I had a dog previously that lived to almost 12 so I'm not totally inexperienced but I just got a puppy and this is my first time navigating puppyhood with an infant/ toddler. We have the puppy confined to the kitchen with a gate and he sleeps there and spends a lot of the time there to keep him separate from my toddler, he does get lots of walks and time in our big back yard. However sometimes he is demand barking or whining for company while my toddler is napping or sleeping at night and I don't want to wake up my son but I also don't want to teach my puppy that barking and loud whining/ howling is effective. Any toddler/pet parents have tips for dealing with this? I do have a sound machine that I turn up when the barking starts but when it is very loud or continues for several minutes it makes me so anxious I feel I have to intervene before a nap gets ruined. I did try crate training and we are working on it but he was left at a gas station in a box at 3 weeks old so he was not with his mom and then spent time in a shelter so I think his crate fear may come from that. He will go into the crate to get a high value treat but is shaking the entire time he does it. I do have a plastic crate as I flew with my previous dog so I am open to trying a metal crate if that is the solution to this lol.
submitted by /u/UnionOk2156
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