Please help me not hate my dog!!!!

[Anonymous]

He may wake up to bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this is my future, complete with the three year old who LOVES coming into our room at night! Our standard poodle is only 9 weeks (we just got her yesterday) and obviously we are very early into crate-training, potty training, all the training. She's quite content to be in the same room as us, but she whines and barks a lot in the crate and her pen. If we leave the house she settles in the crate okay, but if she knows we're here she whimpers and barks. We are also going to try to keep her only on the main level and not let her upstairs in bedrooms or in basement where all the kid toys live. I know I need to stay consistent for this long road ahead of us, but it's really daunting.

Obviously she wouldn’t be unsupervised but I’m curious as to why you don’t want her on any other level of your home. When ours was a puppy we had crates on different levels. So at night she was in her crate in our bedroom. She felt near us and we could hear her if she needed to go to the bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really sympathetic and not opposed to bark collars, but not for a six month old puppy getting left behind downstairs. Your expectations are unreasonable. Not unreasonable for life! If that’s what you need, rehome the dog.

Otherwise for bedtime I would do a short leash attached to your waistband and just let the kids adjust. Or a baby gate across the door in your room, and the dog stays in there. Being able to see and hear you all may be enough.

For the night, I don’t really think it’s reasonable to ask the dog to sleep alone and perhaps more importantly, there’s nothing you can do about the barking from upstairs. I’d put the crate in your room. Do a pee just before you go yo sleep and if there’s any noise before 6, shake a can of pennies or a quick spray from a spray bottle. No positive attention for barking and absolutely don’t get up.

+1

It's not reasonable to expect a puppy to sleep alone.

OP, why on earth did you get a puppy if you have a 3yo?

[Anonymous]

why isnt the crate on the bedroom level? She needs some activity before bedtime.

[Anonymous]

I was about to post what do you expect it’s a doodle, and then I saw that you have no idea how to care for and love a dog.

[Anonymous]

Our dog is in a crate on the main level and we sleep upstairs. It has never been a problem. She goes in whenever we go to bed. So usually 10/10:30 PM and then we let her out when we are up. Usually around 7:30 but she will stay in there until 9 AM if we sleep in. She’s a medium pure breed. I would consult with a trainer but it sounds like your dog needs a bark collar for their attention seeking behavior. Since it is a poodle mix, it should catch on pretty quickly…

[Anonymous]

Hire a trainer, this likely goes beyond this singular issue.

[Anonymous]

What if you teach him to sleep in a crate in the 3 year old’s room? Maybe the 3 year old will stay put at night? Our dog heads upstairs around 9 and waits for us at the top of the stairs for us to go to Bed so she can go to her crate in DS’s room and get her treat. She’s older, though, of course.

[Anonymous]

I don’t believe in crating dogs, just like I don’t believe in CIO. Just because we in the developed world do things for our own convenience doesn’t make them right.
You should have never gotten a dog with 3 young kids imo. Involve your dog in your life. It’s cruel to train someone to like their prison cell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t believe in crating dogs, just like I don’t believe in CIO. Just because we in the developed world do things for our own convenience doesn’t make them right.
You should have never gotten a dog with 3 young kids imo. Involve your dog in your life. It’s cruel to train someone to like their prison cell.

Crates keep dogs safe. My brother's former wife insisted on no crate for their puppy. The puppy ingested something in their bedroom in the middle of the night and it choked to death.

[Anonymous]

If you’re in DC, tell me your neighborhood and I’ll give you a list of trainers

[Anonymous]

You need to wear the dog out; it will sleep and learn to STFU.

[Anonymous]

Dogs that go to sleep earlier get up later. Just like kids

[Anonymous]

Welcome to having a puppy. And a dog. Barking is how they communicate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Bark collar. DCUM is passionately against them, but they are NOT cruel - they will save your sanity and your dog's sanity. It's not fun for him either, to bark endlessly! This is anxiety barking, not barking to communicate "beware, stranger at the door" or "I just saw my friend, I'm so excited". This is repetitive anxious barking that is really bad for dogs.

Always test the collar on yourself first, to see how mild the electric shock is. Try it at the lowest setting first. It took my dog TWO barks to understand he wasn't supposed to bark. He received plenty of praise and treats when he stopped barking. I've never used the collar since, and it's been so many years, I don't even know where it is!

Don't kill yourself with sleep deprivation for some unreasonable "shocks are cruel" principle. Dogs don't learn the same way we do, especially for anxiety barking. The collar will save your life.

This is a lazy copout. It's a baby!!! You're asking too much of him. And yes, "shocks" are cruel esp for a baby.

Leaving him alone so much is why he's barking. Dogs are pack animals. The crate should be in your bedroom. And there is no reason the dog cannot be with you upstairs so long as you're letting him out a lot. And, you should be running him or taking him to the dog park or something.

OP, I say this not to be mean: What did you think you were getting when you got a puppy? They are work. They are babies. Put in the time and work. And quit complaining.