9 week French Bulldog. Please help!

[justme1122]

Ladies. Long one I know. But Please help me.

On Saturday I collected my beautiful boy.
I have never owned a puppy before.

And quite honestly right now I feel I have bitten off more than I can chew. Especially at night.

He is a beautiful boy. Who loves his cuddles.
He wants to be on me or on someone. All the time. Which is fine kind of. But I'm not getting anything done.

Am I making a rod for my own back.
I have a crate which I hope I can use.

I am using puppy pads which he is starting to get the hang of.

Nights are a real struggle. He goes in his crate fine. But needs to wee all the time. I try to set my alarm for every two hours. But sometimes he has already wee'd on his bed. And I am now beyond exhausted.

Lots of people have told me to put a pad in his crate over night (as there is enough space). Things I've read contradicts this.

And when can he be left in his crate in the day (even for 10 minutes?!) do you go cold turkey? Or do you introduce it and how?

Because if I'm in and i put him in the crate he goes crazy. That I'm walking around and he cant come with me!

He has no problem going in and out. And sleeping occasionally in the day.

Some reassurance needed please!! X

Hello, I'm a Veterinary assistant and also show and breed my own dogs. A dog is not a child, always start as you mean to go on. He has to fit in with your life and not visa versa. To begin I would definitely split his crate, back half bed front half puppy pad. When he gets bigger he will hold his wee for longer and will slowly stop going in the night. You need to completely stop getting up in the night with his as he will grow to expect this all the time. Put him in his crate when you go to bed and leave him undisturbed for the whole night, even if he cries. One night of disturbance will give you a life time of peace.
Secondly, he doesn't need to sit on you all the time. Give him a bed in the living room and make it a positive place so that he will begin to go there by himself. When he goes in his bed give him treats and toys ect. You can also lead him to his bed and give him a treat when you get there.
As for leaving him in his crate when you go out, of course! You are being too hard on yourself! We have a 2 year old girl who can't be trusted in the house and we have converted the understairs cupboard with a baby gate on it. When we go out, even all day for work she has to stay in there. When I have had puppies I have always left them crated for a few hours and had no problems. A crate trained dog makes for an easy one. My dogs have to be calm and relaxed when crated as they have to be in a crate all day at a dog show.
I hope you don't think I've been to abrupt, I'm just trying to help :). Best of luck with him, ask away if you need any more advice xxx

OP ask for this to be moved to the Doghouse where you will get much better advice , and there is a few puppy threads already running . I disagree with most of what has been written above - do not expect a baby to go all night without a wee break and do not just shut him in a crate and leave him to cry . I agree dogs are not children but that's not an excuse to mistreat them ,and they should not be shut in crates / cupboards whilst people go to work for hours at a time . I do agree with getting rid of the pads and just concentrate on getting pup to toilet outside as pads indoors will just cause confusion .

Btw , crates are not essential for raising well adjusted and well trained dogs .

Not sure I agree with the first poster either. At 9 weeks he is a baby and there should be allowances for that. Definitely don't agree with shutting a dog in an understairs cupboard all day, poor dog.

Join dog training advice and support on FB and look at their puppy files.
Puppy regret is a real thing. I remember sitting on the floor cuddling mine and sobbing that she would go back if I didn't bloody love her so much!
I wouldn't use the puppy pads. Put outside. A Lot. Praise for doing it outside. Pads just teach them to go indoors.
I slept next to mine for three weeks. Little baby taken away from the only family and home they've ever known. No wonder he gets upset.
That group has awesome advice on crate training too. Good luck.
My pup is 7 months and things are SO much better.

AbbieV:

Thanks for responding. He is only 1.8kg and I have a size s crate.
When you say split it you literally just mean. Have half of it for toilet and half his bed? Or do I need a different crate.
Will he learn to pee on the pad in there? Or will he need help?

And what about the barking when I go out? How do I stop this? Or will he just learn?

I don't want to be mean! But equally I don't want him to rule the roost! X

I had puppy regret too. They're hard work. My puppy regret will be 10 tomorrow! You aren't alone op, but it does get easier and better.

