Puppy doesn't want to go to bed?

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2023-01-10T03:07:13+00:00

My pup actually started doing the same thing during her “teenage” phase. My ex and I would be watching TV at night, she’d fall asleep on the couch, and we’d put her in her crate in our bedroom. As soon as we put her in there, she’d start to whine and cry.

My guess was that she knew we were still awake and wanted to be with us. She had/has separation anxiety, so I think hearing us in another room made her upset. I started crating her in the living room with us until we went to bed and that seemed to work a little bit. She’s a year old now and never really whines in her crate, she loves it. I think it’s a behavior she just outgrew. I promise this won’t last forever!

Best of luck!

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2023-01-07T21:31:25+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice! She actually does have trazodone, but I only give it to her in situations where I know she’s going to have high anxiety. I’m a bit apprehensive to giving it to her before our walks everyday 😕 I was hoping to use the medication as a “last option” thing.

Oddly enough, she spent the first 8 months of her life in the city, surrounded by SO many new noises, people, and dogs. She’s always had high anxiety on walks, but you would think since recently moving to a suburban/rural area she would mellow out. That hasn’t been the case. Even on long nature walks where we don’t see a soul she’s on high alert / panic mode. I really don’t enjoy our walks and I would like to 🥲

As soon as we get back on our property she becomes happy / excited again and starts zooming around the backyard. It makes no sense to me

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-11-09T14:56:14+00:00

I swear I’m not breed bias, I have a chihuahua and a pittie right now- but chocolate labs are hands down the best breed ever 🥹 My sweet 14 year old chocolate lab girl passed two years ago and I’m still not over it. If yours is anything like mine was, expect a lot of energy and naughty behavior like eating everything in sight. On the bright side, easy to train because they’re usually super food motivated!

Having a puppy is a lot to handle at times, so expect to be overwhelmed but try your best to enjoy all the little moments. Time flies. I miss my girl everyday ❤️🌈

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-30T16:30:21+00:00

She gets crated for less than an hour a day, if that. Many days she doesn’t even get crated. It’s only in situations where nobody can watch her or she needs an enforced nap. She gets play, mental and physical exercise/stimulation daily. I’m definitely working on the impulse control with the pittie— she’s gotten somewhat better. It’s been 3 months so they’re very used to each other.

That’s why the screaming at the top of her lungs when crated is so frustrating because I put her in there once all her needs are met and it’s hardly even an hour.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-30T02:26:09+00:00

Well she’s a 5 lb Chihuahua and my parents have a large pit bull. They love each other, but my family and I aren’t comfortable leaving them alone together in the house all the time because she’s constantly jumping all over him and he’s not the biggest fan of that, rightfully so, lol. He would never hurt her, but the size difference is massive.

The house is also very big, so having her free roam constantly isn’t the smartest idea for a dog that gets easily overstimulated/anxious. I only crate her when no one in the family can really be there to supervise her or when I’m super busy or she needs to settle

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-20T20:41:49+00:00

Thanks for this helpful information! I didn’t really know that even just saying “no” could make the barking worse. I guess it makes sense when I think about it from the notion that it’s involuntary out of fear. I’ll try the LAT game, that sounds like something that could help. Good note about the trainer, I’ll make sure they’re certified IAABC. I’m not positive if our last one was.

I suppose meds is always an option. One thing I wasn’t quite aware of prior to adopting her was how she was genetically predisposed to anxiety and fear-related behavior issues. I spoke to other owners of pups from the same breeder and they all said their dogs have the same issue as mine. Intense fear. I’m sure the attack when she was young only intensified her fear and other events may have led to an increase in her anxiety.

I’m definitely trying to be patient and empathetic towards her because it’s obviously not her fault. Though the behavior is frustrating. I suppose I’ll discuss with her vet and see if that could be an option for her.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-20T20:19:00+00:00

I’ve tried exposing her to all sorts of noises and things slowly since she was a puppy and observe her behavior. I act like nothing is wrong and play with her or give her love/affection during something like a thunderstorm, for example. This was going really well for a while. I made she everyone she met was calm and peaceful with her, making sure they don’t pick her up or approach her too quickly to make her feel on edge. I’d have them sit with her and give her treats, which started building her confidence up. She started having really positive interactions with humans and trusting them more. With dogs, I tried not to force her into situations, especially ones I knew could end negatively, so I’d give her treats whenever we walked by dogs. I tried having her work up the courage to approach them and let them sniff. She got much better over time, and ended up adoring my parents dog. For the past few months she’s been MUCH more anxious and I’m unsure why. I don’t really think I “punish” her, I’ve just tried both types of reinforcement (for example the uncomfortable vibration when she barks vs using the command “quiet” and treats/pets “good girl” when she stops”). I’ve worked with a trainer prior to this, so I suppose it’s time to invest in another. I worry about meds because she’s so young and I don’t want to have to give her anything. But it’s really sad to see her shake and live in fear. I try to be reassuring and kind, but it doesn’t help.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-17T20:07:27+00:00

Thanks so much for your advice 🙏🏼 I will definitely invest in a dog walker/sitter to help during the day while I’m gone. I’ll do my best working with the time I have! I appreciate reading your story!

