I have a 3 month old baby and so my 4 month old puggle (alpha male personality) must stay in his crate more than I'd like. Anytime we come up to the crate to let him out to potty or for any reason, he is super excited. Anytime he's out of the crate, he's dominate, excited and pushy. I don't want to foster this behavior.

How do I train this excited/dominate behavior out of him?

What times of day should a puppy typically be out of his crate?

How can I get him to like his crate (maybe with treats) without him thinking I'm rewarding his excited behavior? (his crate is across the room, so I can't toss in treats when he's calm, and I don't nkwo how to discourage the excited behavior)

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

If your pup is going crazy he needs a ton more exercise. Put the baby in a stroller or back pack and take that pup for a few mile walk.
If the crate becomes "jail" no amount of treats will make it inviting.

Brian,

You need to decide if you're up to the task of a baby and a dog. Your dog needs more exercise but your child comes first, you'll need to figure out a way for that to happen or you really should find your puppy a new home because that energy is only going to increase from here to adulthood.

BTW your 4 month puppy most likely isn't dominant, pushy, or even stubborn. He's more than likely under exercised, excited that you're actually doing something with him, and hasn't had enough training to move that into something productive so he's doing what puppies do. Mouth, paw, push and wiggle in your general direction.

Good luck,

MT

Brian- just saw your other post about having trouble walking your pup on a leash and apologize for dumping on you about not walking him!
I wish you the best of luck
In a few short months both the baby and the puppy will be a whole lot easier!

Brian,

You may not like what I'm going to say.

Your puppy is a baby just like your human child is a baby... BOTH are going to require a LOT of attention to develop into stable, healthy creatures.

Expecting your pup to stay in his crate more than you'd like and not be exciteable, to be well behaved and not chew on his leash, etc... is simply unreasonable. You might as well expect your infant to stay in his crib all day and not wet his diaper nor need a bottle.

I don't mean this to be rude, but unless you can make time to meet the puppy's needs, you aren't going to see his behavior change for the better, in fact it will get much worse.

Puppies have needs.

What was your plan for fitting this pup into your lives when you brought him home (after you already had the infant)?

You're a whole lot kinder then I would be Barabara.

'nough said.

 Quote: randy allen

You're a whole lot kinder then I would be Barabara.

'nough said.

Honestly? I typed and deleted several times.

I get the impression Brian means well and just hasn't thought it all through yet.

Too many people just think a dog can adjust to what ever is best for the human... we know this isn't so and that it is cruel if not corrected.

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

I get the impression Brian means well and just hasn't thought it all through yet.

Me too.

Lots of people mistakenly think that the dog is supposed to just fit in to whatever you can offer. We all have known dogs that are happy to just hang out with the family and never get anything other than the occasional game of fetch and a big bowl of kibbles n bits.

Unfortunately, most dogs arent like that.

Lets give him the benefit of the doubt.

No problem, Betty.

Melissa,
Yeah, I figured I needed to walk the energy out of him, which is why I posted about how to get him to accept his leash so I can walk him.

I'll learn the marker training then get the energy walked out of him. I had a very good dog whisperer friend tell me my puppy was an alpha male, so I figured his behavior might be partially due to that. Maybe not, though.

Be patient for that split second of calm when letting him out of his crate. It's hard to catch, but puppies have to stop and take a breath eventually I know how hard it can be to juggle puppies and babies. When my oldest was 2, I purchased an 8 wk old Golden Retriever puppy. My second was born when puppy was 12 wks old. (I added a foster dog when baby #2 was one and a permanent dog soon after baby # 3 was born as well) It's all about time management. Baby naps and you train, play tug and wear the pup out for 20 minutes. Tethering work pretty well with baby in tow too. Changing diapers on a table, feeding or just hanging out will help calm the puppy a bit because being around you guys won't be such a rare occasion. I'm no expert, but I feel it helped me establish a healthy pack mentality when it came to where the kids ranked. Enjoy the non-mobile baby + puppy combo. When the kid starts crawling, it will not be near as easy Not to discourage you, but to help you realize this is as easy as it gets for a couple years. Good luck with your pup!