Week 2

[Bailey]

So, I thought week one was going to be tough...Oh no way. It seems that Bailey has just started to show his true self. Of course he's still adorable, but he's nipping and biting. Thus proving to us that we have a whole lot of training to do. We're looking at PKT anyone else send their pups?

And in another development...we figured that letting him sleep in bed with us while he was sick would be ok. Only because he'd be up about four times a night coughing and moving around and we felt terrible keeping him in the crate...Well, I knew I should have listened to all the books I read wehen they said don't let them sleep in bed with you because now he freaks out if we put him in the kennel at night now that he's better.

Overall though he's just a joy and most of the "problems" I think we only perpetuate ourselves. I'll post some pictures soon, but my digital camera doesn't want to cooperate right now.

[Teri9672]

I promise it does get better and easier.

Teona is still a hell raiser, but she's not as bad as she once was

I love the girls sleeping in their crates at night. We have 2 crates in the bedroom and they pick where they want to sleep. Sometimes they sleep in their own beds, sometimes they swap and sometimes they crawl into bed together. I just come up behind them and close the doors at 10:00ish

[Guest rottndobie]

Puppy Kindergarten Classes are great and I highly recommend them - not only for the training but the socialization as well.

[Scully'sMom]

If the crate is in the same room as you, to get her to settle down try covering the crate with a light towel. I did NOT want to use a crate - I thought it was "so mean". Our trainer told us that having the crate covered while we were in the same room would be calming since she couldn't see us and also gave her the "den" feeling. We only had to do that when Scully was about 7-9 months old.

[Eliz222]

Great idea, Joanne! We had Scout's crate in our bedroom when she was a puppy and she didn't mind it.....and she hated the crate!! I think it was comforting to her to be close to us.

Teri is right too.....it DOES get better!

[brin145]

I tell people that I feel like I have a baby again. It is not the same level of work, but it sure is pretty darn similiar. Don't despair...It has gotten better each week. Sometimes I even take my eyes off Crunch for a whole minute! My son wants Crunch to sleep with him, but I don't trust Crunch with free reign of the house while everyone is asleep. He would shred toilet tissue from one end of the house to the other before dawn (his favorite mischevious pasttime). It's the crate for him at 10.