We got little Lewis last Saturday, on the 4th. According to the breeder....he's been in a crate majority of his life.
The first couple of nights I put him in his crate at bedtime....and each time he would cry for 30 mins... sometimes and hour....sometimes even longer. I thought it was best to let him cry and eventually he would go to sleep. Well, after an hour and a half at the very most...I just couldn't take it anymore! I would get him out and put him in bed with us. Then he slept fine...the entire night. So, for the next few nights (after trying the crate for three nights)...I just kept him in bed with us. Keep in mind that all this time his crate was not close to me, but wasn't far away either...it was within my sight.
Still, I wanted to get him used to the crate, because every time we would leave to go somewhere we would return to poop everywhere...and him covered in it. I'm a stay at home mom...so I hardly leave the house...but we are in a bad habit of eating our several times a week...leaving only at most for an hour every other night. I would gate him off...in the kitchen, which the door to his crate open. Only to come home to the same...poop everywhere and it all over him! One night he had climbed the gate...... this is a 13 week old puppy...climbing a tall baby gate!
My brother had told me to put the crate out of sight completely...so I put it in the laundry room one night...and he cried the entire night. It broke my heart. But I thought I was doing the right thing. After that I said I would never do it again.
I thought.... well maybe he needs to be closer to me.
So I scooted a chest I have close to my side of the bed...and put his crate on top. It fit perfect. He's right at my eye level... he can see me, hear me, smell me...... I put him in his crate and laid down for bed. I talked to him and put my finger in the cage...trying to get him to stay calm. He ruffled his bedding and got comfortable and went to sleep. Tonight will be our 4th night sleeping like this! No barking.... lots of sleep and no accidents.
But earlier tonight we went out for dinner...leaving him behind a gate in the kitchen with his food, his bed...puppy pads and plenty of room. He'd just gone out to potty before leaving. Yet, after only an hour.....if that..... we came home to more poop and had to give him another bath!
Speaking of bath.............
He got Frontline today...around noon. Would giving him a bath this evening have any effect on the Frontline? Do I need to reapply? This is our first time using it.
Ah! I'm just frustrated. I need to either start turning to friends to babysit on nights we eat out....or cook more often, lol....
Anyone have any tips on how to get him used to being alone? I think he just gets anxious or nervous and has accidents.
ang