Puppy Problem!?

Question

I am 11. I got a new puppy last Monday, and he is a yorkie. We rescued him from a puppy mill. He is the cutest little thing and the calmest. But if he is left alone, he get soo lonly and he ruins things. Like he chewed on the trimming around the door,he is going to the bathroom on the floor, and my dad is making him stay in his cadge!!!!!!! I am getting soo mad because i feel that my dad is being mean to him but he says "i'm just training him!" In a meanish way!! And my puppy Oliver, grets sooo lonly in his cadge. And i feeel so bad. Like right now he just went to the bathroom on the carpety so my dad stuck him in his cadge! I am soo mad! And now that he is in his cadge,he is crying! I feel soooo bad! I want to take him out sooo bad! And when he is in his cadge at night, he HATES it, because he can't sleep unless he is on the coutch! I still feel soo bad! Is what my dad is doing too mean, or is it normal to train a dog like that? Or is there something else u would like to say? Thanks!

Answer 1

It's not a good idea to use the cage as punishment. You want the pup to think of it as a place of security. You may want to try to put something like an old pillowcase or sweatshirt in the cage so the pup will have something with your scent so he won't feel so lonely in the cage. Once you teach your dog to sleep on the sofa, you will never get him off. I gave my dogs an old comforter, and they love it. Plus it's washable whereas your sofa is not.

Answer 2

I am 11 and i got a new puppy 2 years ago and we crate trained it so it now loves its crate. Wolves in the wild live in dens and crates are sorta like a den. Crates are very natural to your dog if you train it properly. Don't worry about how your feeling because when i crate trained my dog i felt like i was abusing it but when she started to like it i felt better about leaving her.

To crate train a dog:

First buy a good crate that your dog has enough room to stand up( Make sure it is not too big or your dog will sleep on one side and pee on the other)

Next get comfortable blankets or a dog bed to put in the crate

Then take your dog and throw a tasty treat inside the crate and let him take the treat
After doing this a couple times throw a treat in then close the door for 1 or 2 min ONLY
Keep repeating this step and gradually keep increasing the time then when you leave the house he will be comfortable with you leaving because he got a treat when he went in the crate.
Another thing i wanted to say is i read your dog was rescued from a puppy mill these amazing dogs and cats might have been in cages for their whole life and treated poorly that might be why he is afraid of the cage. BE GENTLE. And be patient
About your dad my dad is the same way just try to explain your way of training. Good luck

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with create training your dog! When done right, the dog knows that this is a safe place for him- his own place. Allowing a dog to be destructive will only allow it to worsen! And giving him chew toys is fine, but when you leave, he will then chew on anything he wants because your not there to stop him. Obsessive chewing is also a sign of boredom and loneliness. Just because he's out of his create, doesn't mean he is any less lonely if your not there
However, punishing him by sending him to his create will only create a negative feeling toward the create. Also, the dog is crying because he's trying to get your attention. When you did something bad, and where sent to your room, you probably cried to! It isn't hurting him!
We have a lab mix, and he goes in there every night for bed without a single problem. He will sometimes walk in there on his own to take a nap!
Your dad's doing the right thing. If you don't train the dog, her will train you and that is not where you want to be! Watch the Dog Whisperer. If you don't train him now, you will end up on this show, or loose the dog all together.

Answer 4

I am also 11 and I have a dog, but he is 3 so I know what it is like 2 have a puppy in a cage. I think that if ur dog is chewing on things when ur not there, that u should maybe buy him some chewy toys so he won't chew on other things. I think that ur dad should just put ur puppy in his cage 4 the 1st time he does something bad b/c he mite learn a lesson from it and not do tht again. Giving ur dog lots of attention will help in some things, but most puppies normally pee on the floor and don't get potty trained until an older age. I think tht ur dad isn't being 2 mean, but tht he could put ur puppy in his cage a little less. Also, 2 help stop making him wet ur carpet, try getting a chaing thing tht is really long, if u have a tree in ur backyard, tie it 2 tht and then hook ur dog up 2 it, thts my family does 4 our dog and he doesnt mind it. Try Petsmart 2 get the chain thing.

Answer 5

Crate training is a good way to train a dog.
If you are worried about the amount of time that the puppy is spending in the crate make more of your time available to spend with and supervise the puppy.
You need to stop thinking of it as punishing for the dog and think of it as the dog having a safe place were he can have its own toys.
The best dog trainers use crates as a way to keep puppies safe when they can not be 100% watched. The puppy should only be out of its crate in the house when it has just gone to the bathroom and is being watched to make sure that is is not getting into things that would be bad to have destroyed or that could hurt the puppy.
I have know too many puppies that were not trained right and ended up being set to a pound for bad behaviors that their owners could have stopped when they were young.
Look up crate training on the web and then talk with your father about haw to best use it in your home.

Answer 6

Putting the puppy in the crate to punish it for accidents is NOT crate training it. You have to take the pup out every hour and after it wakes up, eats or drinks and then when it "goes" outside, PRAISE IT and give it a treat. Only positive reinforcement should be used with young puppies, if you scold a puppy for going to the bathroom in the house, it will become afraid to go to the bathroom and start hiding to do it and you will never have a housebroken dog. Puppies do not have the muscle control to hold their functions until they are AT LEAST 16 weeks old. A puppy mill puppy, (regardless of age), has probably been kept in a cage all it's life and now must be taught (with kindness, patience and postitive reinforcement) how to live in a house. Ignore the accidents and PRAISE when the pup makes outside and eventually your puppy will "get it".
Please show this to your dad.