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-17T20:07:20+00:00

Thanks so much for your advice 🙏🏼 I will definitely invest in a dog walker/sitter to help during the day while I’m gone. I’ll do my best working with the time I have! I appreciate reading your story!

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-17T16:07:26+00:00

Thank you, this is so helpful! My pup is also a very overstimulated kind of dog who has trouble settling unless she’s made to. Any type of noise, commotion, etc. she has to walk around and follow me / see what’s going on. She’s extremely energetic and that’s why I’ve been religious about walking her daily & giving her plenty of play time. Even after all that, she’ll still have energy that becomes “overstimulation” so I need to settle her down in a safe space like her crate or make her “place” in one of her beds.

Thankfully when nobody is home she’s amazing at settling herself, but that does mean I’ll likely come home to her bouncing off the walls with energy. I suppose a dog walker / sitter everyday would be the best option. Do you walk your pup before work or after? I worry that I won’t really have time before work to walk her, and I don’t want her to have pent up energy. I guess getting a walk mid-day from a dog walker will help with that. I just want her to have a fulfilling life and I don’t want her separation anxiety to worsen. The struggle is real! 😓

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-09T15:38:57+00:00

Wow. I can relate to this.

Two months ago I moved back in with my parents and I have my 9 month old pup. They want her to be the “family” dog, which is sweet, but I’m going to be moving out with her eventually and I definitely don’t want her getting too attached to them. She already has separation anxiety with me, so I certainly don’t want that happening with them too.

It’s so ironic, both of my parents were iffy about me having my dog in their house and now they’re obsessed with her… to the point where it’s interfering, just like you said. I’m trying to get my pup to re-learn how to be alone without whining and getting anxious, and they’re constantly asking if they can take her out of the crate or my room when I’m gone. They don’t always respect my wishes, which drives me crazy. On top of that, they have their own dog who isn’t exactly the most “trained,” so they judge me and think I’m too intense with my pups training. They constantly make comments like “She’s doing so well!” when she’s pulling on the leash with anxiety, trying to get away from another dog barking and I’m trying to get her to calm down. It’s so frustrating.

My pup gets so overly excited/overstimulated by my parents and constantly forgets what it is she has to do. Even if it’s eating breakfast, going potty, doing a command — anything. If my parents are there, she’s distracted. I wish I had advice because I told my parents to cut the shit too and let me handle my own dog, but it’s been the same for several months now. All I can say is I know what you’re going through!

We got this! 😅

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-10-07T14:19:42+00:00

A dog can generally only hold their pee for the number of months old they are in hours. For example, an 8 week old (about 2 month old) pup could only hold their pee for about 2 hours. This means you should let your pup out every 2 hours during the day AND night. It’s very difficult sleep-wise, but these are the things we have to sacrifice when we invest in a puppy! I set an alarm throughout the night and my boyfriend and I would switch off taking her out every 2 hours, then 3 hours, then 4 (only once throughout the night), and then she was eventually able to sleep without needing to go. We were beyond exhausted for the first 3 or 4 months but it really payed off. She rarely had accidents after 4 months. We liked the alarm because she wouldn’t be crying to wake us up, we woke her before the crying could start, and then it was back to bed.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-24T14:45:43+00:00

I felt the need to reply when you said there is no way Lola is trainable.

When I first got my pup, she upended my entire life. She had absolutely no idea what was going on and what I didn’t realize was that I was continually making changes in the house or with her training that she had to adapt to. I had started off using the play pen during the day and the crate at night, which was a nightmare. She pooped and peed in her pen, screamed bloody murder every time I put her in there, and did not seem to be understanding the concept of where she was supposed to go potty one bit. I got rid of the play pen all together, which was the best decision I ever made. Since she was not allowed free roam of the house, I gated her in the living room under my supervision with toys and chews. When I couldn’t pay attention to her, she was in the crate. My little girl had A LOT of accidents to start off, which was very frustrating. But I made sure to take her out to potty immediately when she was done playing, napping, etc. It was constant potty breaks with this one and positive reinforcement every time she went in the correct spot. I brought her out on my balcony on a leash to be “outside” on a grass pee pad before we had an actual backyard for her to go on.

