Puppy House Training Tips

[Rob Pearlman]

Mark is a lovely, smart doodle and we just want to make sure he has everything he needs.He us 3 months old and likes to bark and bark and bark. If we put him in his play pen with bones, a couple of kongs and a chewy ball he still goes absolutely crazy, even if we are in the room with him. He has been fed, walked, had a good play and just wont calm down. Last night he barked for over an hour before calming down. I feel like maybe there's something else we could give him to keep him busy.

What are some good play pen toys? What are some good strategies to calm the Mark down? I feel like he just gets so excited.

Thanks so much.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Does Mark play fetch yet? Most puppies just want to be close to you. Right by your side like glue. It's a dog/den thing. Puppy pack.
We took our pup outside every hour to run for ten minutes to wear off energy. We still do. That last evening run seemed to do the trick. Sounds like you could put all kinds of things in his crate, but all he wants is you.
Even sounds like human babies trying to get them calmed down for bed.
I'm sure others won't agree here as there are other methods, but run him for ten in the yard, then cuddle up on the couch/ floor/bed with him for some quiet time for a few too. This helps to set the message that its down time. Some sense of security. Also puppies at this age could use some close, safe, human time. They really are just babies.
More toys - more excited. They don't occupy themselves :)
Run him, then get a chew bone and do some down time instead.

[Stephanie and Jellybean]

Have you tried a kong with treats, or a bully stick? We had good success with both of those.

[Stephanie and Jellybean]

oops just saw that you already tried the kong....

[Jen and Annie]

Lots of exercise with you is a must to have a calmer puppy.  I wrote a blog about this recently, actually.  If you send the pup for a fetch session 20 minutes or so, twice a day - I would be willing to bet money that you will see him calm down and be more content.  I think with doodles especially - fetch is a GREAT way to calm them down, and they also feel like they are doing a job for you.  Poodles and Goldens/Labradors are all retrieving breeds, so when you make them retrieve things for you, they feel like they are helping you out, and consequently also getting that puppy energy out of their system.  Dogs have been bred over 100's of years to enjoy interacting with humans, and I think they need the interaction.  If you get started on a schedule of playing like this daily - I think you will also have less risk of the puppy choosing to get their energy out in other ways, like chewing up your couch or cabinets.   

[Christine & Shelby]

Lots of exercise. My Shelby always wants to be with me (even as a puppy). I had to exercise her before putting her in a pen or her crate... Confinement is best with a tired pup! We played lots of fetch....