Puppy day one advice needed...?

Question

Hi..just picked up my dalmatian puppy this morning. He is about 45 days old. Last in the litter to go. He was not very happy for the first few hours..crying and yelping. I though I was gonna have to take him back. He has since become very happy and chirpy. Thing is though, that changes if I am literally out of his sight. He start crying and yelping. I mean literally out of his line of sight. I read all the book and was told crate trainign was a good idea in the first few days. There is no way this boy is going in a crate tonight or being on his ownwithout raising hell. Will he go off to sleep so I can put him in his own space. At the moment I cannot see him sleeping except at my feet. Do I let him sleep with me or what else should I do. i do not mind short term but I really do not want a grown dog in my bed every night.

Hey..thanks you are all great. Update. I have taken a couple of days off to work from home to get through this. When not playing in front of my desk he was sleeping on my feet at my desk in my study. I moved the mattress from the crate put it on the other side of the room and moved him onto it. He took to it fine and went to sleep. I left the room several times. He only grumbled once. He came out to check on me twice and I led him back to the mattress and gave him a treat. Third time I moved the mattress into the crate where he is now fast asleep and does not seem bothered what I do.

Further update: He slept for half an hour and I have actually moved him into the bedroom on a mattress where he has slept for another hour just fine with me in another room. I've been in there a few times and he kinda eyes me and grunts but he is fine. Rationale behind moving him to the bedroom was selfish. I reasoned if he was ok sleeping in a room without me then I can change that room later ( at the moment he has no idea it is my bedroom ) I'd rather have him wake up free to wander around a bedrooom I am in than locked in crate in another room.

Answer 1

Puppies are like babies. They need you! It will not be harmful to either you or the puppy to allow him to sleep with you. He needs to feel secure. He has gone through trauma of being separated from his mom. He needs to bond with you and when he gets older he may not want to sleep with you. I do not agree with crate training. I am English and we do not treat our dogs that way there. If you go out of the room take him with you. Pick him up and give him love. He needs it.
He is not being naughty. He is needy cos he is little. When he gets older he will be like a child. Not a baby anymore but a kid that still needs it's parents. You are his parents.
Help him to feel secure put things that smell of you near him but make sure they are old because he may chew them.
Another benefit of having him sleep with you is that he will not get bored and so won't chew stuff up. Also he won't pee or poo. He will let you know he needs to go.
Dogs are beautiful creatures and wonderful companions. He will love you and stay close if you nurture him now. Be patient, kind and loving.

Answer 2

WHAT EVER YOU DO NOW WILL AFFECT THE DOG FOR THE REST OF ITS LIFE. Talk to a trainer or start reading IMMEDIATELY. You need to start

Even a puppy this small will learn if it yelps and you will come...all it has to do is to yelp when it wants you. Plan on several sleepless nights for the next several weeks. You need to take the dog to potty twice per night. It can only go a few hours at this age. You do not want the dog to go in it's crate.

Let the dog yelp. If you don't give it attention, it will quit yelping. It may take a while, but it will stop. It is hard, but trust me it will pay off.

You got this dog a little too early. 45 days is 6 1/2 weeks. 8 - 10 weeks is optimal for a new puppy. In about 2 - 4 weeks you need to start basic obedience training. If you wait 3 - 6 months it will be MUCH harder. The puppy will learn instinctual things now, and be ready for obedience training in a few weeks.

Dalmatians can be high maintenance, it is VERY important you do proper obedience. It is important with any new dog, but Dalmatians can be more difficult than some other breeds.

Answer 3

There in fact IS a way he's going in a crate tonight, you put him there. You train the dog, not the dog training you. Your will has to be stronger than his.

Read/listen to podcasts on dog training here: http://www.leerburg.com you've got a long way to go and you're already giving in within the first couple hours?

Do not let the dog sleep with you, do not let the dog wander the house freely, do not let the dog on any furniture... you've JUST started, start the right way and be rewarded forever. Be inconsistent and you're going to be a frustrated owner with a confused dog.

PEOPLE PROBLEM, NOT A DOG PROBLEM!! You were going to give the dog back because YOU couldn't handing 2 hours of crying?

If you aren't willing to train your dog (train yourself), then do the dog a favor and return him to the breeder. The breeder should have investigated your puppy rearing skills before adopting a HIGH ENERGY dog into your home.

Dalmations only get more difficult as they become teens, so TRAIN YOUR DOG RIGHT FROM THE START!

Get a crate and learn how to use it - read read read.

