So this is my first puppy...alone, i have had puppys all my life at my parents house...but now im living alone and i decided i really wanted a puppy! She is 7 weeks old..and shes a chocolate lab. Im not having a problem with takin her outside often when im home...its just the fact that i work at a hospital and my hours are from 11 pm to 0730 am. Ihave had her for 3 nights now i just put her crate in the kitchen, and put training pads down in the kitchen and only let her roam in hte kitchen well i was gone at night. Her second night she did good she only peed 2 times and there was 1 pile of poop. But everyone keeps telling me to put her in kennel over night and if she poops in it thats ok..but im just wondering with her being so little, im wondering if her being in a kennel and alone for 8 hrs is just too long? I just dont want her to think im abandoning her. Shes good when im home hasnt gone on the floor yet...(key word yet) ....Please help me!!!

You shouldn't leave 7 week old 8 hours in a crate. Many say less, but we have had good luck leaving puppies 4-5 hours at a me in the day time, and getting up with them once or twice in the night for the first few weeks. Force them to foul the crate by leaving them 8 hours, and you may create very difficult to solve problems. Many of our puppies do have a few accidents at first, but never so many as to lead to problems, a half dozen at at the most.

As some puppies get a little older and more adventuresome on chewing, it is very important that they aren't left loose in the house. Loose with pads, they don't learn they need to hold it. If you aren't there, how do you teach them to use the pads? This could work since they quickly get to where they can go over night, perhaps before they start to shred the house. And that varies too, with some puppies being naturally less destructive. I have had good luck with recent puppies leaving them loose in the house when I am outside for a few hours, but I shudder at the thought of ever leaving some of them loose alone.

Let me add a reference to the sticky which includes much of what has worked for us for countless puppies, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802

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Originally Posted by labman

You shouldn't leave 7 week old 8 hours in a crate. Many say less, but we have had good luck leaving puppies 4-5 hours at a me in the day time, and getting up with them once or twice in the night for the first few weeks. Force them to foul the crate by leaving them 8 hours, and you may create very difficult to solve problems. Many of our puppies do have a few accidents at first, but never so many as to lead to problems, a half dozen at at the most.

As some puppies get a little older and more adventuresome on chewing, it is very important that they aren't left loose in the house. Loose with pads, they don't learn they need to hold it. If you aren't there, how do you teach them to use the pads? This could work since they quickly get to where they can go over night, perhaps before they start to shred the house. And that varies too, with some puppies being naturally less destructive. I have had good luck with recent puppies leaving them loose in the house when I am outside for a few hours, but I shudder at the thought of ever leaving some of them loose alone.

Let me add a reference to the sticky which includes much of what has worked for us for countless puppies, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802

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I haven't left her alone for 8 hours anyway.. I simply put her kennel in the kitchen with some toys and then I put puppy pads down and this works good, because she sleeps in the kennel when I am home and when I am sleeping... I just didn't really think that I should be puttin her in the kennel for that long... shes doing good... when I nap I put her in the kennel and she naps too and lets me know when I got to take her outside...

I have a 7 week old sheltie male. He is the most HYPER pup I have ever had. I also have a 5 year old female that doesn't want anything to do with the new guy. My biggest problem is the fact that he whines excessively when he is either put in his crate, or put in the "play yard", that we have set up for him. He even whines when we open up the play yard, and split up the living room to limit his access to the whole house. I let him know that I am in the room with him, to try and reassure that he is not alone. When he gets let out, he is so hyper, it's hard to calm him down. He has a very strong personality, so it's not like he is timid and scared when outside of the crate or play yard. He can whine for hours on end, what can I do?

In the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802 I explain what has worked well for us at bed time, most recently with 7 week old Xanthe we picked up last Saturday.

Good leadership may help calm him down a little. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, try these:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

It is common for a 5 year old not to want to play puppy biting games. Allow her to bark, growl, and even snap at the puppy to warn it of. Support her by giving it an ''Ah, ah, ah!'' and offering it a chew toy every time it starts for her. I am doing that with our new puppy, and the 14 year old we have.

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Originally Posted by Zadars

I have a 7 week old sheltie male. He is the most HYPER pup I have ever had. I also have a 5 year old female that doesn't want anything to do with the new guy. My biggest problem is the fact that he whines excessively when he is either put in his crate, or put in the "play yard", that we have set up for him. He even whines when we open up the play yard, and split up the living room to limit his access to the whole house. I let him know that I am in the room with him, to try and reassure that he is not alone. When he gets let out, he is so hyper, it's hard to calm him down. He has a very strong personality, so it's not like he is timid and scared when outside of the crate or play yard. He can whine for hours on end, what can I do?

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This is SO STRANGE,, I posted this question earlier today, and could not find the post. As a matter of fact, in my history, it stated "no questions posted" , (or something like that), So, I reposted the same question> I just didn't want y'all to think that I am a little slow in the head, and cannot remember what posts I have placed.
As far as me being "Alpha Dog", I was/am with the older sheltie, however, I think that it may take some time before the little guy knows that I am in charge!
BTW: I had a great break through today with the older dog. They started running around chasing each other, and, when the running stopped, they both would do the chest down, butts up pose. It's only been four days, and I think that by the end of the month, they will be inseparable! They looked so funny with each other, I even got out my video camera, to capture the moment! Things are looking very promising!!