Is anyone else’s puppy an angel from 11:00am-4:00pm but a certified member of Al-Qaeda outside of those hours?

[lea534]

She could probably pass the STAR puppy exam during the angel hours but she makes me want to die in the mornings and evenings.

 

[simsodep8883]

@lea534 This made me LOL. My lil dude gets nutty from 7-10pm which is usually the longest stretch hes awake and the only time he really sees my roommate and that always gets him PUMPED

 

[mooks75]

@simsodep8883 Could not be more relatable, everyday my guy goes mental from 7-10 lol

 

[davidtucson]

@mooks75 And then just crashes

 

[jesusloveselonmusk]

@lea534 After we enforced naps ours became much less of a terrorist

 

[lisavega09]

@jesusloveselonmusk How does one do this?!

 

[julesc]

@lisavega09 Exercise + crate. In that order.

 

[shawn7656]

@julesc Hour of play time. Followed by 1-2 hours of naps time. That's pretty much how I've been doing it and it's keeping me sane. If I have a slow work day and he wants to, I'll let him sleep on my couch next to me as I work for that time period.

 

[lisavega09]

@julesc Oh haha. I thought it was some kind of magic training that got a pupper* to sleep on command. I don’t crate but I do try to tire him out sometimes and then he naps. Not sure if this counts as an enforced nap or just an obvious outcome.

 

[tienthanh0709]

@lisavega09 Nah very different. My pup is 11 months and has been crate trained but he gets his freedoms now.

However when he naps outside the crate, he doesn't get as deep of a sleep and can still get cranky. If I put him in the crate, he'll get that deep sleep for 2 hours and wakes up all fresh and mellow.

 

[steveinalberta]

@lisavega09 Yeah with enforced naps its more of an official technique of using the crate and developing that kind of schedule. We keep ours up for about an hour or hour and a half before he goes in the crate for two hours. Repeat multiple times throughout the day

 

[thedudeman1990]

@julesc I would add bulky sticks to this mix.

 

[thedudeman1990]

Bully

 

[julesc]

@thedudeman1990 I've wanted to try bully sticks a bunch of times but I always worry that they'll be a choking hazard. Was gonna wait until my next vet appointment to ask what my vet thinks.

 

[jesusloveselonmusk]

@julesc It depends on the dog. Ours is a power chewer and will take a 10 inch bully stick and try to break off inch long chunks to eat. We prefer yak chews but never do so in the crate and always keep an eye on her

 

[selendra]

@lisavega09 Crate training has helped me a lot with this.

 

[justincann]

@selendra My puppy HATES his crate. Nothing will get him in it willingly. It is so frustrating

 

[alicrimson]

@justincann Mine hated it too, still isn't over keen but goes in when it's worth it for him.

What works for us is being persistent and giving them their favourite treat ONLY when in the crate.

In our case it's a kong with a small piece of chicken shredded and put inside it. Goes nuts for it and takes him 10 mins to get it all out.

At one point he got smart to the fact that chicken meant crate and he stopped falling for it, but we would try and lure him in once or twice, before gently and kindly lifting him in (don't force). He quickly realised it's better to just go in himself and now is quite happy to run in when he sees the chicken coming out.

Just persist and try and keep to a routine and you'll get there.

Most of all DO NOT let then out when they're whining. Wait for at least a few seconds of silence before even looking at them.