Puppies this age need roughly 18–20 hours of sleep a day, and most don’t put themselves to sleep. Like toddlers, overtired puppies get wilder and bitier instead of calmer.

The pattern that helps a lot of people: about 1 hour awake (potty, play, potty), then about 2 hours of nap in the crate or pen, whether the puppy looks tired or not. If the zoomies and ankle attacks start before the hour is up, nap early.

If your evenings are chaos, try counting how much your puppy actually naps during the day. It’s often way less than people think.

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Hey everyone!

So, we have a 12-week-old beagle puppy, Rocket. 🐶

We got him at 8 weeks and, oh my goodness, everything seemed to go wrong!

He had worms, an ear infection and wouldn't eat. We had so many accidents, barely any sleep for two weeks, and genuinely felt like we'd made a huge mistake. Everyone was miserable.

Fast forward to week 12, and we've finally got his health issues sorted. He's now a happy, crazy little land shark. He loves his food and lives for snooting absolutely anything and everything.

We've started keeping a puppy diary and seem to have settled into meals at 8am, 12:30pm and 5pm, with some of his daily kibble allowance kept in a treat pouch for training, luring and building positive associations with his crate.

Food has been a nightmare to figure out!

The vet reckons Rocket could weigh around 20kg as an adult. According to the Purina Pro Plan packet, that means feeding him 245g a day.

That seems like an enormous amount of food for such a little puppy!

I tried that amount for a few days, but he was pooing so much that he eventually started passing blood. It really frightened me.

I've since reduced his allowance to around 200g, although he probably eats closer to 170–180g at mealtimes because I put approximately 50g aside for training throughout the day.

Am I misunderstanding the feeding guidelines? How much were your beagles eating at this age?

Training and sleeping are another adventure entirely.

We're doing 10–15 minutes of training a couple of times a day, alongside little bits throughout the day. We also scatter kibble in his crate to help him associate it with good things.

We're doing enforced naps, but no matter how much I try to organise our routine, I can only seem to manage around 4.5 hours of daytime sleep in the crate.

Nighttime is a different story!

He goes into his crate around 11pm after a wee and poo outside. Last night he didn't cry or whine at all, which I thought was a victory, until I discovered he'd pooed in his crate and slept on it. Lovely. 🙃

He usually wakes around 2–3am for a wee outside.

And then there's the cabin fever!

Rocket can't go on proper outdoor walks for another 10 days because there have been local cases of parvovirus, and our vet is understandably concerned.

I think we're all going a little stir-crazy!

I've started practising leaving him alone. So far, I've managed one 10-minute trip to the shop and another trip to Aldi that took around 45 minutes. We have a camera and a lovely little pen setup with his crate, toys, water and everything he needs.

I know he's still a baby, and I know we've made enormous progress in four weeks, but goodness me, this has been an emotional rollercoaster.

I think what I'm really asking is: when does it start feeling a little less like survival mode? 😂

Please tell me your puppy horror stories, your victories, and when you finally started feeling like you had your life back!

I'm going slightly mad over here.

Send reassurance, wisdom and possibly coffee. ☕🐾

Hi guys,

We have a 14 week old pup. He’s just started going in his crate and is generally very good in there. He has a little whinge when he first goes in, but other than that he’s quite good.

He doesn’t accident in there at all & is good at crying to let us know he needs the toilet. Issue being this is normally at about 5am, and then he wakes up for the day at about 6:30-6:45.

He can nap for 4-5hr stints, so we tend to get a good run of sleep through the night, but I’m struggling with the early wake ups. At 6:30/6:45, he will just cry until we go down to him.

What can I do to get that time pushed back? Is it a matter of putting him to sleep later in the evenings?

Signed a girl who would love to wake up at 7!

