Help! First Night Horror, 8wk puppy whining

[mrs1885]

Wow. It made me sleepy! As a matter of fact the 3 week old kitten I am bottle feeding and had to bring to work is quiet now. Hmmm..... Between the kitten and Rox and Candy we aren't getting much sleep. I think I may be investing.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Anne

Well I guess for the rest of his life he will associate shhh with a bad experience so I hope he doesn't turn into a barker for you.

Personally I don't believe in corrections such as this for baby puppies. He is crying because he is alone and missing his mother and litter mates. Poor little pupper. He is looking for comfort and what he gets instead is a squirt of water.

Squirting water only gives the pup attention, albeit, bad attention - it's attention just the same. Water guns are great for getting cats off the kitchen counter, they are not on the top of my list of good training tools for dogs.

The only way to extinguish these crate 'tantrums' is to IGNORE THEM. Barking is a very self rewarding behavior. If the pup even perceives he is getting attention (you might just be walking toward the crate with no intention of even dealing with the pup) the barking will continue.

Sometimes it helps to cover the crate with a sheet, so the stimuli around him isn't so exciting. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation, and it's not too hot (summer's coming).

It may sound 'harsh' to ignore an upset pup - however, the alternative will lead to many, many hours of listening to an adult dog bitch, whine and moan.

A pup who is being crate trained (or trained to be confined in any way) must simply learn to deal with it. The sooner the human understands this, the easier it is for the pup to understand this.