@justme1122
I only mean literally pad at the front and bed at the back as it will only be short term. To all the others above saying that it is cruel to make him wait...you aren't making him wait to go for a wee by splitting the crate you are giving him an option to go. Also when I say to leave him all night, I'm assuming you don't go to bed super early and you don't wake up late either, especially with children. My dog is not 'shut in a cupboard', the LARGE under stairs cupboard has been completely converted into a doggy paradise, door taken off just with baby gate, food, water, toys and comfy bed. They are left for 4 hours in the morning and then my husband comes home for lunch, lets them or ect and then back away for 3 hours. That is the time scale I'm talking when leaving them for work.
Xx

I'd rather take the time now to teach him to toilet outdoors than embed the notion that peeing indoors on puppy pads is okay. Yes, it means disturbed sleep but it shortens house training.

And not every dog can be crate trained - some will always find it distressing. It's hard work getting them used to spending time on their own but little and often is the key.

And I agree that puppy regret is very real but it's a short stage and both they and you come through. The benefits of the work you put in now will result in a dog who enriches your life in the years to come. You will however cry with frustration long before that happens. Right now he is a teeny tiny baby and he needs patience.

Good luck and remember that one day you'll look at him and doubt that he was ever this much trouble.

Sorry girls - I didn't say. I live in a second floor flat - without a private garden. So sadly. I have to do pads at the moment!

AbbieV - i go to bed at 11ish. And am up by 6-7 latest usually! How big is the chance that he will stand in it or eat it!!?!

I hope that pads are short term... ish. Living in a flat up high will make it longer. I know that. But hopefully I'll do it. Poos especially!!

xxx

@justme1122
You may have to cross that bridge when you come to it if you find he is eating his poo. He may step in his wee so it may be a few paw washes until he's a bigger boy 🐶🚿 xx

Yeah I have a balcony. I was hoping to move the pads nearer and nearer the door. And maybe a tray thing outside? I'll cross that bridge in a couple of weeks 😩 surely people have dogs in flats!!?
In fact someone on my floor does. I could talk to them too! X

Op, I'm sure it'll be fine. But you have a puppy in a flat. That's not the norm. You need to really really work at it. And not get cross with him, because he's a dog in a flat. Not his fault. It'll take a lot of work on your part.

I have a French bulldog, we used a crate twice but he got so distressed we stopped using it and just put him in the kitchen with his bed overnight.

They're very stubborn, we have to be very firm with him and not let him be on us all of the time.

It's taken some time and perseverance to train him on the lead and house train him.

Now that we've got him trained he's the best, most loving dog.

However, we have a large garden which he has access to all of the time. He loves chasing a laser pointer for some inside exercises and play in your flat.

@ThroughThickAndThin01 what do you mean? My flat is by no means small. The only thing is the garden. But I live by loads of walks. It backs on to a green.
My concern would be disruption to others. And I will do my very best with him.

@Catdogcat thanks for your response. My flat is a really good size. And he is already very good at playing. And as soon as he can go out we will make full use of it why did you find house training him so hard?
And how is he about being confined to the kitchen? Do you think a pen would be a better option or would it feel the same as a crate? X

We just found it took lots of the same thing over and over, our boy is very stubborn and was really reluctant to go out for his wees when it was cold and wet. We just heaped praise and treats when he did what we wanted. He did get there in the end and is now very good.

We also used puppy pads next to the door and then whenever we saw him going to the door/pad let him out.

I have no advice about the pen as it's not something we've used but our dog is completely fine just in the kitchen. We have a baby gate up between that and the living room as that works well with our layout and he's been fine.

Congratulations on your pup, they really are the best,

Also, we only put him in the kitchen when we go to bed or go out, just because my daughters toys are in the living room and I keep catching him trying to 'play' with them.

I simply meant that most people just open their back door to put their puppy/dog out for a pee, it's not a problem. It's not his fault if he needs a pee/poo and you have to take him out at midnight or 7 on a Sunday morning when you want a lie-in! That's all.