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Posted by PHRascal on February 04, 2003 at 14:02:22:
In Reply to: heeeeeeere\'s SOPHIE! posted by aysel on February 03, 2003 at 20:58:29:
Aww, Sophie is adorable! What a relief that she is a little older as dogs pulled too early from their mothers and littermates can develop behavioral problems from the lack of socialization they would have received in that critical time frame of their lives. As to crate training, the key is patience...lots of it. She is a baby and as with human babies she would like to have you with her or holding her most of the time, but as with human babies this is usually not possible. Keep her crate time a happy time. When you put her in her crate, make it sound just like part of a normal day, not punishment. Leave the crate door open when she is not in there and you may find that she will go in there on her own. The crate becomes a den for most dogs and they feel secure there. Try filling a small Kong with peanut butter and let her amuse herself by licking that out. Maybe try the treat cubes that keep her busy trying to get the treats out. Don't feed her for a couple hours before her bedtime and let her out immediately before bedtime. I hate to ever deny a dog access to water, but definitely limit the quantity she gets before bedtime and set just a very small amount in her crate. If she spills it, try one of those rodent water bottles with the spout. Keep the crate in your bedroom and buy a set of earplugs. You might want to consider regular trips out during the night, maybe every 3-4 hours, to reassure her that you will not be leaving her there forever and to help her with housebreaking. Praise her jubilantly when she does her duty outdoors, even if the neighbors start looking out their windows with puzzled expressions. Stay out with her so that going out to do her duty is a happy thing for her. Play with her for a bit after she is done. Some people have found wind-up ticking alarm clocks reassuring to puppies. If she starts chewing on it, set it just outside the crate. Some people find that a metronome helps. Some people have found success with a hot water bottle. I used a local jazz radio station to help with my dogs and they seemed to relax better when that was on. In fact, when I leave them alone I still leave that station on. Basically, try to find something that makes her more relaxed and go with it. Do not get up every time she whimpers as that is very hard to undo. She probably would be very happy if you just crawled in the crate with her, but explain to her that you need your sleep. My dogs like Nyla toys and only like Kongs if they are filled with peanut butter. Some dogs prefer rope twists. Again, whatever works. Even a stuffed animal if she doesn't chew it apart. Be very patient and do not scold her for housebreaking mistakes as she is just a baby and her bowel and bladder control just are not fully developed yet. Oh, take LOTS of pictures as this girl is adorable! Thanks for posting her picture. Beware of razor sharp puppy teeth and savor the puppy smell. :-)
~Rascal