ready for crate training????

[bsabbot]

Help, I have a nightmarish new puppy who is 3 and 1/2 mo's old.
we got her in mid-december, so i've been at this for over a month. I have another yorkie who is 2.I have been on here before about her being mean to the cat and the other dog, showing her dominance etc-and I know it sounds horrible, but its just one thing after another, she eats her poo, no matter what i do w/the food, she wont poo on a schedule and i am so, so close to putting an ad in the paper, BUT i'm trying to be a responsible dog owner and do the right thing. I think my problem, is that she is just too smart-which would be good in any other situation. the vet advised me to feed her in the morning, and when we get home from work- I have been doing this trying to get her on a poo-schedule so we can begin crate training when she's ready. The problem is, I bought an ex pen that i set up on the linoleum and she can now climb it, i covered it w/a blanket, a towel and even strapped posterboard on it so she couldnt get her little feet thru, but she still manages to climb over. So now, nothing holds her back, not a gate, xpen-only the crate. The problem with putting her in there is i know she can't hold it for the 7 or 8 hours that she will have to be there while I am working. I have tried leaving her out and just shutting bedroom doors ---as a last resort and she ate anything within 3 feet of th floor, she managed to pull books off of the bookshelf and tear thru those and even chewed on my kitchen chairs (wood?) and couch.
i know, it probably wasnt a good idea to get a dog while working-given the previous expereience w/my 2 year old yorkie, i thought it'd be ok-but NO.
so now what should i do? how long can they hold it at this age? when can i begin crate training? i am so upset, i love her dearly but it's become harder and harder each day that she has destroyed something else i care about-and i can't necessarily remove my furniture from the kichen or keep her out of it-she has even chewed the floor-molding when i tried to put her in the bathroom and the cabinets too!--------------------------help
any suggestions???

[Hokule'a]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles, that has got to be so frustrating If you start crating her is there anyway someone can come get her out mid-day to go potty? My baby is almost 12 weeks and I crate her while I'm at work. Fortunately I'm close enough to be able to come home to let her go potty and have a little lunch.

Maybe others will have a better suggestion. Good luck and hang in there!

[Bnot]

I am retired and have had all the same problesm you've had. I put clear deoderant on everything thats wood in my kitchen. For as far up as she could reach. I can tell where I missed spots on the baseboards, cause she's chewed them.

She then chewed a hole in my lenolium! That hole, I put clear deoderant all over it, and she hasn't been back to that spot.

You can start crate training as soon as you get the dog. But I wouldn't leave the dog in there the whole time your at work.

Believe me, whatever your dog has chewed, its not the only dogs thats chewed it up! Do a search by using the search engine, on the dark blue bar above!

I have given her a lot of things to chew on, and that helped some. I would try all sorts of stuff to see what she likes the best. I know the Harpers Dental Chews she loved, and they last forever. I keep a good supply of them.

Right now your baby is teething. Mine still hasn't lost all her baby teeth just yet. She's 7 months old. She's even chewed a hole in my carpet and several rugs too.

Mine is a climber too. X-pen didn't last long. I put a baby gate up and she walked through one end, so right now, I have duct tape over those spots, till I can get something to cover that part. She's chewing the duct tape now. She can't climb this one, cause its made like jail bars, lol. Straight up and down. It does keep her in the kitchen, and I keep the dental chews out all the time for her in the kitchen.

I know, it can try your nerves, it did mine. I'd crate her when I had to go to the store, or leave for one or another reason, before I got the baby gate. And finding something that tasted better than wood to her wasn't easy. I just tried this and that, and kept at it, till I found something that lasts a long time, that she dearly loved. And a lot of clear deoderant on everything in reach.

This past week, I caught her peeling one of my hall doors. OMG.

I wonder if there will be a house left at times before she gets through this chewing stage.

She seems to be one step ahead of me. I'm not fixing anything till she gets out of the chewing stage!

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by bsabbot

Help, I have a nightmarish new puppy who is 3 and 1/2 mo's old. we got her in mid-december, so i've been at this for over a month.

First, you really havent' been at the housebreaking for very long. Try to be patient. It is going to take some time.

Can you leave her in a bathroom or laundry room that is covered in newspaper when you aren't there? Newspaper makes the cleanup easier and you can gradually reduce the area that is covered in paper. You may have to stack 2 baby gates - one on top of the other - to keep her contained.

They make covers for x-pens so that might also be an option for you.

I'm another fan of clear roll-on deodorant. Smear it on anything you think she might chew on. It's a great deterrent. As Bnot said, be sure that you also give her plenty of things to chew on. I like rawhide although many here do not. Kongs are great. Dental stix are good. Chew toys are good.

Good luck!