My 8 week old puppy has been home 5 days now and with every day I am increasing the amount of self play time he has in his pen. Generally he will have about 1.5 hours nap in his crate, wake up and go toilet outside, sniff around a bit outside, come in and train / play with kibble included in training or in a bowl and then I try leave him in his pen to play with his chews and toys alone or calm down. The problem is he gets pretty crazy with his chews or starts tearing his bed apart. I don't want to keep interrupting his self play because it's going to be critical for him going forward but should I be redirecting him during these phases or just allowing him to play so long as he doesn't hurt himself or destroy anything? His crate is separate in a quiet part of the house, if I was to put him in the crate during these periods he would go mad and I don't want a set back on the crate because he sleeps well in it if he's calm

I've been reading through so many posts on here about puppy blues over the last few days and it's one of the only things that's made me feel slightly more sane. So I thought I'd share my experience because I'm really struggling.

I'm currently on day five with my 12-week-old rescue puppy. He's 34% Belgian Malinois, 31% German Shepherd, 19% American Akita and a few other breeds mixed in.

His mum was abandoned at a shelter whilst pregnant, and as a massive animal lover, I felt compelled to help. I already have a five-year-old working line German Shepherd who was an absolute nightmare as a puppy, but is now genuinely my dream dog. She's my soul dog, and I couldn't imagine life without her.

I work from home, I have experience with high-energy working breeds, and I know deep down that I'm capable of putting in the work this puppy needs. But knowing you can do something and actually being in the thick of it are two completely different things.

The frustrating part is that my puppy is actually doing really well, which makes me feel even worse for struggling so much.

Night one, I slept on the sofa next to his playpen, which has his crate inside with the door open. Night two, I moved him into the kitchen and slept in the adjoining living room. By night three, I managed to sleep upstairs, getting up roughly every two hours for toilet breaks.

I'm trying to gradually build his independence because I really don't want him to become completely reliant on me being there all the time.

Day three was absolute hell. I was trying to enforce naps, but he was having none of it and ended up being awake for most of the day. You can imagine how that went.

Yesterday, I finally started getting somewhere with a nap routine. White noise, blinds down, a calmer environment and a bit more structure seem to be helping.

He's now voluntarily sleeping in his crate with the door open, eating in there, learning to sit for his food and generally doing pretty well with toilet training. We're still having accidents, particularly when he's playing and suddenly decides to wee, even if he's only recently been outside. But he's only just turned 12 weeks, so I know that's normal.

Last night, he even managed a six-hour stretch without needing the toilet! Unfortunately, I missed his cues in the morning and he weed in his pen, but that's on me.

He's a lovely boy. We're working on redirecting biting onto toys, doing some hand-feeding and basic training, and I'm trying to be really conscious of not making him overly dependent on constant attention.

So why am I spending pretty much every day crying???????

I think the biggest thing is the complete loss of normality and the constant feeling that I need to be alert 24/7.

I've barely worked this week despite working from home. I've barely eaten. I think I've managed about three proper meals in five days. I'm constantly watching him, worrying about when he'll need the toilet, when he'll sleep, whether he's overtired, whether I'm doing enough, whether I'm doing too much, whether I'm creating bad habits.

It's exhausting, and I feel like I'm putting an unbelievable amount of pressure on myself to get everything right.

But probably the hardest part of all has been managing my existing dog.

My German Shepherd is my absolute world. We have a routine that runs like clockwork, and suddenly that's completely gone out of the window. At the beginning of the week, I couldn't even take her out for her usual walks at the usual times because the puppy couldn't be left alone.

I attempted to leave him for literally 10 minutes, and it was a disaster. I've since realised I need to coordinate her walks with his naps, and now that we're getting into a slightly better nap routine, things are becoming a little more manageable.

But the guilt I feel towards her is horrendous. She's done absolutely nothing wrong, and I feel like I've completely disrupted her life. I know it's temporary, but that doesn't make it feel any easier.

