jacqui835 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 So my 7.5 week old puppy Tyler comes and tells me when I'm in the shower that he has to go to the toilet... We're still working on his toilet training though so far he's doing extremely well, only thing is, when he says he has to go, it means within about 10 seconds he will be going. So I had no choice but to the leap out of the shower with shampoo still in my hair, grab him and race him outside. Yep I was butt naked. I tried to stay hidden but if someone was looking out their windows into our backyard they probably would have had glimpses of a naked girl running around, so sorry if that applies for anyone in here lol but at least he made it and boy does he look proud when he knows he's done the right thing. Now for the problem: Tyler is generally a very good boy, except right when we're about to go to sleep at night... Even if he's been desperately trying to sleep for the last hour or so and we've been keeping him awake to make sure he's sleepy come bed time, he finds an extra store of energy once we're all in bed. He knows he's not allowed to get off his bed, so he plays this game where he tries to throw his toys off the bed. His bed is pretty big for him right now, he's growing pretty quickly so we bought him one that would last him a little while. So he moves right over to the edge of his bed, throws the toy off the side and then leans over the side trying to get it until he falls off. This is also the only time of the day when he will dig, he digs on his bed. He won't dig in the backyard, he won't dig on his bed during the day, only at night when it's time to go to sleep. For some reason when it's dark he seems to go a bit hyper. We don't know what to do though, if we try and stop him and settle him in his bed, we encourage it because he loves the attention. If we ignore him, he gets fully out of his bed and starts attacking bits of the blanket on our bed. So every time he gets up (from falling off his bed via the toy throw method) we just immediately put him back in the bed and say bed in a serious tone. Anyone have any other suggestions? Usually after about an hour (but sometimes longer) he finally goes to sleep, and then the best part is he doesn't wake us up again until 6am. First night we had him I had to take him to the toilet at about 3am, but since then the earliest he's gotten us up is about 5am so I think we're very lucky, but if we could reduce the pre-bed antics a bit that would be great. We do play with him heaps about an hour before bed, until he's like collapsing on the grass outside and then wait a while before bed to make sure he's calmed down, but we don't let him sleep during that time. Any ideas or is this just an inevitable part of having a new puppy... Also, he can't sleep in a different room from us, although he's fine during the day if we go out (he just naps then) if we're away from him at night he actually goes berserk and makes the most horrible noises I've ever heard out of a dog. We did try ignoring him for an hour the first night but he just ended up actually having an accident in his own bed, which we think means he was way too distressed so since then we've had him in our room. Here's a few pics of him An action shot of him pouncing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Buy a crate and put it next to your bed (you could also move it around the house during the day if need be). Put his bed and toys inside of it and that way he can play safely in the crate until he falls asleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui835 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Buy a crate and put it next to your bed (you could also move it around the house during the day if need be). Put his bed and toys inside of it and that way he can play safely in the crate until he falls asleep. Does everyone think that crates are a good idea though? I've heard different things said about them but overall they came across as not being ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikesPuppy Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 He should still be with his littermates Also wasn't his name Milo? Anyway, I swear by crates Have used them for our last 3 puppies as well as dogs we had already as adults when we discovered the joys of crating They are excellent because when the pup/dog is trained correctly, they see the crate as their den or personal space... no different really to having an open dog bed in the corner. The dog is also set up for future vet stays, possible grooming trips, dog shows or obedience trials etc. Having a crate trained dog also makes travelling with your dog so much easier- people are much more willing to have a crate trained dog stay with them, likewise hotels and motels are more accomodating to those who will be crated. My 2 terriers are crated when we go out, they have Dobe sized crates, as soon as they see me getting their treat toys ready, they bounce down the hallway and throw themselves into their crates, just waiting for me to give them their treats. Yep, they HATE them Crates also come in handy if you have workers/tradespeople around or visitors who don't like dogs etc. As for crating puppies, I find it so much SAFER for the pup as it is confined over night and cannot have access to things it shuldn't (wires, electrical cables etc). All our dogs have access to open crates and they will often choose a crate over the couch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvsdogs Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Your very lucky he tells you at such a young age that he wants to go outside. I agree with the others, get him a crate. Tilba is the 1st puppy I've used one with & there are lots of benefits as already stated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui835 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Your very lucky he tells you at such a young age that he wants to go outside. I agree with the others, get him a crate. Tilba is the 1st puppy I've used one with & there are lots of benefits as already stated. Well we tried doing what they do when they train guide dog puppies, just took him out every hour and