Hello, I have recently logged questions on this forum, but have some additional ones maybe someone can help with??

I have an 8 1/2 week old baby GSD. I love her and she loves me. WAY TOO MUCH MAYBE. She follows me EVERYWHERE which is ok I guess?? But, I can not leave her alone at all even with my husband. She constantly cries and whines. If she can’t see me she cries. My husband recently hurt his leg while playing with the puppy on the grass (freak accident) and cant really do much with her. He is on crutches. I want my husbands and my dog’s relationship to be good, but fear there is not the closeness I have with her. I am recently retired and stay at home now. I’m with her all day, unless I leave for errands etc.

How can I get her to Love him as much as me?
How can I get her to stop the crying when she can’t see me?
(I put one of my t-shirts I was wearing in her crate.. didn’t work
She still hates her crate to death. I leave her in there for 2 hours a day and I know she is crying the whole time. What can I do?? HELP..

I put another crate in the bedroom for her to sleep in at night. She will sleep in there if the gate is open, if closed she has a fit.

Otherwise, I love her to death. She is learning to sit, down, come and the touch command. She is awesome and beautiful. I would love to show a picture but don’t have a web site.. Is there another way I can post??

Thanks everyone..

Sincerely, SBS

It sound like you are treating your new puppy more like a baby then a pet. You and your husband must establish yourselves as the puppy's pack leader or you are opening yourself up for much bigger problems down the road.

It's not about love, it's about setting ground rules that they puppy must learn to obey. It sounds like if she whines she get's her way. At least that what I gather from this quote.

"I put another crate in the bedroom for her to sleep in at night. She will sleep in there if the gate is open, if closed she has a fit."

You must not reward her by letting her out when she whines.

You should read Ed's articles on pack leadership and housebreaking. If you have read them again.

You are going to have a ton of trouble with accidents in the house and chewing your things if you don't get her crate trained ASAP.

Here are some articles to start with:

http://leerburg.com/housetrainingproblems.htm

http://www.leerburg.com/philosophy.htm

http://www.leerburg.com/puppygroundwork.htm

At 8 1/2 weeks I'm assuming you have only had her a few days? I wouldn't worry, she's a baby yet and probably still missing her litter mates and mother.

As she gets comforable in her new surroundings and your husband interacts with her they will bond. It's a process I wouldn't worry about that either.

As far as the crate, do you have a couple of toys you can put in there with her and maybe start feeding her in there with the door open?

To add a little bit to Keith's comments. It is important that you do not try to console her while she is whining and throwing a fit in the crate or anywhere else. You will only reinforce the whining and throwing a fit. Follow the directions in the articles Keith mentioned. You should also look at getting Ed's DVD 8 weeks to 8 months. Make the crate a positive experience for her by feeding and watering her in there. Putting toys in like Betty suggested. Leave a radio or TV when you go out on errands to make her think someone is present while she is in the crate. Do not use the crate as a source or form of punishment.

Crate training is definitely a process that takes time! Some dogs hate it at first. It sounds like she's out of the crate a LOT. If she is, I'm sure you're actively watching her etc...make sure she's getting enough sleep. At that age, she should be sound asleep anywhere from 17 - 20 hours a day.

For the whining, don't worry about it too much at this stage. Actively force yourself (and your husband should do the same) to ignore her when she does it, wait for her to calm down and settle, then praise her. If you leave her sight, don't make it a big deal when you come back. Being gone is no big woop, and returning doesn't get any special celebration.

It's great that she follows you everywhere! Use that while it lasts! Step away, call her name as you move, and give her a treat when she trots after you. Make it a game, and teach her to come when called. A natural following instinct is the easiest teacher of the Recall. Take advantage!