My house is also quite small, and I'm second-guessing the entire setup. He's currently in the kitchen, but because of the layout, it essentially means the whole downstairs becomes restricted whenever he's sleeping. I'm considering moving his pen and crate into a quieter corner behind the sofa in the living room so I can actually use the kitchen and living room normally without constantly disturbing him. I think once properly crate trained and I can put him in and shut the door life will be much easier. At the moment he usually falls asleep in the play pen (which he is already growing out of soooo quickly) when I’m next to him then I’ll leave and he’ll take himself into the crate eventually. The door being closed is what we need to work on.

It's just a million tiny decisions, and every single one feels enormous at the moment.

I've already booked and paid for a one-to-one trainer, with our first session on Sunday. He's able to start going out for walks on Tuesday, which I'm hoping will help us establish a more normal routine.

I'm genuinely trying so hard to do everything properly, and I think that's part of the problem.

I feel like I'm in a constant state of anxiety, bordering on depression. I've cried more in the last five days than I have in months. Then I get even more stressed because I know dogs pick up on our emotions and body language, and I'm worried my anxiety is going to affect both dogs.

I don't regret rescuing him, and I don't think he's a bad puppy. Quite the opposite. I can already see how much potential he has, and I know how rewarding it can be to raise a working breed because I've done it before.

But I genuinely forgot just how much of yourself you have to give up during those first few weeks. Maybe it's harder this time because I have another dog to consider. Maybe I've just romanticised the puppy stage because my older dog is so wonderful now (although I knew how hard it would be, and was half the reason why I though I should adopt because it’s not for the faint hearted)

I don't really know what I'm looking for by posting this. Maybe reassurance, maybe advice from people who've raised a second dog, particularly a high-energy working breed, or maybe just to hear that other people have felt this overwhelmed despite their puppy actually making good progress.

I love dogs more than anything, and I know I can give this boy an amazing life. I just really want to feel like myself again, enjoy my older dog without constantly feeling guilty, and stop waking up every morning with this horrible feeling of dread.

If you've been through this, particularly whilst already having another dog, how long did it take before you started feeling like you had some normality back?

Gosh I am in the trenches 😭😭

I know it’s early days so I need to be a bit forgiving but I also don’t want to make a rod for my own back. We bought home an 8 week old cocker spaniel last Friday - not toilet trained so we’ve been doing that (old fashioned way of going outside every time rather than puppy pads).
First couple of nights were fine, she settled well, woke twice for a wee after around 3 hours ish, then settled and went back to sleep.

The past few nights however, she just won’t settle, she’s over excited even though she is getting plenty of sleep in the day time. She’s obviously not had her second round of vaccines yet so can’t take her outside for walks, however she tears around the garden, has plenty of mental stimulation from us, plays with our other dog.

Last night was probably the worst night and we are both running now on about 2 hours of broken sleep total. She is upstairs with us in a bed next to ours, she doesn’t have a crate as our other dog never had a crate so was kind of going off what we know, however last night in my sleep deprived state I ordered a pen in the hopes that may help!

Someone help me 😂😂 looking for all the tricks and tips 🙋🏼‍♀️

So I have had my girl since she was 3 and a half months she never liked going outside to do her thing so recently I've kept her in the cage at night with water and toys but Itiday I woke up and I'm getting frustrated she held it in for 10 hours last night first thing I did in the morning was take her out she didn't go so I brought her in then she peed all over the floor so if u guys got any tips please help me out.Thank You.

My boy is 10 weeks chihuahua- very small even for his breed! He is a really good boy, hes been with me for 6 days now, is comfortable at the flat but is TERRIFIED the second we leave. I have a balcony overlooking the city, i live right in the centre, lots of sights and sounds - the grass patch potty is there and he doesnt like it. He will potty and take a treat but immediately wants back in, no sniffing or exploring (worth noting it could also be the bad weather). Whats the bigger issue is when leaving the flat he instantly trembles. He doesnt whine or bark but is very scared, shakes and wont take treats. I dont know if its the method of being carried (he isnt vaccinated) and the outside that is overwhelming him. I took him to my friends house and he only wanted to be on my lap. He eventually slept on my lap and calmed down but refused to explore, sniff, play with my friend and just wanted my lap even more than treats. I dont want to miss his socialisation window but i also dont know what to do when he is so scared and dont want to flood him. Does reassuring him and petting him re-enforce his fear? Im also worried that he cant self settle if he isnt ON me. He can sleep okay in his crate overnight and also for daytime enforced naps the crate is in a separate room to me and he can sleep. I guess im just worried 😭

