New Puppy Questions

[galaxy]

I picked up my new German Shorthaired Pointer puppy Wednesday. He's called Harley and is 9 weeks old tomorrow.

He's settling in really well, but I have a couple of questions I was hoping people with years of experience may be able to help me with.

He has a fairly sensitive nature. He's not shy, but he's not boistorous either. He is a very vocal pup. Not really barking as such, but wimpers and cries easily.

The 1st thing I'm hoping people might be able to help with is when he's in the garden doing his business. He's getting really good with the toilet training, I so pleased. But the weather is pretty rubbish and the garden is quite wet and he has to walk through a puddle to the lawn. I keep him on a lead because the bottom of my graden is just mud. The porblem I'm having is that he vocally makes a lot of noise when he's out there. He knows when we take him out he is expected to go, which he quickly does, but we've learnt from experience that he ofetn isn't competely done and needs to wait a bit longer. When we don't let him straight back in he makes an absolute racket, especially in the night! I don't really want to upset my neighbours, and I don't want it to turn into barking when he's older. I just usually talk to him and try and wait for him to go quiet before we go back in. But in the night that is hard as I feel giulty!

It's a similar problem I have in the crate. I try to only put him in there when he's sleepy, but sometimes he's not sleepy enough, he has a strop at being put in there and creates. He just cries and whines. Usually he cries himself to sleep, but sometimes he wakes himself up. I try to wait until he's stopped before letting him out. How long should he be quiet for? Any tips? I've tried putting food / toys in there but he's not very interested.

My last question is feeding time. I try to have him so he's not too energetic, not too sleepy (he does sleep a lot!), and been to the toilet. But he doesn't "settle" and eat really. He grabs a mouthful and then runs off with it. I've tried sitting on a chair near his food, which helps a bit... He's on 3 meals a day. He won't eat it in his crate, he just cries.

I think that's all my questions. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Well, first of all, he is still a tiny baby and you have only had him a few days, so don't start panicing, you have a ways to go yet!

When you are talking to him, please remember to keep calm, low and convincing NOOOOO. STOOOP. Ah-Ah.
Try and distract him with a treat - if he squeals, NO when he is quiet, reward.
Don't go 'shht! stoppit! eak! argh!' in an excited manner as this will wind him up further.

Cayla is the expert on crating and housetraining!

 

[BigRed]

I think you need to remember this is a very young puppy. Puppies do cry. You have taken him from his mum and litter and he will miss their company and their warmth. Toilet training takes a while. Standing in a cold, dark, wet and muddy garden and expecting him not to cry is pretty harsh. Dogs empty themselves much faster if you take them for a short walk, I know he has not had his jabs, but is there no where you can do this ?

Crates are a very good way to help train puppies and keep them safe, but it is not supposed to be a punishment zone. Although I would always leave him with water in the crate, I would not shut him there at feeding times. I suspect he thinks I'll grab some food and run before she locks me in here again...

And 9 week old puppies are like small babies, they do sleep, a real lot. In between sleeping, if he is healthy, he should be playing and running around, before the batteries run out again.

I think you could do with buying a book on puppies and crate training.

 

[CAYLA]

I can give a few tips to ad to the ones you have already......but I will do it later fro work when all quiet as just shovelling down my tea ready to go to work

 

[galaxy]

I have got several books on puppies which have been well read. I have read and spoken to people about crate training and they often suggest feeding your puppy in it. I have done this only with the door open and he neverstayed in there and kept dashing in and out, which is why I now feed him out of the crate as he seems to like this more. I've tried to put chews and a Kong and other toys in there with him when he's asleep so he could wake up and not be upset, but he just ignores them and cries. He loves these toys, chews etc outside the crate. He has NEVER been shut in there as a punishment. I have only put him in there when he seems tired and sleepy, which is what I originally said. But with crate training I have been told never to let them out while they are crying, unless you expect they are desperate for the toilet.

I am not expecting quick results. I'm not expecting him not to cry really. I was only asking people if they had found techniques that helped. Books only tell you so much.

Was hoping for tips really.

 

[galaxy]

Thanks Cayla! They will be most appreciated!

 

[CAYLA]

Hi, sorry I could not get on last night, it was busy and I began to feel ill so went to the duty room early

With the crate you need to make a routine and place pups in there ore than jsut when she is jsut sleepy, otherwise she is going to think it's ok to be attactced to you all the time, I used to do thing like feed, playtime in crate, let out no fuss or greeting esp when u come in from being out straight to garden, and all the releases from the crate are basis for the toilet training routine, then maybe some time out with me spent no dount following around and a play then crate, so literaly out a few hours then in a few hours, this is the best time to get her used to her crate, as the whinges and cries will be horrendos if u give in then need to re-introduce one when she is older due to seperation problems or destrucyion.
Also get a travel crate for the car, so again se can assosiate going places in the crate as a positive.

Variate the meals if u only have her on one.....this is why even though there is little nutritional value in weetabix or need for scrambled egg I do still feed them as it variates, as puppies sharp get sick of the same 3-4 meals per day and will have less enthusiast to eat, also she is away from her siblings to less rivalry to eat it all, unless she begins to loose weight I would not worry offer her less in a meal, then add if u need to rather than offer to much for her to leave half.
I always feed in the crate, if it's not eaten so be it, the next meal prob will.
Try to get her used to being in the crate at frequent intervals during the day as this i the time less likely to nark the neighbours when she does whinge and as u suggest leave her when she does and get on with your housework or what ever u need to do...............usually the more time u let the puppy be with u and the less u create a crate routine the worse the protest will be when she is placed in there.
try not to molly cuddle her on the chairs, spend time on the floor with her playing and tiring her out, and doing more active things than jsut cuddling or carrig or sitting with her on your knee all of this can lead to seperation issues.
Def make a routine, times she is out meal times, playtime, you and her time, crate time and toilet breaks, always make it priority to release her from the crate for the toilet, for now carry her out, dont let her make her own way that will come later.
I would then usually esp if trying to get ready and it's morning place her back in with breakfast and then play for a while and when she tires back in for a sleep.


Make the crate comfy, and as small as u can get away with alot of people buy a crate that will last them when they get bigger but for a little puppy this is pretty daunting and offers less security than a smaller crate, that can be sold later for a bigger one when needed.
Make sure you have the all important teddy bear sibling to offer security and something to cuddle into to act as a fake sibling, and maybe a wheat heat pad(s.h.p's) are softies they like their warmth and home comforts, a nice comfy old sleeping bag u can wash, and a cover, covering the crate can work wonders to noise reduction and crating more of a den for the puppy to be less distracted by it's sorroundings, also leave the radio on beside the crate.

My Wirehaired Pointer makes a stupid whimpey noise when locked out anh he is 3, he is very clean though and he wees in seconds and then if the door is closed he lets himself back in

Could u create a little pen around a dry area of the garden.....it's obs not ideal having a puppy in the winter as it's crappy for them having to stand in the rain and wet, and obs not to much longer and the pup will be vaxed and u can go for a little walk where pups will be on the move, it' sprob best to keep walking around the garden rather than stand in one stop to try and keep attention off being out and standing in one stop freezing

Feed the last meal early say 6pm to help puppy last through the night.

What kong filling are you using? and treats when in the crate
What is puppys night time routine?
What food and is it the same 3 meals a day?