r/puppy101

Hi yall, so I need some advice. When we got our male Aussie puppy at 8 weeks old, we got him the famous SnugglePuppy. It helped a TON with his nights and naps, he slept very good, and it truly was doing what it advertised. He absolutely adores his SnugglePuppy.

And wellllll, that's kinda the problem. He loves SnugglePuppy.

At 13 weeks old, he spends more time having affairs with the plush than sleeping. I'm not kidding. Yes I know he is very young, I've done research and apparently it's super common for Aussie puppies. No it is not overstimulation, it is 100% sexual because he ejaculates. I wish I was kidding. I've had to buy so much laundry detergent for his crate blankets, and have had to do laundry every single night as a result. He will spend alot of time humping it, and as a result he wakes up cranky and overtired. Originally we were only having the issue during his naptimes so we took SnugglePuppy out during the day. It was a tiny adjustment but he's been doing good and all seemed to be fixed.

But now, it's happening when he wakes up in the morning. Super cranky, overtired, was a menace on his morning walk, all that stuff. So my question is, should we try removing SnugglePuppy entirely for a while?

Or should we remove it during his 2 AM potty break since thats when he seems to start doing it (he sleeps like the dead from 10 to 2, but then after 2 is when we have realized he's doing it) We don't plan to neuter him until he's at least a year and a half for growth reasons, as well as knowing Aussies can develop aggression issues if neutered too soon. But we don't want to keep dealing with a cranky puppy at 7 in the morning when he should be his most rested during then. We don't even really care if he's humping Snugglepuppy, if it helps him relax and regulate we're not gonna worry too much about that (and would prefer he handles that on Snugglepuppy and not our legs LOL) But when its keeping him from getting enough sleep, that's why it's an issue now.

On a more light hearted note, I'm not sure Snugglepuppy is consenting to these affairs and needs a lawyer ASAP

Puppy is 12 weeks old Pitbull/Lab mix rescue and I’ve had him for almost 2 weeks now. He refuses to sleep in his crate unless he falls asleep on the couch and is transferred into his crate while drowsy in mid sleep. And even then it’s hard to get him to settle unless you pet him for multiple minutes, close the crate, and then slowly pull the blanket over the crate while saying “yes” his key word for training learning other commands. I don’t know how to break this habit. Any advice?

If placed straight in crate when not exhausted he whines and barks constantly even if we let him try to whine it out (which is hard to do living in an apartment with neighbors below us and beside). He doesn’t settle in his crate ever during the day even though it is open and we randomly will place treats in there to entice it as a happy place.

Edit: we also allow him a parent scented shirt and a Snuggle Puppy for all sleeping (nap or night), he will eat the snuggle puppy if allowed to see it all day.

When we first began crate training we had his crate in the bedroom and he did not need to fall asleep on couch and we slept on an air mattress on the floor with hands in the crate, and then next night we were able to try again and without hands needed. We then moved his crate to the living room where it has been since the third night and we slept on an air mattress and slowly each night moved it further from the crate until back to bedroom.

Also if he falls asleep on the couch and you try to put him in the crate and he wakes up, game over you have to start all over again because now he’s awake and upset. We’ve even tried giving him a pupsicle to lick and settle in the crate but as soon as you close the crate or leave the room he freaks out even with the lick toy.

Any advice is welcome! Please help, a tired pet parent.

I think I’ve put myself in a puppy rut - I am really enjoying my 15 week old puppy, enjoying the puppy classes and love her intensely.
I know there’s such thing as puppy blues but I don’t think this is it, I have zero regrets etc

I just think my routine has gone out the window, and I’ve ended up spiralling into a place where I am not looking after myself and making myself feel unwell.

I forced myself out for a walk/run this morning came back and had some water and the difference in my mental health is insane! My old dog - we’d do a long walk together every morning and I had no idea the impact it had on my physical and mental health. My routine with the puppy is SO different - I do a lot of sitting around, training or playing with her, we go to the field to do lead work recall etc but I’m so focused on her I don’t really get the benefit of being outside.