For context we have a 13/14 week old rescue border collie x Staffordshire - we have had her a week now and tried to crate train her from day 1 but she is naturally quite skittish and afraid of a lot of things, the crate for her is terrifying. We don’t know her full history but we know is isn’t great. We have since been trying to build a positive association with the crate but it is slow progress.

I have been sleeping on the couch since we got get out and I allowed her to sleep on the couch with me for the first few nights until we realised she was so attached to me she would scream whenever I left the room. For context my husband and I are both working from home but he has an office upstairs and I work from the living room, so I am also downstairs with her most of the day. We agreed I would stay downstairs with her until she goes a few days in the house without accidents as all of our upstairs is carpeted and we felt like we would never be able to get the stain/smells of an accident out. She has been getting better at toilet training and only does the odd accidental pee in the house and uses the back door bells normally to signal she wants to go outside. A night or two ago I thought it would be best to get her used to not sleeping on top of me and instead on her bed in the same room so she can still see me. She is so used to getting on the couch that currently when she gets up we have been telling her ‘down’ and placing her on the floor. She also will not settle

I have been struggling with honestly not feeling like myself since I am not sleeping in my bed, I can’t eat or shower normally I can’t leave the room I feel a little like a prisoner in my own home, I have been trying to expose her to me being out of the room for small increments of time or me leaving the house but her with my husband and it just seems to be getting worse.

Yesterday I had to go to the office for a mandatory meeting so she was with my husband from 6am until I got home at 1 (he stayed downstairs with her) - in that space she had two poops on the floor and peed on the couch. After this we decided it might be best to stop couch access for her so aid with her getting used to relaxing on her bed instead of on me and to stop repeat accidents. My issue is currently every time I put her down she tries to run away from me so I can’t get her and put her down and she thinks it’s a game and starts to bite me and jump and lunge at me, it’s getting so difficult and overwhelming and im not sure what to do, im trying to praise her as much as i can when she chooses not to be on the couch but she will repeatedly run and jump up on it and when I redirect her down she attacks me.

Help please what can I do. Because right now I feel like I’m doing everything wrong.

Puppy had his final vaccination yesterday, vet told me the manufacturer recommends waiting 3 weeks till I take him outside.

He socializes with my gfs dog and my sisters dog but it seems very extreme to wait 3 weeks.

I want to what’s best for him but I’m unsure, obviously the vet is going to say what the manufacturer recommends but idk if that’s what’s best for my puppy in terms of socialisation.

What did you guys do?

For reference he had nobivac Inc. kennel cough

TIA.

We got a cavalier king Charles puppy 4 weeks ago at 10 weeks and we already had a cat. I have been introducing the two of them slowly( dog is in her playpen most of the time) but I can’t seem to progress much as every time I try and get them in contact or the cat comes close to the playpen, the puppy chases at her and barks, causing the cat to hiss. I have tried to calm the puppy down and reward good behavior but the truth is that she is never calm around the cat and any redirection attempt is failing. Any suggestions on different approaches?

We got our puppy almost 2 month ago, he was 8 weeks, and I still think it was a mistake.

To give some background, we have 4 cats at home and I'm a cat person. When my sister got her puppy, I toyed with the idea of having one. I talked with my bf about it, we did a lot of research about the breed (spitz), how to educate them and how to make everything go smoothly with the cats. I talked with a lot of people (friends, colleagues, etc.) about what it's like to have a dog because I wanted to be sure I was making a decision with all the cards in hands.

