Luke....what to do with him??
 I know what we will go home to and it's so sad. I am at my whits end and don't really know what the best thing to do in the situation is. In two of the scenarios that have been played out he is frantic and covered in poop when we get home, and in the other he always figures out how to get upstairs and you know what a disaster that can be with noone home also. He's obviously very attached to people and doesn't want to be alone, but unfortunately this is life and we must work. He has gotten good about letting us know when he needs to go out at night, so he has been allowed to sleep in our room uncrated for the last 3 nights thinking maybe that being with us for more time would help with the anxiety of us leaving in the morning. And he has kept the priveledge by letting us know when he needs to go out, and sleeping on his bed from about 11 pm until we get up around 6 am. Is this the wrong thing to do?
Anymore advice would be greatly appreciated. Or even just reassuring me that we will get past this!!!! |
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| Sorry, one more question. Because of the poopy puppy incidents, he has had several baths in the almost 3 weeks that we have had him. I am pretty sure that can't continue as his skin will dry out. I don't think there are any other alternatives, so how often can a puppy have a bath? I do have a moisturizing puppy shampoo so I'm hoping maybe it's ok?? |
| Just my opinion---
I bathe Heart sometimes once a week (she digs in the mud/dirt with her mouth and paws). I use a good quality shampoo/conditioner and make sure she is dried completely, which takes me about 1 1/2 hours but her coat and skin are perfect. I also have been bathing Pearl my 10 year old every other week for the last 9 years because she is a therapy dog and must be clean for bi-monthly visits and have never had a skin or coat problem. My suggestion on how to keep your pup in the room...have you thought about 2 tension gates??? One right above the other? That may work. Good luck and keep us posted...(this too shall pass......  ) |
He is SO cute... I wish you lived closer so I could babysit sometimes! 
You might consider leaving the TV or radio on for him so there's noise in the house. This can be comforting to a pup. And if the puppy is poopy he's got to be washed or the poo may cause an even worse skin problem. I would think using a gentle/mild puppy shampoo would be best. I've mentioned this before but I developed a fondness for Dutch doors... you can make one without a big investment. One was cut properly, the other wasn't
http://oesusa.com/AboutU249.jpg http://oesusa.com/AboutU246.jpg As for sleeping in your room, I see nothing wrong with this as long as you all are ok with it. You don't want to give him privileges that you don't intend to continue or it may be confusing to him. But do encourage his independence. Don't always be carrying him around. Encourage him to explore so he doesn't develop true separation anxiety (pottying in the house after being housetrained, drooling, barking, destructive behavior- like chewing through dry wall!). And work on training him now. At 9 weeks of age 3 of mine learned the sit and down command in just a couple of days. They are SO much fun to train with treats at this age... sigh. I'm not sure how to keep him out of the poo though... we've always been home when we brought in a pup but I'm sure others here will have some good info to share. It's going to take time for him to mature... in a few months things will probably be much easier. It's amazing when you think this little furry life has been in this world for only 11 weeks... such a short time. |
| He's so cute. I really don't have any suggestions as I'm a stay at home sheepie mom. Just wanted to say welcome.......Kathy |
| Just a thought - what about hiring someone to come in and let him out during lunchtime? A dependable high school neighbor? A professional pet sitter? A stay-at-home mom who would enjoy some spending money?
I have no idea what the cost would be, but not coming home to a stressed baby and mess would be worth a lot to me. |
| I'm in western MD, about 8 miles from the M/D line. What city are you close to in central PA? If you are close to State College they may have resources. Other areas have pet resources...you can PM me if you'd rather.........Kathy |
| I was very fortunate in that, when Beaureguard was a puppy and being trained, I was able to bring him into work with me every day. But, I think that Jaci's suggestion of two gates, one on top of the other, or a Dutch door (which I desperately want), would work well.
In any event, rest assured, this too will pass. He will eventually be house trained.  |
| ask your vet for a dog walker/sitter reference.
