OK - new puppy, first night, need advice,help

[Dixieland Dancer]

Purrley,
All day is a long time to be in the crate for a pup! However, realize that dogs do not have a concept of time. Being crated for 5 minutes or 5 hours you will get the same response when you come to let them out. Be cautious though of making too big a fuss since this can create seperation anxiety in the pup when you are not there. The pup must become comfortable being alone sometimes when you are at home. That's a whole different subject though. Your problem is that a puppy does not have the capacity to hold their bladders for the longer periods of time that a adult dog can. I can have my Dixie inside without going potty for 8 hours if I have too. I haven't crated her for a long time since she is almost 4 years old. On the other hand though I did not expect Dusty (now 7 months old) to be able to hold it that long until he was 6 months old. Dusty is still crated because of his desire to chew everything in site. I do make sure he has enough things in the crate with him to keep him occupied.

If you can I would strongly suggest getting a pet sitter to come in and help for the few weeks you have until you are off. All they need to do is let the pup out at least once, preferrably twice while you are at work. This should not cost to much. A whole day of doggie day care usually runs $20.00 so I can't imagine this cost coming even near that. Perhaps $5.00 a day? For the two weeks until your off.

If you can't swing that then don't leave the puppy crated. Once a dog soils in it's crate the natural instinct not to do so is sometimes broken and it is harder to complete housetraining in a resonable time frame.

If you have to paper train, put the pup in a sectioned off area (hopefully not a bathroom unless it is really sanitary) and paper train. They have special pads that you can buy that have scents to attract the dog to the paper. When you are home go back to the crate training.

Puppies grow so fast and it seems like all the worry we put into them is fleeting. You will be a great dog owner and with a little persistence and patience you will get through this period before you know it. Keep your chin up and give little Tess a hug from me!

[TollSettFK]

Maybe getting her used to a Lead ( outside) would be a good thing.
Finny ( he's a pup as well) just loves his lead. If you take her out and she doesn't go, put her out on the lead until she does go, then take her in. Let's face it, you can't spend all of your time with your puppy, as much as you both would like to. I would really suggest a playpen as well. It helps me sooo much. Finny always is up to something, and he is at a very playful stage. A couple days ago I had left him alone for 10 minutes ( he's mostly potty trained, he barks at the door)and when I cam down, I found coffee grounds from the trash on the floor, and this cloth angel hair sticking under his chin, along with this angel that was bald sitting tright next to him. :-) Another thing, don't answer to every little cry. this just reinforces his behavior. I would realllly suggest getting a playpen or a lead!

[slleipnir]

What breed, age etc is tess??

[MHMama]

I just got a new pup too. Lucy Tu is 8 weeks old and I have been advised that she is not to be allowed to touch the ground outside until after she has finished her first set of shots which is about 3 months. I am doing her just as I did Ricky. I have a small area between the laundry room and kitchen. I went to the Thrift store and got a baby gate for a couple of bucks. I put her in this little hallway with the baby gate up. The crate is in there and some newspapers. She is somewhat paper trained but is much too small to have run of the house. I keep her confined in this area most of the time unless one of us is holding and feeding her. When I take Ricky out for his potty walks I carry her with us so she can get used to the process and the noises around the neighborhood.
If she misses the paper, I merely tear off a piece of newspaper, dap it in her puddle, put the teared piece of paper on her newspaper and next time, she goes, she goes on the newspaper because that is where the smell is. I always make sure to clean thoroughly any accidents as this would confuse her.
Ricky was very easy to train and I used this same process. I got him into a habit of going first thing in the morning and the first thing when I get home from work. I also put papers down in his confined area while I am at work because no one should be expected to hold all day in case of a stomach problem etc. Ricky hasn't used the paper since he was a pup but he knows it is there for emergencies. Hope this helps. The big thing is to remember we didn't potty train our kids over night and pups are no different. The big thing with them is routine. Set up a routine and try to stick to it as much as possible until they get older. It really helps them know what is expected of them. I also have potty words so Ricky knows we are not having a social walk. When I say potty, Ricky knows I mean go potty because I need to get to work. Hope some of this helps

[Pam]

Oh boy does this bring back memories! We got Bella this past February and it was COLD! I remember every morning, first thing, throwing on my bathrobe and then a coat over that and walking around with her in the yard. (I am sure you are not getting a pretty picture! LOL!) I work part-time so she was really only alone for 4-5 hrs. during the day. I did use the crate and it did work. As others have said, if you can get Tess within a few minutes of eating, or if you are lucky enough to see her sniffing BEFORE she squats it helps tremendously. Just simply whisk her up and take her outside and use some sort of word like "go potty" (that's what I used). Then, when there is success, lots and lots of praise. It is a very intense time and you must be on your guard constantly. Thankfully these precious little ones do learn in time. I think if I had it to do over again I would get a summer puppy! LOL! Good luck to you and little Tess!!