For the crate: Try to make it a positive experience. Throw some extra wonderful treats in and let her walk out as she likes. Feed every meal in the crate, leave her water bowl in there. She'll learn to love it. Try covering the sides and back (not the front) with a small blanket, to make it darker and more den-like. Some people think that having a blanket or any cloth inside can encourage a dog to urinate in the crate (because the urine will be absorbed). I think they can only learn this experientally (that's quite a cognitive leap for a puppy) and it sounds like you're with her enough to manage her potty habits, so this might not be an issue. Remember, Puppies don't have the bladder control to be "house safe" until at least 4 months old.

To your sweetest question, my cruelest answer. I am much more firm and take a very hard line with our dog, and he loves me more than he loves my wife. She loves on him, she tries to dote (I try not to let her) and he doesn't respond. They certainly have a bond and a relationship, but he doesn't look to her for guidance. She continually does things that lower her status in the social hierarchy, and because she doesn't lead him, he doesn't rely on her. You can't change the way your spouse treats a dog. You can offer suggestions, but remember, your spouse behaves around animals based on their life experiences, and you on yours. Your dog will come to love your husband in a way, and what their relationship is depends on your husband. Your responsibility to your dog is to be his leader. Fair, consistent, gentle, merciful, and never wavering on the boundaries and rules that you set for her. Whew, I know what MY homework is. :P

Please keep us updated on her progress, I'm so excited for you!

Hello and thanks to all. First let me say I sincerely appreciate everyones response.. REALLY.... But let me be clear. I Love my pup as I have never had my own. I have done extensive research and maybe read all of this forum for advise. I know my dog is a dog not a human/baby. I know I need to lead her and show her I am the pack leader. I have boundaries for her and she is learning well. When she cries when I leave the room, I do not go to comfort her.. I let her cry and cry and cry until she stops. Ill come in and out of the room without eye contact just so she knows I am still around. The crate I put in the bedroom was much larger than the one i have and use in the kitchen (her designated area) I use when I leave or cant watch her. From day 1, her first nite was on a blanket on the floor right next to my bed. She never wavered from there until I would pick her up to go outside. But I have heard so much about the crate, I decided to put her in the crate at night. She is ok when the gate is open, but closed she can cry and scrap on the gate all night (which i will not let her out until she is quiet.) I stick to the rules and boundaries.. She is young, 8 1/2 weeks and I need to remember this and let her be a puppy.

With the crate I have tried all of the advice above. Treats, Toys etc. Maybe I just need to be more patient for this pup.

SBS

Hi Susan,
She'll get used to the crate. Don't get so caught up in the small things to where you forget to enjoy the puppy stage!!

Congrats on the new puppy and good luck,
AL

Just to give a little context, it took my guy about 2 months before I was ready to say that he was "crate trained" -- (i.e., totally comfortable and at home in his crate).

Susan, perhaps you can try and make the large crate smaller, about the same size as the crate in the kitchen by putting a large cardboard box at the back of the crate. There are also separators made specifically for the purpose of reducing the crate size for puppies. I used a wire separator for my puppy, just kept adjusting the size to fit him as he grew.

Your pup might do better with a solid separator like a box, as long as she doesn't start chewing on and eating the cardboard. Couldn't use a box for my pup because of that.

If she was used to laying on her blanket, make sure you put it in the crate. The goal is to make the crate cozy for her, not too big, especially if she does ok with the smaller crate in the kitchen (maybe she doesn't like the kitchen crate either). It may not heal the problem overnight, but may help her adjust better after a while.

At 8 1/2 wks old, well, you can't "make" them do much of anything, much less make them stop crying. Anything you try to do to make a puppy stop crying is either 1) reinforce it by rewarding it in some way or, 2) scare them by losing patience (not saying you do that).

Puppies are babies, and like human babies - sometimes they cry, some more than others. It's what they do - we have to allow for that happening with puppies and work slowly and methodically toward "good". It takes however long it takes.

Remember to not only put her in the crate when you're leaving, but to do it for a few minutes to a couple of hours several times a day. She also needs to sleep being so young.