Category: Top Dog

Our 17 week old doberman has finally completed all her vaccines! In a week the vet has cleared her to begin going to doggy daycare. This is a home daycare with a dog trainer who never has more than 4 dogs at a time in her care and several hundred 5 stars on Rover. We've already done the meet and greet and our puppy loved her as much as we did so I'm excited for her to start!

Now the question, her first day is Feb 3rd. My mother is having surgery that morning and I'll be off all day just in case something happens and I need to pick our puppy up early. My question is, most days she will be at daycare from 830-630 (I work 9-6 currently plus travel). On her first day, Mom goes into surgery at 7 and wants me there when she goes back. Should I take the puppy very early for her first day (drop off at 630 instead of 830) or should I kennel her until Mom goes back for surgery then drive home and take the puppy in around her normal time.

Both options disturb her morning schedule. Most mornings she's up at 6 and we cuddle and sleep in my recliner till about 7:30. Then it's training, walkies and breakfast. I feel like kenneling until 745ish is probably the least disruptive to her schedule but would it just be better to take her to the sitter early? I want her first day to go as smoothly as possible so she can have the best possible start!

17week old male cockapoo, absolute Velcro dog that follows us everywhere if he could 😬 He’s been crated since we brought him home, first night was bad. Since then the nights have been good with a slight whine at 10pm and then asleep till 6:30. Toilet training has been well.. can’t remember the last accident in the house.

Our issue is when we leave for work, shops, take kids to school… anything that he needs to be crated for during the day while we go out. He happily goes in his crate in the day to lay down or chill with a toy, but once he’s getting shut in and us go out he whines and cry’s and abit of howling.. now it’s not terrible, it goes on for maybe 5mins, 10mins at the very most and very rarely. After he does settle but how do we go about not having the crying at all? 😬 we’ve considered giving abit more freedom of having the downstairs when we go out and see how that goes.

Any tips or experiences very welcome. Thank you

Hi friends! I picked up my now 11 week old Pomeranian last Saturday, and was hoping for some guidance.

Once we got her home, I figured she would be tired from the 3 hour car ride with us, so I put in the playpen I got her. It had an open kennel inside with a bed, food, water and toys, and I covered it with a blanket to reduce stimulation. Didn’t last long though because she screamed absolute bloody murder when she couldn’t see us.

We took her out and played, and when we tried again it was more of the same. I realized that that night I should probably not cause her so much stress so I did what I read about on this sub, which is to move a crate in my room so it’s right next to my bed so I can smooth her and reach in when she cried. It was irks pretty well, did that for a few nights but she got really scared of something one night and woke me up crying with her back against the back of the crate, and was scared of one side of the kennel.

The last two night, I moved the pen in my room on the floor next to my bed with lots of cozy things. Last night I added a heartbeat puppy stuffie, which she seems to like okay, but she still cries because she hates the pen even during the day. I also have a calming pheromone plugged in nearby, and I also ordered the spray to put on her bed and stuffie. Tonight I am trying a slightly bigger kennel again, and that hopefully we have a better outcome than before.

In the pen, she cries unless she is touched, until she falls asleep. I am a bit stressed because I have been letting her go around the living room while I’m in there to keep an eye on her, and there is totally relaxed. But the minute she is put in a pen, which is still big at 36”x36” she acts like I’m torturing her.

This sub seems mostly on the side of being attentive to them in the crate, but I’m also worried I’m creating separation anxiety. My boss has a one year old at Bernard and used the cry it out method and thinks I just need to do that.

So here’s my question. She’s still a little baby and is adjusting really well to my house outside of this issue. But I’m not sure if at 11 weeks this something I should approach with softness or tough love. How long did this stage last? What worked for you? She’s my third pom but first I’m raising from a puppy.

I don’t want to create problems for her as an adult, and it’s giving me a lot of anxiety and causing me to have puppy blues. Any advice is welcome.