Hey everyone. We have a 2-month-old miniature dachshund puppy (Moka). She sleeps through the night now (separated in another room), but during the day she constantly demands attention by barking/crying.
Her routine:
→ We take her out regularly for potty
→ Short play sessions + a few minutes of training (sit, name response etc.)
→ She has chew toys, lick mats, and puzzle toys available
When she gets tired, she sleeps well on her own, but not always, sometimes that ends up barking too.
The issue:
When she wakes up or is just not actively being entertained, she starts barking or crying non-stop. Sometimes this lasts up to 20–40 minutes. We try to ignore the behavior (to avoid reinforcing it), but she can go for a long time without stopping. She also cries when we block access to us with baby gates, even if she has everything she needs. I know some vocalization is normal, but I'm concerned about teaching her to self-soothe and not develop separation anxiety. We don't want to accidentally reward the barking, but also don't want to push her into panic.
Questions:
What are the best ways to teach a puppy to relax and self-settle during the day?
Should we completely ignore the barking until she's quiet, or interrupt with a calm redirect?
Any routines or exercises that worked especially well for your puppies?
We love her, but she’s very high energy + high voice 😅
Looking for practical advice from people who’ve been in this stage.
Thanks in advance 🙏
submitted by /u/FuturisticW
[link] [comments]