Answer 4

This puppy is too young to be away from its mom and unfortunately you and the pup are paying for it. Call the breeder and get something that smells like the mom. Heck, go get a stuffed puppy toy and drop it off for a few hours and have the mom sleep on the thing.

While you are out, go get this book:
Before & After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy & Well-Behaved Dog by Ian Dunbar.

This book will be a huge help to you.

I got my pup at 8 weeks (which is much older than 6 when you think of it proportionately) and he came with a stuffed animal his whole litter had been sleeping with and I put him in a small, borrowed crate a couple of feet away from my bed. He could see me when he went to sleep and I could even drop my hand so he could smell it.

It sounds like as long as your pup can see you he is okay, so make sure he can see you.

My pup got up during the night to go potty for a bit, but the whining meltdowns went away after a few days.

Good luck with the pup. You can do this:)

Answer 5

Have you tried putting an old article of clothing with your smell on it in the crate with him? You could get an old clock that ticks and put it by the crate. (Kind of sounds like his mother's heartbeat). I would also recommend slowly getting him used to the crate. Put aside few hours where you can work with him. Start by opening the crate and putting some toys or treats in it. Let him walk in and out of it. Next, let him go in and close the door. Sit by the crate for about five minutes and then let him out. If he does good, go for ten, fifteen, twenty, then half an hour. Next, do the same thing only leave the room each time. Last, do it where you go outside each time. Also important, never discipline him by putting him in the crate. You want him to always like it. You might even try to feed him one of his meals in the crate. Leave the door open when you're there with treats and toys in it so he can come and go in it. Dogs generally end up liking their crates, it's their den, their safe spot. You just need to go about it the right way. I would also recommend some form of positive training, when he's old enough. Dogs who are trained lesson their chances of going to the pound and it's also a good bonding experience for the both of you.

Answer 6

Okay...your dog has abandonement issues. I've been doing this "dog" thing for a while. I have six right now. I've rescued many aswell. It is very common for rescue dogs to have abandonement issues, so I understand your frustration. Alot of people will tell you to nurture itand let it know that everything is alright, but that's really a bunch of crap. Dog psychology is: do what the pack leader would do. Dogs travel in packs...all packs have a leader. When one dog starts acting like that, the pack leader will usually ignore them. That will let your puppy know that crying and screaming won't get him any attention. This will cause the puppy to change it's attitude and stop eventually...this is not an overnight type of thing usually, but it is the best solution. Since the dog does have abandonement issues, it will stop once it realizes that you are coming back. If you get rid of this dog now, it will only increase in this type of behavior with it's next owner. Trust me, Ive done this one million times. It usually only takes a couple of days. The longest it ever took me was a week...it really just depends on the dog. But, that is the best solution. Don't let the puppy put you in any discomfort(i.e. if you don't want him in the bed than don't let him in). And make sure you don't feel sorry for it...it will sense that and cry harder...

Answer 7

45 days old is VERY early to be taken from his mom. He may have been forced to wean too early. You have to be tough and live through the crying or else he will learn he is the boss. I know its hard, puppies are so cute it is hard to just let them cry, but he'll make it.

As far as crate training with my 6 week old puppy that was not ready to be torn from his family, I slept on the floor next to the kennel the first night, with my hand touching him until he fell asleep. The next night, I just slept next to the kennel. Then, I got further and further away from the kennel each night for about 4 consecutive nights and he was fine. I'm not saying it was the right way to do it, but my husband couldn't live with the all night crying. (Plus it worked.) But, you do have to set the ground rules now that you are the boss, no matter how hard it may seem.

Answer 8

Your puppy is just homesick and will get used to being away from its family in a couple of days. Make sure that you show it a lot of attention and make it feel welcome, play with it and have a good old time. After a bit things will calm down for the pup and be used to you. You are a complete stranger, and you took it away from its mom. How do you think you would feel if it was you? Just give it a few days. Things will get better.

Answer 9

Put the puppy in his kennel about 1-2 hours before you'd like to go to sleep at night and hopefully by that time he's already asleep when your ready to. If you let him sleep with you at night it will just start a bad habbit, and only prolong the process of the puppy sleeping in his own bed.

Answer 10

He is crying because he is a baby. He has been taken away from his mama and his environment. Sure the first several days is going to be crying and yelping---but, he is going to control YOU if you constantly give in and go get him out of the crate. Once he gets in a routine and used to his new life, everything with smooth out. Give it time, be patient....and congratulations on your need baby!