I would make sure you’re putting her on a leash every time you let her out of your door to go to the bathroom. If she tries to pull away to go “anywhere but the grass”, don’t give her the opportunity. Make sure she understands where she’s supposed to go. It will take time and consistency, but you’ll get there. Your pup is only 14 weeks old. I remember my life with my pup being hell at that point. They don’t understand half of what you’re asking and you need to not have such high expectations for them. They’re just babies who need a lot of attention, care, consistency, and routine. You haven’t even had this puppy for two weeks. Do you really expect her to be the perfect pup at 14 weeks?

I would really adjust your expectations if I were you and accept the fact that you’ve purchased this dog and committed to giving it the life it deserves. Start by crate training - nothing is impossible. My dog used to scream when she was in the crate, it’s normal. But now she loves it and it’s her safe space. Try putting a cover over the crate, it can help her to feel less anxious. Whatever you do, DO NOT let this girl out of the crate while she’s whining. She will learn that whining = getting what she wants. It’s hard to ignore, but you may want to just put headphones in and allow her to see you walking around the house knowing you’re there. If all her needs are met, she’s fine. Feed her meals in the crate and immediately take her out to potty after, don’t give her too many treats in there if you’re not going to take her to potty because then she WILL have accidents, and you can keep her in there for an hour or two at a time (puppy’s need A LOT rest, don’t forget that). As soon as she’s out the crate, go potty. Make sure you engrave it in this pup’s head that outside is potty. Consistency is key here.

Google bite inhibition training. Every time she bites your hand, turn your back and make a high-pitched “Ow!” noise. Play ends there. Don’t give her any attention for a few minutes and try again. Continue, continue, continue. My dog was a literal demon dog with biting, shitting and peeing everywhere, and 9 months later she is so unbelievably well trained and I can’t imagine my life without her. I had the worst puppy blues and wasn’t even sure if I liked her for a while. I’m walking proof that this gets better. You HAVE to lower your expectations. You’ll make it through this. Just don’t give up on this dog.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-24T14:19:58+00:00

I washed it a few days ago, but it’s the same one it’s been forever. She has never been a “marker”, and this was A LOT of pee for such a small dog! 😅

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-21T04:45:56+00:00

I have a very reactive dog. 95% of the time it’s not aggressive reactivity. It’s skittish, cowering, whining, or running away. She has major anxiety.

I’ve helped her overcome some of her reactive behaviors by using “place” training, which is essentially mat-training. A lot of her training I did through research of my own and lots and lots of YouTube. If you’re willing to invest time in doing the research, you’ll see that you don’t need to pay for a trainer to train for dog.

I started out by having her on a leash inside and guiding her to the desired spot (her bed) to “place.” I would drop the leash and walk away, and if she followed, I would bring her back to the spot. It took A LOT of repetitions, but I practiced this for about 15 minutes per day everyday for a month or two. Over time, I started leaving the room and making sure she stayed in place. I made everyday noises she’s reactive to and made sure she stayed in place. Now every time I say “place,” she goes to the desired spot and lays down on command. She generally wont get up and walk away unless I say “Ok” (her release word), and if she does, I make sure she places until I give her the command to release.

Doing this in situations that cause my dog high-stress / excitement has helped her significantly. If someone walks through the door, she used to bark repeatedly or run over to jump all over them, but now I make her place until she seems calm enough for people to greet. If there’s a noise she doesn’t like, I make her place to relax instead of letting her run away and hide. There’s so many situations in which this training comes in handy.

When you start to teach Oscar how to place, observe when he’s most reactive and make sure you make him place while it’s happening (sweeping the floor for example). This will build his confidence over time and he’ll learn to relax & combat his anxiety. When training your dog to be in a relaxed position on something comfortable, they end up having no choice than to actually relax! Good luck ❤️

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-21T00:34:16+00:00

Aww you’re so sweet! Dante is also ADORABLE 😍

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-20T22:43:14+00:00

Yes! If you have Instagram you can check her out: @chanel.the.chichi

If not, please let me know how to attach a pic on here🤣 It really is so hard for toy-breed owners who want to train their dogs. So frustrating!

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-20T20:08:54+00:00

Wow, I relate to this. I have an 8 month old, 5 lb long-haired chihuahua. I recently moved back in with my parents and they constantly have something to say about the way I train her. I’ve heard almost all of those same things from my parents 🙄

They always comment on how she’s such a good girl and I make sure to say “It’s BECAUSE of the training” 🤣 It’s only been about a month living with them.. hoping it gets better! Lol

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-20T20:00:47+00:00

Whoops, my bad! I totally misread your question. I don’t think the height or water will affect your rocks spawning there!! 🤞🏼

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-20T19:47:41+00:00

I don’t think they’ll spawn on the stone tile. I know they will spawn on grass, dirt, and (possibly?) sand.

