need puppy advice!

devoted

devoted

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Mar 20, 2006
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#1
I purchased a bichon frise a week ago, she's about 3 months old. The problem is she doesn't stop crying and barking when she's alone. I leave her in the kitchen because I really don't want pee and poo stains on my carpet :sad2: and she just doesn't stay quiet!!!! Will she ever grow out of it? I do place her inside her little cage and take her with me into the living and bedroom but I want her to get used to staying alone. I have been soooo stressed out!! I can't handle a puppy, I wonder how I will deal with a baby in the future. :sad:
 
#2
my puppy was like that........she'll turn 2 in a few weeks and she still cries when she's alone, but eventually she'll fall asleep....hopefully your puppy will outgrow it?...the crying is cute at first, but when you're trying to study for exams it's really not at all endearing........
 
#3
i saw this technique on some tv program where the owner rigged up this set up where the dog was left in a room by herself, and whenever she'd cry, he'd trigger a mechanism so that these heavy metal objects would drop hard onto the ground, startling the dog......everytime she cried he'd do this until finally she learned to stop.......but i think that's cruel :cry:
 
#4
once she is trained and allowed to wander around the house (are you planning on letting her rome freely?) then she should be fine. we kept my dog (soon to be 5), who is also a tiny little dog (yorkshire terrier) in a gated pin for a bit while he was a puppy. he cried all the time, but once he was trained and running around the house, he was just fine.
 
#6
ooooh now i remember that i gave my puppy a big cow (at the time it was like 10 times her size) to cuddle with, and it worked wonders........she'd snuggle up to the thing like it was her mommy it was the cutest thing (although i had to take it away after awhile cuz she started chewing on it/trying to eat it :P)
 
#7
I was going to say the same thing. Leave a bigger stuffed animal and a nice place to sleep. If you put a small enough of a cage for her to hide in it might make her feel secure to be able to hide.

You can also hire a dog walker or someone to visit in the middle of the day.

Good luck...
 
#8
Our pug puppy did this in the beginning too.

If you search online, there's a stuffed toy in the shape of a dog that has a heated water pad inside (microwavable) and also a battery operated "beating heart". So you turn it on and give it to your puppy so it can sleep next to the toy, or cuddle up with the toy, and thinks it's another dog/mommy (less separation anxiety).
 
#9
One of my dogs had bad separation anxiety. There are actually a lot of websites that discuss this issue. Some say to leave your dog alone for short periods at a time, when she starts whining, to go back in and tell her no and then continue this process slowly for longer periods. Long story short, this didn't work with our dog.

Also, if you give it too much freedom initially, it causes problems. Some dogs take to the kennel, others don't. Ours hated the kennel with a passion.

In the end, we did kind of end her separation anxiety towards us by getting another dog. Now we have two and they keep each other company when we're not around. In fact, sometimes, they'll just saunter on to another room to snuggle if we silly humans are keeping them awake or something. Personally, I think dealing with separation anxiety is a trial and error sort of thing.

Good luck! It's hard. Another thing I would strongly recommend for anyone with a dog is to take it to obedience training. This also helps bonding with your puppy, socializing it with other dogs and also establish with the puppy that you are the alpha. Bichons typically have good dispositions, but it's so much fun and you get to meet other puppy parents, plus the trainer can give you lots of tips on raising your new family member. Good luck!!
 
#10
I haven't had a puppy in years, but I do remember that she cried ALL THE TIME when she had to stay in her little cage until she was trained. But once she could follow us around, and choose her own places to sleep, she was just fine!
 
#11
i crate trained dookie so he's used to being inside his kennel when i'm not at home. i leave animal planet on for him, hehe. it not only keeps him company and gives him something to watch, it also drowns out his pitiful whimpers! he's used to it now so whenever i put my jacket on, he runs into his kennel.

it also helps to make the kennel very comfy with a stuffed animal to keep him/her company. puppies are so cute!!
 
#12
As long as you make her bed comfortable and cozy, she should be ok. Don't give in to her crying, and run to her every time she does that. She would eventually knows that it doesn't get her anything/anywhere by crying. I did a lot of research before getting our puppy, also a lot of people taught us this trick. It was hard the first night, we were in bed and kept telling each other not to go to him when we were weak. He only cried the first night, that was it. It's only normal for them to cry because they are taken away from their siblings and mother. Did you get a towel with the smell of her mother and siblings? Our breeder got us to bring a towel and he rubbed it on his family for us to bring it home with us, so it gave him security being able to smell his family in a strange environment. Doggies are different than human babies. When the baby cries, we worry if he's hungry, wet his nappy or something's wrong. Doggies don't like to soil their sleeping area, their kennel. And if you stay home with her, she probably goes out every hour anyway. I hope everything will be fine soon. Training is tough, but aren't they just irrestible at this time. Good luck and congratulations with this new family member.

p.s. our Pinot is 14months soon.
 
#13
^^ i agree! i forgot to add that you should never ever talk to him/her or look in his/her direction when the whining starts. it's hard, but ignore the cries or else your puppy will learn to whine for your attention. once your puppy realises that whining doesn't get your attention, it'll stop and sleep or play with his toys.

be patient and consistent! it's hard at first but ther results are sooooo worth it! i love puppy kisses :biggrin:
 
#14
when I first got my puppy I felt like I had an actual baby. I had to wake up early in the morning to let him go pee numerous times. I trained him really hard from the first day I got him. He was potty trained within a month. We had a few accidents, but that was like two or three times. He was never left alone at first because I chose to get a puppy during the summer so I would have more time with him, which I find helped out sooo much!! I felt bad leaving him alone when I went back to school. I never caged my puppy either, so he had the freedom from when he was a little boy. A lot of people use the caging method for potty training, but my little guy didn't....sorry to sound like I am bragging, but I have to admit he is one of the smartest dogs I know!
 
#15
Congratulations on your new puppy!!!

When we first got Sam, I did cave and come down and keep him company through most of the night in the first week. But after that we just let him whine and he got through the nights okay. We got him a nice sheepskin to sleep on and lots of toys, and kept him in the tiled kitchen, so he could walk around but not make a mess on the carpet. I've got a really cute picture of Sam at 7 weeks sleeping in his little bed.
 

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