This lack of activity and change in routine has led to me completely neglecting my health, eating worse, lack of movement and spend the evenings feeling ill and lethargic

I was just wondering if anyone else has had this experience?

I’m looking forward to the day she can join me on walks/ runs properly and we have a nice routine

My gf and I have a 9.5 week old puppy. He’s been pretty intense with the biting, which I know is normal for his age and we’re trying to work on strategies to make him stop.

I think the biggest issue has been the toll on both of our mental healths, mine particularly. Due to my work schedule, I’m home with her more during the day. I get pretty burnt out and overwhelmed because there’s not much else I can do during the day. My gf gets home later and usually wants to eat dinner, chill out and go to bed but obviously all of those are more challenging to do. I end up being up earlier with him, with him for more hours during the day, and up at night with him. I’m definitely more of a home body, but it definitely seems like my life is much more impacted and thrown off by our new addition than hers is. This doesn’t even count for stuff I need to do for work from home but can’t get done and other stuff around the house. There’s really not much we can do to make it more sustainable or manageable on this front.

Pretty much everyday since we got him I end up crying, feeling overwhelmed and depressed. I had a puppy about 15 years ago so I remember the puppy blues and chaos but I don’t remember it impacting my mental health this poorly. I feel like it’s creeping towards not being sustainable for me to feel like this everyday

Rescued a 22 week old German Shepherd mix about a month ago. She was in a foster home for about 6 weeks, with 5 other dogs and one cat. I am a first time dog owner, while my bf has had dogs in his family before, but this is the first of our own.

Our pup is experiencing EXTREME separation anxiety. We are working on crate training, which she sleeps in at night just fine (it has a divider so it is just large enough for her to stand, turn around, and lay down, it is covered with a large blanket so it is nice and cozy). She even naps during the day when I am in the room (I work from home). But when she is left alone in her crate, she is in extreme distress. Barking nonstop, and will pee and poop in her crate. She is always taken outside to go potty before being put in her crate. The pup has also been doing a lot better with potty training, besides the issues with the crate.

For some background– our downstairs is pretty open (living room and kitchen) and we have a baby gate that separates the downstairs hallway that leads to front door and upstairs. We also have a cat, and they are separated and haven’t gotten along yet. The pup can’t be trusted alone in the open area, so she is crated when we need to leave the room. I put something on the TV (white noise, a show, music), but it doesn’t seem to help, as she still barks and has accidents (and stomps around in it).

I work on crate training and separation exercises– I put her in the crate, walk away briefly, return, give her treat. I do the same and go through the gate briefly, return, treat. But I can only do this for max 15 seconds before whining begins. I have done a LOT of research, but these exercises haven’t really built up any time yet. We will also feed her in the crate, as I have heard and read that dogs will try not to eliminate in places they eat or sleep, but that doesn’t stop her.

There are times when I need to go upstairs (work in my office, shower, laundry, etc), or leave for an errand, and it always ends up in me having to clean up an extreme mess. It is taking an extreme toll on my mental state, puppy blues to the max. I also feel bad that she is in such distress. Any and all advice welcome. TIA

I have a male, 4 month old mini aussie/shiba inu mix puppy and he sleeps like an angel throughout the night but if I crate him during the day, he starts screaming and whining. I put his food in the crate, he has blankets, toys and a bone I fill with treats to occupy him as well.. he’s gotten better in the last 2 weeks but he still continues to do it. I live in an apartment too so it’s not ideal for him to be screaming at 6 am. He sometimes doesn’t stop for hours. I’d also like to add that he has gone into his cage even when not made to for his own naps and such.

Hey everyone, looking for some real experiences and advice.

We have an almost 5-month-old female mix (mom was a Husky, dad unknown, currently around 10kg/22lbs). She’s been with us for a month now. Potty training is going great and she already sleeps through the whole night in a small pen inside our bedroom.

However, we are really struggling with leaving her home alone. Whenever we try to leave, she starts crying and barking. We’ve been trying gradual training exercises, but every time we do a "real test," she panics/cries as soon as we step out.

