Lab Mix Puppy

[MrsNicklin501]

Thank you so much, I am looking into puppy classes at my local shelter. The earliest they have ones starting are mid January. :/ But we've been working with basic commands like "sit" and "wait", she seems to be doing very well with them.

And she loves sticks and leaves, when we go outside she finds the stick she had before and picks it up and carries it around. I was afraid to let her pick them up..cause ya know...she's a baby (to me anyways) and they are dirty. But I was like she really loves that stick.

She is a very calm and relaxed pup. She plays and gets rowdy sometimes but today she seems pretty relaxed and stuff.


And with her name, Sophia just kinda came out when I was playing with her. She immediately looked up at me. Then I started saying Sophie again. I didn't mean for it to come out, kinda slipped.

[smartrock]

[QUOTE=MrsNicklin501;102443And she loves sticks and leaves, when we go outside she finds the stick she had before and picks it up and carries it around. I was afraid to let her pick them up..cause ya know...she's a baby (to me anyways) and they are dirty. [/QUOTE]

Sticks are dirty, ha ha ha! Just wait until you have to pull a dead rodent or another animal's poop out of her mouth! That's where learning and teaching the command to "leave it" and "drop it" will be very useful!

[MrsNicklin501]

Lol, thats really gross. I fully expect that of her, she already picks up random items from around the house. She brought me a dryer sheet from the laundry basket this morning. I don't even know how she found it.

[Maxx&Emma]

I also giggled at "the stick is dirty", I still get the shivers thinking about some of the things I have dug out of various puppy mouths! I did find it helpful to let Maxx carry a stick in his mouth on walks. It sometimes kept him from picking up a random piece of roadkill, animal poop and other nasty things, sometimes! You do have to be very careful, puppies will put anything in their mouth. If you do not want a sick puppy or a puppy that needs surgery for obstruction of an ingested item you need to make sure everything is picked up. Laundry, (socks are a common item of obstruction), shoes, remotes, trash, electric cords, if it is not nailed down or high enough out of reach, put it where the puppy can not possibly get to it. Get down on the floor and look at things from her perspective. I puppy proof as thoroughly, if not more, as I baby proofed. An obstruction is dangerous and anything you can do to prevent one is worth it.

[MrsNicklin501]

Thats what I spent most of today doing. Checking things out and making sure she can't get to anything. So far she hasn't been into anything. She has been getting along with the cats more, she doesn't bark at them anymore. And Poopy (my youngest cat) and her have been playing with a stuffed rodent I had bought for him awhile ago. He showed no interest in it until now and they run back in forth chasing each other because of it.

Also she's spent a lot of today sleeping...should I be worried? I was up most of last night because I work midnight shift and she was up with me playing and what not, but I slept for about 7 hours today (11am-6pm), with getting up a couple times to check on her and take her out since the crate training just wasn't working.

SPEAKING OF THE CRATE.....I've decided against the crate..she hates it and the first night she was in there she barked and whined for 3 straight hours so I have a baby gate in the hall doorway to give the cats an area to get away from her. I had her in the kitchen buuuuut she hopped the gate so I said screw it and put down some pee pads in case of accidents and went to bed. (This is after sleeping 3 hours in 2 days over the weekend because I was worried about her) Sophie will lay in the crate but DO NOT SHUT THE DOOR! She hasn't bothered anything in the living room everything was left the same as I left it. Now when I do get a bigger gate I am going to put her in the kitchen again. That's where all her things are right now. (Bed, food & some toys) Has anyone else done this? I just want to make sure she is happy and I don't want to cause her any distress or make her go through a traumatic experience.

[Maxx&Emma]

Sleeping is normal, it is hard work growing! (As long as she is eating, playing and going potty normally, of course!)

The crate - I am a crate advocate. There are ways to make the crate feel safer and more secure for her. Feed her in the crate, door open. Randomly throw high value treats or her favorite toy in to the crate for her to retrieve and google "crate games" for some fun things to do. At night time bring the crate in to your bedroom, next to the bed, so puppy is near you. You will be able to soothe and touch the puppy as well as hearing her if she needs to potty during the night for the first few weeks. (This can make a huge difference!) She may not have bothered anything yet but trust me, you will more than likely receive a rude awakening in the near future.

[Abulafia]

Am also a huge crate advocate. Our dog crated very easily, but it also facilitated potty training (she had maybe three accidents inside, total?). Her crate is her den; when she's in it, she feels safe and "off-guard."

Your dog has only been home a couple days. I really would not discard the crate so early on. I'd give it a try.

[Maxx&Emma]

Am also a huge crate advocate. Our dog crated very easily, but it also facilitated potty training (she had maybe three accidents inside, total?). Her crate is her den; when she's in it, she feels safe and "off-guard."

Your dog has only been home a couple days. I really would not discard the crate so early on. I'd give it a try.

Excellent point, don't give up! Make adjustments but you really need to be consistent. If you incorporate the suggestions I gave you above I really think you will be successful, quickly. You may have a few nights of less sleep but it will be worth it in the long run. The safety of your puppy is of utmost importance, your puppy can learn to love her crate like Hoku and Maxx do!

[MrsNicklin501]

We are gonna try today while we're asleep. We left her alone in the livingroom/kitchen all night while we were at work and we came home to nothing being bothered and some pee on the pee pad. But you guys are totally right. I'm hoping within a few days she will get use to it.

[Maxx&Emma]

We are gonna try today while we're asleep. We left her alone in the livingroom/kitchen all night while we were at work and we came home to nothing being bothered and some pee on the pee pad. But you guys are totally right. I'm hoping within a few days she will get use to it.

Do you have a dog walker/dog sitter that is taking care of the puppy while you are gone at night and even while you are sleeping during the day? Maybe someone that can do a bit of training/socialization as soon as the puppy is done with the appropriate vaccinations. (In your yard for right now.)