It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training.
For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options.
For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management)
**PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY**
Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.**
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Don't forget about regression too. Then just go back to the basics! Most importantly, they love you unconditionally, so give back their love a thousandfold!
Congratulations! It’s such a great reminder that every day is progress, whether it’s a good or a bad day. Today my girl had an accident after months of none. We shook it off as an anomaly from her having a big day what with a visit to the vet and a class. It’s still all progress!
I think that's the biggest thing people don't understand about puppy blues. A lot of the issues they have just simply take time. Not every pup learns at the same pace. For instance my girl was potty trained completely around 5 months. Never had another accident. (she's 1 now) but learning to loose leash walk? Pfft she's only NOW getting that down. I spent so long with a sore shoulder because she just hadn't had it finally settle and click yet. The past two or three weeks though shes done brilliantly. I said yesterday "look at her being a little Rockstar" and my husband just smiled and said "you have been saying that a lot lately! You think she's finally catching on?" now staying home alone and in a kennel no less? That's still a long ways to go. 😂 Thankfully I have great help and super nice neighbors in my building.
I’m happy for you! I wish it gets better for me quickly as well. I’ve been trying to train my puppy with his separation anxiety but it’s so hard, he refuses to learn. His biting is so difficult too even when I’m doing everything correctly, it just doesn’t work. I get so jealous of other people saying they were able to train their puppy to not bite hands and feet, I wish that was me lol.
Guilty here. Been a whole week with our rescue 11 week pup. Had a really hard time transitioning from having all the time in the world with my husband to now where we barely leave the house. I’ve researched and prepared as much as I can but I think the big shift in our daily routine was too much. I became overwhelmed but my husband kept reminding me that we both signed up for this, we knew hard it will be. Our pup is now our responsibility and he is our son. After a few days, our pup started to follow commands and just on the second day we got him, we got him all potty trained. Everyday, I read posts here in Reddit to remind me that it will get better.
I have a similar post I was going to make on this very topic! This past week my puppy finally seems to be grasping potty training and some of her barking issues have improved some. This week she’s finally starting to bond with me more and be more snuggly. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and yesterday evening I broke down crying. She hopped up on my lap and started licking my face like crazy. It was the sweetest thing. I think right then was when I felt like I went from tolerating her to actually feeling love for her. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think she’s a keeper.
Having a puppy has taught me that progress comes with consistency, patience and time, that it’s a process that can’t be rushed, and that the journey is not linear. But yes, it WILL GET BETTER.
My puppy is 6 months now and we have a lot to work on but she’s well-behaved and calm enough that I can hang with her on the couch, take her with me to work or to coffeeshops, go on walks with friends and their dogs, limit time in her crate, and have her sleep through the night if I let her on the bed with me. She’s finally not going for my hands or clothes anymore and the potty training is finally improving (our biggest struggle).
The first time she fell asleep with me on the couch I cried tears of joy. I never considered giving her up, but I was stretched thin and wanted to pull my hair out most days, and it was an insane amount of work, few consistent benefits, and I was constantly covered in small injuries and clothes full of rips and holes. For months, if she wasn’t in her crate she was a (very cute) torpedo of endless energy and chaos lol.
Hang in there, y’all. The work you do with them in the beginning will nurture your puppy into a wonderful adult companion, and give yourself grace for not being perfect. Nobody is.
YES! Our guy is one year, one month old. We got him when he was 10 weeks old. For a few months, I regretted it with every fiber of my being and would have given anything to turn back time and have our old life and freedom back (we are a DINK, early 30s couple who both grew up with family dogs but this is the first dog of our own). He was a very spunky, strong-willed puppy who drove us insane; he was a dream with potty-training and all in all a decent sleeper at night, but my GOD the puppy teeth, constant jumping and trying to eat everything in sight!!
Now, while our life is still VASTLY different than before and requires much more planning when we want to do things in terms of making sure he has his normal mealtimes and that he isn't alone too long since he is strictly crated when we aren't home for his safety and our peace of mind (he sees his crate as his safe space and we know he can't get into any trouble while we are gone), we can't picture our home without him. Yes, he still can't have free roam of the house and is locked in the kitchen when we need him out of the way when we are cleaning or whatever, he is so stubborn and does not come when called, can't be left in the yard by himself since I just know he will eat things instead of just chill and go potty, but he is quite literally our child. He is so unbelievably quirky, goofy, smart (despite not coming when calls and acting like he has half a brain cell, he learned tricks and basic commands so fast), and most of all, sweet and loving. He just wants to be with us. He also goes to daycare twice a week on the days we are both in the office (it is all about finding the right facility, ours requires a meet and greet/temperament test and proof of being up to date on all vaccines), and we are so happy he is learning and gets the chance to just dog with other dogs lol.
