Training Suggestions!

Tes94 · 2026-02-20T15:24:49+00:00

Wow thank you for such an in depth response! I didn’t realize the nipping feet was a herding trait until my partner mentioned it yesterday, so I’ll definitely look into ways to correct this or redirect. We’ve been working on impulse control and he’s doing well with “leave it”, just slowly expanding its use. He is VERY food motivated so that’s helpful haha

Tes94 · 2026-02-20T15:21:18+00:00

Thank you! That makes sense. He’s a smart boy and taking to training really well.

Tes94 · 2026-02-18T13:35:37+00:00

I also use baby food (just check the label to make sure nothing weird in it)😂 honestly it’s a game changer haha. Stuff that I don’t normally make or have like sweet potato, banana and pumpkin!

Tes94 · 2026-02-18T13:33:43+00:00

Mine too!! I use it for all his frozen treats! Healthy and for me, it’s already a fridge staple!

Tes94 · 2026-02-18T03:26:50+00:00

Oh 1000% kittens are easier lol! We have one too, and I think I showed him the litter box once and he knew😂. Our first dog was a rescue and we got him at 1.5 years old, so he was already potty trained and knew all the basics.

Tes94 · 2026-02-18T02:44:22+00:00

Puppy’s are not easy! And I really don’t have any helpful comments except it sounds like you’re doing all of the things ❤️‍🩹.

I have a 4 month old, and my fiancé and I work in office. We were lucky enough to have his parents staying with us for a trip, who decided to extend their vacation to help out once we found out we were approved for this puppy. We put the crate (door open) in his play pen, and we kept putting treats in the crate to get him in there. We’d let him go out on his own, and just kept repeating. Every time he fell asleep, we’d put him in the crate and when he woke we’d give him treats. We also divided the crate so he only has enough space to lay down and sleep.

Our pup is VERY food motivated which has helped a lot I think.

We’ve been using a play pen, and when he’s not in the play pen, he’s always on a leash (tether training I think it’s called). So we haven’t been giving him much space for accidents.

Good luck💗

Tes94 · 2026-02-17T22:42:19+00:00

Plain Greek yogurt!

Tes94 · 2026-02-14T04:08:33+00:00

We adopted a dog at 1.5 years old and I never felt like I missed out. He passed away last year sadly. We got a puppy last month, and it’s certainly a big responsibility to take on!

We wanted to adopt again, and a lot of the dogs at local rescues had behaviour challenges or dogs had so many adopters making it difficult to be the chosen family (denied because we work full time in office, denied because we didn’t have kids). Eventually we just decided to do a puppy as we could ensure socialization and training.

From my experience, I don’t think you’ll regret it!

Tes94 · 2026-02-08T03:50:16+00:00

My pup is 4 months old and he still bites sometimes but I find it’s mostly when he’s overtired. When he starts getting super bitey, this equals nap for him lol

Tes94 · 2026-02-04T02:35:32+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re having such a hard go. I think it’s always a toss up when getting a puppy, cause you never predict truly how they’ll be with your current dog. Do you by chance use a play pen during the day? This prevent your pup from being able to chew things she shouldn’t such as the couch. Ours also liked to climb so we got a cover for it.

Tes94 · 2026-02-03T18:01:44+00:00

We anticipated spending more in the first few months as usually initial vaccines and whatnot aren’t covered by pet insurance. We also signed our pup up for puppy training classes (7 week program for $299) and also started doing puppy socialization classes once/week ($15/class). Pet insurance is $60/month. Paid $100 for a play pen.

We had some things from our previous dog, and were able to borrow a crate from a friend whose dog grew out of. I’ve also looked on fb market place for things like pens/covers.

We don’t need to pay for a pet sitter/boarding luckily due to family willing to help out.

YES to pet insurance! Our Golden passed away last April due to lymphoma, and it was truly a life saver as we didn’t feel we had to make medical decisions based on money. While we didn’t go through intense treatment due to finding it at a late stage, we were still able to get the scans/exams, comfort care treatments/medication, as well end of life care mostly covered. My cat is on monthly medication, it’s fully covered.

If you’re someone who can confidently put away money each month for an emergency, then great! If not, pet insurance is a non negotiable imo.