Answer 7

Hi there,

Puppies are born in a litter and are used to having their litter mates close by, they snuggle up to them when they sleep and they play when they want to.

When a puppy comes to a new home, it doesn't have any litter mates so you have to become to Leader, play with the puppy, socialise the puppy & train the puppy so it becomes an emotionaly stable and well behaved canine citizen.

If you puppy came from a puppy mill it would have been forced to eat, sleep & toilet in the same area - this is a very bad thing for a dog as they do not like to toilet where they eat and sleep.

Puppy will need time and patience to learn where it is appropriate to toilet. Puppies also do not have fully developed bladders, just like babies they don't have the control to be able to hold their bladders and bowels, so they will just go when they need to. You have a small dog so your family will need to understand the the puppy wil probably not be reliably toilet trained until it is 4-6 months of age.

As its' new family, it's your job to take puppy out to the toilet everytime it wakes up, after meals and after playing. Never let puppy out of your sight and watch for the signs the puppy is about to go to the toilet.

Dogs are also pack animals, they need to be close to their pack - your family is now the dogs pack. Of course the puppy will need to learn some independence however this is done gradually over the course of a month of two by ensuring that outside is a fun place to be and leaving the puppy for 5 minutes and then build it up to longer. If the puppy knows you're inside the house it will be upset....wouldn't you be upset if someone locked you out and you knew they were home?

Crate training is a great tool for toilet training. However that does not mean you just put the puppy in there, the crate must be a positive place before you close the door, that means the puppy eats its' meals in the crate, you give treats in the crate etc.

Everytime the puppy falls asleep you pop it in its' crate. A puppy will generally cry after it wakes up in the crate because it will want to go to the toilet and it will not want to toilet in the crate as that is its' bed. It is a very bad thing for the puppy to be forced to toilet in the crate as this sends the wrong message to the puppy.

The puppy will cry/scream whilst it is getting used to the crate and/or being outside, you must ignore these cries, I know it is very hard.

Most important with puppies is not to just tell them off when they have done something that dis-pleases you but to always try and catch them doing something good and praise them.

With puppies, every verbal repremand must be followed by praise. I.e. I catch puppy chewing something it shouldn't then what I do is give a Firm No to the puppy and give it something it is allowed to chew, once it starts chewing/playing with the item I have given I praise the dog.

To help puppy settle in it's crate, place a hot water bottle with a cover on there. The puppy is used to sleeping with its' litter mates which are warm.

Answer 8

Crate training is not mean or cruel it is a great way to keep your pup safe when you can't be with him. When the pup has an accident on the floor do not put him in the crate take him outside and say go potty-when you put him in the crate like that he will associate it with being a bad place. You will have to put up with his crying for a week or so until he gets the idea that he will not bein there forever. The more attention you give him and the more times you take him out the longer training him Will take. Leave the crate door open during the times he is allowed out of it and encourage him to go in it by throwing some kibble and his toy in it and have him go get it. Praise him when he goes in it by himself. He is not being lonely to the point you are thinking-he wants to be by his pack but until he is trained to know that pottying in the house and chewing things that aren't his toys he should be crated when you are not around. You need to work on his potty training and basic commands now or you will have more problems later on.

Answer 9

You know its always hard the first few weeks of crate training, trust me, on this. But it is vital, your dad is doing your dog a favor...put it this way, right now he's a puppy who' being potty trained, right? Well, would you rather him whine and cry until he's used to the crate? Or see him go back to another shelter some time down the road for not being potty trained, and destroying the house?

It is sad to hear your pup crying, but it is better for him, and he will get used to the crate, if you wish to keep your pup forever he needs to be trained.

Teaching your puppy to sleep in his crate will give him confidence to be alone, as well as assure you he will not be packed off to a shelter for destroying one too many thing when your sleeping or away.

As for the putting him in the crate when he pees on the floor? That is also a good thing, out teaches the puppy that peeing is naughty, you must potty outside not on the floor...its like time out for a child, you only crate the puppy for a few minutes...but DO NOT take the pup out of the crate if he is making noise...its hard, and it seems cruel, but in the end it is even more cruel not to do all of those things.

Answer 10

When your dog messes in the house, take him to the area, scold him with a Firm command ( NO or BAD ) and take him outside. You will need to keep an eye on him when he's in the house for signs of him needing to go and Immediately, put him out.
Your father has the right mind in putting him in the cage, but would help in training purposes to place treats in his cage and never throw him in and lock it. It will be harder on everyone if the dog is not " happy ' with his New home.
At night, if your dog sleeps in his cage, put a treat in it, and maybe a favorite toy and / or blanket ( I use a small old towel ).
Because he is a Puppy, you will need to have patience. Puppies don't know any better and do need to be trained.
I'm sure your father is not being mean, but, it just sounds like it to you. This ' training ' process, will take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Depending on how your puppy learns.
Just be patient with your dad, and just love Oliver. I would push the idea of Not interfering in the training process. You don't want Oliver to get mixed ideas. Keep it plain and simple. Their attention span is very short.

I hope the best for Oliver and his training, Your dad with patience in training him and for you. Soon you will have a good pup who will learn to go outside and to not chew on household items.

Answer 11

It is normal to crate train a puppy you may want to go to the library and check out a puppy training book. The other thing to do is get a small crate to start and a little blanket for the puppy to sleep on. What I did with my golden retriever many years ago is to start with a small crate and then work my way up to the next one you could use a large one but have your dad make something that the puppy will not destroy to give the puppy only room to lay down. Puppies do not like to lay in the potty.