# French Bulldog boy 9 weeks old - General first time puppy advice! Crating, crying etc



## Nia_and_Cash (Nov 5, 2014)

Hi everyone, my names Nia and me and my partner have just brought home a little rascal of a frenchie boy called Cash. We've had him now for 4 days and so far it's going pretty well aside from the odd teething problems I'm hoping I can have advice on!

He has a set up in our dining room (which is the central room of the house, lots of foot traffic and tile flooring which is a bonus!) he has his crate just big enough for his basket and that is in a 5x5 play pen. Like I imagine every new puppy would be he does his fair share of crying and whining which we are ignoring when he does so - *Q - not sure if ignoring is best or praise when he is quiet?* - the first plan was to crate him overnight in our room but when his crate door is closed he cries bloody murder! Far louder and stressed than he does when he's in his pen, in the dining room, with crate door open. Have tried for short bursts several times but still get the same response. *Should I count myself lucky that he is more content in his pen? Or continue trying crating? *

He's also barely touched his meals since arriving, when booking him in to the vets for his vacs I mentioned this and they said it's probably him settling and to weigh him before coming in for vacs to monitor - curious if anyone else has experienced this? He's on the same feed as his breeder had him on he just seems to show very little interest, has a few mouthfuls and leaves it. 

Aside from these issues he's a complete rascal and full of energy, he's keeping us on our toes and sleep deprived - the joys of parenthood!!

Hoping to start some basic training this weekend so wish us luck with 'sit'!


Any advice would be gladly received!

Thanks everyone
Nia


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## chimunga (Aug 29, 2014)

Nia_and_Cash said:


> Hi everyone, my names Nia and me and my partner have just brought home a little rascal of a frenchie boy called Cash. We've had him now for 4 days and so far it's going pretty well aside from the odd teething problems I'm hoping I can have advice on!
> 
> He has a set up in our dining room (which is the central room of the house, lots of foot traffic and tile flooring which is a bonus!) he has his crate just big enough for his basket and that is in a 5x5 play pen. Like I imagine every new puppy would be he does his fair share of crying and whining which we are ignoring when he does so - *Q - not sure if ignoring is best or praise when he is quiet?* - the first plan was to crate him overnight in our room but when his crate door is closed he cries bloody murder! Far louder and stressed than he does when he's in his pen, in the dining room, with crate door open. Have tried for short bursts several times but still get the same response. *Should I count myself lucky that he is more content in his pen? Or continue trying crating? *


Just keep on keeping on with the crating. Crying is completely 100% normal. He's been cuddled up with his brothers and sisters for the past two months, so he's not used to sleeping alone. If he cries, just ignore it. No eye contact, not talking. When he's quiet, wait a few minutes, then either praise or let him out. Don't be discouraged if it takes a while. It's different for every puppy. 

You might also want to try heavily positively enforcing the crate. Feed him in his crate once a day, give him lots of treats in the crate, maybe even have a special awesome toy reserved for just when he's in the crate. I like to thrown a new meaty bone in the crate with Watson every few days. He loves those. I would make sure he always has some kind of safe toy to chew on while he's in the crate, just to keep him distracted. 



Nia_and_Cash said:


> He's also barely touched his meals since arriving, when booking him in to the vets for his vacs I mentioned this and they said it's probably him settling and to weigh him before coming in for vacs to monitor - curious if anyone else has experienced this? He's on the same feed as his breeder had him on he just seems to show very little interest, has a few mouthfuls and leaves it.


Totally normal. I wouldn't worry about it too much at all. Just offer him food at the specified times during the day, and if he doesn't eat, just put the food up. You may also want to try hand feeding him if he's particularly stubborn about it. Watson got a lot of food from hand feeding when we first got him.

^_^ Congrats on the new puppy. I love his name.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

Like chimunga said it's all normal. Day 4 is very early. The vet gave you the best advice. If you're really concerned you can call them. They likely told you to more watch for him not eating at all, not peeing or not pooping. You could try some decent treats to supplement the died. Treats for puppies usually take up a decent part of their diet.

Be patient. Puppies are a pain a lot of the time and each week is usually 4 steps forward and 3 steps back, BUT you get what you put in to it. Read some of the posts here about rescues that weren't trained properly and you'll see what you can avoid by having a puppy.

Once the dog has had their second round of shots, you can join an obedience school and that's when behavior will really change for the better.

Good luck.


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## Nia_and_Cash (Nov 5, 2014)

Thanks for your advice - we've actually had 2 nights now cry free which is great, really proud of him! The occasional temper tantrum still occurring but nothing too crazy! We've just bought him a beef flavored nylon bone, following your advice, which he only gets in his crate and he loves! We'd like to give him a nice real bone - my partner is a butcher so they wouldn't be in short supply - but I've been told bulldog and pug breeds don't do well with bones and are prone to choking.. Which is a shame!

Unfortunately still no major success with the feeding he seems to really dislike the taste of the Royal Canine which his breeder and the vet recommended. We have managed to trick him into a meal with adding some mince meat but he's already getting wise to that and turning his nose up at it! Will still continue to try him with a scheduled and hopefully he'll start eating well soon.


Thank you  he is named after Johnny Cash - maybe that's where his independent nature is coming from!


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## Nia_and_Cash (Nov 5, 2014)

Thanks for the reply seaboxador, yeah we understand it's early days and so pleased he is doing well in most areas, just making sure we don't make any mistakes early on - as this is our first pup we are learning a lot! Yes I am looking forward to his 2nd round of shots, which are booked for a week today. Looking forward to start socializing him and being able to walk him to tucker him out before bed!

Still struggling with the food - and considering changing brands as I've not been reading great things about Royal Canine and he is spitting out the kibble. But will continue with a feeding routine.

Thank you!


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## newtoschnoodles (Oct 2, 2014)

We have a 9 week old schnoodle puppy and this sounds very similar to your situation! We've had him almost two weeks. He barely eats as well. It's a couple bits here and there and he looses interest. Hopefully his appetite increases. The crying has been rough for us too. He has a couple good nights for a while and then occasionally cries all night. We're so sleep deprived so hoping that stops soon. We're in an apartment complex and worried about the neighbors haha.


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## seaboxador (Sep 23, 2012)

In terms of general advice, puppies are crazy. That's why they're made to be so cute so you won't throw them down the garbage chute. The crying, refusing to walk, etc, largely resolves itself. Get him a lot of exercise at night and he'll sleep. A 9 week old just left everything he knew since when he was young. It will fix itself in short order. 

YOu get out of it what you put in so there's a big long term reward for dealing with puppyhood.


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