However.
I think we need to discuss the crate. Some people think crate training is cruel, but we do not. It is good for them to have a safe place where they can't hurt themselves or get into trouble. Dogs like to have a "den" and a crate satisfies this need. It also helps in housebreaking, as dogs will not soil their crate if at all possible because it's where they sleep. They spend plenty of time both in and out of the crate.
When we leave the house, the pups are always in their crate. If we aren't watching them, they're in the crate. When we go to bed at night, they're in the in the crate. This might sound like a lot of time, but really they spend more time sleeping passed out on the tile floor than anywhere else. And we're suckers and allow it.
At first, they weren't happy about the crate. I can understand this, especially considering where they came from. They lived in an outside pen with several other siblings. They were away from their parents, away from the breeders (don't even get me started on what I think of these people) and that's where they stayed. Imagine being only almost seven weeks old and being taken away from your siblings, on a long car ride where you threw up, with strange people, to a strange place, and put in a small (comparatively) pen. It was obvious they were scared.
So we comforted them, reassured them, took them out to go potty regularly, and put them back in the crate. The crate was in our bedroom at night so we'd hear them whine, and in the kitchen during the day. They huddled together and got used to this, but it seemed like they had a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep while we were in the room. I guess humans are just too much fun. So we tried moving the crate downstairs and they sleep much, much better.
If a crate is too big, a dog can use one side of it for sleeping and the other side for a bathroom. We needed to figure out a way to make the crate temporarily smaller. We put a large pillow and a large stuffed dog on one side to block it off. Usually they would pull the puppy down and sleep on it or next to it. This will be good for size comparison later!
(all pictures are at 7 weeks old)
***
to be continued...
4 comments:
oh puppies! they look so soft. if i lived closer i would totally come and stalk them.
and while we're on it, i'd like to register a complaint. you moved such an enormous distance, couldn't you have moved the teeniest bit closer and then we could be IRL friends? don't i factor into your plans at all?
I DO have stalkers! When I'm walking them people slow down in their cars and stare or shout things out their windows. Very different things that they shout when I'm walking alone. It's strange. They really force you to interact with strangers because they LOVE everybody.
OMG!
You have me seriously considering the totally bad idea of adding another puppy to our already-at-capacity 4 animal home. They are stinkin' ass cute. And they probably still smell like puppies even. With skin that is too big for their floppy bodies. Are their paws still looking ten sizes too big?
Where do you live. I'm coming over.
(kidding) :)
Also... If I was closer, you could see the hilarious things the humidity/rain has been doing to my hair. It's a real treat for the eyes.
Post a Comment