HELP!

[eepuni]

so i finally got my puppy.  Her name is sadie and she's about ten weeks old.  She's adorable and very friendly.  She hardly barks.... that is when i'm around.  I think she's gotten much too attached to me.  I got her exactly a week ago and i think she already thinks of me as her new mom.  I love the fact that she loves me so much and I love her just as much, if not more.  The problem is that I can't ever leave her.  When she's around other people she still goes looking for me but she is still managable.  However, when she's alone completely she goes nuts.  She even poos and pees everywhere.  I've tried crate training and it just doesn't work for her.  I think I'll go crazy if this goes on much longer.  My friend have suggested not giving her as much attention normally so she doesn't become dependent, which i think is a good idea and will start, however I don't think that'll do it. 

any ideas??  HELP!! My family is just about to go crazy and I can't live under house-arrest...errr... sadie-arrest forever.   

[mmcgui]

Aww...she must love you guys so much!  She sounds like a sweet-hearted girl. 

For me, crate-training has worked great.  Mattie used to scream her head off when I left her in her crate, but after a month or two, she was fine when I left.  I would suggest this ESPECIALLY if she's peeing on the floor!  Crate-training is very humane, too, because dogs like to be in small places. They feel secure when they have a "cave". 

Another suggestion is, when you leave her for the day, don't make a big deal.  I put her in her cate and turn around and leave.  And when you come home to take her out, ignore her for 15 minutes.  Then after that you can shower her with love.  This just lets them know that it's not a big deal when you leave. 

And at night, I cover her crate with a light blanket.

Hope this helps!

[stacy15]

Everything i wanted to say mmcgui has already said! I totally agree.  Crate training was the best thing i ever did for chewy.  Its the reason why he is so well behaved now. We crate trained him for 3 weeks.  We restricted him in a lil area with his crate and kept his wee wee pad across from the crate.  He learned to love his crate so much that when he started feeling sleepy he would go in there by himself to sleep.  I've had him for almost 2 months and he is already potty trained.  Now he is 4 months and we have taken the crate away and we leave him in a play pen.  The next step will be letting him hang out in the house without any restrictions.  That'll be in a couple of months though.  Hope this helps.

[Ann]

Hi It sounds like you are getting very stressed. Like the others I agree you do need to continue the method you started. I Know it seems like kit will never end but before you know it you will be wondering what all the fuss was about. If at times you feel it is getting too much. Seperate yourself from her and give yourself time out. Please keep it up as it will pay off in the long run.

We are all here to support you.

[mia08]

Hello, everyone....I'm new to this site and I'm having a similar problem.  I am single and work fulltime.  My shorkie is 6 mos. old (I got her when she was 9 wks.) and stays in the kitchen while I'm at work.  Mia has lots of toys to play with and bones to chew on, food and water, and her crate with a blanket inside.  Oh, and I also leave the television on for company.  I don't make a big deal out of leaving.  She has recently begun to dig at the walls...which is totally unacceptable!  I just can't bring myself to leave her in a crate for 8 hours a day.  She uses a Wizdog for potty time.  I love her dearly, but I'm starting to feel frustrated as I don't know what else to do.  I can not run home at lunch because my job is across town. I'm guessing that I'm probably giving her too much attention in the evenings, but it's hard not to.  She demands a lot of attention...plus I feel guilty for leaving her alone all day.  I would appreciate any ideas you all might have.  Thanks!

[Mai Tai]

Do you have anyone who could come in and check on your dog and give it some time out of the kitchen during the day?  It has to be awfully boring and lonely for 8 hrs a day on top of the time the dog sleeps at night.  If no one can come to your house, can you leave your dog with someone on some days?  The dog is chewing the walls from boredom and lack of excercise.  I wonder if getting a companion would help or just make matters worse?  I wish you the best of luck.  It is hard to have a pet when you work all day and you are single, but of course, I can understand that you want one.  I hope it all works out.

[Ann]

Is there any reason why you can't let her roam around the rest of the home?

 What I do with Toby is set up a treasure hunt with some treats and I also put some in a konk. Maybe you could try that and instead of one konk have a couple. When I put them in the konk I make sure that he can't get it out to easy so it takes a while for him to get it.Toby loves me doing this and never gets bored. You must do this with something she really likes eating.

You do have to be careful not to give her too much as specially if it is smako's. When you are putting the other peices around don't put too big a peice each time and try not to let her see you do all the peices so she has to sniff them out. You don't have to put them all over your home just as long as she has to do a bit of hunting. Also don't leave her any other food but make sure she has water.

I can't promise you this will work but I think it is worth a try.

Hope it works, good luck.

[Ann]

Oh also be careful of leaving tv on as they can cause a fire. A radio might be a better idea.

[mia08]

Thanks, everyone, for all your great ideas.  I'll try the konk idea.  No, I don't have anyone who can come by.  Another pet is out of the question for me.  I tried something different this morning.  I remembered that Mia enjoyed tearing up the newspapers I left on the floor during her potty training days.  So, I left a few on the floor and when I got home....oh, my gosh!  Mia had had a paper party!  She literally shredded them to pieces!  Hey, at least she didn't scratch up the walls!  I also got some spray that suppose to keep them away from shrubs and other places.  I sprayed that on the floor by the walls.  A day at a time, right?

[Ann]

I will be interested to hear how the treasure hunt idea goes. Unfornutatley the paper idea is just teaching her to be more destructive. Good Luck.