# 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice please!



## crashbangwallop (Aug 23, 2012)

*12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice please!*

Hello all. 

This isnt an easy thing for me to post, but I registered with these forums just so I could ask your advice...

My boyfriend and I bought an 8 week old Husky puppy almost a month ago. We have been waiting to get a dog for about three years - weve both always grown up with dogs and pups and did our research on Huskies before we commited ourselves to one.

Almost four weeks on and... We're struggling bigtime. I work as a tattoo artist five days a week, 9-7 but my boyfriend works as a part time social carer and hes pretty much with the pup 24/7. At first it was great; the pup has been super quick to pick up obedience training is extraordinarily loveable and sweet. 

Now he wants to chew our fingers and toes to ribbons, he barks and howls at four in the morning, he never wakes later than five and makes a godawful racket meaning we get next to no sleep. He absolutely WILL NOT be crate trained - weve tried constantly but he hates the thing and forces his body parts through the bars until he hurts himself.

We are really, really trying to make this work but as I say, my boyfriend is at the end of his tether. neither of us get much sleep and Im currently unable to eat properly because I constantly feel severly anxious about how the two of them are getting on. Ive been in tears more than once. I feel like Im in the middle and am at a complete loss.

Please dont read this the wrong way, I am a puppy mummy desperately in need of help and advice, we are both trying our absolute best.

Thankyou.


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## Contact_Zone (Oct 5, 2010)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Can you find a *true positive method* dog trainer in your area ?
It's difficult/impossible to get correct help on a forum, as we cannot actually see your dog or your interactions with him. Plus you will get different opinions from different members.

We would need a lot more details to try to help you...how have you been trying to crate train, how are you housebreaking him, what do you do when he nips ?
He probably wakes up early because he needs to "do his business", so you need better management.
When he was 8 weeks old he was a sweet baby, but now he's exploring the world (with mouth and teeth), and his teeth are about to change.
Have you tried ignoring him every time he nips and giving him a chew toy instead - and I mean doing it consistently ?


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Puppies are a handful since they're essentially babies that don't know anything, so while they're cute, they aren't great for first time owners who aren't ready.

Most of these sounds like things that can be fixed with training and it sounds like your boyfriend has the time to do it. I'm not a training expert and have pretty much avoided dealing with puppies. luckily there are lots of training gurus here that can probably offer good advice.

For now, I would recommend you reading some of the stickied threads. A lot of the ones in the first time owner section talks about dealing with puppies. The ones in the training section talk about some other general training and like manners and things like that.

http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/8377-bite-stops-here.html this one specifically talks about biting. I'm guessing he's teething.

I'm not sure what's causing the barking and howling which sounds like it's causing the most problem. What does he seem to be wanting when he does that? Attention? Is he uncomfortable?

When dealing with puppies it's important to be patient. You're essentially dealing with a little kid after all. Good luck


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Puppies are like human babies - they're too young to make it all the way through the night. Get up at 4, take him out on leash and let him potty (no social conversation - just say "go potty", or whatever command you're using, and no play - hence the leash). It sounds like your pup is desperately trying not to mess in his crate and letting you know he needs to go out - good for him! It will get better as he gets older and his bladder matures. 

Is his crate in your bedroom at night? Many puppies really miss their moms and littermates, and being near their people really helps to comfort them. We had two crates for Maddie when we first adopted her - and she's an adult (Potsie doesn't need a crate) - one in the bedroom and one in the living room. It's easier than carrying it every night. Now, Maddie's settled in better (3 months later), and she sleeps in the living room, along with Potsie. The only reason the dogs sleep in the living room, is because Potsie licks himself (self comforting) for several minutes every night, which drives me nuts! Otherwise, they'd still be in the bedroom with us.

_The Bite Stops Here_, mentioned by zhaor, is a must read. Consistency is the key. All puppies go through this - since yours is a big dog, I'm sure his razor sharp teeth hurt! Start the training now before it gets worse.

I would also recommend that you enroll your pup in puppy kindergarten to learn socialization. Since he's a big strong breed, this is important. A trainer will also be able to give you some good advice on training him.

Good luck, and hang in there!


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## bgmacaw (May 5, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

It sounds like you're encountering puppy teething biting and maybe a lack of good bite inhibition (something puppies learn better if they're with their birth family longer). Fortunately, you can use training and redirection to steer him away from making your hands into chew toys.

