# 9 week old australian shepherd



## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

I just got one two days ago and boy is it more work than i imagined. i mean, i knew it was alot of work, but still. He is my first dog ever and I just have some questions maybe you all could help me out with.

i would assume that since he is a puppy, being left alone to sleep at night would make him cry. (which it does). How could I teach him to not be afraid? i think he hates the room he sleeps in, but its really the only place i got to put his bed. 

today at 1am i wake up to his deafening whining and crying. I rush to his room and ofcourse he is overjoyed to see me, and with pee and poo all on the floor... Which is normal i know, but i dont know which route to take:
cuddle him and keep him company when he cries?
or
leave him crying untill he stops (which breaks my heart)
help me out, im new to all of this ^-^'


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Crate him to minimize space and reduce the chance he'll have an accident. You can put a wind up alarm clock just outside the crate, it soothes some pups. 

Make usre you hve him on SCHEDULED feedings, this way his potty needs will become more predictable and make housebreaking easier.

Be sure you take him outside to potty before he goes to bed and he has a BM as well urinating.

DO NOT coddle him for crying, but DO set an alarm for aprox 4 hours after you put him to bed so you can take him out for another potty, this time will move forward slowly to encourage him to sleep through the night.


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## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

Thanks for the tips! 
How should I schedule the feeding?


Also, I'm pretty sure he hates being inside. I take him out for about an hour and I see him start to fall asleep on the grass so I bring him in and he's at the door not a second later, scratching and whining to be out.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

At this age, feed 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last feeding for a decent bed time should be around 5-6 PM, you'll eventually cut out the lunch feeding (around 4 months).


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## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

But again if he whines and stuff at night should I just leave him alone whining?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

As long as you know he's pottied, yes. Remember there will be an 'extiction burst' (when it will get worse) just before he quites.


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## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

Aww  

I'll try it out and ill let ya know how it went tomorow!


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Congrats on your puppy! For our last young puppy, someone gave me a stuffed animal that had a bean bag inside that you microwaved and put back in, put with the pup. Our Boone seemed to like it so it might be worth a try. I think they're made by Pet Stages. Also, I like my pups to be in crates in our bedroom and Carla is right about a clock...I sleep with a white noise machine so all my dogs are used to that


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## abi88 (Jul 2, 2008)

cshellenberger said:


> Crate him to minimize space and reduce the chance he'll have an accident. You can put a wind up alarm clock just outside the crate, it soothes some pups.
> 
> Make usre you hve him on SCHEDULED feedings, this way his potty needs will become more predictable and make housebreaking easier.
> 
> ...


GREAT post!

Crating is HUGE, it will help both you and the pup in the long run!

When I got my now 5 month old Border Collie at 10 weeks old I did just like cshellenberger suggests, feed around the same time each feeding each day, crated at night(and when Im gone) and take him out ever 4-5 hours! I have to say he NEVER once had any accidents in his crate and only 3 indoors! (Once when I thought the door was open and it wasnt and the other 2 at the in-laws, but thats because they let their dog go in the house and he smelled it!:wink: ) 


Oh.....and BTW..........WE NEED PICTURES!!!   :wink :


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## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

well im in the middle of this process now at 11:00pm. his cries are sporadic but were continuous for about half an hour. im going to try not to even open the door till morning. 
i could care less about the mess of poo and pee to clean, it just hurts having to hear him in such desperation, you know? 

I took him out right before i put him in his room, but he was so tired that he fell asleep in the grass... at that point, i took him in to his bed. was that the right thing to do? I mean, if he wasnt pooping, what else could i have done?


here's Koa










I cant wait till hes learned that hes fine on his own at night. this is a stressful process for us both 
wish me luck..


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## abi88 (Jul 2, 2008)

By "his room" do you mean that he is put in a room by him self or is he crated?


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## goombla (Jul 1, 2011)

my parents only rule was that he sleep in that room by himself. how would a crate do any different??


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

A crate would limit the amount of space and reduce the chance that he'd have an accident becaue dogs don't like to sleep where they relieve themselves. YOu want the crate to be large enough to hold him at adult size, and use a divider (which comes with most new wire crates) to make it smaller for use with a pup. He needs enough floor space to turn aroundnad lie down, any bigger and he will have accidents in it.


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## ilovezoey (Jun 22, 2011)

goombla said:


> my parents only rule was that he sleep in that room by himself. how would a crate do any different??


A crate helps the puppy feel safe. Being out in a new world is not only strange to it but it seems huge to new puppies. I also agree with the person who suggested the stuffed animal with a microwavable beanbag. We used a hot water bottle inside a stuffed animal and a ticking clock. Most pups will not go to the bathroom in a crate. As for him sleeping in the grass, perhaps take him for a walk before bed. This encourages the pooping before bed. Pups do need to go out every 4-5 hours even at night.
Just curious if you know how much excercise and play this little guy is going to need/ You picked an active breed. He's absolutely adorable.



abi88 said:


> By "his room" do you mean that he is put in a room by him self or is he crated?


I hope not, but it sounds like it


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## AndyP (Mar 21, 2011)

We just got our first puppy and we did the following. Crated her and took her out every 1 1/2 - 2 hours for a month. Praised and treated her every time she went outside, said nothing to her when she had an accident. 30 minutes after you feed the puppy, walk it. Right after she wakes up from a nap or has a big play session, walk it.  

Sleeping is going to be rough, but if you stick with it for a month..your puppy will be poppy trained in no time.


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