# On my last nerve! Help!



## lou4565 (Dec 17, 2009)

How do I get my pug puppy to simply STOP whining when I leave a room? She has a playpen in the living room and a small sleep crate in my bedroom. Whenever I put her in either and leave the room, even to go to the bathroom she whines up a storm! I live with my sister and if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I have to hold it because Lola will hear me leaving the room and she will yelp so loudly that it'll wake my sister! I can't get her to stop! I can't take a relaxing bath or anything without her crying and moaning to get out, but she refuses to be housebroken, so I can't just let her roam free whenever I'm not watching her! I clean up enough "doggy accidents" when I'm not home, I don't need to clean more up because I took my eye off of her! Case and point - she just pooped because I took 3 minutes to type this! UGHHHH!!!! I'm on my last nerve trying to train this stubborn dog!!

*lou4565


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

HOw old is this puppy? How long have you had her?
Puppies cry when they are alone. THe first couple of months of puppy ownership are full of pulling your hair out moments, it's part of the deal. This is why they make em cute, so you can forgive the little buggers.
Housetraining and "alone" training take time. What is your routine? What have you been doing for housetraining, do you have a schedule? How often does puppy go out? Do you reward her when she goes out? Are you taking her out on a leash? What do you do when she has an accident?
If this is a new to you puppy it's going to take time for her to get used to being in the kennel by herself. She's been taken from her mother and sibs, thrown in with new humans in a new place and doesn't know what to do with herself. The crying is instinctive, as puppies call for their mothers when they are alone and frightened.
Talk to your sister and find out how she feels about the crying, tell her it WILL pass when puppy learns you DO come back...sleepless nights are part of the first couple of weeks or month in almost all cases of new puppy ownership. Just like with human babies. This too shall pass.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

You could get a few Kongs and put peanut butter in them and freeze them. When you leave the room, drop her a Kong to play with.

How much walking and playing with you is she getting? 

She will need to go out to pee or poop after eating. Depending on your dog this can be quickly after eating or up to 1/2 hour in a very young pup. She will also need to go out after playing and evey time she wakes from a nap. When she IS out side and poops of pees, praise her and give her food rewards (you have to be right with her when she does pee of poop so you can praise and give food rewards immediately).


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## lou4565 (Dec 17, 2009)

Do kongs work for you? My puppy gets so bored with them once the outside peanutbutter is gone. I've put cheerios in there and closed the hole w/ peanutbutter, but once the peanutbutters gone and she can't get in the hole, she gives up. How are those things supposed to work anyways? Dogs can't get into those things to get the "goodies"...I don't get 'em! haha


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## trump44 (Jan 12, 2010)

How long have you had her? It does take time for them to adjust as was mentioned before. Just be consistent with the house training...take her out as often as possible and reward her when she goes outside...these thing take time...we all get irritated at times...3AM in the middle of February...and they want to investigate everything instead of peeing.

"This is why they make em cute, so you can forgive the little buggers."

This is a classic...LOL


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Cracker correctly pointed out that puppies cry when left alone. That's because they have a hard-wired instinct to stay close to the pack when very young. It's a survival instinct. In the wild, being separated from the pack is often a death sentence. Staying close means within 8'.....anything further away is like you're in the next county.

You have two choices...ignore the whinning or teach the pup confidence and trust (that's what Socialization is all about...gaining confidence in their surroundings). 

The idea of leaving the pup with Kongs, etc. is not to occupy them while you're gone. It's to teach them that good things happen while you're away....teaching them that being alone can be OK.....first for short periods then, for longer ones as the pup grows.


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

lou4565 said:


> How do I get my pug puppy to simply STOP whining when I leave a room? She has a playpen in the living room and a small sleep crate in my bedroom. Whenever I put her in either and leave the room, even to go to the bathroom she whines up a storm! I live with my sister and if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I have to hold it because Lola will hear me leaving the room and she will yelp so loudly that it'll wake my sister! I can't get her to stop! I can't take a relaxing bath or anything without her crying and moaning to get out, but she refuses to be housebroken, so I can't just let her roam free whenever I'm not watching her! I clean up enough "doggy accidents" when I'm not home, I don't need to clean more up because I took my eye off of her! Case and point - she just pooped because I took 3 minutes to type this! UGHHHH!!!! I'm on my last nerve trying to train this stubborn dog!!
> 
> *lou4565


What have you done to address the whining?...What have you tried in the way of house training?...Dogs do not eliminate inappropriately out of spite or to punish you...Dogs simply do no think like that & it would help you a lot to remove that mindset.


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## lou4565 (Dec 17, 2009)

My Pug is 4 months old. She's stubborn, is verrrry hyper, and likes to eat cat poop which is driving me CRAZY. So much in fact that I swated her butt this morning for digging in the litter box and she yelped, which now I feel awful about...like I'm a horrible "parent". I can't even potty train my dog because I work too much, and I know many of you would say to move the littler box, or cover it, etc...it doesn't work that way around here. I live with my sister and her cats are "used" to certain things in certain places. I try to keep the doors to the kitchen closed so Lola can't go digging, but when my sisters here she likes to leave them all open so the animals have room to roam, and when I say animals, I mean 4 cats, my Lola, her dog Lexi, a turtle and a fish....so there's TONS of animals around here. 
I love Lola to death it's just that I'm always stressed with working so much and it deteriorates my patience, though I KNOW that's no excuse, It's just hard to be so patient about the potty training when I feel like she's not getting it, AT ALL. I praise, give treats, take her out every few hours, but it's like she's not getting anything. Like she has no way to tell me. It's driving me nuts, she's not showing that she understands it at ALL! ( and I know what you're all going to say...haha...but I AM TRYING! She's cuter than anything so I forgive her, it's just I wish she'd show something that shows me she sorta gets it!) Why are Pugs so hard to housebreak?!?!


