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I just got my pit on Thursday and she’s almost 3 months…she’s been stuck by my side ever since (sleeps in bed).My husband doesn’t want her in our bed but I don’t mind. I got her crate today and a gate for the kitchen so she has her own area BUT she freaks out (starts crying and barking) if I’m not holding her or if she’s not by my side. Is this normal because shes a puppy? What should we do?
I’ve been through this twice. First, put the crate in the room with you so that your puppy knows that y’all are nearby. I would also invest in something like a ticking clock or something that can emulate the sound of her mother’s heart beat. I got that piece of advice from someone who bred and trained dogs for years. I did that with my first pit and it really helped. I had to use zip ties to suspend it from the side of the crate to prevent her from eating it but it did the trick.
Second, you might want to look into a SnugglePuppy (Amazon.com) . It’s a stuffed puppy designed for dogs and puppies.It has a special sack on the inside where you can put a heating pad (like one of those instant warmers) and a little heart-beat ticker. The puppy can lay with it and it can remind the puppy of being with his/her mom and siblings. I bought one of those with the first puppy and she loved it. She laid with it every night and never seemed to want to tear it up…. until about a year later when she didn’t need it anymore.Be patient! It takes time to get adjusted but I promise it will work. I have 2 pits (one adult and a puppy) and both have experienced what your puppy is going through. My puppy splits time between the bed and the crate and he no longer whines or barks because he knows that I’m nearby and that he isn’t being punished.
Good luck!
Thank you so much…I just ordered the SnugglePuppy :)Hopefully it does the trick…
Another suggestion is put something of yours in the crate with her. Having your sent with her will help to calm her down. Also don’t give into her when she is throwing a fit. It’s hard cause you just want her to shut up but she will eventually get the message and calm down when she realizes you aren’t going to respond to her when she acts like that. I took my pit took puppy kindergarden and they do reccommend you put them in the same room as you. It’s your prefernce. It sounds like she is going to be a dog that is going to have seperation anxiety I have one of those and the other one i have just has a bad attitude when i leave the house. She is destructive so that will be my next thing to look out for.
Having one pit with severe anxiety, I know how bad the destruction can get. My oldest pit chewed the vinyl off the house, destroyed 3 wire crates, and would pee/poop every time we left her. It got to a point where we were considering getting rid of her but because I was so attached, I decided to seek professional advice from my veterinarian. When I know that I’m going to be gone for long periods of time, I give her an herbal supplement to help calm her fears. And if it’s going to storm or be a period of time that’s longer than 6 hours, I give her a prescription sedative. I hate doing it but it knocks her down enough to where she doesn’t feel it necessary to destroy the house. The pills aren’t addictive so it isn’t as if she has to have the every day or every time we go out. In fact, she’s gotten a lot better since we started giving her the freedom to roam through the downstairs of the house while we’re gone. We were patient with her and she earned our trust. I always leave the TV or radio on so that she has noise and I leave without acknowledging her.
Just be patient! Every dog adjusts to a new setting in their own way. I hope the snugglepuppy helps! It wa a lifesaver for me when my oldest was a puppy because I wasn’t getting any sleep.
Thanks Amber, I actually did that already. I guess I just needed to give her more time to get familiar with her new home because she’s been a lot better. Today she went into her crate all by herself. I still let her sleep in my bed. I’m waiting on the snugglepuppy and then I’ll bring the crate into my bedroom. Should I keep it open or closed when it’s time for bed? I’ll keep you guys updated on how she does.
I have one other question…I just got her new puppy food (Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Formula) and it says to feed her only one meal (1/4-1 1/4cup) but I’ve been reading that puppies should eat 3 meals during the day..what do you guys recommend?Thanks again for ur help guys!!!
You should close the crate when it’s time for bed then she learns that is her bed. If you don’t she will just sleep with you anyways defeating the purpose of crating her. Also and this opinion varies from person to person so do with it what you like but if she does something bad and you put her in her crate for punishment she may associate that with being in trouble and not like her crate.
As for the food thing I never go off the bag I go by what my vet recommends. All vets usually say at LEAST three meals aday. Now if you want to go with the serving size on the bag then break that up into each meal to equal that amount. I am currently feeding Kira who is 1yr old 2cups and she’s 50lbs. Ace gets 4cups he is a 1yr 1/2 old and weighs 60lbs. They eat Iams Lamb and Rice for sensitive stomachs so it’s low in fat and they get nonfat plain yogurt on their food. They aren’t overweight so I don’t know it depends on the amount of fat and the amount of exercise your dog gets on how much to feed them. My mom who has had many dogs always would feed them until they quit unless they were starved when she got them. But in theory they should know when they are full. Also when feeding her put your hand in the bowl from time to time so she doesn’t become protective of her food and agressive. She will learn to share. I have done that and my two will eat out of the same bowl if I would let them. LOL! anymore questions you can e-mail me at [email protected]
Amber
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