Posted on 07/13/2013 11:34:45 PM PDT by proud American in Canada
Hi, everyone. :)
We just bought a black lab who is about six weeks old; a female. I just brought her outside; she had napped next to me and was sound asleep on the couch as I dozed off. I then brought her out and put her in her crate, because she pees and poos all over the house.
How do I train this puppy--and how can I get her to stop crying at night. The last couple of nights, I could not stand the crying, so I brought her up to my husband and my bed.
Even now, she is crying and whimpering, trying to get out of the crate. We slept together just fine on the couch, just now, for a while, but now she wants the attention since I put her in the crate. I did that because our house has apparently become a puppy toilet. :( It is disgusting and I cannot stand it.
Do I bring her upstairs to stop the crying, or do I let her cry it out (which is painful).
I am falling asleep at the computer, however, listening to her cry, I"ll probably get very little sleep.
I will try to answer everyone, but we are all tired and I am at my wits end.
She is a cutie, though. :) She has massive paws--she will be a big girl. :)
Thanks, and I will respond as soon as I can,
Julie
black lab?
good luck is all I can say
You want to take her outside at least once an hour when she is out of the crate. As soon as she goes to the bathroom take her outside and leave her there for 5-10 minutes. It is also important to get the enzyme cleaner and clean up every area she has used in the house. As for the crying that is up to you. If you want a bed companion for the next 15 years then give in to the crying.
The last little Lab Puppy I had was so sweet that you had to just love her. My parents always put an old alarm clock in the box with a puppy who had just been taken from his Mother.
The ticking seemed to soothe them. I have never kept one in the house so can’t help you there. I will say they just naturally leave the yard to do their business, so it must be ingrained in them a bit to not use the bathroom inside.
When they are real little, Momma licks the urine and feces off them. That is the only was she can keep them clean and a dog’s digestive system can handle it with no problem.
Cage train. It’s humane for all involved and learns em real quick.
They won’t mess in their own chance and have to earn more space.
Pure bred Lab? Good luck. Be patient. (ALL dogs are a gift from above.)
Try a wind-up clock if you have one, in it’s sleeping place. Pure bred Labs are a handful. My sister has one and I think she’ll get a “mutt” next time.
Good luck and don’t set any bad precedents!
K...
Read your post after the headline.
Bring the baby into your room, next to the bed and get up every few hours to let the poor thing do its business.
You’re taking care of a baby and it takes love and time to get everyone on the same page.
You have a project but if you work at it the reward is great. Get a copy of the Purina dog training book for starters. Dogs learn by condition, the same as you learn the first time you stub your toe really hard on something. Your toe never hits that something again. Don’t train your dog to do bad habits like jump up on you. Always reinforce it is not to put its paws on your legs. Each time it jumps up lightly step on it back feet. About the puppy poop...that’s what puppy’s do. Keep it in the garage until you have that problem solved.
Black labs are great dogs.
black lab?
good luck is all I can say
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LOL!
No kidding... :) I even put my headphones and am listening to a Heart song, and I can still her cry. I hate that puppy stage. Well, I dont, but it is like having a baby. Which it is. She seems quiet now.
Sorry, all, for the formal language and lack of apostrophes; my kids, who go to French schools, have made this into a French keyboard, and I can not seem to figure out how to do that.
It is also important to get the enzyme cleaner and clean up every area she has used in the house. As for the crying that is up to you. If you want a bed companion for the next 15 years then give in to the crying.
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That is what I told my husband—we can wash the floor with all the detergent we want, but they can still smell it, and we need to buy that special chemical that erases the smell for them and wash the floor—with a clean mop head—with that.
Thanks for the advice! :)
I love Labs...great dogs. But don’t expect peace in your life for at least 2-3 years. It’s not that they aren’t smart (they are) they are just exuberant.
If you want to crate train, turn off your hearing and be sure to take her out OFTEN.
Of course she wants to sleep with you..all dogs do. But unless she is under control, I wouldn’t suggest it. She can always sleep with you later.
As already suggested..a ticking alarm clock works well for a pup.
She is whining due to separation anxiety. First off, at six weeks of age she is far too young to be away from her mother and litter mates. You will have problems with her, as she will socialize with people and never understand what it means to be a dog. You’re setting yourself up for some real problems later.
That said, do you know anyone who has a nice older dog, one that would befriend a puppy, and that can live with you for the next five weeks until she is nearer to 12 weeks old? It will make a world of difference later on.
Housebreaking a gun dog breed like a Lab isn’t that difficult. If you have a spare bathroom where you can put down ‘pee pads’ at night, (absorbent pads that have an odor that attracts young dogs so they pee and poo on the pads instead of your floors) they can get used to going in one place. Be sure and have a soft, large enough bed for her to sleep in also in the bathroom. At some time they will be able to sleep through the night and a crate will be sufficient.
Note: we withhold water after 9PM and since we arise in the morning about 5:30, we escort the dogs outside and give them water at that time. Then we feed them.
If you have any questions, please ask me. We’ve had gun dog breeds for the past 43 years.
Do what I did with all my dogs.
Well, you could do what I routinely do. Give up! Let ‘em sleep on the bed or at least in the bedroom. My lab - he could come up on the bed to visit - briefly! but slept on the floor - and was content with that.
Paper train them and be sure there is no paper substitute like a small carpet around. Dogs will naturally look for a spot like that to pee/poop on.
I know this won’t work for everybody - just saying I gave up and it didn’t work out so bad.
The dog has a second cage or sleeping area in the kitchen or near the kitchen so he can see you making food. As long as you have cages in these two spots you will be OK.
Remember your husband (if he is bigger than you) is the alpha dog. It does not matter who takes care of the dog, who feeds him, or spends time with him, he is the Alpha. The dog assumes the largest creature is alpha.
You are the alpha bitch. Outside of bad marketing, the alpha bitch is like the COO of the pack. The dog is subservient to the alpha bitch until the alpha shows up.
You may not like this. But this is the way dogs are. And you and the dog will be happy as long as you understand the laws of the pack.
Remember as alpha bitch you never cede control to your dog. You are in charge. Acts of kindness are often misunderstood as acts of weakness. Be sure and be strong.
My parents always put an old alarm clock in the box with a puppy who had just been taken from his Mother.
The ticking seemed to soothe them.
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I had forgotten about that trick—great advice! The sound of Mamas heartbeat.
Again, apologize for the lack of apostrophes. :)
There are some really good books on the subject, but I’ll give you what I’ve learned:
Water takes a specific and predictable amount of time to get from one end of your dog to the other. Same with solid food.
As such, do not leave a dish of water and/or food down at all times. Put the water and food down at specific times of the day (water more often than food), and then pick the bowls up off of the floor. Then time how long it takes for the dog to then pee and poop and from then on you will know how much soon after to take your dog out to pee (if fed water) or poop (if fed food).
If you learn your dog pees 10 minutes after drinking water, be outside with your dog sooner than 10 minutes after you give your dog water. And when your dog goes outside, make an embarassingly big positive deal about it.
Babies...
(ALL dogs are a gift from above.)
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That is so true. The Father created these precious gifts, in all their forms. (getting tired, and had a Touched by an Angel marathon today. :) ) Thanks, Julie
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