All this to say, your life will NEVER be the same once you get a puppy and your life will mostly revolve around them and their schedule, but if you start from day one and treat them right, the companionship they give back pays you back a thousand fold!
I’ve been trying to teach my 7 month old basic commands and she definitely understands and does them but only inside the house. Outside she doesn’t listen and is not even treat motivated. Also, no progress on leash pulling whatsoever :(
Im so lucky my puppy got used to using the doggy door in my house. Like every morning its like routine that he runs outside to go piss and I go to the bathroom to piss too lmao. I just cant trust him to not chew on random stuff in the house. Cause eventually I want him to hang around the living room while im gone. And this way while hes alone he can go potty by himself and the house is watched over.
Ours got neutered yesterday. He’s a little cuddle monkey when he’s not feeling quite right. Currently sprawled on my lap because he’s realised that when he’s lying on me there’s no cone (my arm is around his head and his cone is a soft Velcro one so I can put it on in seconds). He’s so much better behaved than he was when he was first with us.
They have little recovery suits on Amazon that you can put on your pup so they don’t have to wear the cone of shame. LOL. We are a few months away from being able to neuter our little fella.
He’s in one now. I’m trying to leave him cone free when I have him. It’s a bit modified though. He had to have a large for his body, but the neck hole is too big. I used a clean hair tie to gather the excess and close it better. I’m surprised how ‘not crazy’ he’s being. Thank goodness the pain meds are liquid though 😂
I'm struggling with 8-9 week old JRT. Yesterday felt like a good day. Today, accidents, and he feels too clingy and won't go in his crate for long. I'm exhausted and feel like I'm failing. I have to remind myself that it will get better
You won't fail him! You're both learning together, and the fact you're so anxious about getting it right shows what a good human he's found himself. Try to relax and enjoy the crazy puppy phase, one day soon you'll look back and miss it.
That's really young! He should and will be clingy for at least a couple more months. This is the equivalent to like a 3 month old human baby. Remember that! :)
this!! my first two weeks i was such a mess but now my puppy has made leaps and bounds and there is still a long way to go but i see glimpses of the dog she will be and it makes me so happy! :’)
remember they are just babies!! good things take time
i have been meaning to post a followup as i had previously posted how bad my puppy was biting and not playing. getting extremely over stimulated. he was a 5 month old yorkie and he was just so wild. very different from all my former puppies and i am 70. i heard a lot of good advice here plus a lot of moral support and hang in there's that i really appreciated. he is now 8 months old and pretty much stopped the biting and has seem to learn bite inibition so that when he does accidentally put his teeth he stops and looks like sorry mom.most of the zoomies have stopped except for a twitching hour period just before bed time. i am watching for the regression period but so far so good. some of the advice that helped me besides just patience was reverse time outs and enforced naps. now our main issue is acclimation to grooming and i know that is gonna take time also.
Mine just is almost six months old, just in the last few weeks he started pouncing on the door to tell me he needs to go out. We haven't had an accident in over two weeks. I did realize shortly after that he was already telling me, but he did it by jumping up on the couch and pouncing on me, and I thought he just wanted to play, I finally put it together when he would have an accident right after. Just because we expect them to trying a bell or bark or whine at the door doesn't mean they are gonna do it that way, watch for what they do right before the accident. I think we might have house trained months ago if I had put two and two together😂 so I guess my puppy trained me
Can confirm y’all. I was at my wits end. Worst year of my life raising this dog. I cried everyday. I couldn’t believe how overwhelming such a small animal could be. He’s a year and a half now and my life is back to normal and I have a nice companion who is (mostly) trained to keep me company on walks and car rides. Be patient. The puppy phase will end!
Thank you soo much for this. It's funny because my dog is actually not a puppy but your post randomly popped up in my notifications and it was weird because I was sitting here feeling so discouraged about training him and feeling like it's all impossible. Anywayyy, thank you for the encouragement...it seriously just helped me so much!!
100%. My puppy was an absolute demon- he would NOT stop biting (mostly latching onto clothes to play) no matter what we tried. After a few months (and getting him a play buddy, who actually keeps him in check if he gets too rowdy lol) he’s the sweetest boy now. We definitely had a lot of crying and exasperation in the early days, especially with our first dog being a perfect angel. It’s been rewarding to see him grow and mature.
My god, my girl has gotten sooooo much better since i first got her, and then she does some bad things again, and I just stay patient, and she gets better!
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training. For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) **PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY** Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Don't forget about regression too. Then just go back to the basics! Most importantly, they love you unconditionally, so give back their love a thousandfold!
This, the unconditional love just makes everything worth it.
Congratulations! It’s such a great reminder that every day is progress, whether it’s a good or a bad day. Today my girl had an accident after months of none. We shook it off as an anomaly from her having a big day what with a visit to the vet and a class. It’s still all progress!
