Krystina'sMommy
~Waiting patiently 'til we sail with Mickey, Again
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2004
- Messages
- 368
Amanda: ANY time!! Like I said, you got questions? I'll try to answer them.
Yes, there is sooo much for dogs too and it is too easy to get carried away!!! I started Pokie out in the cat's old carrier because she was only 7 weeks when we brought her home. Once she got too big for that then we bought her the bigger one. The trick is to not start him out in too big a crate because then he'll have enough room to do his business on one end and sleep on the other. You can play with him all you want!! BUT, when it comes time to go into the crate you have to be STRONG!! Those little whimpers are gonna tug at your heartstrings! Make sure you take him out to go before you put him in the crate. Start with about 1/2 hour. Then take him out of the crate & straight outside. If he goes, praise him like crazy. If he doesn't go take him back inside & crate him again for about another 1/2 hour. Take him outside again to see if he'll go. I would do this for a few hours a day, gradually increasing the amount of time he stays in the crate before taking him out. Nights will be the hardest. I put Pokie's crate by our bed at first and did get up with her 3 or 4 times a night for the 1st couple of weeks. It was like having a baby all over again. When you take him out at night, though, make sure you only take him out (little praise when he goes, so he doesn't get too excited) and then straight back into the crate. Pokie started sleeping thru the night after about 2 weeks. She slept with us for a while, but now we're back to putting her in her crate at night. It's now out in the living area. It may help to cover the crate with a blanket or towel when he's in there. A cozy blankie inside helps too!!
Sorry, ladies, to have hijacked this thread! I'm just so excited we're gonna have a new furbaby as part of our Wonder family (especially since it's a breed so dear to my heart!!)
Yes, there is sooo much for dogs too and it is too easy to get carried away!!! I started Pokie out in the cat's old carrier because she was only 7 weeks when we brought her home. Once she got too big for that then we bought her the bigger one. The trick is to not start him out in too big a crate because then he'll have enough room to do his business on one end and sleep on the other. You can play with him all you want!! BUT, when it comes time to go into the crate you have to be STRONG!! Those little whimpers are gonna tug at your heartstrings! Make sure you take him out to go before you put him in the crate. Start with about 1/2 hour. Then take him out of the crate & straight outside. If he goes, praise him like crazy. If he doesn't go take him back inside & crate him again for about another 1/2 hour. Take him outside again to see if he'll go. I would do this for a few hours a day, gradually increasing the amount of time he stays in the crate before taking him out. Nights will be the hardest. I put Pokie's crate by our bed at first and did get up with her 3 or 4 times a night for the 1st couple of weeks. It was like having a baby all over again. When you take him out at night, though, make sure you only take him out (little praise when he goes, so he doesn't get too excited) and then straight back into the crate. Pokie started sleeping thru the night after about 2 weeks. She slept with us for a while, but now we're back to putting her in her crate at night. It's now out in the living area. It may help to cover the crate with a blanket or towel when he's in there. A cozy blankie inside helps too!!
Sorry, ladies, to have hijacked this thread! I'm just so excited we're gonna have a new furbaby as part of our Wonder family (especially since it's a breed so dear to my heart!!)
T-O-P! T-O-P! GO ME! 