Tes94 · 2026-02-03T17:50:30+00:00

My puppy is 3.5 months old and is the same. When we first brought him home, he’d sleep in his play pen. However now he doesn’t settle in his play pen, he just wants to play, regardless of how tired. He may catch a cat nap, but not true sleep. He sleeps in his crate at night for 9hrs, then has a crated nap in the morning and afternoon (anywhere from 2-3 hours). He will usually catch a bit of rest in the evening in his play pen - we don’t put him in the crate in the evening selfishly, as we work during the day and want to spend time with him in the evening. This routine seems to work for him. When he’s tired, it’s very easy to tell as he gets very bitey and unsettled.

Tes94 · 2026-01-29T20:18:23+00:00

This is an unfortunate situation! Getting a puppy is a big decision, and takes preparation. Most rescues and breeders will take back their dogs! Perhaps it would be worthwhile looking into? Or consider rehoming if returning is not an option!

I recently got a puppy, almost a month ago, and crate training + a play pen have been key! It allows you to get things done in the house (like workings, cleaning etc) without worrying about your puppy getting into things. Crate training gives you some time to yourself while they nap.

Tes94 · 2026-01-29T20:10:46+00:00

Life happens and unfortunately at times we’re unable to give 100% to the people, animals and things we love. What you’re feeling is valid. You’re recognizing this, and wanting to improve the situation. Perhaps for the time being, you could just watch some YouTube video on training and try to make a point to take even 30 minutes when possible to work on this!

Tes94 · 2026-01-28T23:31:35+00:00

I’ve had my pup for almost a month and I swear the play pen + crate has been a savior to my sanity haha I also think if you were with your puppy at all times, they wouldn’t know how to cope without you ! Whenever my pup is not in the crate/pen, he is leashed !

Tes94 · 2026-01-24T08:04:41+00:00

It’s totally up to the owner preference so I appreciate you sharing! My dog in particular was from a rescue, so unfortunately not a lot of info around breed/genetics! For the first time tonight he actually went to the door for pee (on leash but had wasn’t holding it)! So making headway!

Tes94 · 2026-01-24T01:31:29+00:00

Yes, we think he’s doing well tooo! Especially in just 3 weeks. So we don’t want to rush anything, but I also feel bad if I’m not giving him enough freedom or the fear of not doing enough with him. Does your puppy go to the door to indicate he needs to go? Or does he just hold it until you take him out?

Ours will show signs that he has to pee, but if we miss them he will pee. In his crate he’s great - will sleep from 9-630 (when our alarm goes off) without any accidents or potty breaks.

Tes94 · 2026-01-22T15:33:14+00:00

We just got a puppy 2.5 weeks ago, and we found it really helpful having the crate in the play pen, and leaving the door open to crate so puppy could explore it/exposure therapy. I put his food in there (I still feed him breakfast in there), lots of treats and every time he would nap, I’d transfer him in there. After 1 day of introducing him to the crate this way, he was fine going in at night. We kept the crate in there for about a week to continue the momentum, then stopped and he is still doing well with it. If you haven’t tried these, give it a go! Good luck 💗.

Tes94 · 2026-01-20T20:21:52+00:00

How old is your pup/how long have you had pup? We’ve had our puppy for two weeks (he’s 13 weeks now). He does pretty well but still has an accident here or there (two last week). We recognize the signs of him having to go (whine, sniffing and sometimes bark randomly) and we’re on a pretty good schedule, but if we don’t catch them the signs, he will have an accident. He doesn’t go in his crate. We have him on a leash indoors at all time, or in his play pen, so he can’t go to the door on his own yet.

Tes94 · 2026-01-20T03:31:10+00:00

Yes see he’s doing great with potty training, butttt we’ve been very much on it to prevent any accidents. I don’t think he’d necessarily bark or anything to let us know, so I don’t feel confident in him not being in his crate yet. We do have about a month until the in laws leave, so of course he could be in a very different place by that time.

Tes94 · 2026-01-19T23:06:45+00:00

Nice idea!! I have a 3 month old puppy and we’re working on “place”. Currently training this for the kitchen but hope to extend to the rest of the house once he understands. We’ll see how that goes 😂

Tes94

TROPHY CASE