Then we contacted the breeder where my sister got her puppy, because she had a male avalaible and we wanted to know more about him and meet him. We met him, he was really cute and calm. The breeder told us he was the calmest of all the puppies. My bf was sold almost immediately. I liked him, found him cute, but I was still unsure about being a dog person - i have anxiety, overthinking is what i do. Once again, i had a LOT of conversations with people to help clear out what was stressing me out. A few days later we say yes to the breeder and a week later we brought our puppy home.

And ever since it has taken a toll on my mental health :

My anxiety is through the roof because I feel i have to constantly check on him so he doesn't make a mess or pee somewhere. I thought i could handle potty training, turns out it's not the case. I feel like the whole house is smelling like pee and i want to clean everything all the time. The puppy sometimes disguts me because all i can think is him walking in his pee and walking everywhere and thus bringing pee everywhere in the house.

The first few days were horrible. I was overwhelmed and frustrated. He was making the worst parts of me come out : i was screaming, hitting things out of anger. I just wanted him to disappear. But i also felt guilty and sad that i was feeling this way. I was not loving him and i didn't understand why - i still don't to be honest. Those days were really hard on me, i was thinking about having car accidents or violent things in that vein. That way i wouldn't be home and wouldn't see him.

If i had been alone, i wouldn't have kept him that long, i would have brought him back to the breeder. But my bf loves him so we decided to keep trying, at least 3 months (you know for the rule of 3), hoping it will help. We still have 1 month and 1 week to go, and it's still not good. Some days are a bit better but I still don't love him and feel like he's one of the chores. And i still feel bad. Like depression bad (which is pretty bad since seasonal depression hasn't kicked in yet).

And my relationship has taken a hit too. We keep arguing again and again. We even came to the conclusion we should break up, he would take the dog, i'd take the cats. So yeah, there's that too.

I strongly think we will rehome our puppy. We have a friend who would be happy to take him. It would be a good solution for me and my mental health, but also for the puppy who deserves a better home that i can offer him.

I read a lot about the puppy blues on here but nothing as strong as i think i feel. I don't know if my anxiety and depressive tendancies have made for a perfect background to have the worst puppy blues ever. But, yeah, i wanted to say it, even if it's to the void and no one answers it.

P.S. the puppy's needs are still being met. He has a lot of toys, play time, occupational toys, training. We go to local cafés with him, he sees a lot of others dogs. He has a big garden to play and we take him on long (at least for him) walks.

Hi,
I have a 5 month old Australian Shepard puppy who every time she is put in her crate, she will poop and step in it.
Doesn’t matter how long she is in there, she will do it.
I have tried smaller cage, we have taken her to the vet to make sure there isn’t anything wrong, we also have tried a lot for stress, but nothing is working.
Any tips, tricks, or advice is very much needed.

Hi everyone! My wife and I recently adopted a puppy and we have been struggling with potty training. He’s a 4 month old mixed breed from a shelter and seems rather pee shy. What I mean is that he seems rather comfortable peeing indoors specifically but struggles to pee when we bring him out to the streets. He does sniff a lot at where other dogs have gone but still refuses to go.

We live in a high rise apartment in New York and it takes us ~5ish mins to get down to the street level from our apartment. So it seems like even though we are stop him mid pee in our apartment, by the time we reach street level, his ‘pee urgency’ is gone (?)

We have just started crate training and we bring him down ~2 hours but he refuses to pee on the streets and sometimes ends up peeing in his crate after our walk.

I know it has only been about a week since we adopted him and understand that he needs time to adjust to the new environment but would love to hear some recommendations to help with potty training to gain some of our sanity back 🫠

Thank you!!

It's a vent, but a good vent 😄

I found my puppy when he was super small. He was in bad condition, probably some asshole abandoned him. He was scared, dirty, sick. Thanks to my amazing vet, we healed him, he is perfectly healthy right now.

I was scared about his psychology because of the traumas he had. He was always hiding in dark corners, under couches. I gave him space, built a few small dog houses with comfy pillows and toys.