said go toilet and massive praise when he did. He doesn't give much of a warning, but he will come find someone, give a bit of whine and then you have about 10 seconds to get him outside before he will go. Best part though is that at night, he can hold it in from about 10 until 6am. His name was Milo until we got him, then we decided Tyler suited him better lol. We've had him for almost a week though, will that mean suddenly putting him in a crate will upset him more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTC Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Get a crate they are a godsend. My 14 week pup sleeps like a log in hers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikesPuppy Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Feed him his dinner in his crate (door open), and leave it in a place where he can access it etc amd make it inviting (toys, blankets, maybe some small treats), make it a GOOD place and let him get used to it and he should be fine. We have trained adult dogs to be crated with few dramas Don't just shut him in there and leave him though... that could lead to dramas. Make him love his crate!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Yep, crates are a blessing for all above mentioned reasons and all my guys love their crates. Another thought - hope you get more than the 10 second warning by the time winter arrives - gunna be cold out there in the nuddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepper and Jax Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 We've used a crate with Pepper since the first week. We didn't put her in there the first few nights, but had a blanket just outside and put all the toys in there etc. It wasn't really the best way to go since I woke up every 10 minutes to make sure she was still sleeping there (and didn't need to pee). But lucky for us she crate trained herself, choosing to sleep in there within a few nights. After that we struggled for a few nights to ignore the "I want to play" whines... and then a week later, once that had settled Pepper realised that if she made "I want to pee" noises, she was likely to get a chance to go outside. She had me well trained til I saw through her grand plan and ignored those noises too. The crate has made a huge difference to my ability to sleep through the night. I'm not worried that Pepper will be wandering around annoying our 2 cats or destroying anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Huge fan of crates here, too. I have used them for both of my current dogs and they absolutely ADORE their crates! They have free access during the day and will often be found curled up in there on their own accord. At night they both sleep happily in their crates. Whenever we go traveling the crates come too and it gives them a safe, familiar place. It also helped A LOT in terms of toilet training... I will be using crates for all my future dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvMyCav Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 He sounds very smart and quite a little character. :rolleyes: As soon as I started reading, I just thought "you just need a crate". Have it by your bed so he's close by and he won't be able to throw anything out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui835 Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) He sounds very smart and quite a little character. As soon as I started reading, I just thought "you just need a crate". Have it by your bed so he's close by and he won't be able to throw anything out. He is a very smart boy, it's great in some ways, he learns new tricks so quickly and is very rewarding to train, but on the other hand, things that I've used in the past to trick my other dogs into behaving just don't work with him, he really does need full time supervision. From what everyone has said I think I'll get him a crate, I've been looking on ebay and do you guys think I should get him a soft one or one with bars? Would something like this be good? crate Edited March 26, 2009 by jacqui835 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) Would something like this be good? crate Depends whether you are 100% positive your pup won't chew it! If you're not 100% sure, I would go for a metal crate at least until you are confident he's not going to destroy it. Both of my dogs have soft crates (similar to what you linked to), but they both aren't chewers. I start pups off with a metal crate like this (with a blanket or towel covering it). When they are puppies and not fully grown, you will need to petition it off so that it is the appropriate size (some come with a divider, others you can just put a cardboard sheet or box to block it off) - that way the pup won't want to toilet in it and you won't need to buy a new one every time your pup grows. No chance of chewing, easy to clean. Just not great for portability because they can be heavy. The pups have metal crates in our bedroom and we have the soft crates downstairs for them and take the soft crates when we travel or go to dog shows. Edited March 26, 2009 by TerraNik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJane Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Yes, crate is fantastic. My 16 wks old staffie sleeps in her crate every night, and she sleeps through the night till my alarm goes off at 6:30am. Tho sometimes she will still get a bit naughty an just want to play when it is bed time, i can jsut call her into the crate and lock it. She will whine for a few minutes, wanting to play but she will fall asleep within 5-10 minutes. but you just have to be careful when you train your pup to be locked in crate, because you dont want him to hate the crate, you want him to loveeeee it good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvMyCav Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I like the crate that TerraNik posted. I have ones like that. Two doors makes it more versatile and the metal crates allow good airflow for summer (just use a light cover at one end so it's still like a den) and heavier blankets in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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