Help with Mini Doxie puppy!!!

[linfull]

New here and need help. I am not a dog person. I know nothing about puppies. I have always had cats, but my son and husband wanted a mini doxie and got one. He is as cute as a bug, but he yowls and cries when he is in his crate during the day. He sleeps from 10 pm until 5 am in his crate, but cannot stand it during the day. My husband is at work, my son is at school and I work from home and also take online classes during the day. I type medical reports so I am very tied to a computer for 8 hours. We tried putting his crate in my office, but when I would get up he would start to cry and want out. I moved him out into the living room and decided to work it like I was away and coming home at lunch to feed him and let him out for about 20 minutes. He went in his crate at 8:15 a.m. By 10:00 am he was crying and carried on for an hour and 45 minutes. I then let him out to pee and poop and eat and played with him and put him back in his crate at a little past 12:30. Again he started crying. He can obviously hold his bladder rather well. This is driving me crazy. I literally lock myself in my office with food and water and will not move until noon hoping he will be calmer. I don't want to get rid of him (well I sort of do, but for the sake of my husband and son I don't want to), but how will he get used to his crate???? Someone told be to use a leash as an umbilical cord and while I type hook it to my belt loop so I know right where he is at, but how will this help him accept his crate and the fact that he must be in there from 8:30 am till noon and then from 12:30 pm until about 3:00?? Any help is most, MOST appreciated!

[theresa92841]

It seems like he is fine with the crate at night. I actually would try for another solution during the day. To me it sounds like he is wanting more activity than he gets in the crate and also is lonely. And since he knows you are there and can give him attention, he wants your attention. At night you all are sleeping.

So you could try an exercise pen as one idea. I have actually bought several and hooked them together. It can confine the pupster to a certain area and keep him out of trouble but give him more space to move around. I would leave a bed in there for him too.

I work from home and I take my dog to doggy day care, just so that I can work without interruptions. That might be another option.

Other than that, if you really want to keep him on that crate schedule. Then essentially you just stick to it. Don't let the dog out when he whines, etc. He will eventually get use to it. But that means you absolutely have to ignore him and pay him no attention. otherwise he just gets his whining reinforced.

Hang in there. Puppies are cute, but tough. It gets easier.

[lindsayanng]

crating a puppy for more than 4 hours a day usually will not work. They need socialization and exercise through out the entire day.. the GOOD thing is that he is a puppy and some quick play time will get him tired enough to sleep for another 2 hours..

if you get a schedule where you get up to take a 5-15 minute break every hour or two and got him in the house running and fetching, i bet that by the end of the week, he will be doing MUCH MUCH better.. schedules for puppies is the BEST way to get them to understand how the house works.

Also, you are RIGHT.. puppies CAN NOT hold their bladder. they NEED to be let out every HOUR to pee.. This can be a quick trip outside and if they do not pee within 5 minutes, you can bring him back in and try again.. but i can bet that he is whining and crying like that not only because he is wound up, but because he wants to pee really bad and WILL NOT do it in his crate.

also, have you considered getting a pen instead of a crate.. with a dog that small, a good sized pen would be GREAT for him because he COULD get exercise and run around WHILE you are doing your work.. all he would need is some toys and maybe chew things..

how old is he BTW, when you say puppy, you can mean a LOT of ages..

Here is a good website about puppies and what the require (http://www.newpuppypal.com/advice.htm) it has LOTS of articles on puppy care and advice and stuff..

[lindsayanng]

and yea.. the puppy is going to be like having another toddler in the house.. theyw ill get into EVERYTHING, push your patients, knock things over, destroy things, and just in all act cute but destructive...

you can start training them with basic obedience, but for most puppies, you need to start SLOW and steady..

[xpalaboyx]

Looks like he's lonely and wants more activity with your family. Maybe you can play with him longer specially if you have extra spare time...