We’re currently considering getting a crate, but I’m really torn:

1. Will it help with separation? We want to build a safe, cozy space for her so she can relax when we’re out of the house, and eventually transition her out of sleeping in our bedroom.
2. Is it too late/hard to introduce? She’s been with us for a month with relative freedom in our room/living area. Will it be a nightmare to crate train a 5-month-old Husky mix now?
3. Is it worth the investment? I’ve seen a lot of people saying their pups stopped using the crate around 8–10 months anyway once they could be trusted.

For those who introduced a crate a bit later or dealt with similar separation struggles at 5 months, did the crate help? Or should we focus on a different approach?

Thanks in advance!

Basically the title. My six month old mini poodle is so sweet but he’s super attached to only me. He’s not content if I leave the room even if my husband and children are there, he will cry the baby gate entire time. He also will not let anyone but me walk him. This is making me increasingly exhausted as we’re not able to share the responsibility, and my husband is frustrated and feels embarrassed the pup won’t walk for him or settle.

Any advice?

Just posting to thank everyone for the numerous tips and tricks over all the posts I've read.

Our 10 week old golden retriever x lab girl is crazy and bites pretty much constantly. Nothing's worked. 45mins awake 1-2 hours asleep on repeat.

But it's good to know I'm not alone and it will get better eventually!

I have an almost 10 month old female chihuahua puppy, I originally did not want to use puppy pads for her but that was easier said than done. She has a small bladder, and I have carpet in my bedroom and in my house, so I did have to resort to puppy pads. She will use them and she will also go outside, she rarely has an accident on the carpet but, I am scared to try and stop using them because I will bring her out, she’ll pee, then not even 30 minutes later she’ll pee a small amount on the puppy pads, especially if she’s playing and excited.
If she doesn’t have them, she’ll just go on the carpet which is why I’m paranoid, especially at night she will pee and poop on them. But if she is in the crate she can hold it through the night. I’m not sure how to get rid of them or how to teach her to hold it, this could be something I should’ve been teaching her when she was younger possibly? I do understand that shes still very young and this is my first puppy so she’ll probably still need puppy pads for a bit and thats okay but does anybody know how I should go about getting rid of them?

Hello all, I'm new here.

Like most of you, I have a new puppy. He's a 13 week old bulldog mix (Olde English and Valley) and I believe that he is starting to teeth. So far he has been trained exclusively on kibble. He knows not the taste of anything else, but I would like to start introducing high value treats to help with things like 'leave it.'

Our vet recommended that because of his breed being prone to allergies, we give him single ingredient treats in small quantities to test out if he has a reaction to any of them, so hit me with your best suggestions.

Thanks in advance to those who contribute.

Hi all! We have a 6.5 month mini Aussie pup who up until 2 weeks ago would sleep in his crate from 10:30pm to 7:30am no problem. We put him in my office on the main floor with a white noise machine and blackout curtains, we sleep upstairs above the room he’s in. Last week it started with him waking up and whining at 5am or 6am. If we walk on the floor he stops temporarily, I then made sure he isn’t whining, let him out to go pee, which he never seems to really need to then put him back in his crate. Because I know it’s not an immediate bathroom need, I’ve tried waiting him out but he’s gone a solid 45min until he hears footsteps on the floor again.

Just this past week it’s now escalated to him waking up and whining 3-4 times throughout the night. Causing us to get very little sleep, we don’t want to give in and let him out since I feel it’s just re-enforcing the whining but I don’t want to let him whine the entire night either. It does seem like demand whining/barking since as soon as he hears steps he stops but I don’t know the solution. Sometimes me just getting up and using the bathroom stops him long enough that he’ll go back to sleep without us going down to him.

I know if I let him out of the crate and just free roam to sleep on the floor or the couch he won’t whine and he’ll sleep through the night (he doesn’t get into anything so far) but I don’t want to do that because I worry he won’t settle in the crate at all after that. We used to crate him for his naps during the day but since he’s started settling on his own and being such a good boy we haven’t been for the past couple months.

Also his crate has plenty of room for him to stretch out and get comfy so I don’t think that’s it. Is this just a phase? Running on low sleep fumes!