[Stitches29]

We have had Maggie for 9 days now. The first night was stressful for both of us. After that the crate training went without a hitch. One thing that has been very helpful is to get them on a strict schedule. Maggie's crate is in the kitchen, with a cover for it (like a birdcage cover). She has a soft blanket and a few stuff animals in there too. She has her food, water and the rest of her toys in the kitchen area. I have a baby gate up while she is playing. When it's nap time, she just climbs into her crate, I close the door and put the cover on, and she sleeps for 3 hours. When she wakes up, I'm there to open the crate and take her outside to potty. We come back in, have something to eat & play, and in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours it's naptime again. Around 7 at night it's a school time / play time in the den. At the age of 9 weeks she "Sits" and "Stays" on command. Crate training makes all training work. If you give in just once and let the dog out because of crying, then you will have to start all over. Tuff Love is hard. I'm retired so I have a lot of time to devote to Maggie. I couldnt imagine trying to raise one and have a full time job too. This is just like raising a real human baby. I hope this will help you. I won't sit here and lie and say it was easy at first, because I thought I would cry from being so tired, but so far in just a very short time, it has paid off.