Wednesday, January 10, 2007
What the HELL did I do?
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my puppy, but he is driving me crazy!
I knew that house-breaking wouldn't be an over-night thing and I was/am ready for it. What I didn't consider was the severe separation anxiety that he has. He is terried of me leaving his sight for even a minute and it is about to get on my last nerve.
He is crated during the day since he isn't housebroken yet. I hate leaving him in there so long, but I don't really have a choice. I am sure that he cries and whines most of the day since I know that he does it when I put him on the porch, confine him to the kitchen, or in the crate for even a few minutes. But what am I to do? I can't leave him loose in the house or he will never be house-broken. He doesn't mess in the crate, so I don't think that it will take a considerable amount for him to get the point. After I know I can trust him I will let him loose in the kitchen while we are gone. But until then....
The thing that is driving me absolutely freakin mad is that he cries and whines all night long. I am telling you, this dog has become so attached to me that he can't stand to not be by my side all the time. I love that he loves me and he is such a sweetie pie but enough already. For 3 nights I was up every hour telling him "no" and "hush". Anything and everything that I can think of short of throwing him outside. Last night I broke down and moved the crate into our bedroom at 1 am. I didn't really want to do that, but it was either do that or go absolutely loopy!
He did better and only whined a little bit and then slept until 5 am when AlphaMale woke to for work. I have been getting up at 5:30 to take him out (but of course most times he won't want to go until about 15 minutes later after I am freezing my ass off!). So I guess that is what we will be doing from now on. And no, I will not be letting him sleep with me in the bed. 1) AM won't allow it and 2) from everything I have read that doesn't really help the situation. I don't really mind that he sleeps in there except that his crate is big as hell, but I guess it is a small price to pay for sleep right?
But now AM is mad at me. See at 1 am I was sick and tired of being woke up and having to fuss at the dog. I tried to ignore him, but when he gets so loud that he is literally shaking the house something has to be done. Earlier I cleared a spot so that I could move him in there if I needed to and I thought that AM understood where I was putting him. Evidently, in his sleep induced stupor he didn't remember and I got really snippy with him (I'm really sorry about that by the way). Lack of sleep makes me a very NOT nice person. I was told that I had until Friday to find him a home. We had an "understanding" that this dog was not going to make me a raving bitch or I couldn't keep him. I didn't mean to snap. It's amazing what a few hours of sleep can do to a persons attitude.
So hopefully I can keep Bart, find a way to make AM happy, and stop the crazy dog from freaking out on me all the time. And tomorrow he gets the snippy snip so he should be in a realy good mood. Maybe I will ask for some doggy prozac or valium while I am there :)
Ever had a dog like this? What did you do?
I knew that house-breaking wouldn't be an over-night thing and I was/am ready for it. What I didn't consider was the severe separation anxiety that he has. He is terried of me leaving his sight for even a minute and it is about to get on my last nerve.
He is crated during the day since he isn't housebroken yet. I hate leaving him in there so long, but I don't really have a choice. I am sure that he cries and whines most of the day since I know that he does it when I put him on the porch, confine him to the kitchen, or in the crate for even a few minutes. But what am I to do? I can't leave him loose in the house or he will never be house-broken. He doesn't mess in the crate, so I don't think that it will take a considerable amount for him to get the point. After I know I can trust him I will let him loose in the kitchen while we are gone. But until then....
The thing that is driving me absolutely freakin mad is that he cries and whines all night long. I am telling you, this dog has become so attached to me that he can't stand to not be by my side all the time. I love that he loves me and he is such a sweetie pie but enough already. For 3 nights I was up every hour telling him "no" and "hush". Anything and everything that I can think of short of throwing him outside. Last night I broke down and moved the crate into our bedroom at 1 am. I didn't really want to do that, but it was either do that or go absolutely loopy!
He did better and only whined a little bit and then slept until 5 am when AlphaMale woke to for work. I have been getting up at 5:30 to take him out (but of course most times he won't want to go until about 15 minutes later after I am freezing my ass off!). So I guess that is what we will be doing from now on. And no, I will not be letting him sleep with me in the bed. 1) AM won't allow it and 2) from everything I have read that doesn't really help the situation. I don't really mind that he sleeps in there except that his crate is big as hell, but I guess it is a small price to pay for sleep right?
But now AM is mad at me. See at 1 am I was sick and tired of being woke up and having to fuss at the dog. I tried to ignore him, but when he gets so loud that he is literally shaking the house something has to be done. Earlier I cleared a spot so that I could move him in there if I needed to and I thought that AM understood where I was putting him. Evidently, in his sleep induced stupor he didn't remember and I got really snippy with him (I'm really sorry about that by the way). Lack of sleep makes me a very NOT nice person. I was told that I had until Friday to find him a home. We had an "understanding" that this dog was not going to make me a raving bitch or I couldn't keep him. I didn't mean to snap. It's amazing what a few hours of sleep can do to a persons attitude.
So hopefully I can keep Bart, find a way to make AM happy, and stop the crazy dog from freaking out on me all the time. And tomorrow he gets the snippy snip so he should be in a realy good mood. Maybe I will ask for some doggy prozac or valium while I am there :)
Ever had a dog like this? What did you do?
2 Comments:
You are right to keep the dog in the crate - the crate is his "home" and eventually he will feel safe and happy in it.
Here is how I handled a dog very similar to this:
Crated him during the day but I came home at lunch until it was 6 months old, they really can't go more than 4 to 5 hours without going out at this age so one of you should come home to let him out or pay a neighborhood person to come over and let him out.
Let him out frequently at night not just to pee but to play heavily that way they will be absolutely exhausted at the end of the night. Tennis balls come in real handy here - we lived by them. Throw them far and throw them frequently, lol.
At night you absolutely should keep him in the crate, but not in your room. If you leave it in your room he will never want to leave - consider him like your child, if you let your child sleep in your bed every night then eventually when you try to put him back you will spend weeks listening to tears, screams, and lack of sleep because they want to be in your room. So, keep the dog where the crate is going to be indefinately. If you have a room where the door shuts all the better
Put something in the crate with him. again, just like a child he may need "comforting". It could be his favorite toy, or whatever (no rawhide bones or anything he can choke on). You should definately have a blanket for him at first because it helps him feel warmer, and therfore he can sleep better.
Instead of using the words "hush" you need to project that you are the boss. The word "QUIET" said in a very stern but loud tone is perfect in this situation. No screaming, just project your tone.
There is no changing that he is a puppy, and it is just going to happen, this is part of raising a puppy. So, don't give up and try to find another home, you sort of took on this responsibility without maybe not knowing that this is what the puppy does until they feel safe and secure and bond with you. It isn't necessarily anything you are or aren't doing, the puppy is just nervous and the more time passes the more they will settle down.
Show lots of love and bonding, and also get him to obedience class quickly, lol.
Hope this helps!
He's freaking adorable! Our dogs took a full year to be completely housetrained. You can expect that or even a little more, and also occasional accidents for a while (their bladder's mature around 2-2.5 years)
It's like having a new baby!
We have one who had/has sep. anxiety too. It sucks. Lots of snuggles, just like with a baby. Peekaboo type games (out the front door) so he knows you're coming back etc. do some good.
Books by Harvey ?? and Cesar M?? are good.
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