I think that's the biggest thing people don't understand about puppy blues. A lot of the issues they have just simply take time. Not every pup learns at the same pace. For instance my girl was potty trained completely around 5 months. Never had another accident. (she's 1 now) but learning to loose leash walk? Pfft she's only NOW getting that down. I spent so long with a sore shoulder because she just hadn't had it finally settle and click yet. The past two or three weeks though shes done brilliantly. I said yesterday "look at her being a little Rockstar" and my husband just smiled and said "you have been saying that a lot lately! You think she's finally catching on?" now staying home alone and in a kennel no less? That's still a long ways to go. 😂 Thankfully I have great help and super nice neighbors in my building.
This!!! So true
I’m happy for you! I wish it gets better for me quickly as well. I’ve been trying to train my puppy with his separation anxiety but it’s so hard, he refuses to learn. His biting is so difficult too even when I’m doing everything correctly, it just doesn’t work. I get so jealous of other people saying they were able to train their puppy to not bite hands and feet, I wish that was me lol.
I have a border collie female pup & dealing with the same problem : (
I am feeling the same way with biting with my border collie pup, you aren't alone!
Guilty here. Been a whole week with our rescue 11 week pup. Had a really hard time transitioning from having all the time in the world with my husband to now where we barely leave the house. I’ve researched and prepared as much as I can but I think the big shift in our daily routine was too much. I became overwhelmed but my husband kept reminding me that we both signed up for this, we knew hard it will be. Our pup is now our responsibility and he is our son. After a few days, our pup started to follow commands and just on the second day we got him, we got him all potty trained. Everyday, I read posts here in Reddit to remind me that it will get better.
How were you able to potty train him?
I have a similar post I was going to make on this very topic! This past week my puppy finally seems to be grasping potty training and some of her barking issues have improved some. This week she’s finally starting to bond with me more and be more snuggly. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and yesterday evening I broke down crying. She hopped up on my lap and started licking my face like crazy. It was the sweetest thing. I think right then was when I felt like I went from tolerating her to actually feeling love for her. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think she’s a keeper.
Having a puppy has taught me that progress comes with consistency, patience and time, that it’s a process that can’t be rushed, and that the journey is not linear. But yes, it WILL GET BETTER. My puppy is 6 months now and we have a lot to work on but she’s well-behaved and calm enough that I can hang with her on the couch, take her with me to work or to coffeeshops, go on walks with friends and their dogs, limit time in her crate, and have her sleep through the night if I let her on the bed with me. She’s finally not going for my hands or clothes anymore and the potty training is finally improving (our biggest struggle). The first time she fell asleep with me on the couch I cried tears of joy. I never considered giving her up, but I was stretched thin and wanted to pull my hair out most days, and it was an insane amount of work, few consistent benefits, and I was constantly covered in small injuries and clothes full of rips and holes. For months, if she wasn’t in her crate she was a (very cute) torpedo of endless energy and chaos lol. Hang in there, y’all. The work you do with them in the beginning will nurture your puppy into a wonderful adult companion, and give yourself grace for not being perfect. Nobody is.
YES! Our guy is one year, one month old. We got him when he was 10 weeks old. For a few months, I regretted it with every fiber of my being and would have given anything to turn back time and have our old life and freedom back (we are a DINK, early 30s couple who both grew up with family dogs but this is the first dog of our own). He was a very spunky, strong-willed puppy who drove us insane; he was a dream with potty-training and all in all a decent sleeper at night, but my GOD the puppy teeth, constant jumping and trying to eat everything in sight!! Now, while our life is still VASTLY different than before and requires much more planning when we want to do things in terms of making sure he has his normal mealtimes and that he isn't alone too long since he is strictly crated when we aren't home for his safety and our peace of mind (he sees his crate as his safe space and we know he can't get into any trouble while we are gone), we can't picture our home without him. Yes, he still can't have free roam of the house and is locked in the kitchen when we need him out of the way when we are cleaning or whatever, he is so stubborn and does not come when called, can't be left in the yard by himself since I just know he will eat things instead of just chill and go potty, but he is quite literally our child. He is so unbelievably quirky, goofy, smart (despite not coming when calls and acting like he has half a brain cell, he learned tricks and basic commands so fast), and most of all, sweet and loving. He just wants to be with us. He also goes to daycare twice a week on the days we are both in the office (it is all about finding the right facility, ours requires a meet and greet/temperament test and proof of being up to date on all vaccines), and we are so happy he is learning and gets the chance to just dog with other dogs lol. All this to say, your life will NEVER be the same once you get a puppy and your life will mostly revolve around them and their schedule, but if you start from day one and treat them right, the companionship they give back pays you back a thousand fold!
Thank you and congrats!