Some dogs will get a little freaked out by a crate at first, depending on their background and personality. You can try putting an old blanket that has your scent on it over the crate to make it more 'den' like. Also, make sure he has toys to distract his attention.

Another thing to consider with the crate is that most puppies can only hold it for about an hour for each month of age. So, you're going to have to be getting up and taking the pup out about every 3-4 hours. It sounds like he's already letting you know about his discomfort, so you're more half-way there so far as house training goes. 

If trying to get outside in the middle of the night is a problem for you, you could try pee-pee pads but this may not be practical or the best solution for a larger dog. We did this with our Chi, but we already had cats and putting her pad in the litter box area worked for her. You could put the pad down in your bathroom. Eventually, your dog's bladder will mature and he'll be able to hold it all night, up to at least 8 hours.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Anyone who's had a puppy really REALLY sympathizes with you. Eventually teh sleep deprivation can make you feel like you're going insane! That's why puppies are so cute, because if they weren't, no one would take care of them hahha I kid I kid. Okay, on to serious business, here is my experience after having raised 2 puppies:

Now he wants to chew our fingers and toes to ribbons
- Please follow the advice above regarding "The Bite Stops Here" thread. Honestly, just making the loud yelp and leaving the room and closing the door between you and the dog, really can be the most effective way to curb it. Start with low criteria, so if the bite truly hurts, yelp and stomp away. Then return after 30 seconds and resume playing. Once he's a bit gentler, make the criteria more difficult. So if he bite kind of hurts, yelp. Next, if the bite hurts just a litle, yelp. Eventually, if he even mouths you or puts his teeth on yo u(however gently), yelp. and repeat, repeat repeat. The end goal here is that he learns it's never acceptable to put teeth on human skin. 
- The other thing you need to do is provide plenty of chew toys. He is teething and his teeth and gums hurt which is also why he wants to bite (besides the playing part). Wet a small towel with chicken broth or water, and freeze it. Stuff a Kong and Freeze It. Provide bones to chew on. You get the point. Please don't feed anything digestible if you're not there to supervise him (Ex. bones).
- Biting also is less frequent if the pup is tired out. Exercise! Mental and physical.
- Instead of pulling away or freaking out when he nips you, be calm. When you freak out, or panic, and you move quickly, he will try even harder to nip and bite you because now he thinks your'e playing along. Just yelp in a high pitch tone (like an injured puppy might), "stomp away" while saying, "FINE! No more play!", and close the door between you and your pup. 

he barks and howls at four in the morning
- He needs to pee. Or he wants attention. For the first part, take him out to pee. Don't do anythign else besides getting him to do his business. Once he's done, quietly and without a fuss, return him to the crate. if he's still barking and howling, then you know it's because he wants attention. You MUST ignore him!!! If you even look at him, you are rewarding his barking. There will be a period where it will get worse, which is called 'extinction', then after it will subside. He will learn that barking gets him nowhere.
- Tire him out before bed time so he has less energy. As you've done your research, you know Huskies in particular are not only incredibly intelligent, but also need a lot of physical exercise. Given their intelligence they also need a LOT of mental stimulation. Kind of like a Border Collie. He's only a puppy, so he should be going on 20 minute walks at a time. IF you exercise him too much, his joints will pay for it later. Try to play with him outside on soft grass, rather than walking on hard conceret pavement.
- Play hide and seek before bed time, make him find you, or an object or treat. The mental stimulation can tire him out.


he never wakes later than five and makes a godawful racket meaning we get next to no sleep.
- That is normal. Some dogs are just early risers. If he's consistently waking up at 5, then set the alarm to 4:55am, and then take him out. Increase the time on the alarm after each week, and he will learn that everyone gets up when the alarm goes off.
- This is part of parenting, and it comes expected that you'l be sleep deprived for at least a few months.
- My puppy woke me up 3 times a night for 5 months before settling down. I was VERY sleep deprived, and only learned the above method now.