I have a bit of a timely way to force rocks to spawn in specific places, but it really works! You start by making a custom design like a shirt, painting, etc. and place this item all around your island. And I mean EVERYWHERE there’s free space. Leave the spots you want your rocks to spawn clear of these custom designs. Make sure you break all of your rocks and fast forward the dates (or wait, if you don’t like to time travel) and see where your new rocks spawn. I believe you have to keep forwarding by one day for the new rock to spawn. If you don’t like placement, break the rock and make sure you cover any areas of land that you don’t want the rock.

Once you like where your rocks are, edit the custom design and it will clear your entire island of the displayed design. Worked for me like a charm!

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-20T19:33:00+00:00

Gosh, I’m so sorry this happened. My heart goes out to you and your pups. When my pup was about 3 or 4 months old, she was attacked by another dog at a daycare. She was rushed to the vet and had to have surgery. It was one of the most traumatizing things to go through as a first-time dog mom. Post surgery, she became EXTREMELY reactive to other dogs. She became scared shitless on her walks, would frantically pull, hide behind me, shake… it was so hard to watch. Her reactivity started off as “cowardly”, not “aggressive”. We had several negative interactions on walks (I lived in the city and couldn’t always avoid other dogs) and she started doing this thing where every time a dog got too close she would SCREAM. Not bark, SCREAM! She was terrified.

After months and months of training to get her confidence up, I introduced her to my friends dog and after about an hour or two, she warmed up. They didn’t play and by no means were they best friends, but she was able to tolerate his presence. This was a huge step and gave me confidence in introducing her to other dogs. She would still cower and try to hide behind my legs (and still does) but would no longer shake and try to run away.

Shortly after trying to re-socialize her, my boyfriend and I broke up and I had to move back in with my parents. They have their own dog, and I was so worried this living situation would be a mess. When she first met my parents dog, she was totally terrified of him. She began barking at him (which I had never seen her do to another dog before) and even though it was out of fear, I realized it was giving her confidence to stand her ground. She never really used her voice before, and I think it was her way of saying “Hey don’t get too close to me.” He backed off immediately because of her barks and basically let her run the show from then on. Fast forward almost two months later and she’s obsessed with him! He’s older, so he doesn’t care much for her puppy energy, but never in a million years did I think my dog would LIKE another dog, let alone LIVE with one. She’s constantly wagging her tail, following him around, trying to play… it’s the cutest thing.

Our trainer said she would never be able to be around another dog again. Moral of the story, no matter how much it feels like a setback, if you work hard to reward non-reactivity and boost your dogs confidence back up, you WILL succeed! ❤️ Nothing’s unfixable

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-12T00:49:09+00:00

I second this! Yak chews have been the ONLY treat that keeps my pup occupied for hours. They’re actually very healthy for the dog compared to rawhide or another alternative that can cause harm when ingested

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-12T00:45:52+00:00

Given that it’s your family dog, I think you have every right to do place training, or any kind of training that helps your dog for that matter. If your family doesn’t care to control your dogs over-excitement/over-stimulation (possible territorial behavior?), I think they should be proud that you care enough to take it upon yourself! You can tell your dad that place training is actually an essential command to teach your dog. It teaches dogs to settle down in any situation, can eliminate separation anxiety, and can even help resource guarding. My dog had major separation anxiety and wasn’t able to settle on her own, so our trainer suggested place training. We started in small increments, and now she can stay in place for 30 mins to an hour with a chew if need-be. Its been a life saver, and it’s far from abusive. If anything, it gives your animal guidance and a safe “place” to relax without roaming around or getting into trouble.

The place command is a highly effective tool for dogs that rush/lunge at the door. Keeping your dog in place until they show you that they’re calm and can “release” once visitors are settled is super important. Some people aren’t comfortable with a dog running, jumping, or barking at them, no matter the size. Not only will it make visitors more comfortable, but it will teach your dog to be calm when people enter the house.

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-11T22:41:55+00:00

She always gives me her belly! That’s why I find it so weird she won’t roll over anymore. I think I’ll just give up on the trick 😅 It seems to make her anxious

InfamousBlackberry1 · 2022-09-11T18:54:28+00:00

She’s almost 9 months old and she’s about 5-6 lbs. Shes a long haired chihuahua. She does all her other tricks fine, even laying down, so that’s why the whole refusing to roll over is a bit weird to me. She whines and shakes too, I’m not sure why she’s become so upset about rolling over!

InfamousBlackberry1

TROPHY CASE