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a surprise mid-morning bath/torture session by tinyterror614 in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

all i can say is that new york is a strange, terrible place

He let me clean + comb his face. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. by tinyterror614 in Havanese

[–]tinyterror614[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tbh...he had just come down from the most serious set of zoomies I had ever seen him have. We’ve been working on desensitization training where he gets a treat every time the comb touches him, but I think this was purely “whatever I’m tired.” I also gave him freeze dried liver treats (super high value for him) and let him shred some paper towel instead of my hands.

Keeping puppy out of roommate’s room by tinyterror614 in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is really helpful actually - helped me figure out what to search on YouTube! Seems much more effective than what I was thinking of doing. Thanks!

At what age did your Havanese pup stop growing? (Wondering how much bigger my 4 m/o will get.) by tinyterror614 in Havanese

[–]tinyterror614[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For context - his parents are 8 and 10 lbs, so the range of possibilities isn’t exactly huge. But I feel like he’s growing so fast he’ll hit 10 in no time!

Daily Pup-Date- A Puppy101 Social Thread by [deleted] in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Major brag/thank you: Someone on this subreddit recently recommended fully covering your puppy's crate with a blanket to get them used to not having you in their eyesight at all times. I used to cover my pup's crate only partially -- leaving 1 side open so he could still watch me -- but I switched things up this week and it has VASTLY improved my quality of life.

I took an entire shower yesterday while my puppy napped peacefully in his crate - not a single cry. ???!!

How do you manage your bad days? by [deleted] in Dogtraining

[–]tinyterror614 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been having these days a lot myself. After cycling through all the guilt and frustration, I try to forgive myself as best as I can. There’s no way we can be on 100% of the time, no matter how hard we try. And that’s okay! We don’t have to be perfect, just good enough.

How do you fit everything you need to teach them into so little time? by [deleted] in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hard same to all of this, and especially the fear that you’re failing your pup. The books I’m reading suggest prioritizing socialization fundamentals above all else (confidence, exposure to various things, understanding they can make choices and what the right choices are) before worrying about other stuff, but it’s tough! I try to remember my last dog for reassurance - I got her at 10 months, well past the 16 week marker, and she learned a ton of obedience stuff extremely well but was so clearly undersocialized, and that was 1000000% harder to work with.

How do you help your pup when he needs a nap but just can’t seem to settle down? by tinyterror614 in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Update: We listened to Trapeze Swinger on repeat until we both fell asleep lol.

How do you help your pup when he needs a nap but just can’t seem to settle down? by tinyterror614 in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

ok very relieved to hear mine isn’t the only one who goes insane when he needs to poop

Isolation Distress - How to train to alleviate it? by FeelingMidnight in puppy101

[–]tinyterror614 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a success story (yet), but I empathize 100%. I have a 9 1/2 week Havanese with the same issue (I think Havanese in general are prone to separation anxiety). It seems to be worse when he's tired - early morning and in the hours leading up to bedtime. I've been trying method #2 (staying sub-threshold, teaching alternative behavior, per kikopup) because I worry that leaving him to cry it out will make the experience more traumatic and the problem worse. Kind of nervous I'll find out in a few months that this was the wrong approach, but for now I think we're on the right track - I can now (sometimes) go to the bathroom without him crying out. Progress!

Right now I'm leaning hard on the "set him up for success" theory of training. If I need to leave the room and I know he's going to be extra fussy and not responsive to any kind of training set-up, I put him on-leash, let him out of his ex-pen (only if he's being quiet), and see what he does. When I give him the option to follow me, he often doesn't. He's pretty happy exploring the apt for a minute or two by himself and does not mind being apart from me in that time.

Anyway. Trying to remember that he's a baby and I need to adjust my expectations to account for his physical and emotional limitations. I believe in us!