He absolutely WILL NOT be crate trained 
- This is not true. You've had him for a month. That's not enough time spend on training. It's also untrue especially if the crate training is done improperly or too quickly.
- His crate should be only big enough for him to stand, turn around and lie down in. Any larger and he may have accidents in it.
- Keep the crate door open and in an area that has a lot of traffic. Put in a comfy bed or an old shirt of yours as wel as some toys and stuffed kongs. Throw a treat in the crate throughout the day, and he will go in to get it. Do this until he's going into the crate willingly.
- TO make it a game, toss the treat in, and when he goes in, click and say "YAY! Good boy!". Ask him to come out of the crate. Once you do this 10x or so, he'll start going into the crate without you tossing the treat in. Once you see him entering the crate, say, "Go to Bed!" and then click and treat once he has all four paws inside the crate.
- When he's really enjoying the crate game, after a few weeks of doing the above, close the door for ONE second, and if he's calm, say "Yay! Let's go out!" and ask him to come out of the crate, while giving him a treat. He will learn from this that he not only gets rewarded for being in the crate, but he gets to leave when he's calm and quiet in the crate. Do this for a few weeks, SLOWLY increasing hte time the crate door is closed, never closing it longer than he's comfortable with.
- Never let him out of the crate when he's barking, anxious, whining. This will work against your favour. Even if it takes him 3 hours to calm down, he needs to learn this.
- At night, put the crate next to your bed and slip your fingers through the cracks. He will feel comforted by this and hopefully (if he's tired enough) will go to sleep.
- Drop treats in the crate randomly throughout the day.
- Feed him all his meals in the crate starting with the door open until he's comfortable with having the door closed.
- Don't just confine him when no one is home. Get him used to the idea that the crate is his bed and he may be asked to go to it while you are home as well.

Don't be discouraged. 12 weeks is VERY young and you have al ong way to go! But the effort is well worth it


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

No advice, I just wanted to sympathize. I, like a lot of members here, will not do puppies. Your post is why. This is totally normal puppy stuff. It really is. 

*But it will pass.
*
I swear to you, puppies do grow up. They really do. Just hang in there.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



Amaryllis said:


> No advice, I just wanted to sympathize. I, like a lot of members here, will not do puppies. Your post is why. This is totally normal puppy stuff. It really is.
> 
> *But it will pass.
> *
> I swear to you, puppies do grow up. They really do. Just hang in there.


Haha yep I'm in that group. Don't plan on getting any dog under 2 years old, I think 18 months is the youngest I would go. Puppies are crazy.


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## Rescued (Jan 8, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



chubby said:


> That's why puppies are so cute, because if they weren't, no one would take care of them


this is so accurate its not even funny. My last fosters (only 4 weeks when we got them) hit an absolute terror stage at about 8 weeks. There were some early mornings when I would've rather given myself a root canal then dealt with the yelping, biting, hungry, pee-making machines.

and then as soon as they got adopted I cried. It gets better, I promise. Hang in there, take lots of pictures, and remember that it does get better....eventually. I haven't ever had a pet that at some point in the first year didnt made me go "someone....PLEASE remind me why I did this????"


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## Abeautifulhope (Aug 18, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Chubby had some great points! Puppies are notorious for being bad. I had two lab pups at the same time (they were litter mates) and I thought it was never going to end. But, they did grow out of it and now they are GREAT dogs. They, just like kids, go through the terrible twos and threes  Just hang in there, you will make it!
-Lauren


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

The first three months with my puppy were hell. He was cute and all, but man was he a pain in the BUTT. Things got waaay better after the three month mark. 

Having a thoroughly exhausted puppy helps with sleeping through the night. We did unconventional crate training wherein we put his crate, open, in an expen, and he'd sleep in it but wasn't trapped, and then when he stopped weeing overnight, we started gradually shrinking the size of the pen until he was just in the crate and he had no problem with us shutting the door at that point!


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



Hambonez said:


> The first three months with my puppy were hell. He was cute and all, but man was he a pain in the BUTT. Things got waaay better after the three month mark.
> 
> Having a thoroughly exhausted puppy helps with sleeping through the night. We did unconventional crate training wherein we put his crate, open, in an expen, and he'd sleep in it but wasn't trapped, and then when he stopped weeing overnight, we started gradually shrinking the size of the pen until he was just in the crate and he had no problem with us shutting the door at that point!


Wow, I really like that crate training method. Brilliant!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

This free online textbook (by an amazing vet/animal behaviorist/dog trainer) is great. It covers all of the major topics, including the nipping issue and how to get your pup liking his crate. Table of contents is down the left side, but here are the direct links to the biting section:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy-biting
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition


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## Contact_Zone (Oct 5, 2010)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



dagwall said:


> Haha yep I'm in that group. Don't plan on getting any dog under 2 years old, I think 18 months is the youngest I would go. Puppies are crazy.


