9 week old lab x boxer mix puppy, we picked her up 4 days ago. She is just so lovely, friendly, outgoing on first visit. We fell in love.
Upon bringing her home Saturday morning, she seemed to settle in quickly, and was very happy being with myself and my partner. Putting her to bed wasn’t easy, she needed to be stroked to sleep and then quietly transferred to crate. Her first night was perfect, no potty accidents (we took her out every 1-2 hours to the garden). She was very happy to go back in her crate freely at night when coming back in from potty break.
Come the second day. We know she is supposed to be sleeping 20 hours a day, yet she just wouldn’t go down to nap. Instead she goes hyper, biting and attacking carpet. We expected destructive tendencies because she’s a puppy, but the concern is that she is clearly overtired yet won’t go to sleep during the day. We do this routine – food, water, potty, crate. We take her to the crate and she climbs on our laps (we can’t put her or lock her in crate when she’s awake because she panics) and we have to stroke her for 10-20-30 mins for her to dose off enough to sleep and transfer for crate. On this day my partner and I did not sleep at all! Due to her constantly needing to be watched since she won’t go in crate, and since we need to “put her to sleep”. We didn’t eat at all that day, just not a moment to do it.
Day 3 came around, this was the lowest so far (yesterday). Even though we had a perfect night of her sleeping and being taken out 3 times in the night to potty, the moment she wakes in the morning she is biting so hard at only me (I’m a woman) and not my male partner. Whenever I try to redirect her to chew toys or any distraction, she just bites harder. I try the tree method. She attacks my legs. I try to walk away. She follow me and bites hard. I don’t make any vocal expression during because this makes her bite even harder. Putting on her leash is almost impossible for me because she bites. At this point we haven’t slept for 36 hours. We just don’t know what to do because we need her to be contained in a safe place while we look after our own basic needs, at least 1 meal a day and a shower and fresh clothes. Yet she just will not tolerate being left alone, in a room or in her crate. She goes into complete panic and thrashes around.
What we’ve done to get her used to the crate – 4 meals a day in crate. Treats in crate for doing tricks. Walking away from crate and giving her treat upon return. She does it perfectly yet when it’s time to nap, she just will not tolerate being alone.
My partner has had to take a few days off work to help me because we are even struggling the two of us , to constantly be in the room with her and we take turns when the other needs to go to the toilet or try have something to eat (we feel sick from the sleep deprivation).
We’ve spoken to the breeder after last night, and she’s agreed to take her back. We just cannot go another night without sleep we are going insane. We don’t know what we’re doing wrong, we’ve watched all the videos on what to do and it just doesn’t seem to work with her. I know she’s a baby and needs reassurance, but is it really normal that all new puppy owners stay constantly in the room with puppy and never eat, never sleep never go to the toilet? We’ve been told this could last weeks. Week of never being able to cook a meal? Of never closing that door? My partner goes back to work tomorrow and I’ll have to do it all alone, I have no idea how I will manage, we couldn’t even handle it the two of us on 24/7 duty.
We have been able to train her to leave it, sit, waiting before eating from bowl, and she is happy to walk in and out of crate. She is happy on a leash now. She’s never had a toilet accident in the house. This is because we are very diligent taking her out so often. She is a very smart girl.
Please help us because it just doesn’t feel right taking her back to the breeder. I want to make this work but I need 2 basic needs met each day to function and be able to give her my best effort. And what I need is : 1 quick shower a day and at least 1 meal. I have no appetite and just feel sick with this situation. Please please help us we are desperate.
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