[kurikim]

Besides that, dachsunds in general are fairly loyal family dogs. They often will suffer separation anxiety when seperated from the family. My old dachsund would even become destructive if left along for too long. Now, I'm not trying to scare you because wouldn't have traded Ginger for the whole world. She was a fantastic pet. You just need to recognize that it's probably going to be a bit of a battle against seperation anxiety, and being proactive to address that will only help in the long run. And I totally agree with Linsay on this- he should have toys and such available to play with while you're away. Also, remember to begin socializing your little guy when he gets a bit older (I'm assuming he's a really young guy).

[linfull]

He is almost 10 weeks. I wish we had puppy daycare, but we live in a very small town and also that really wouldn't fit in the budget at this time. My husband is talking about putting in a little enclosed dog run for him outside and in less than a month school will be out and my son will be home to help during the day. Hopefully by fall he will be house trained and able to sit in my office with me during the day and I won't have to worry about him going potty in my office(-: Thanks for all the good advice!:)

[lindsayanng]

well, you cant HOPE he will become housetrained. you shoudl really start now. In order to have a housetrained dog, you need to start housetraining your puppy. You do this by taking him outside every hour or so. If he pees or poos outside praise him like crazy, but DO NOT yell at him if he goes inside.. he is a puppy and right now has NO control over his bladder yet..

Also, putting a daschund outside for extended periods of time might create MORE separation anxiety and cause him to bark obsessively.. especially since he is a puppy.. if you want a well socializes, trained puppy, you really need to start now by letting him be a part of the family, and let him learn how your family works..

And really, at 10 weeks, leaving him in his crate for 6+ hours a day is just unnessesary. He is too small to really get into big trouble, and they tire out soo easy at that age that all you would have to do is a take a 5min. break from work and play with him and he will sleep for another hour or more.. THAT would be your best option right now.. get a play pen and play with him for five minutes or so, and then just leave him in the play pen with something to sleep on and you will probab;y hardly know he is there

[linfull]

Oh, we have been working at it like crazy. He has been with us for almost 2 weeks and has only had 2 accidents in the house just due to us turning our backs for 1 second. He was nice enough to go on the tile both times:) You can definetly tell when he has to go outside and we watch him like a hawk. I've just never had a puppy before so this is all new to me. And trying to juggle work and school makes it difficult. I tried to talk my husband out of him (even as cute as he is) just due to the fact that we are really busy. It sure seems like he can go and go and go and never wants to stop running outside. 5 to 10 minutes just doesn't seem wear him out. Or could it be that since he is a puppy he just doesn't know when he is tired (kind of like kids!). He was in his crate for 3 hours this morning after lots of play, eat, out, etc. I came home at noon and out we went. Then in for lunch and then out for 20 minutes of playing. Now his crate is in my office where he can see me and he is out like a light. I can't wait for the day when he goes in his crate and I can leave the crate door open. I want him to enjoy his little house. We never use it as punishment. He gets a treat when he goes in and tons of good boy praise. Thanks for all the info.

[lindsayanng]

Youre right.. trying to juggle work, school, and a family, but there just needs to be time for exercise because it is just as important as taking him outside to pee.. if you have EVER watched the dog whisperer (on Nat. Geo.) or Its me or the Dog (animal planet) you will notice that more times than not, the biggest issue with dogs who are misbehaving is lack of exercise..

Since you dog is a puppy, you dont want to over exercise him, so i a run down the street isn't good, but you can exercise him by just playing and showing attention.. sniffing, wrestling, wagging his tail, all of those things are quick ways to safely get a puppy to burn energy.. just the excitement of 5 minutes of attention will probably tire him out..

SO like i said, the best thing to do would be to take a 5min. break ever hour or so and just pay some attention to him and let him out to run and burn enerhy.. puppies are number one at going full force and then crashing.. so it should actually be easy for you..

puppies also will play as long as there is something interesting for him to do.. he wont really wind down outside after 5 minutes of play, BUT 5 minutes of play would be enough to tire him out to where if there is nothing else all that exciting, he would rather sleep than try to bother you..

I have spend 3 hours at the dog park with my dog. He would run and wrestle and go CRAZY.. he has NEVER actually gotten tired to the point where he will NOT play. As long as other dogs are around, he acts like he as all the energy in the world.. BUT once we get into the car, he is out like a light..

