New puppy - going soo wrong!

[Pugmummy]

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Hi all. We got a pug puppy a couple of weeks ago at 8 weeks. I bought a crate for him to sleep in but things have not worked out well with that. We tried putting him in it and he howls and barks & gets really anxious. Now he won't go in it at all.

I have 2 older dogs that I take out twice a day & need a way of containing him so I bought a puppy pen & put the crate inside it. I have used the pen a few times & put his toys & a kong in it with him but I can hear him outside he makes so much noise & has usually poo'd when I get back. I wait until he is quiet before letting him out but when I do he is shaking

Now for sleeping arrangements. He is sleeping with myself or my daughter in our beds at the moment, which is not ideal because I don't sleep well. The problem is that he won't settle on his own. 90 % of the time he falls asleep on one of us but I realise this is probably our fault. As soon as he falls asleep on me I put him down in the hope that he will get used to sleeping without one of us. Most nights he sleeps on me. I have tried heating a wheat bag as a substitute but it hasn't worked.

During the day it's difficult because he annoys the older dogs & I work from home on the phone so having barking & growling dogs in the background is not great. I know if I put him in the pen he will make even more noise.

So I need help on getting him out of the habit of sleeping with us & into his crate & being happy in the pen for short periods to give the other dogs a break.

Don't worry about being brutal, I know we have gone about the first two weeks badly but I want to make positive changes before it is too late.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gypsysmum]

I think you need to build his confidence in the crate. Could you borrow a different one for a while to bring in the idea of a fabulous new toy to him? If he had treats in there and ate his dinner in there he might be calmer about being left for short periods. Build up from a few seconds to a minute etc. Always organise it so that he comes out before he gets upset. Stuffed Kongs are good for distracting them.

Warmth is a good thing. You can buy whelping box heat pads. They have an armoured cable for safety.

Once he is happier in the crate he could be settled by your bed or by your work station with a stuffed Kong or two. Once that is achieved you will be able to, gradually, wean him further and further from your bed until he sleeps with the other dogs.

All dog training is about ignoring the bad behaviour, organising some good behaviour so that you can reward it with attention. To this end you need to be very vigilant for when he is settled and relaxed and give him attention. It is so easy to sigh a huge sigh and leave them alone, when they are good, only to have to give attention to the naughty dog five minutes later. This builds up a cycle of naughty dog gets attention while good dog gets ignored. It should, of course, be the opposite.

 

[Pugmummy]

I decided to bit the bullet a couple of nights ago & brought the crate upstairs. I put it on my bed, put his bed in it & a puppy pad. I put some treats in it & put him in it. I stayed where he could see me & he cried for around 40 minutes. I praised him when he was quiet & eventually he went to sleep. He woke a couple of times in the night but settled after a few minutes.

Last night I put a carrot in the crate & he spent ages chewing it & chasing it about. Had a little cry & went to sleep. Nothing during the night, slept right through. I have just put him in for a nap & was fine.

So I now just need to start slowly moving the crate out of my room but I am pleased I staying firm on the first night.

 

[Raven oaktree]

sounds like a fab result..well done try putting the crate on the floor beside you bed when you feel he is ready, then when he has got used to that start moving it bit by bit to the door..baby steps at his pace..then onto the landing ..with your door open..progress to your door closed..then once he is ok with that try him downstairs x

 

[goldenbear2013]

Bravo Pugmummy!

You are gritting your teeth and going for it! Best way I say!

When he gets outside of the bedroom door, make sure there is a small light on, like a light in another room or a night light so there is some sense of security.

Plus dogs see better in dimmer light so he will be able to see that you haven't left him. But by that point he should be a lot more settled.

And in my book once crate trained, always crate trained. No changing his routine. if that's where he sleeps then that's where he sleeps; always.

Mine is 2 in a few weeks and he is still in crate when we are out and of a night time and will be probably until the last day we have him as that's all he knows, and change is not always the best thing with dogs, especially when they have gotten used to the routine.

Also a good tip, is to pop a blanket over the top and down the sides of the crate, to make it den like. it will make him feel a little safer and snugger. If he has a favourite teddy then pop that in there with him too. An old t shirt or towel with your scent on is always good as its a smell they know and comforts them when you're not around. Especially handy with a very anxious pup.

Keep it up! I'm routing for you!

Sophie x

 

[excuseme]

goldenbear2013 has beaten me to it !!

Cover the cage with a blanket and make look and feel more like a "private den" he may feel more secure in this alien object "cage". leave the door open at other times so that he can come and go, feed him in it, put a hot water bottle in ( wraped in something it can feel like another moving body to lie beside), maybe put a smaller cardboard box inside that he can snuggle into and tear up if he feels the need!

He must never think it is a place for punishment for naughty puppies, try to keep it a "happy" place.

Good luck !