Please Help a New Pet Parent

[Ozzy - Courtney]

Good Morning everyone!

I got Ozzy Friday morning and he is just a ball of fun. He is eight weeks old and is adjusting very well. I was expecting him to cry all night his first night but he did. His first two nights here he slept all night without being in his create and he didn't make a mess in the room.

I am a first time pet parent as an adult and this is all new to me. Therefore, I have a few questions. How long did it take your doodle to learn his name? This is day three and it seems like he is not responding to it at all. Also, I've been trying to teach him the sit command by holding the treat in front of his nose and then above his head. However, instead of sitting he will stand up on his hind legs. What am I doing wrong? Honestly, any tip as far a training would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!

[Ozzy - Courtney]

I looked into the puppy class but they stated he needs to be at least 10 weeks old. I'm interested to know how you got your pups to adjust to the playpen. Ozzy will go in looking for treats because I sometimes put some in there but will come right back out. He's fine if I stand in there with him, but the moment I step out of it he'll start crying and barking. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Sometimes you have to hang tough.  Most puppies will settle if you give them a couple of minutes. Put Ozzy into his pen or crate, give him something distracting and step out of sight, wait until he settles then return.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It takes a while for the puppy to acclimate to his new environment - EVERYTHING is new to him, absolutely everything.  It will all happen.  I really suggest that you crate for sleeping and when you can't keep an eye on him.  We crated until Ned was about a year and it kept him safe when we couldn't watch over him. We have other dogs and a dog door so our first step in teaching him independence was transitioning to that area when we couldn't watch him.  We continued crating at night for the first year. We weaned from the crate by leaving the door open at night.