LOL ! 
And I love when they are 3-5 months old, they learn so quickly !!


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



Contact_Zone said:


> LOL !
> And I love when they are 3-5 months old, they learn so quickly !!


Generally from talking to other owners and my own experience, sometime around the 1 year - 1.5 year mark, the dog starts to really calm down and gain more focus. For Butters, it happened right when she turned one, and my other dog, around 10 months or so. That's not really a long time, and I think the frustrations you gain from puppy parenting create this special bond with you and your pup...it's like, once you've cleaned their diarrhea, vomit, treacherous walks around the block, nipping, crate screaming, you have this magical understanding between one another...that you are bonded to each other.

Anyhoo, that's what I like telling myself to keep me sane from this madness. I know in 6 more months, I'm going to be able to rest easy knowing the hard part is over!!!


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



chubby said:


> Generally from talking to other owners and my own experience, sometime around the 1 year - 1.5 year mark, the dog starts to really calm down and gain more focus. For Butters, it happened right when she turned one, and my other dog, around 10 months or so. That's not really a long time, and I think the frustrations you gain from puppy parenting create this special bond with you and your pup...it's like, once you've cleaned their diarrhea, vomit, treacherous walks around the block, nipping, crate screaming, you have this magical understanding between one another...that you are bonded to each other.
> 
> Anyhoo, that's what I like telling myself to keep me sane from this madness. I know in 6 more months, I'm going to be able to rest easy knowing the hard part is over!!!


I didn't have to deal with any of that nightmare with my boy Jubel who I adopted when he was just over 2 years old but honestly I don't think we could be more bonded than we are. I get comments all the time about how intuned we are to each other and how much he focuses on me in classes. A number of people are surprised when I tell him he's a shelter dog I got at 2 years old, of course a number of them don't believe anything BUT a puppy will really bond with them.


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## giall (Aug 17, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

You've had some great advice here, nothing really for me to add, just that I can sympathize. I've got my first puppy right now and we've gone through a lot of the same things training her. I've even cried a few times out of frustration. But it's getting better, as Izzie slowly gets used to the house and the crate and is working on her training.


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## crashbangwallop (Aug 23, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

First off just want to thank everyone who's posted so far - everything has been a major help. Before we got our pup we spent loads on "perfect puppy" books, Husky books etc but nothing prepares you for the insane, chaotic mess they turn your life into!

I should have mentioned we live in a Bungalow but instead of a garden we have a big commumal field behind us, which the other houses on our estate border. So until he was upto date with his jabs, we didnt want to let him out onto it. He was toileting on puppy pads by the front door and since he became up to date vaccination wise last week, weve mived the pad onto the otherside of the back door in hopes he'll understand he has to ask for the door to be opened in order to go for a wee (hope that makes sense).

Since the original post Ive been getting up at 4amish when I hear him howl and taking him to his loo spot outside the door and hes taken to it really well. Only problem when I put him back to settle so I can go back to sleep until 7am he continues to whine and bark and howl. So far Ive been ignoring it but he really does manage to make some heartbreaking noises!

Like I said he gets 3 x 15 min walks on the big field at the mo and he has LOADS of chew toys to pay with, ranging from kong puppy stuff to rawhide rings to nylbones and even an old cushion off our bed. (He also has dog biscuits frozen in ice cubes after a walk - he LOVES them.

I think things are very slowly beginning to improve. I have another question if youll indugle me though; he seems to have sporadic spouts of horrible chocolate pudding like stools. he gets fed dry, hupo-allogenic food that seems to work well with him 80% of the time, then suddenly he'll just be pooing horrible wet stools for a day out of nowhere. Is this typical with a puppy? Do you think it could be stress from us ignoring his night howls, or maybe something he's picking up when he tries to lick puddles on walks or something?

Thanks again guys, this forum is amazing! I appreciate it.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

If you aren't supervising him whenever he has something to chew, it could be causing his trouble. Even at 6.5, I never leave my dog alone with chew toys. Too much potential for ingesting something that could cause a blockage. And I would get rid of the rawhides - just google rawhide problems and dogs -- the risks outweigh any benefits IMO. Is he eating any part of that old cushion? That's not something I would leave with a puppy, either.

