Need reassurance! :)

[Emily Lau]

We are first-time puppy parents... very diligent... but boy it is hard!

Happy points:

Earnest came home around 3.5 weeks ago, now he is around 11.5 weeks. He is affectionate, smart, learns tricks quickly, and loves every person and dog he meets. (he REALLY loves children and dogs)

He is getting the hang of leash-walking too!

Challenging points:

housebreaking has been....... hard. We are as good as it gets when it comes to taking him out. I'd say we take him out at least every 45 mins. He goes outside, willingly and happily. But he also goes inside  if he has a chance. (just for fun, not because he needs to, coz it's just a "little bit of pee" - not excitement pee either, coz he wasn't excited). 

He loves to bark. He barks when he needs to pee, or poo, or wants to play, or just wants a hug. We are consistent with our dealings with him, but he is also very strong-willed!

He is mostly happy and mellow but after he takes a poo he becomes a psycho pup. barks, nips, jumps, gets way too riled up.... (we are also being really consistent with our disciplining...)

He never had an accident in his smaller crate. We upgraded him to a larger crate yesterday, he has had two accidents since.

Umm...

Just want to know that WE WILL PREVAIL! 

I have had so little sleep it is not even funny... :)

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I'm sure that you'll be getting lots of great advice from the experts here at DoodleKisses.  I am FAR from an expert, so about the best advice I can give you is to continue being consistent and repeat as often as necessary "This too shall pass".  The puppy stage will soon be a distant memory!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

at least you still have a positive attitude which is really hard when you are running low on sleep. Stick with it.  This phase won't last forever.  Before you know it, you will be like me with your pup about to turn 4 and you will be wondering where the time went.

[Becka]

Emily, I assume you have joined the Puppy Madness group here on DK (if not--do so immediately :)). Well, there's a reason it's called Puppy Madness, and it's not just because we're all crazy about our pups! Read through some of the discussions there and you will see that what you are going through is absolutely normal--you are absolutely not alone! It sounds like you're both being diligent about discipline and routine. Keep it up, keep that puppy well-exercised (a tired puppy is a good puppy!) and this will be over before you know. You will get lots of good advice and feedback here. Enjoy your doodle!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

The housebreaking will come with consistency and "practice"....some dogs take longer than others.  As Sandy said, make sure you're using Nature's Miracle or something similar to prevent him from picking up the scent and deciding this is a great potty spot.   It's probably too soon for the larger crate....I'd go back to the small one for now.  Try not to reward the barking by giving him any attention when he does it.  This stage will pass....when he's a few months older you can start some formal training and that will help so much.

[Carrie]

My puppy is only 24 weeks old, but this is already a reasonably distant memory for me. They learn so fast and your good work will pay off. That said, it is not immediate and Earnest is still just a baby.

I agree with the advice you have already been given - smaller crate, bells on the door, ignore the barking and make sure to use Nature's Miracle or something similar. I would add to make sure to treat and praise lavishly each time Earnest potties outside.

I do not think I did anything to help us through the devil spawn phase (biting, barking, snorting, ripping my clothes and racing around as though she was possessed). I heard alternately that it was a sign of exhaustion and a sign she needed more exercise - and I think both may have been true. My vet gave me clearance to go hiking at about 14 weeks and that was hugely helpful. In any event, it is rare to even see signs of that now,

Good luck and tell us how things go.

[Kirkwoods]

A good bit of advice I received when we were a pup was not to take them out too often.  They need to learn to hold things until it is time.  If they get used to being able to pee every 45 min, they will.  I'm sure it's different for all but we had good success with that.  We also have a girl which is different.  Males tend to mark more (not sure if they do at that age).

[Kirkwoods]

Also heard to keep the crate small for a while because they won't want to go in their personal space.  If the crate is large, they can go on the far end then still have a clean place to lay. 

[3tcmu8wc5xgqz]

We brought our Noel home probably around the same time you brought Earnest home. As of today, Noel is 11 weeks 5 days. (Born Oct. 26th).

Just know that the challenges you're dealing will seem to be fairly normal - and as long as you continue to be consistent, they will get better with time. The key is to not get frustrated and take one day at a time. I find when I start wondering if Noel will ever get the hang of potty training, I start feeling stressed. However when we make it through the one day with no accidents, I feel better, and then I focus on the next day when it comes.

As far as the crate situation, we bought Noel a very large crate when we got her, but we knew it was too big for her at the time, so my husband made a make-shift divider. Puppies need just enough space to lay down and turn around. If they have too much room, they will pee in their crate. We had this problem with Noel even with the divider. So we moved the divider to give her less room and voila, problem solved! No more cage accidents. :)

[Scott Payne]

We just rescued a black doodle named Noel that was born in October.  She is black with some gold starting to show.  We rescued her from Pawed Squad in Abilene, Texas. As of today, her sister is still there.  Eve is the sister of Noel and lives with her foster parents and is receiving great care. All shots have been done and she is spayed as well. Adoption fee was $300. 

Our Noel trained to the bell in 2 days. very laid back personality and we just love her!

[Theresa & Duncan]

Bells on the door were out saving grace when it came to housebreaking. Doodles are SO smart and pick up the trick quickly!
So many people told me the puppy madness would get better, but I don't thi k I believed it for a while there! It is a great feeling to be able to say that they were right and it DID get easier :). The first Saturday Duncan let us sleep in was pure heaven lol. You're outlook is very positive - stay strong!

[Jen and Annie]

Theresa & Duncan - How old was Duncan when he started letting you sleep in??  Annie is almost 8 months and wakes us up every morning between 6:45 and 7:15 - even on the weekends!  I am hoping she will start sleeping in soon....

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

My guy turned 8 months yesterday and I am happy to say there are things that are distant memories.  He no longer takes books off the shelves to chew or chews on the furniture.  We had all sorts of barriers up against shelving and across doors in the beginning  but now he can be "trusted" to run upstairs and down-although he is likely to come back with dirty laundry. I always have a sense of where he is when he is loose during the day, still crate him when we are not home.  But he sleeps on our bed/floor or on the bathroom floor at night with a gate to keep him upstairs.   He still has tons of energy and we are as diligent as time and weather allow us to get him out for a walk in the AM and also to run around and play fetch.  We were very lucky with potty-he learned the bells on the door quickly.  Keep the faith and the great attitude!