there's no question for them as to where they belong , when & why. Sounds kinda harsh but "I" am the leader . But don't get me wrong. I also make sure they all lead a very long, healthy & happy life. All the hard work really does pay off for everyone. They care for me as much as I care for them. Remember...... some dogs take much longer than others but try to hang in there. They want/need a leader. If you don't step up as needed, they WILL run the show. It's up to you. FTR, I don't consider myself an expert in dog training ........but I once stayed in a Motel 6. Curious to know......... what kind of pup you got? How many weeks is she? Name? I wouldn't be surprised if you're awake right now cause of the pup. Don't worry. It will be over soon. hopefully.
I cut the puppy some slack on the first night home. It's been through a traumatic experience. After that, ignore bad behavior but catch your puppy performing good behaviors. Leave the room for short periods of time. Reward good behavior and gradually lengthen the time. Also, do fun stuff in the room. Get your puppy to associate the room with fun and not you going away.
Thanks for the responses and answers. We read that you should cage your dog at night, but since we just got her, we didn't have time to get a cage until after the weekend. So we thought putting her in the room would be a better option. We didn't completely ignore her but did the standard checking on her every once in awhile to see if she wanted attention or to go to the bathroom. We did notice that she was crying mostly for attention and learned that it was best to ignore that type of behavior from many sites. Are we doing the right thing? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Here's a picture of her, the owner was unsure of the breed, and didn't mention her age,but we did name her princess. Sorry for photo quality Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
What a beauty. Good luck. I'm not one to give training advice. One of my dogs is problem child from hell and the other is a golden child perfect dog.
When I first got my puppy, she howled like a banshee for about 2-3 nights, and then she gradually became used to her cage. If you do get her a cage (or even if you just keep her in the room), reward her when she goes in with treats, toys, or whatever it is that she likes. Some dogs are food motivated, some toy motivated, etc. Just find which she seems to enjoy and use it as a reward when she goes into her room, especially if it's on her own. I'd try to ignore her crying and do what you've been doing by checking on her occasionally and taking her out when needed. It seems like you're doing great so far, and she is so adorable. So glad to see she has a good home!
She's tripping because of the new environment. She wants to be with you guys. Crate training will be differcult because you already started her in the room. U want to start small space and work your way up to a larger space. Be careful if you leave the dog in the bathroom. I have had a puppy chew my water pipe on the toilet and flood bathroom. Make sure she has all her puppy shots before you take her around other dogs She's going to cry for a week or so. If you crate train her, get her on a regular schedule, she will learn. Take her outside every three, four hours so she can pee and poop. If you do everything the same, she will learn and cry less each day
Get her a small kennel and make it comfortable. Put the kennel in your bedroom. As long as the pup knows it is with the pack (in your room) it will not cry and whine. If you can get her a companion. After the first few nights in the kennel you can move it back to the room you have set up for her.
Bringing a puppy home for the first time is kinda like bringing home a very small child home for the very first time. You're gonna need to potty train and walk it and clean it and make sure you take care of it. If it's chewing on the walls and baseboards and stuff then give it something that it CAN chew on. If it's young it may be teething and won't stop chewing. My advice. Go to Petsmart and get it something to chew on. Maybe get a couple things to try out to see what he/she likes most. Make sure you're feeding and taking it out enough. Good luck!
basicly when I sell my puppies I always tell the new owner to put the puppy in a crate as soon as you get home starting them in a crfate right away help establishes your dominance of the dog, ur the master also puts puppy in a new safe zone plus you can start house training right away i sell my puppies at 6_7 weeks old. this age they will accept being put in a crate. when i sell my puppies at 9 weeks of age, crate training and house training for the new owners dosnt work out as easy and smoothly as with a 7 week old puppy but everyone and other breeds are different i have beagles if anything be firm and ignore the puppy. it will take repetitiveness to get her to be quiet. maybe two weeks. eventually she will give up. and learn you ARE coming back