Help training new puppy

[VeeBee3]

Hi, my DH and I have adopted a 15 week old puppy from a rescue centre for a week. We are having a fair few differences of opinion when it comes to training.

I am a SAHM and therefore home with puppy far more than DH. I have been reading lots of threads on here and the booklets recommended - before and after you get your puppy. Everything i read seems to suggest crate training from the start however DH (who has grown up with dogs) has said it's not necessary so I have been trying to use 'short term confinement' by keeping puppy in the kitchen using stairgate for short periods (30mins at a time). He doesn't like it, barks an awful lot and is not interested in any toys i pop in there with him. However when i do it during the day he settles down after a few minutes and lies in his bed. When DH is here DH is constantly going to kitchen gate and shushing puppy and the barking lasts even longer everytime he moves away.

Not sure if DH thinks i'm being cruel or whether it's the way he's always done it growing up. He seems to think puppy should have free reign downstairs, however i feel this is why the house training is taking longer. I'm more than happy for puppy to have free reign once he is house trained.

I'm asking for help as i don't know which of us, if either of us, is going about it the right way. I'm open to any advice i can get as i can't even pop to the loo in peace the way it is at the moment. He is a joy in every other way, would just love to crack this before we move on to other aspects of training. Hope this is enough information but will happily give more if needed.

Puppies are like toddlers, when they want attention any attention is good attention, so in this instance your dh is getting it very wrong, by 'shushing' the puppy when he barks the puppy is just learning barking = attention and will do it more and more.

It sounds like you are doing much better if he will settle when it is only you around.

How is the housetraining going gernerally?

Thanks for replying. During the day he has no accidents in the house, just the occasional one in the evening. He does go to the toilet in garden, I'd like to teach him to go in just one area of the garden as he seems to go in several places at the moment. Have tried putting his lead on to take to the preferred spot but he has no idea of how to walk on a lead and just sits down! How do I encourage him?

With regard to leaving him alone, he is absolutely fine when I go on the school run (half an hour morning and afternoon). No barking or crying now when I go, but if I'm home and leave the room he does.

He's probably barking when you leave him but don't leave the house because he knows it MIGHT work. If your DH is giving him attention for the barking, he'll keep doing it.

Have you only had him for a week? He's bound to be really unsettled at the moment, especially since he's come from a rescue centre. You need to give him time. Toilet training won't happen over night - he's still only a baby.

He's only in the kitchen for 30 minutes at a time - how many times a day? have you tried shorter periods of time but rather than just walking off and leaving him, go back and praise him when he's quiet. Ignore him when he's barking / whining. At this age could he be going through a fear period? The area he's confined in needs to be a safe place for him - this is often why the crate works well. Does it have a comfy bed, toys, chews, and water?

Yes he has a bed with chews, toys and fresh water when he's in the kitchen. I started putting him in the kitchen for 5 minutes at a time and have worked up to 30. I do this maybe four/five times throughout the day, whilst we're eating or doing homework etc. When I go back to him and he's settled I give him lots of fuss and occasionally a treat.

I'm not concerned about the toilet training as I feel he's doing quite well. No mess when I leave him for school runs or overnight (11pm - 6am). He settles really well at night with no fuss.

Will try shorter periods again if you think that will help, although yesterday he settled in the kitchen much quicker than he has previously.