Puppy Class.....a bad idea??

[Kristin & Poogan]

So, we took Poog to his first puppy class last night. It started off great! He was scared of nothing and he was LOVING all the other pups he could play with! He hated the end, and was whining when the play had to end. He was rambunctious all night and didn't get tired like he normally does. In fact, he cried and barked all night, when normally, he goes to bed without a peep in his crate! To top it off, he barked ALL this morning, pooped upstairs on the carpet (when he already pooped outside, not ONCE has he pooped in the house since we got him!) and peed all over his toys. He barked like crazy when we left this morning. I'm not sure what to think! Admittedly, I am a first time dog owner. I have only ever owned my cat, Dmitri. I am committed to keeping sweet Poog and working with him, I'm just wondering what could have caused him to act this way. Our vet recommended it, but was puppy class a bad idea for a 9 week old puppy? He never barks and has been doing so well with potty training the last few days, and then last night and this morning he was like little demon puppy! Doodle veterans, HELP. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I can explain the last night.  Our girls were always terrors after we got home from training.  Our trainer said they were like "tired toddlers".  Just put them to bed.  I would say that this morning may have just been a coincidence.  I don't think that training is ever bad.  Just keep doing what you have been doing.  Make sure you are cleaning up the potty messes with an oder neutralizer.  Just remember he is just a puppy.  You have really only had him for a week, so you will see lots of changes.  He is just getting used to things and opening up more.

[Kristin & Poogan]

Thank you! Your doodles are beauts! Yes, I was thinking maybe since he was tired he would go right to sleep, but maybe his exhaustion just fueled him on or something! And I'm not sure why he whined and barked in the middle of the night. He never does that. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Since he is just 9 weeks I think he is really just starting to settle in to your home and come into his puppy self.  They can be a little subdued when they first come home.  He is getting used to you and getting more comfortable in his environment and getting used to being away from his liter mates.  Did you try taking him outside when he wined?  He probably got lots of treats at training and may have been off of his normal potty schedule.  Do you have his crate beside your bed?  I kept AnnaBelle's crate on a couple of chairs beside my bed.  That way if she woke up in the middle of the night I could stick my fingers in and comfort her.  If she didn't calm right down then I knew she probably needed to potty and I would take her out.  This didn't happen often, but there were a few occasions where I took her out and then she would settle right back down and go back to sleep.  I would do this without turning on many lights so that I kept a nice calm environment.

[Kristin & Poogan]

Our vet told us not to put his crate in our room for a couple of reasons.1. She wanted us to train him to self-soothe. 2. Our room is our cat's "safe place". For now, since it's upstairs, and Poogan and Dmitri are still learning to navigate each other, that is the only space, aside from the bathroom where his litter box is, that Meech can be away from Poogan, without being afraid that he will come after him. We do put a blanket over his crate and he has our old tshirts, a warm water bottle wrapped in towels, and a snuggle toy in his crate. And that works! Until last night of course, haha

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

well hopefully tonight will be back to normal.  

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Yeti is a little over a year old and was / still is always crazy after a lot of exercise. We went on a 4.5 mile run last night and I thought he would just be so exhausted but he ran around the house like a crazy man for at least an hour. I agree with Lucy! He is probably just overtired and putting him to bed is probably the best bet.

[EJ & Dante]

it was recommended to us to not start puppy class until 10 weeks, after Dante had settled into our home, us and the routine a bit more.  We started at 10 weeks and he's been in a class continuously since then.  He's 4 months old now.

[Ginny Nightingale]

OK--so I raise pups and this is the advice I give my new owners.

First, you have had him a short time, you do not know at all what NORMAL is for him--NEVER does this or that? Ha! Little do you know! :) I have had wild crazy pups go home and the owner tells me how GOOD they are, and then a week later, they need advice on how to calm him down!

So, he was just getting used to his environment (which I refer to as the Honeymoon) and had not yet shown you what he was capable of. So, then once all the new stuff is old hat and no longer exhausting, you enter Hell week (or months) where the pup has to learn your routine, how to be civilized, basic commands and how to please you. Puppy class should not start for a month from the time he comes home. That way, the bonding and trust has happened between you and some of these things have been accomplished before you go. In this circumstance, he has had little training and does not have a routine, so the puppy class made him tired and overstimulated, so he "acted out".  He does not really know the rules yet and is not really housebroken, so if he gets a bit wild and crazy, he will forget to go out to potty. I would guess that the pups peed and pooped in their pens when they were being raised and that is still normal for him. (It depends on the breeder, we litter box train our pups so they are less likely to do that and more easy to housebreak) 

As far as the crate, I can understand the safe space for the cat but one of you should stay down with the crate until he settles--put your back to the crate, be very quiet and just be present. That will soothe him--he is going to get the self-soothing thing, but it takes a while and this is an in-between step. Do not say or do anything, just let him feel your heat and smell your smell...once he has settled, you can sneak off to bed. Another trick is to put a blanket over you and then leave the blanket behind--sometimes that is enough for him to feel like you are still there. 

Don't worry--this will all pass, but it will take work and attention and training--obedience class is a must once the free-for-all of puppy class is over. Remember, this is not a new behavior but just a return to his normal self which means he is happy and comfortable with you now--good luck!

[Nancy]

Great advice Ginny!! 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Thanks Nancy--I have been at this for a while now!

[Kristin & Poogan]

Thank you! We will definitely be trying some of this!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Ginny this is so true about that "honeymoon period" and such good advice! 

Henry is 15 weeks old and has been with us for 6 weeks now. I bought crates for upstairs and down and was pretty well prepared (especially for sleepless nights). Much to my surprise he went into his crate next to my side of the bed on nights one and two without a peep and slept through until 5am. I thought wow, this is so much easier than I was lead to believe, I must have gotten a perfect puppy! LOL, not! The honeymoon phase was short lived and Henry's very mischievious and frequently stubborn personality has emerged. I work with Henry multiple times per day on training before we move on to structured training with a professional and I can tell you the most important lesson I have learned; consistency! If I slack off (great example; making him sit and wait before re-entering house after potty) he will remember that one instance and decide for himself that meh, I don't want to do this. Getting him back on track takes ten times longer to get consistency again. Doodles are so dang intelligent and will learn how to work everything to their advantage even when they are just weeks old!

Hang in there, it is amazing how quickly the weeks pass and you will see your puppy's personality emerge as he starts to mature a bit. Henry is already sleeping through the night in his bed next to me, has had very few accidents since 14 weeks and has become acclimated to our routines...not to mention grown like a weed from 12# to 27# in 6 weeks! Enjoy your new baby, they become toddlers so quickly LOL!