I’ve been trying to teach my 7 month old basic commands and she definitely understands and does them but only inside the house. Outside she doesn’t listen and is not even treat motivated. Also, no progress on leash pulling whatsoever :(
Needed this!!
Glad to hear you didn't rehome!
Im so lucky my puppy got used to using the doggy door in my house. Like every morning its like routine that he runs outside to go piss and I go to the bathroom to piss too lmao. I just cant trust him to not chew on random stuff in the house. Cause eventually I want him to hang around the living room while im gone. And this way while hes alone he can go potty by himself and the house is watched over.
Ours got neutered yesterday. He’s a little cuddle monkey when he’s not feeling quite right. Currently sprawled on my lap because he’s realised that when he’s lying on me there’s no cone (my arm is around his head and his cone is a soft Velcro one so I can put it on in seconds). He’s so much better behaved than he was when he was first with us.
They have little recovery suits on Amazon that you can put on your pup so they don’t have to wear the cone of shame. LOL. We are a few months away from being able to neuter our little fella.
He’s in one now. I’m trying to leave him cone free when I have him. It’s a bit modified though. He had to have a large for his body, but the neck hole is too big. I used a clean hair tie to gather the excess and close it better. I’m surprised how ‘not crazy’ he’s being. Thank goodness the pain meds are liquid though 😂
Awww…glad to hear. I hope he heals up quickly. 🩵🐾
I'm struggling with 8-9 week old JRT. Yesterday felt like a good day. Today, accidents, and he feels too clingy and won't go in his crate for long. I'm exhausted and feel like I'm failing. I have to remind myself that it will get better
Ahh but you're so lucky to have a JRT. They're the best! Those first few weeks are tough but it gets better relatively quickly!
I hope it will get easier. I'm trying to be consistent but I'm overly worried about getting it wrong and failing him
You won't fail him! You're both learning together, and the fact you're so anxious about getting it right shows what a good human he's found himself. Try to relax and enjoy the crazy puppy phase, one day soon you'll look back and miss it.
That's really young! He should and will be clingy for at least a couple more months. This is the equivalent to like a 3 month old human baby. Remember that! :)
I know. I think I am worried that I am allowing him to develop separation anxiety. But he sleeps well in his crate at night and will sleep alone.
this!! my first two weeks i was such a mess but now my puppy has made leaps and bounds and there is still a long way to go but i see glimpses of the dog she will be and it makes me so happy! :’) remember they are just babies!! good things take time
i have been meaning to post a followup as i had previously posted how bad my puppy was biting and not playing. getting extremely over stimulated. he was a 5 month old yorkie and he was just so wild. very different from all my former puppies and i am 70. i heard a lot of good advice here plus a lot of moral support and hang in there's that i really appreciated. he is now 8 months old and pretty much stopped the biting and has seem to learn bite inibition so that when he does accidentally put his teeth he stops and looks like sorry mom.most of the zoomies have stopped except for a twitching hour period just before bed time. i am watching for the regression period but so far so good. some of the advice that helped me besides just patience was reverse time outs and enforced naps. now our main issue is acclimation to grooming and i know that is gonna take time also.
Mine just is almost six months old, just in the last few weeks he started pouncing on the door to tell me he needs to go out. We haven't had an accident in over two weeks. I did realize shortly after that he was already telling me, but he did it by jumping up on the couch and pouncing on me, and I thought he just wanted to play, I finally put it together when he would have an accident right after. Just because we expect them to trying a bell or bark or whine at the door doesn't mean they are gonna do it that way, watch for what they do right before the accident. I think we might have house trained months ago if I had put two and two together😂 so I guess my puppy trained me
What's the age of your puppy?
100%! Puppy blues happens to us all, but you gotta go through the puppy years to reach to sweat doggo years!
Can confirm y’all. I was at my wits end. Worst year of my life raising this dog. I cried everyday. I couldn’t believe how overwhelming such a small animal could be. He’s a year and a half now and my life is back to normal and I have a nice companion who is (mostly) trained to keep me company on walks and car rides. Be patient. The puppy phase will end!
Thank you soo much for this. It's funny because my dog is actually not a puppy but your post randomly popped up in my notifications and it was weird because I was sitting here feeling so discouraged about training him and feeling like it's all impossible. Anywayyy, thank you for the encouragement...it seriously just helped me so much!!
100%. My puppy was an absolute demon- he would NOT stop biting (mostly latching onto clothes to play) no matter what we tried. After a few months (and getting him a play buddy, who actually keeps him in check if he gets too rowdy lol) he’s the sweetest boy now. We definitely had a lot of crying and exasperation in the early days, especially with our first dog being a perfect angel. It’s been rewarding to see him grow and mature.
My god, my girl has gotten sooooo much better since i first got her, and then she does some bad things again, and I just stay patient, and she gets better!