Puppy routines

[Gameofhomes]

It's been a long time since I had a pup. He's 12 weeks old. Anyone on here with a pup that age and what are your routines during day as to sleep. My pup rarely sleeps through the day just an odd hour cap nap. I'm worn out and struggling to do anything. I've had him a few weeks so he's settled in.

Have you read Easy, Peasy, Puppy Squeezy? Excellent book about all things puppy.
Sleep and teaching pups to settle is extremely important and I vividly remember trying to wfh from 8-15 weeks when she would sleep for 1 hour then awake, toilet and play for 1-2 hours before another 1 hour nap. It was relentless and exhausting. However getting her in that routine meant after 15 weeks ish she gradually extended the day time napping to 2 hours then to 3 hours.

By 6 months she was up at 6am for walk etc then 9am she would take herself off to her bed to nap until 12pm when we did 2nd walk then nap until DD came in from school at 3.30pm. The play/nap until 9pm bedtime.
The puppy weeks are horrendous until they reach the 4/6 month stage.

@twistyizzy I will look for book. My pup excels in other ways. The issue is he is so clingy he is not a fan of crate. I'm struggling to get anything done. Sometimes you need a puppy from under your feet when cooking , cleaning etc. He just wants to be with me 24/7 . I put him in crate today he just howled and barked for almost an hour. I've had dogs before never crated any. However I'm in a big old house it's not safe to leave him on his own. I'm really struggling on my own with him.

Definitely read that book and what you are describing is all totally normal for a puppy. They are immensely hard work. Also recommend you join the Facebook page Dog Training Advice and Support and they also have a book on Amazon

Sorry it is called Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions

Ffs the book is called Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions 🙄

Is this the Facebook group too. I've seen a few puppy advice groups. If I join a group it's advice from a qualified trainer I'm after. I have got training classes booked and he starts soon.

The Facebook page is: Dog Training Advice and Support. The page is run by qualified behaviourists and it isn't run like a normal page ie only the admins who are the behaviourists can answer questions. It really is excellent and has lots of guides and advice. Training groups can be great but equally if they aren't properly run can be useless. Depending on the breed I would always recommend breed appropriate training eg gundog training for spaniels/labs etc.

If he's terrified of the crate you need to stop putting him in there. It's not fair to him and will just make any anxiety he has ten times worse.

He's under your feet because he's a 12 week old baby animal and that's what they do it's totally normal for them to be so clingy it's irritating - so your job is to build his confidence so he's content to be left on his own.

Instead of the crate (which he hates), try puppy-proofing an area and using a baby gate or a pen so he has more freedom to move around. You could give him stuffed kongs or puppy chews to keep him occupied so that he doesn't automatically get up and follow you when you leave.

Easy peazy book 100%

initially you might have to stay in sight if the crate or just sit next to it (somewhere comfy or course) and build it up.

but. A crate and enforced nap are your friends imo. You will have a happy and relaxed dog as it knows how to settle and be calm which is so important for them

Everyday will be a training day between now and a year ish

so treat each day like that and remember it gets easier

Have you made any attempt to introduce the crate slowly?

I have a 9 week old puppy. Day one - fed her all meals in crate, sat next to the crate/in same room playing with her, chucking toys in it, bits of kibble etc. That night she slept in it with a zip cover over, white noise playing, my worn dressing gown in there and me sleeping nearby. She woke in middle of the night and I took her to toilet with no lights on/no interaction and put her back. She cried a bit but I was sat outside crate hushing her.

During the following days I popped her in the crate every time she nodded off, carried on feeding in it, then gradually started closing the door and putting cover down for short periods in the day with music on (half hour after meals and toileting is a good time)

After a week she was sleeping through and now goes to the crate when she is tired in the day, and half hour after every meal when she sleeps 45-90 min.

Putting a pup straight in for an hour isn't going to work, needs to be done slowly but if it doesn't work, as others have suggested get a puppy pen to keep him safe - and don't leave him straight away, just potter about so he can see you and build it up. A Kong stuffed with food is a good distraction, soak the kibble and mush it up.

@ohdizzy I have fed him in crate since I got him. Threw kibble in, bought a heartbeat bear , heated disc. I've got blankets over crate. Sat next to crate encouraged him in. Closed door fed him through crate etc. The minute l leave him he's howling and barking. I know he's a baby however I do need to do somethings like clean up without a puppy in tow if only for a short time.

We have a 13 week old (tomorrow) Beagle puppy. We have a crate in the living room, we also have stairgates everywhere. When we brought him home he went straight into the crate himself and had a sleep. Its pretty much wake up, toilet, food and play. Repeat. The crate is his safe place, so its soft, in a quiet place, somewhere we can see. When he is getting a little too bitey he is tired so we put him in the crate, usually within 5 minutes he is completely sound asleep. Occasionally he will put himself to bed. We try to stay around until he is asleep so he knows we're still here. If I have cook dinner or something, I have a stairgate across the kitchen, he can still see me but can't get under foot. I have to admit he does seem like a really easy puppy so far.

Have you joined the Dog Training Advice abd Support group yet? They have advice and guidance on everything puppy/dog especially what you are experiencing now. You have to accept though that you have to put the effort into training the pup and also that this is what puppies fo. You are that puppy's world, gevhss been torn away from his mum and siblings so needs the constant reassurance of your presence. Would you expect a human baby/toddler to be happy to cope on its own?

What happens if you have him crated in the same room as you?

I'm wondering if it's not so much a crate issue as it is an anxiety/separation thing.