Please Help with Puppy Behavior

[Dbaum]

Alot of people here have no tact. They are dog people. And as much as they sound like jerks most of them mean well. I know you love your puppy and want the best. Keep at it. Consider private training. If you amortize the cost over the dogs life (which could be extended if he is trained) it is not that expensive. But please note that a trainer is not magic. You will find that the dog learns his commands in a couple of weeks but it will take you alot longer...everthing the trianer teaches the dog is stuff that the pup would do in a pack...teaching you about dog psych and how to correct properly and train and nutrition etc... is alot.

Anyway....I have a little tip on potty training. Crate your dog overnight, preferably in your bedroom. Yes he will whine but he will stop. You can also try covering his cage with a light blanket. If he whines then bang on the top of the SMALL, DEN SIZED crate (there shoul dbe enough room for himn to lay down and turn around) and say NO. Tehn when he is quiet for 5 seconds or so, praise him profusely like he just discovered the solution to world peace. Praise him for being quiet. Not for whining.

After after he wakes (or if he wakes in the middle of the night with a different kind of whine..quieter..do the following), give him ICE COLD water (which will have to make him go pee) and immeiately take him outside. When he pees (he will pee cause of the cold water), again treat him like Benjamin Franklin discivered electricity. Thus he is crate trained.

Also, get in the habit of feeding him in his crate. Throw treats in there occasionally.

Tell your husband that the dog will like and respect being taught how to fit into your, "pack." As it stands now, he is confused because since there is no clear leader he feels he has to take it upon himself to organize and protect the pack. And he has no clue...It is very unsettling and nerveracking for him.

[kisstina272]

First of all thanx to everyone for your advice. I am looking in to private traing and I have started using the crate more alot more. My husband doesn't like the crate cause he feels bad when he's in there whining. I'm working on him to. We can't keep the crate in our room cause we have a baby too. Yesterday i took special time for just us and I think I will do the same thing from now on. I know that he is not stupid he is very smart that is why he does what he does. Everyone has given great advice and I almost feel like were starting over. I readthe potty traing and thanx. Now I don't feel as hopeless. time to take puppie out.

[moondog]

Good for you. There's no shame in backing up a step or two when things start to go awry...that is actually the smart thing to do.

Any reason why you want a private trainer instead of a group class? The exposure to and learning self-control in a group setting is an important part of his education for socialization purposes. If that makes you uneasy, have a private trainer get you started, but then make sure to get him into group classes, too.

Good luck!

[dikawi]

Hi kisstina272
Emma hated her crate in the beginning too.She would whine and just carry on...
Now she goes in there by herself when she wants to nap.Good luck with him

[fostermom]

There are probably threads on how to crate train your pup that you can check but just one thought here: If the pup is food motivated, perhaps when it's time to crate, lure the pup over with a treat and give it to him when he goes into the crate... my guy had to be dragged over to his crate until I started doing that...now he happily goes in. Maybe start feeding him in his crate...leave an undestructable toy in there for him so that he starts associating the crate with good things.

[kisstina272]

Should we put something in there to like a blanket or pillow or something? I'm worried if we put his pillow in there he go to the bathroom on it. Or should we get him used to the crate first? Thanx u guyz!

[sarahd]

My dog hated her crate at first (crate training at over a year old was interesting to say the least) but once I put a blanket in there and made it all snuggly and compfy she liked it WAY better! My dog hates laying down on anything that is not soft and plush. She will even drag her blanket out of her crate to lay on in the living room so she can be closer to me! I would put a blanket (easily washable one) in there, make sure there is not too much room for him to be able to pee in a corner and still get away from it, and just start him off for 5 minute stretches in there...work your way up. ALWAYS make it a good experience...treats, praise, special crate only toys. Before you know it you will say "bed" or "in" or whatever your command is and your pup will go in no questions asked (and no whining!). But as someone said, don't take him out when he is showing off to try and get out...let him calm down then come out. Kongs with peanut butter or yogurt or other yummies stuffed inside are a good motivator to get them inside and liking it.

Do a search on here and you will see there is a ton of suggestions! Good luck!

[Sargeant_C]

I used to shove some stuffed animals in the back of the crate.. this would make the crate smaller and it gave Sarge something to lay on. Well when he dug them out.
Throw in some chew toys and plug your ears to the whining. Soon pup will learn to enjoy his crate. Trust me you do not want a dog to hate the crate. I went through that with my lab and had to pull There is a new sherriff in town on him after weeks of dealing with his whiny butt. Maybe try a kong or a bone or whatever puppy likes to play with.

[dikawi]

I bought two soft baby blankets.I put one in her crate and exchange them every few days.She also has a stuffed animal in there.I would not put a pillow in there yet-he might chew it up

[fostermom]

There was a n entire blanket...after major surgery he was ok, but guess that spooked me about what I put into a crate. A (washable) blanket would be fine as long as you pay attention to whether he's chewing on it or not. Stuffed toys would be fine as long as he doesn't chew them but my guess is he will. Someone here mentioned using a heavy plastic mat. A kong or one of those indestructable bones you can buy at the pet store (don't know what they do to them but my guys have been working on them for months and hardly made a dent in them)....give him a treat for going in too. Good luck.

[fischtail]

...and then one day you realize there hasn't been an accident in the house in a week and you just can't believe it! That happened to me this morning and I just wanted to cry with joy. I know it's just torture when you feel like all you're doing is cleaning up after them. But if you take these people's advice (I do...even when it's not administered "gently") then you can make it happen. Puppies are not malicious ... they just don't know what you want. When they know they really do want to please you. GOOD LUCK! (And don't listen to your husband. Without a crate it will take twice as long and be twice as hard).

[fischtail]

Oh, and I don't put a blanket or any other soft chewy object in the crate. Anything soft she just rips to shreds. Maniac.

Brought home a soft toy from Target this weekend (husband kept saying she might enjoy a soft toy) and it took her less than 15 minutes to have the stuffing out. Lucily it was cheap. Sheesh.

I kind of feel bad about her sleeping on the hard crate floor but it's not worth me worrying all day if she's eating a pad or blanket and choking to death.

Just my 2 cents.

[braxtonryder]

in the crate, puppie should have just enough room to stand up and turn around..thus not providing enough room to potty and lay down. when you put him in he is gonna whine something heart-wrenching but don't cave in cause he it will be harder to break when he knows that is his ticket out. he will eventually stop whinning (by the way don't speak to him at all when you are doing this). when he stops whinnig, even for 5 seconds, give him alot of praise and let him out of the crate. do this with him until he can stay in there 5 minutes, and every now and then leave him in for only 30 seconds or so and let him out. this way each time he goes in he doesn't think he will be in there for a long time. make the crate a happy place. don't punish him for doing something wrong by putting him in his crate. you want that to be his safe place and it will, i promise. my boy is now 6 months and he did exactly what puppy is doing now. i didn;t think he would ever walk in on his own, and now he does. sometimes i open the door and he just looks up at me like, i am chillin in my room and not coming out yet dad. not a whine all night long....well most of the time anyway. good luck and try not to get discouraged. when you see the progress, as little as it may be it will al be worth it.