RE the howling - three 15 minute walks a day and toys to play with is probably not meeting his needs for exercise or interaction with you. When our girl was a puppy, she would get us up real early, we would walk her, feed her, play quietly with her and then she would go back to sleep, which meant we could go back to sleep. She never slept more than 4-5 hours at a stretch, so like with a baby, we learned to sleep when she slept. She did gradually learn to sleep for longer stretches and eventually stayed sleeping as long as we did. But it took until she was about 8-9 months old.


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## titiaamor (Nov 17, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

The first 6 months are the hardest part- he will grow, mature, calm down, stop gnawing on you all the time- but you do need to do certain things.

FWIW, I've never used crates. They are not for every dog/dog owner. When we needed to confine our puppies, we used our laundry room.

The chewing on fingers and toes does end. There is a sticky that says "The Bit Stops Here" that I think you will find very useful.

You can make it through this time! 

Some suggestions:

Read the free downloads from Ian Dunbar: 


http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads

Your puppy needs to be walked 30-45 minutes 2 times a day. This will help a lot.

Teach him to fetch (he may not take to it right away) for extra opportunities for exercise when you are just sitting around.

Use Kong toys and puzzle games to feed him. It takes a lot of time and gets him to chew.

There are 3 things I've noticed puppies need to have:
1. Exercise every day. If we skip a walk due to illness or other emergency, (and only emergencies) the next day our dogs are 3 times as unruly, not twice as unruly.
2. Things to chew. Our pups have to chew- oftentimes chewing for hours at a time. For example, last night they laid under my chair in the veranda and chewed for 2 hours! Then they finally fell asleep at 10pm, and woke up before 6am.
3. Mental exercise through training, games and puzzles.

This is in addition to socialization, etc, everything that Ian Dunbar talks about.

Finally, I hope you can have fun with him! He's your connection to trust, loyalty and innocence. 

Can you and BF each do an obedience class with him? That might open up avenues for enjoyment.



crashbangwallop said:


> Hello all.
> 
> This isnt an easy thing for me to post, but I registered with these forums just so I could ask your advice...
> 
> ...


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Just wanted to add that I sympathize! Remember, the puppy stage doesn't last forever! And, it can be helpful to get away from the puppy occasionally! I remember when even grocery shopping became relaxing because I didn't have to worry about where the puppy was or what he was doing. (He was home with my husband!)
And, if you and your boyfriend can find a friend or family member to puppy sit, so you two can get out a bit, without worrying, it can help to refresh you and rejuvenate you!

Just a few thoughts:
More exercise, in the form of walks, active play, and training, will probably help. Active play means that you or your bf are actively playing, like fetch, or tug, or whatever. And, training is mental exercise. Mental exercise DOES tire a dog out, too.

When you let him out at 4 am, give him a chew of some kind when you put him back to bed. I agree that rawhides are not good, but, you could do a kong, stuffed with a bit of peanut butter, and frozen. We almost always have a couple of kongs with peanut butter in the freezer, so we can grab them whenever we need to occupy our dogs. The fact that the kong is frozen means it will take longer for the dog to get the peanut butter out....

I'd be careful with the ice. I am not sure where, but I am pretty sure that I read how ice can cause teeth problems, like breaking teeth, but, I am not sure if it's puppies, or older dogs, or what. I don't remember.....

And, the chocolate pudding stools, they're not constant, right? Just occasional? Has he seen a vet? Like when you got him? It's possible that he found something icky when he was playing or on a walk, that upset his stomach. Or, the food just may not agree with him.

Good luck!


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## titiaamor (Nov 17, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



doxiemommy said:


> I remember when even grocery shopping became relaxing because I didn't have to worry about where the puppy was or what he was doing. (He was home with my husband!)


Yup, I had this exact same experience. And now they can stay home alone. But I haven't gotten the nerve to go away overnight yet.


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## EdDTS (May 30, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

I sympathize with you, but deep down I love puppies, I love the issues they bring, I love all the tons of training they need. It's like a blank piece of paper and you can shape this dog however you want.

I get a lot of puppy calls, and when it comes to the crate, I've found that getting that puppy real tired and then putting him in the crate and throwing a blanket or something over it will almost guarantee a successful night. The puppy is so tired so he doesn't have the strength to whine and he just wants to sleep and you don't have to do it at night, play the the pup a lot during the day and then put him in the crate in the middle of the day.

