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Hi everyone. First time posting in the Pets forum. We are brining our new bundle of joy home Saturday. A 7 week old yellow Lab named "Little Tom Brady". I have done tons of research and plan to crate train him. My question is what do we do with the little guy at night. I assume he will have to get up to go potty at least once. Considering the sub-Arctic temps and snow we are experiencing this time of year (especially at night) should we just paper train until the weather gets better? Or we just grin and bear it and take Brady outside anyway? Would it be bad for him? In other words, would I have a puppy-cicle on my hands?
Last edited by 2KidsforMe; 01-23-2008 at 05:36 PM..
7 weeks old it too young to have taken that pup away from his mother. This pup is a BABY don't push the crate yet. You took it too young and need to help it adjust, crating this young, is not good IMHO. As far as potty training, again the pup is too young but I would expect for the next 3 weeks he'll have accidents in the house but by all means take him outside most of the time.
I put my dog in a crate when she was a puppy too. At night, I got up every few hours to take her outside. I didn't get much beauty sleep at first, but it was worth it. I don't have much experience with paper training though, so maybe someone else can shed some light on that for you.
Congratulations 2KidsforMe!!! How exciting! There are a ton of great resources out there--my favorite being "Good Dog, Great Owner" by Brian Kilcommons, which is filled with great training tips and interesting anecdotes. I do agree with casper324 though, 7 weeks is really on the young side--the recommendations I've always heard are from 8-10, as once they're weaned, that's the time that's crucial for socializing with the other puppies (and Mom), when they learn invaluable skills. Is it possible to collect your little sweetie the following week (assuming the littermates still remain)?
Regarding your question about crating at night, I took that approach from the very beginning. My girl was 10 weeks old, and slept through the entire night from the start. We were on the top floor of a 3-story and it was winter, so I hear you about snow and cold. Unless you're going to go with paper training as a whole, I wouldn't recommend doing it at night. Also, to not crate and use papers only part of the time sends mixed messages...as long as you keep him close by to reassure him that he's not separated from his "new" pack, he'll be fine. BTW, there are several threads about new pups, so you may want to do a search. Good luck!!
I got my german shepherd at 7 weeks. we crate trained her right away. at night and when we werent home. I also slept in the same room as her to give her comfort. she cried half the night for the first week. everything I read said that was normal. that was why I planned to sleep beside her. I also only took her out once in the middle of the night. If the crate is the right size she shouldnt need to go out more than that and wont go in the crate.
You are going to love having a puppy! Here are some humorous tips:
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PUPPY
*Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot
in the dark.
*Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.
*Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the rain and dark saying, "be a good
puppy and go potty-hurry up now- come on, let's go!
*Cover all your best suits with dog hair. Dark suits must have white and light
suits must have dark. Also float some hair in your first cup of morning coffee.
*Play catch with a wet tennis ball.
*Run out in the snow in your bare feet to close the gate
*Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.
*Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that is where the dog
will drag it anyway (especially when you have company).
*Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV show and run
to the door shouting, "No NO! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program.
*Gouge the leg of the dining room table several times with a screwdriver.
*Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning, and do not try to clean it
up until you return from work that evening.
*Take a warm, cuddly blanket out of the dryer and immediately wrap it around
yourself. This is the feeling you get when your puppy falls asleep on your lap.
A couple of months ago I brought a new puppy home for my family. Yellow Lab coincidentally - I was told he was 10 wks old......the vet said no way - he was maybe 7 weeks. JD is now about 4 months old - and he's finally starting to get the hang of going outside. He doesn't go in his crate...but he did when he was that little, because he just couldn't hold it. If you can leave that puppy with his mommy for a couple of more weeks...you should. I will tell you this...If he is only 7 weeks old...you will need to have a lot of patience. Good luck and have fun with him!
I have a puppy and I got her at 6 weeks old not knowing until talking to my Vet. Like Caeser Milan said it is best for the puppy to stay with their mommy until at least 9 months or so they can learn to be a dog. My puppy now is 6 month old acts like a person and doesn't know how to be a dog because she was never taught by her own mother.
It will be a stuggle about the potty training. My dog is smart but had accidents. I did not crate my puppy. I slept with her on the floor and had my alarm wake me up two times a night to put her outside for potty and more through out the day as well. She still had accidents at that time. I never paper trained her because it would confuse her and I wanted her to pee outside for the rest of her life so it was best to do it right from the start.She was fully potty trained until about 12 to 14 weeks. It is going to be long process but hang in there. I was so exhausted and cranky but it was well worth it.Oh make sure when you take her out say POTTY!!! You puppy will understand later. At first say it while he or she going potty so he/she get the idea.
I also start at a young age going in the car and she nevered not even once peed or poop in the car. She is excellent car rider and does great for long trips because of early training. Well I just wanted to give you some pointer to think about. Good Luck on your new pup and if you have any questions please feel free to email me or just to vent because believe me I just went through it.
We got Fez (yet another yellow lab puppy) back in October when he was 12 weeks old. His original owners (the breeders, actually) did paper training because it was easier with having the whole litter just go on the pee pads. I would advise against paper training then crate training. We crate trained Fez as soon as we could, but for the first six weeks or so he thought anything on the floor was a pee pad. He used our cat's bed, newspaper, a throw pillow that fell, etc.
One thing you can try is a bell. We have a cat collar with a little bell on it right next to the door. Everytime we would take him out we'd ring the bell (think Pavlov's dogs). Eventually, Fez would ring the bell (you have to make sure it's at nose level) when he wanted to go out. Be warned though, sometimes they will abuse the bell and just want to go outside to sniff around/waste time, etc. But I'd rather have a false alarm than a puddle.
Also, get plenty of chew toys, other toys, nylabones. Don't leave toys in the crate w/puppy unless he's supervised. Labs will chew/eat anything including the squeakers that are inside of toys and other things that they can choke on. Don't want to scare you, but thought it was kind of an important thing to remember.
Lastly, I highly recommend a reputable puppy class. This obviously won't happen for you for a while, since you should wait until your pup's fully vaccinated. But you can find local clubs that offer training through AKC's website. Places like Petsmart offer classes, but I'd recommend researching the teachers - see if they have experience, etc.
Good information in here. Yes, 7 weeks old is very young and can pose issues with development, but you should be fine. That young will have problems with accidents and you can use your judgement when to start the crate training. That's a tough one when so young. If you can leave him with the litter for a few more weeks, you will be very benefited. If I may ask, did you buy from a puppy store??? There could be other problems if you did health wise. But, that aside, and even if you did, don't ever do it again. wwww.stoppuppymills.com
Back to the main issues, if you decide to use paper training, it should be fine. The only problem with that is the puppy will be confused at what really you want him to do when you have him potty on both the puppy pads and outside. Often times, dogs don't understand they have two options and it takes much longer to potty train. I would recommend just keep to outside pottytraining and take thme out every few hours. Little puppies have no control over their bladders especially that age; their muscles in their bellies haven't developed completely. Normally, to determine how long they can hold it you usually add their age in months+1 and that equals the length in time/hours they can hold it. In this case, you can't because it hasn't even been a month old yet.
Lots to learn in your puppy journey. REmember, pottytraining will be your life for a few months so be prepared. Good luck and ask questions here if you need to!
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I don't have much experience with paper training though, so maybe someone else can shed some light on that for you.