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## Deron_dog (Feb 21, 2009)

When you say every few hours do you literally mean you'r making your 4 months old Puppy wait 2 or more hours to go to the bathroom. Pugs arn't hard to housebreak, my mom recently adopted a 4 year old Male who had spent its intire life in a crate. He pee'd everywhere, but my mom just made the effort when she's home to take Jackson (thats the pug) out about every 30 minutes, after he drinks, after he eats, outside on a leash where he is told in a nice simple tones "go Potty" When he manages to go outside its Party time treat time!

Now when you take Lola outside to go Potty, do you praise her? Of course you do or at least I hope you are . Then you come inside and give her a treat? What is she getting the treat for? Not going outside, and going potty, she's getting that treat bfor coming inside with you.

Next: Is she free fed as in does she have food down 24/7 or does she have set times to eat? 

Third: If you can't have your eye on her, she needs to be leashed to you so you can see her, so she can't run off and do her deed. 

I know how you feel, I have a 4 months old Puppy who makes it half way through the night before he wants out and NOW! he says Now I swear it LOL. So I've made it a habit to get up in the middle of the night and let him out to pee or Poo, which ever. NO PLAYtime, a soft goodboy and atreat is offered and then back in his crate.

As for the Kong, I have found its very hard for short nosed breeds like the Pugs to get all the good stuff out. I have two boston Terrier's on top of the pup, we tend to use Bully Sticks to keep them entertained.

Uh, as for the Kitty litter diving, gosh those tootsie Rolls sure are Nummy! I have no clue on that one because like you, I have two cats and they well the old one is very set in his way. So any ideas on how to keep the pup from eating the cat Poop would be awesome!


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## Tolak (Sep 11, 2008)

If you aren't around for most of the time with a pup someone else must be. The training must be a team effort. My pet/your pet does not work. Your sister has a dog, so must know something about training.

Work out a schedule, as well as the same way of training. It takes a village applies to pups if you aren't home most of the time.


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## GypsyJazmine (Nov 27, 2009)

If you can't move the litter boxes, can't potty train your dog because you work too much etc, then someone has to!...You certainly can't get upset with the dog when it's not her fault.
Why did you get a dog knowing all of this?...I am curious.


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## kailaq (Nov 12, 2009)

lou4565 said:


> Do kongs work for you? My puppy gets so bored with them once the outside peanutbutter is gone. I've put cheerios in there and closed the hole w/ peanutbutter, but once the peanutbutters gone and she can't get in the hole, she gives up. How are those things supposed to work anyways? Dogs can't get into those things to get the "goodies"...I don't get 'em! haha


don't make it so difficult at first for them to get the treat inside. don't seal it with a lot of peanut butter, just a bit. then don't pack the kong full of treats at first make sure there's space for the treats to wiggle around, so that if it gets turned or dropped, some of the treats will come out. then when you notice that your pup finishes the contents of his/her kong in less than 10 minutes, make it harder for him/her to get the treats by packing them in more tightly or sealing it with more peanut butter then freezing it.


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## kailaq (Nov 12, 2009)

lou4565 said:


> My Pug is 4 months old. She's stubborn, is verrrry hyper, and likes to eat cat poop which is driving me CRAZY. So much in fact that I swated her butt this morning for digging in the litter box and she yelped, which now I feel awful about...like I'm a horrible "parent". I can't even potty train my dog because I work too much, and I know many of you would say to move the littler box, or cover it, etc...it doesn't work that way around here. I live with my sister and her cats are "used" to certain things in certain places. I try to keep the doors to the kitchen closed so Lola can't go digging, but when my sisters here she likes to leave them all open so the animals have room to roam, and when I say animals, I mean 4 cats, my Lola, her dog Lexi, a turtle and a fish....so there's TONS of animals around here.
> I love Lola to death it's just that I'm always stressed with working so much and it deteriorates my patience, though I KNOW that's no excuse, It's just hard to be so patient about the potty training when I feel like she's not getting it, AT ALL. I praise, give treats, take her out every few hours, but it's like she's not getting anything. Like she has no way to tell me. It's driving me nuts, she's not showing that she understands it at ALL! ( and I know what you're all going to say...haha...but I AM TRYING! She's cuter than anything so I forgive her, it's just I wish she'd show something that shows me she sorta gets it!) Why are Pugs so hard to housebreak?!?!


i understand not having the time during the week to be with your pup, i'm a full time university student and i'm working part-time. but as many have said, you cannot expect your pup to hold her poo/pee for more than 2-3 hours, especially because she's so young. if she doesn't have all her shots yet, maybe you should look into a service where someone would come into your home and let her out to poo/pee, like a dog walker but make sure they have a puppy option so that your pup will be the only dog they walk at that time. if you do decide to go for this option, make sure that the company you are dealing with is bonded since you'll be giving her a copy of your house key (if there is no one to let her in), just in case anything happens. if she has all her shots, i think its definitely worth your while to take her to doggie daycare. it'll also tire her out since she'll be playing with other dogs her size and age all day. 

for my pup, my grandma stays with her all day but bruce has such high energy, he's a pug/jack russel mix, and my grandma can't keep up with him. she also can't walk him for a long time since its really cold here in toronto right now (-20C cometimes) and her rheumatism acts up when its that cold, so i sometimes send bruce to doggie daycare. its about $12 a day here in toronto, i'm not sure how much it is where you are, and its definitely worth it. bruce not only gets exercise and play, he also gets socialized. i'm also lucky enough that my neighbor offers to walk my pup along with her dog when its really cold, she knows about my grandma's rheumatism and comes by our place to ask if bruce has been walked.

good luck with lola!


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