My advice and reflections on being a single person raising a gigantic puppy in a small apartment during a pandemic
jesusrules15
New member
@brewserx I don’t understand the view of youtube training videos in this way... its a video. They only have so much time to show you whats going on, its more instructional than... realistic? Idk, they are guidelines, not the bible.
I don’t mean anything against you, I just see a lot of people say things like that and I don’t get it.
If you watch a piano tutorial that starts with the basic chords and then speeds up, its not unrealistic— you just haven’t gotten to that point.
I don’t mean anything against you, I just see a lot of people say things like that and I don’t get it.
If you watch a piano tutorial that starts with the basic chords and then speeds up, its not unrealistic— you just haven’t gotten to that point.
@jesusrules15 You’re totally right. I guess when somethings visual, even when the professional trainers say it’ll take time, there’s an inherent false expectation set up by their dogs’ immediate success. There’s also a DIY allure to YouTube learning and it’s cheaper than a trainer so I’m sure a lot of people hope for it to work out as a plan A or B.
I don’t expect my dog to learn all her commands quickly and I’ve made plans for Petco socialization and an professional 1 on 1 trainer should it come to that, but I want to wait and see how things are going before I utilize the latter.
I don’t expect my dog to learn all her commands quickly and I’ve made plans for Petco socialization and an professional 1 on 1 trainer should it come to that, but I want to wait and see how things are going before I utilize the latter.
jesusrules15
New member
@wshare I would 100% crate train and not stress about the play pen. 2 birds 1 stone with crate training in my opinion. They can play outside when you walk them and in the apt other times. Are you a first time dog owner? Sounds like you may be getting a puppy? Definitely do not stress yourself out trying to nail everything and expect perfection right off the bat! Sooner than you expect you and your pup will find a groove!
@wshare My current dog was already housebroken when I adopted her, she’s about 3.5 years old and I’ve made her crate a second safe space for her (she also has a “place” aka big soft bed) so I just got lucky that she’s chill and doesn’t have any issue being in there. I haven’t really had to lock her in there unless I was cleaning something I needed her to avoid - she’s blind hehe.
My non-professional opinion that my family used raising golden retrievers growing up, if it’s a puppy (8-12 weeks) keep them frequently on schedule (think potty every 3 hours-ish) Make sure your crate is an appropriate size, if using one. If it's too large then your pup will do their business in one corner and then move away from it. It needs to be somewhat small but still comfortable to move around in / lay down. As they grow, you expand that space for them until they're fully grown and can use up the entire crate. It seems mean at first but it is for their own good! Literally, don't shit where you sleep. They will of course cry and whine but you’ll have to ignore unless they’re crying for another reason. But the crate should NEVER be used as punishment - in order for this to be effective they need to see the crate as safe and relaxing.
My non-professional opinion that my family used raising golden retrievers growing up, if it’s a puppy (8-12 weeks) keep them frequently on schedule (think potty every 3 hours-ish) Make sure your crate is an appropriate size, if using one. If it's too large then your pup will do their business in one corner and then move away from it. It needs to be somewhat small but still comfortable to move around in / lay down. As they grow, you expand that space for them until they're fully grown and can use up the entire crate. It seems mean at first but it is for their own good! Literally, don't shit where you sleep. They will of course cry and whine but you’ll have to ignore unless they’re crying for another reason. But the crate should NEVER be used as punishment - in order for this to be effective they need to see the crate as safe and relaxing.