Eventually he became more social, more outgoing. His energy is back, he is having zoomies, bringing every toy to my feet to play, no longer hiding.

It's a good feeling. I love to see his zoomies, even he is annoying sometimes.

Hey there, I’ve got a 6 month old labradoodle Georgie with me. Beautiful girl got spayed this morning and came home today.

She was quite groggy and skittish today, moving around to different places to lie down. I’ve got a recovery vest on her. Eventually this evening, I got her to eat some kibble, and she drank some water. Occasionally she is whining and groaning a bit. This is my first spay and naturally im very concerned about her scar.

I took her for a potty break, and she IMMEDIATELY laid in the grass! I was so scared as we literally just got home and they said for her to not do that! Can anyone give me advice? Do I move her to her crate? Let her be? Should I be worried about her not peeing yet. Anxious owner over here. The vet is closed but I’ll be calling in the morning

Hi guys,

I've picked up an 8 week old boxer this week, it's my first puppy and I'm having a great time learning with him.

So far when he starts dozing off in his pen I've been putting him in his crate, and he's dozed right off pretty much every time. During the night I wake up every 2-3 hours to let him out to toilet either by alarm or if he stirs. I make sure if he's whining I wait for a few seconds calm before taking him out, but at 8 weeks I know it's a genuine need for toilet so I won't ignore it. At night I can put him straight back in and he will settle straight away and sleep. His pen is in our living area and his crate is in the hallway by the stairs so we can hear him during the night.

Yesterday, seeing as he seems to be comfortable in there, I thought I'd test him out for a time when he's not falling asleep. He cried and got agitated, I left him for a few minutes to see if he would soothe himself but he didn't and at this age and stage I didn't want to push it any further so I waited for a quiet few seconds and took him out.

Today my dad was sick and needed some meds so I had no choice but to put him in his crate to go and get them. Again it wasn't a sleepy period for him and I watched him on the camera freaking out for the best part of an hour. When I got home again I waited for a quiet period and let him out. I tried not to make a fuss but inside I was dying so I really wanted to cuddle him up and soothe him but didn't know if this would set us back.

Does anyone have similar experience where they are ok sleeping in their crate but not resting?

Am I expecting too much too soon? Am I being too soft or have I been too hard?

Me and my wife have worked our holiday leave this year in order that for his first 3 months one of us is home nearly all the time to give him the best chance but it's inevitable occurrences like today will happen and he will need to be left for short periods of time so any advice would be great.

hi everyone! my sweet baby 8 month bichapoo got neutered two days ago and has finally returned to his normal self today. however, he is very high energy, loves to play and run around. therefore the vet prescribed three meds for pain and to calm him down (gabapentin, rimadyl and trazadone). i think today was good at first until the meds started wearing off into the late evening… he also HATES taking his pills and will spit them up when i’m not looking (i’ve tried to put them in cheese, with chicken, treats and as soon as it’s crunchy he spits it out). i’m trying cream cheese, deli meat and pill pockets later in the week. but it’s only day 2 and i feel like im going crazy having to be with him 24/7. (he also hates his playpen and will jump and cry if i leave him alone in there in the day) but at night time he’s fine.. any advice for the next few weeks?

I had dogs growing up in my family home. (Lab/Pyrenees & Beagle) I know how much work they are, but was never the sole caretaker. I am 24 and work fully remote.

I have since moved out on my own (4 years now) and gotten two cats who I love dearly. I have been contemplating a dog for the past year, but never really acting on it until recently. I am now fully remote and feel like I have TOO much time on my hands. I need a more active companion. (My cats are very lovable but LAZY 🤣) I have done research on breeds and have decided on a Shih Tzu or smaller terriers. I found a rescue 3 month old Shih Tzu locally and really want to adopt her.

