Twyla is finally here! So far so good! A couple little issues, though ( of course )

[RBG]

Well, we picked Twyla up yesterday, and she did amazing on the 4 hr car ride home.  She slept most of the way. and went into the carrier half way through and conked right out.  She slept through he night, save for the 3 scheduled potty breaks, and is doing great today! 

its only been a day, but potty training has been awesome.  No accidents, and we are being super vigilant, and keeping a log of all her activities and potties.   We are taking her after everything, and its been about every 45 min, except after meals, then its 30.   I even lightly feel her lower belly to check the fullness there, lol.   Our motto is, "when in doubt, take her out!" - we're nerds. 

however, she does seem to have a bit of an issue with her downstairs crate, and does not like it at all.  Ps, this is a different crate than the one she sleeps in.   I think perhaps I expected too much from her at first and just put her in there with not much acclimation.  I placed her in there after breakfast and a yard romp, thinking shed be sleepy.  She cried for about 15 min, would get quiet, then start up after about a min.  So I waited until she was calm and took her out.   She promptly fell asleep on the floor, haha!  I tried to put her back in, but she wasn't having it, and I decided to just let her sleep, so she has taken to sleeping righting front of the open crate, on a blanket.  Im slowly moving it inside the crate, and am hoping this works eventually.    any advice?

She also seems to get anxious when we leave the room, but are still in sight ( she is residing in a small pantry during the day, with a baby gate separating it from the kitchen. 

Finally, she passed out super early last night, and while I did try to keep her awake, she was sleeping by 8:30, which means we were up at 4:30 am. Im hoping the early bedtime was due to all the excitement of a new home, and am trying to time today to get her to bed a bit later.  so far she has had lots of play, some training, and 3 one hour naps ( she's napping right now.  she's been at it for about 30 min ) 

Whew, long post.  I guess Im just looking to see if this is normal?  Im a first time puppy owner, and a little sleep deprived :)

heres a of our adorable girl

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Twyla is a beauty!!

All of the things that you mentioned sound very normal for a pup her age. It takes time and patience- you are on the right track!

The one suggestion I have is that if you want her to learn to use the crate, then don't let her refuse it. Letting her sleep outside of it will only teach her that if she resists, you'll give in. :-)  Make it a very inviting place to go- throw treats in there, praise her when she goes in, praise her when she settles down, etc. She'll get the hang of it!

[Sue]

All very normal puppy behavior and a lack of sleep for you is par for the course as well....trust me it is hard in the beginning but does get better in 3-5 weeks :)....As for the crate....Lexee loved her first crate but never never like the other one which was in our room....They do say that some puppies only like one crate as it becomes their safe place.....Like Lori said....if she continues to do whine in one crate and you let her out then she will continue to do that....Perhaps...figure out if you want/need two crates and then decide which manner to take...cry it out or offer on 1 crate....

Best of luck and keep us posted to your progress with Twyla....Lexee is 7 months old and I cannot believe how fast it has been.....sleepless nights/accidents/ mouthing/ it all goes so fast..... enjoy bc before you know it she'll be grown up...

[Laura and Angus]

What a sweet little face! Sounds like she's doing great so far! I agree with what was said already. Sometimes they just have to learn that crying does not let you come out. Something that also helped us was to feed Angus meals in the crate so he associated his downstairs crate with good things. They usually just have to get used to being in the crate alone, which is hard for them because as babies they don't want to be alone. Your little baby will adjust with time. We still give Angus a PB Kong whenever he goes into his crate, though. It's the only time he ever gets a PB kong, so it's a very special treat for him.

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

Awww Twyla! So sweet. I remember reading a friend's pamphlet from her breeder which was super helpful about this issue. It included what everyone here said, plus the gyst was that it recommended staying with her at first with your back turned while she is in the crate. Little by little each day you move further away. Generally, she realizes that the crate doesn't equate with being alone (negative) and you get to encourage her security in independence this way. I like the treats in the crate idea a lot, too. Positive associations are key. Once you develop that loving bond and trust, so much is easier. Enjoy that sweet face!! Best,

[RBG]

You guys, Thanks SO much for the advice!  We tried again today.  I extended the divider to give her a bit more room - not too much, but enough for her to stretch out.  thats how she likes to sleep.  I also put treats and favorite toys in the back corner.  It worked really well!  Twyla went in on her own a few times to get a treat, and to lay and squeak on a toy.  I left the door open at first to keep it positive, and when she fell asleep I closed it, and hung out of a few minutes, then moved into the other room ( still visible)  It worked!  Granted she was asleep, and I was there when she woke up, but I think its a good start.  She is such a good girl.  I am so impressed and madly in love <3

 First puppy=emotional roller coaster!  

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

She's adorable!

You do need to get them to like being in the crate. I put a treat in there and then tell Jade (the same that I did with Gracie) to go to her room. Or just room for a simple command. I also feed Jade in her crate - one because she wants to eat the big dogs' food and two it helps them to realize their crate is a good place to be.
I've always heard to let sleeping dogs lie - so I wouldn't recommend to wake up a sleeping puppy. Though I know some people do it for the early morning (night) potty runs. Other than that if my puppy fell asleep on the floor, I just left her.
However, I do have her on a bit of a schedule. Wake up, out, eat, play, out, play, out, and then crate time. Crate time is so that she can rest and I can get things done around the house. Plus it helps them get used to their crate.
Then, when she wakes which usually is about an hour, I repeat a cycle of out, play, out, play, out, crate. During play time we might do some training as well. Depending on how vigorous a play session is or a training session, she might not stay out as long.
Also, once you start to leave them longer - to run errands or whatever, you probably want to put a Kong in there that is filled with something yummy. Training her that crate time means a good time.
They will voice their dislike of being alone and that is through crying and barking. But, don't rush right to them, you can wait until they are quiet (even for a second or two) if you really think they might need to go out or something like that. Sometimes, I will put Jade in and she cries, but I'm not sure if it is a potty cry or not. So, I will leave her there for 10 min or so and then take her out - then immediately back to the crate once she's eliminated. Most times she does go and she realizes once I out her back in its rest time. I'm not sure how she's figured this out, but it's worked so far. Or sometimes within the 10 min she falls asleep!
She has a different bark for potty now and I'm just trying to get your attention. Which I'm sure all puppies have. You'll figure out which is which. :)