[dlaura]

Maybe a few small chew toys in the crate to occupy him when he is awake and you are busy. Also maybe a small towel or blanket that you & your family have handled, thereby getting your scent on it, be place in the crate for puppy to snuggle with.

[kurikim]

I think it's a really good idea to leave the crate in your office with you. Then he'll be able to see where you are, which should definitely help. I like the blanket idea too.

[linfull]

Okay...I am feeling so guilty. We gave him lots of chewies and he always had a shirt that smelled like my husband. My in-laws, who have a mini doxie and are retired and live close by to use (within 10 miles) are taking him for the summer to lend us a hand. We really bit off more than we could chew on this one. My son was fine with this. He said mom we can go visit him any time. Then we will have to make a major decision if he stays with them or comes back with us. My in-laws don’t really want another dog, but offered to do this for their grandson. Our guy just loves playing with their mini and now has 10 acres of farm to run on. Me, of course, I have been crying nonstop since yesterday. :( Ijust don’t want to mess the little guy up, but I thought a house with two retired people that treat their dogs like children might be better than 2 working people with 1 of them also in college, a very small backyard and hardly any spare time. I am waiting to call them until tonight to see how he did last night. I hope he slept really well. I know he was playing like crazy with the other doxie. Thanks for all of your advice and information. I will keep you all posted and updated on him. But oh my guilty heart.......

[kurikim]

Actually, it sounds like a good setup for him, especially since there’s already another mini-doxie there to play with him and keep him company. I wouldn’t feel too guilty. Many people don’t realize the time and energy that goes into a young puppy. That’s one of the reasons that when I adopted a dog a specifically went looking for dogs over a year old. I think what’s important is that your little puppy is headed to a place where there are people who already know how to care for puppies, have the time to do so, and have the space; instead of going to a shelter.

The only thing I’d be concerned about is your in-laws taking the dog only for their grandson. I’m sure they’ll still take great care of your little cutie though.

[linfull]

My mother-in-law is very hesitant to say that he is coming back to us. She becomes so attached to her pets that after a month or so I'm not sure she will be able to give him back. In all honesty, they treat their dogs better than they treat some of their children (but she has been a great mother-in-law to me and good grandma to our son). We are prepared for this and we have talked to our son and he understands. Had we given back to the breeder we would have never seen him again. We figure this way he is still part of our family. I just called her to see how he did last night and she said he did great. He follows the older doxie all around and seems to be learning from him. They slept side by side in each of their crates last night. He started to whine a tiny bit and the older doxie barked and my mother-in-law said that was the last they heard from the puppy until morning. We plan on seeing him this Sunday:) At least I know he is well taken care of and being spoiled, but trained properly at the same time and not spending 4 hours at a stretch in his crate.

[kurikim]

Agreed. I love that they already have a dachsund there that he gets along with. Like I said earlier, dachsunds are incredibly social breeds. He's probably loving having a constant companion.

XD Your mother in law will probably love that it's getting her grandson to come over more often. :p

[lindsayanng]

It sounds like you figured you the perfect solution. I'm sure its really hard for BOTH of you because you BOTH love the dog, and if she keeps him, then YOU can get you own when you are ready and have the time to spend with a puppy, or you can get an adult. it wouldnt hurt the get your own if your in laws love the little guy that much..

The little guy is probably happier than ever with a friend AND people to spend a lot of time with them, and you guys get to see him whenever you want. The thing is, saying NO to puppy with that cute little face is just SOO hard, and most people dont realize how much work a puppy is. I surely did not expect what i got with my beagle. LUCKILY my husband and i have NO kids and kinda opposite owork schedules so someone is usually home with him.. it all worked out and we got past the CRAZY puppy stage and have a well trained dog..

also, you can definitely consider adopting an older dog, one that does not need to burn off puppy engery, or need to be housetrained, ect. Some breeders will sell off their older breeders because they can not safely produce anymore, and they are usually GREAT dogs that are well trained already when they get to you.