I am going to San Francisco for a week & found an experienced lady who will come to my house twice a day to feed Shelby & Cork & let them our. I may have to board Fergus (he has fun at the kennel) b/c I would worry that the sitter will not be able to stop a fight. |
| Lukiesmommy, thank you so much for coming here for help instead of giving up on lukie!!
I agree with the other posters, we bought a dog gate to go at the bottom of our stairs (a dog gate is a little taller than a child one) I highly recommend you get one, I think this would really work for you. Remember, it's not too long until he will be able to hold it longer, in the meantime try to find someone to let him out during the day. If we leave our puppy for 4 hours (the max we have left him) he usually has a wee but does it as far away as he can. Depending on the time of day he might poo but also does that as far away as possible, we have problems with him eating it so we have not left him alone for at all for the last 2 months. He is nearly 5 months old. I feel sure that a taller gate will work for you. Lukie is so sweet!! Wish I could come & help you!! |
| Oh, as far as washing goes, we bath ours about every 2 weeks now (sometimes just his feet & undercarriage) in warm water only, it really does work! I sometimes add maybe 5 or 6 drops of pure essential lavendar oil to the water before I put him in. You can't smell it on him after but I think it just helps to clean the fur.
I use a comb to gently remove any poop from his fur before he goes in and if it's really needed, just a TINY drop of shampoo, rub it into your hands to lather it up first, then run your hands with just the lather on over the worst areas only. I have found this is enough, probably only doing that maybe once every 4 or 6 weeks. Your puppy will be a bit different because he is a mix I imagine, but just to let you know thats what we do.
Hope that helps |
| This might help too...
Are you free-feeding him or is he getting 3 scheduled meals per day? If someone can make it home to feed a midday meal, it may help. If you can control when it goes in, you have more control over when it comes out
We feed puppies 3 times a day at this age. As soon as the meal is finished, the puppy is immediately taken outdoors on a leash to potty in the designated area. You need to make sure he poops before coming back in which is a little easier if you feed on a schedule. |
| Let us know where you are in Central PA. There are several of us in the area and we may be able to help you with some resources. |
Thank you all so much for your advice. When we got home on Friday Luke was actually RESTING in the crate and not going crazy. He had pooed and peed but it was on the puddle pad in the back of the crate, just where I left it. This weekend we were able to work with him and he did well in the crate when we left for a couple of hours each day. My husband is home today, and we will both be off of work tomorrow so we will be able to continue with working on that. But, if it's not one thing, it's another with this guy. After each meal and periodically through the day we took him out to do his business and about 2 out of 3 times he wouldn't do anything, but as soon as we put him down inside, he would pop a squat right there. I'm not understanding that....  This morning I picked him up just as he squatted and he dropped it midair  I took him outside and showed him where he should do it and of course he held the rest in....until we went back inside.
I just keep telling him it's a good thing he's cute
For those of you that asked, we are in Gettysburg. Does anyone know of any assistance that may be in our area? |
| We are about 40 miles from you, near Antietam. We have been doing CW living histories for about 13 years so we spend alot of time ( and unfortunity money ) in G'burg.
One suggestion is to ask your vet for a reference, some vet techs or office staff may also do setting on the side. Gettysburg College also has a financial aide office that you might consider contacting. They may know of a student looking for a job ( this, I think is safer than posting a notice for a job ). I'm trying to think of the closest CC in the area that may have a vet tech program, but I'm drawing a blank.....but that might be a really good resource as well. I know for sure there's one in Harrisburg, but that might be alittle too far, unless they have a student in your area ( which is possible )............best of luck with your search. We're headed your way tonight to meet some friends at O'Rourkes............Happy New Year, Kathy |
| I have one training school that I go to in Mechanicsburg. It's between 1/2 hour and 45 minutes from Gettusburg, depending on what area of the city you are in. www.paonline.com/otch/ is their website. Classes start next week but they probably still have some openings. Might want to give them a shout.
I think that there might be a school closer to you, I just have to remember the name! |
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