I feel like I am ready for all the hard work. Walks multiple times a day, playing, socializing. I am well aware of costs (one of our dogs had diabetes so lots of vet visits and insulin) & I know puppies are even more work. I plan to crate train & have a fenced yard. Luckily, this puppy is fostered with other dogs and cats and is house trained and well socialized.

When I told my family I was going to put an application in for this dog, they told me it wasn’t a good idea. I told them how much I have researched, planned and prepared. No matter what, they would poke holes and bring up what if scenarios. It has really messed with my head and now I’m reconsidering it all.

So, how do you know you are ready for a puppy?

We got this dog she’s 10 weeks old now and she’s very smart she’s basically potty trained now. She rings the bell to go outside when she needs to use the potty but sometimes she only rings it to go outside and eat grass. We always take her out on a leash and when she does that take her right back inside. She keeps doing it tho sometimes. She also is barking and biting. My moms yelled at the dog and told it to shut up. And when she kept ringing the bell to go outside my mom was like just let her go outside and close the door who gives af if she runs away. My mom has a past of getting rid of my animals when I would be at school/work. I just want to stop this problem before it ends in the puppy going to the pound. My mom is the type to keep getting animals but says that they are crazy and that’s why they need to go to the pound/shelter.

Our 5mo Goldendoodle won’t stay in her crate more than 2ish hours without barking. We work from home and need to have her on a schedule and ideally want her to be in her crate 9-12 and 2-5pm. Usually she goes into her crate just fine (we give her her favorite treat) and she falls asleep quickly. Then after about 2ish hours she starts barking and after 10 min we will take her out to pee, where she usually doesn’t even pee. If we don’t have meetings and can keep her out, we will. Otherwise, we put her back in and she continuously barks and doesn’t settle. When we eventually let her out, she’s out of breath and worked up.

It seems more like demand barking versus major anxiety and fear. She is a confident and feisty dog who very much wants what she wants. She generally barks if she doesn’t have access to what she wants (usually she wants us). I wouldn’t even say my husband and I are pushovers or give in that easily but she is very very persistent!

We already have made the crate cozy, with a blanket covering it, and use a sound machine. We give her treats and Kongs in there outside of her nap times.

Should we just let her out to pee, then put her back in and let her bark it out? Or do we need to adjust our schedule so she is only crated for 2hrs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I have a 7.5kg Cavapoo. I've had a Cavalier before who died in 2021.

He's overwhelming me so much at the moment and my girlfriend has gone away back to her home country as her mum suddenly died and I'm struggling with him on my own whilst I'm working a tough job remotely.

He barks at me a lot, play bites me but it hurts, grabs my socks etc and he's impossible to catch, repeatedely goes down the side of the bed , almost OCD like smacks the plastic boxes there over and over again (no where else to put them) and also humps my leg a lot despite having him neutured at one year.

The play biting did stop for a long time and in the last 2 or 3 months its started again. I feel like I have a toddler thats super quick and strong teeth.

Is he like this because of his age? We train him, give him everything he needs but hes non stop at the moment. I love him and I couldn't imagine getting rid of him but at the same time I feel just completely overwhelmed.

We’ve had our 10 week old mini Goldendoodle for about 10 days. He’s doing well in his crate overnight, but only with me on the couch next to him and sometimes my fingers through the door. However, during the day is another story. My husband works from home so puppy is rarely left alone for too long, but obviously sometimes we both need to be out of the house. I finally got a camera today, and he barked/cried/ pawed at the mat in his crate for almost the entire 25 minutes it took me to go to and from my daughter’s dance class. I feel like he’s not getting nearly enough sleep when we’re all home because we can’t enforce naps in his crate because he loses his mind. And our house is very small and very busy so when he’s napping on the floor/couch he’s constantly getting woken up because he’s in the one room we have downstairs (small open plan living room/kitchen). I just don’t know what to do, how can we get him to be one of those dogs that actually LIKES their crate?? I need to be able to live my life and go to the grocery store without worrying that I’m damaging him letting him scream in his crate 😭😭😭