New puppy checklist I want to do things right (pics added!!!!!!!)

sarabe

I know that having the puppy in the bedroom doesn't suit everybody but if your pup is soooo distressed at being left alone it would make such a difference if she could be close to you overnight.

She would get used to sleeping at night right from the get go and her alone time training can be done very gradually without causing her distress.

You could be setting her up to have problems as she gets older about being left.

She may well turn out fine but the problem with 'flooding' which is what this is, is that you take a risk with the 'kill or cure' regime.

You would all get a decent night's sleep into the bargain as well.

supermezzo

I know it seems like a lifetime but it's only night three and as you've got kids, you do know that you can survive without sleep, horrible though it is.
Have you tried rubbing one of her blankets/soft toys over yourself so that it smells of you and only giving her that at night time?
And I guess she's still on four feeds a day - try leaving the last one a bit later, or making it slightly bigger and her third feed slightly smaller, but make sure you give her time to get rid of it before bed.
Not at all money saving in any way shape or form but have you tried leaving a heater of some sort on near her? We freely admit to using the central heating to induce sleep in little ones - knocks 'em out a treat and it is getting quite chilly overnight now. (Not that for a minute I'm suggesting that you're leaving her to freeze, just that you know yourself if you're cold you can't sleep properly. Also, try actually tucking her in under a blanket).

FakeIrish

Mumhug

I find that not all dogs will necessarily enjoy being in a crate. We tried our puppy in the crate and although it did help with the toilet training, we got rid of it as quickly as possible. However, we did end up with a kitchen wall that had been chewed to pieces but we thought that was a price worth paying for to ensure the puppy was a happy dog - he really did hate the crate.

Once you get pass the toilet training, you could get rid of the crate. Unless you need it for other reasons. A good tip is to teach the dog to wee on command.

Whenever he wees outside, say "
toilet" "wee" "be good" or any other words you choose everytime he toilets. When he finishes, overly praise him. Do this consistently and it won't be long before he wees on command. Never praise him or use this command in places where he shouldn't wee.

And NEVER return to the puppy when he's crying in his crate! You're making a rod for your own back. Sod the neighbours in this instance!

foreign_correspondent

I have never used a crate, though I can see the sense in them, but if she is messing in her bed I cannot see the benefit of her being in a crate... she is learning to mess in her bedding which is not something you want her to do, and actually goes against her natural instinct.

If she messed between 2 am and 4am when did she last poo outside? when are you feeding her her last meal of the day?

I am gonna make you jealous now, but when my rescue dog arrived, she whinged the first night for about 30 minutes, the second night for about 5, and we have never heard a peep from her since! Also, never a mess or wee in the house. My last rescue was settled almost as quickly, and she had lived outside all her life. However, I find training an adult dog a lot less challenging, as they can hold their bladder and understand a lot more! Pups are hard work becuase they know nothing about what you expect from them, and it must all be very bewildering for them!

I dont know what you should do, but my instinct would probably be to sleep downstairs with her for the first night or two, then start popping upstairs for part of the night, till she is more content to be left alone.

How is she if you pop out of the room in the daytime and she is left alone?

2boysmum

We got our puppy last Friday, we tried putting her in it and she screamed the place down so we put the crate in our bedroom and last night was our first full sleep. She also didn't pee or poo until I took her our at 7.15 this morning, so we are definately making progress. Stick at it, it does get better

MoneySavingStudent_2

I think ur pups upset cause shes been put in the cage without being introduced to it.
Putting her in it and locking the door and ignoring her isnt going to be nice for her.

You should leave the door open and (i no it sounds stupid) but sit in the cage (or lay in the door if its a small one ) Then just sit there and see what she does. Our pup didnt like it but if you get in she sees that its not very scary. Its a good idea to leave the door open so she can get in and out when she wants (durin the day).

We taught our pup to go in as an emergency thing. Someone smashed a glass in the kitchen and we panicked because the pup came in to see what was going on :eek: So after that i decided to teach her to 'go to bed' .... i started with having her bed on the floor and teaching her to go to that when she was told. Then i moved the bed into the cage and when i told her to 'go to bed' she got into the cage now when theres a smashed glass, we clap and say 'go to bed' and she sits in the cage with/without the door shut and stays there until we say 'okay' x

mumhug

Hi all just a quick update ,we went and brought a smaller crate yesrterday and other than when i woke her to go out she was like an angel all night.

foreign_correspondent

that is good news!!

mumhug

Hi all things are going really well. We had the odd toliet accident and we are working on biting, but all in all Izzy is wonderful. The kids adore her but have learned not to pull her around and how to play with her properly.

She had her second lot of jabs last week so we are now thinking about walkies.
She is used to both the collar and lead as we take her in the garden on the lead for the toilet. What i am wondering about is do i need to start off with very short walks and build it up or does it not matter?

Rosie75

Only very short walks to start with (the rule of thumb is five minutes for every month of the puppy's age, so if she's three months old that 15 minutes max). Overexercising a pup can lead to serious joint problems such as hip dysplasia.