A pup is a lot of hard work, it's only been like 4 weeks right, since you got him at 8 weeks? Give it some more time, he'll come around. Just keep up with the training, he's teething. I recommend getting an old towel, soaking it in water, throwing it in the freezer for a few hours and then give it to the pup when it's completely frozen. The coldness will make his mouth feel better and it'll get his biting urges out.


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## huskysmiles (Aug 18, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Like everyone else is saying, your puppy is still really young. They need a lot of attention and care when they are still so young. Dealing with having a puppy can be really, really tough, particularly if you are a first time owner but I think that the rewards really do make up for all your effort and possible distress. Just remember when you are feeling desperate to take a deep breath and that your puppy will grow up.

Make sure you persevere with training and remember how young your puppy is. Best of luck to you!


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

yeah i am pretty much done with puppies LOL, every time i think that i will do another, i read a thread like thiss & it reminds me why i DID NOT get a pup this time around. I tend to like the older closer to senior rescues, because they still have a lot to offer, but they are also mature enough to adapt to an enviroment. plus there are always adult rescues looking for homes more so then pups. besides, a pup is a crap shoot most of the time, at least with an adilt dog you know what your getting.


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## mswaterlilly (Aug 29, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*



Crantastic said:


> This free online textbook (by an amazing vet/animal behaviorist/dog trainer) is great. It covers all of the major topics, including the nipping issue and how to get your pup liking his crate. Table of contents is down the left side, but here are the direct links to the biting section:
> 
> http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy-biting
> http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teaching-bite-inhibition


Just had to compliment you on your gorgeous dogs.... i have never seen a KK si close to a husky before amazing !!!!!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

Aw, thanks! Yeah, I find that the standards (and some of the minis) tend to look more husky-like. Some of the toys have the apple head (and bulging eyes have become such a problem that they're now mentioned in the standard as something you do not want). Casper doesn't quite look like a big husky; he has some small dog characteristics... but he's close.


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## Jenness (May 7, 2012)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

I also sympathize! Just wanted to say please, please, hang in there because it's 100% worth it  I think you have reached the critical point, where everything just seems so crazy and overwhelming. I was in the same situation six months ago, only I was the one home all the time and my husband was at work constantly. At the time I was jealous of him, but now looking back I cherish all of those moments even the terrible ones! It's hard work, but the harder you work, the easier it becomes and your dog will turn out AMAZING I promise you.

Bella was awful as a pup. She actually indulged in full on temper tantrums where she would lay on her side flaying her legs around screaming and crying letting out all kinds of yips. She would do it for no apparent reason and there would be no way to stop her she would just eventually fall asleep, lol. 

What I did to gain some type of control (and this is kind of neurotic I admit) I documented all the times that she went outside, ate, slept, had temper tantrums, accidents, etc. etc.. I did it because like you, she was my first dog and I was clueless. I did it for about two or three days and it really helped me to understand her patterns and develop a good schedule. A good schedule goes a long way, especially for a puppy. The schedule you develop should also have certain times for exercise and training. Lots of short training sessions throughout the day works best.

Good Luck, and remember it is totally worth it


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## Mheath0429 (Sep 4, 2011)

*Re: 12 week old puppy. Possible buyer's remorse. I just need some help & advice pleas*

I understand that huskies are a lot of work. I have two - including a puppy. 

We had to work very hard with him. It wasn't easy and it still isn't. He's 8 months old and is a ball of energy. Take all of the advice here very seriously, but also remember that you have a husky. they have a mind of their own and need a lot of exercise. While I understand you don't want him in the back yard you do need to get more exercise in his daily routine - a sleep puppy is a happy puppy. We were lucky; we have a 2 year old husky as well and he played with her a lot, and it calmed him down. You don't have that option - thus, you need to expel his energy somehow. Whether thats through walks, frozen kongs or tugs doesn't matter, but you will find things get much easier with exercise. 

You need to crate train. He eventually will stop howling - I promise. But Huskies are known to be destructive and do very well crated. It protects him and your house. 

I can't sympathize with the howling - You have a husky. It comes with the turf. He will howl, dig, escape and run. 

BTW, what are you feeding? You said hypoallergenic but didn't say what food? If we can see ingredients that should help.


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