# Possibly in over our heads



## Mhorack73 (1 mo ago)

Help!! We got a 12 week old Weisla( so his dad is a Weimaraner and mom is a V) he is great about visiting his crate but not staying in it really unless I put him in it. Then he whines incessantly unless I literally lay or sit next to the crate. When following most recommendations for crate training and then attempting to leave the house for a little over an hour this week for doctors appointment he whined barked and howled for 45 minutes before he settled for about 20 when I got home.
We never crate trained our previous dog(doodle) and wanted to change that this time. We read about Velcro dogs and separation anxiety but upon talking to the various friends we have with Vs of their own, we felt we would be able to get through this. I’m a travel nurse and my husband works Monday-Friday 8 hour shifts. We intended on sending him to doggy daycare twice a week or so and then crate for the other days I’m not home (usually 4 days a week I’m gone) is this honestly not a reality for us for over a year or more if that!? If this is the case I honestly am afraid we have to rehome him. I feel absolutely terrible just thinking about this option because he is so sweet and adorable and glued to me! but I feel like perhaps our research into the breed wasn’t as thorough as I’m realizing it should have been! So I feel even worse because it would be our fault then. 
we also have 2 toddler which make all of this training extremely difficult. I can handle the normal puppy stuff like potty training and chewing and such but I can’t handle this insane amount ofbarking or howling in relation to separation or crate training!! Please no judgement!! Thoughts!??


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## Ridge Rouser (1 mo ago)

How much outdoor space does your dog have access to on a daily basis? I believe outdoor room to roam/explore/romp and the freedom that affords, is absolutely key to having a well behaved V indoors. The value of that mental stimulation and physical exertion can not be overstated. All personalities are obviously different, but in composite I would expect there is a direct correlation between the amount of outdoor space and the ease of training during the puppy phase. We have a 22 month old female V and our new male puppy arrives on Dec 31.


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## Mhorack73 (1 mo ago)

He has 2 acres but he won’t go anywhere more than 6 feet from my side even outdoors. But is welcome to it all. We take him to run and fetch out there but he also gets cold fast (we’re in Wisconsin) so we bring him in when he starts to go to the door. We intend to take him to run the conservation Forrest and parks near our house as well.


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## Ridge Rouser (1 mo ago)

I'm no expert at all (probably the opposite of an expert), but it sounds like the little fella lacks confidence. He is still SO young and still a baby, so my guess is with a loving home he will blossom into a well rounded V but it may be on his timeframe, not yours. It sounds like you have a great environment for him (except that Wisconsin winter weather...ha). We are in KY, and mine is no fan of our winters either. If I were in that position, I would stay the course and give it some time.


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## Mhorack73 (1 mo ago)

Ridge Rouser said:


> I'm no expert at all (probably the opposite of an expert), but it sounds like the little fella lacks confidence. He is still SO young and still a baby, so my guess is with a loving home he will blossom into a well rounded V but it may be on his timeframe, not yours. It sounds like you have a great environment for him (except that Wisconsin winter weather...ha). We are in KY, and mine is no fan of our winters either. If I were in that position, I would stay the course and give it some time.


Thanks for the advice. I feel like once we do those puppy classes and get time to work with him more he’ll be great! I need to work on patience I think as well!! I got so worried with what most forums and things say. We left him for 4 hours today. He didn’t have any accidents or destroy anything in his kennel. He was only vocal about 40 minutes total so that was a major improvement. And then when he got out all he wanted was to cuddle and sleep on mom! He really is great!


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Keep up with the crate training. Whining for what seems like forever can be normal. Some pups click right away some take time. Be consistent and never let out when whining. I’d be more concerned over your schedules. Are you intending to leave him crated multiple days a week for 8+ hours? Personally I don’t think that would work for this breed and not ideal for any dog really. Day care a few of the days, then I’d consider having someone come and exercise him for 30min minimum halfway through.


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## Mhorack73 (1 mo ago)

Thanks for the response. Yes our plan is to do daycare two days a week and then kennel 1-2 days a week with someone letting him out and walking him and playing for a half hour or so mid day. His attachment issues are definitely improving however so that part makes me feel better.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Ok that’s reasonable. Just keep up with the crate training. It’s normal for young pups not to stray far outside and get cold quickly. That will change with maturity, he’s a baby now. Provide plenty of exercise spending time outside with him, simulate hunting behaviors like maneuvering around in fields and woods and he’ll be happy. They aren’t a breed to just let out back to play by themselves. In fact our Ellie will not tolerate being left alone outside and she’s 2yo.


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## Mhorack73 (1 mo ago)

Yes!! I wish he could at least go potty alone it’s cold out.!! But we do plan to do more woods play when he gets a little bit bigger! He has a jacket which he loves to play in! I think we just need to find patience which is in short supply with a 3 and 1 year old at home.


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## Labmom (2 mo ago)

Mhorack73 said:


> Help!! We got a 12 week old Weisla( so his dad is a Weimaraner and mom is a V) he is great about visiting his crate but not staying in it really unless I put him in it. Then he whines incessantly unless I literally lay or sit next to the crate. When following most recommendations for crate training and then attempting to leave the house for a little over an hour this week for doctors appointment he whined barked and howled for 45 minutes before he settled for about 20 when I got home.
> We never crate trained our previous dog(doodle) and wanted to change that this time. We read about Velcro dogs and separation anxiety but upon talking to the various friends we have with Vs of their own, we felt we would be able to get through this. I’m a travel nurse and my husband works Monday-Friday 8 hour shifts. We intended on sending him to doggy daycare twice a week or so and then crate for the other days I’m not home (usually 4 days a week I’m gone) is this honestly not a reality for us for over a year or more if that!? If this is the case I honestly am afraid we have to rehome him. I feel absolutely terrible just thinking about this option because he is so sweet and adorable and glued to me! but I feel like perhaps our research into the breed wasn’t as thorough as I’m realizing it should have been! So I feel even worse because it would be our fault then.
> we also have 2 toddler which make all of this training extremely difficult. I can handle the normal puppy stuff like potty training and chewing and such but I can’t handle this insane amount ofbarking or howling in relation to separation or crate training!! Please no judgement!! Thoughts!??




we have fostered many puppies before we adopted our current dog and some of them were extremely challenging. I will suggest that since they are “ pack” animals , you pup is no different than the rest & is missing its siblings. What we did with our “ fosters and our guy was we gave them a stuffed doggie/ bear similar in size for them to snuggle with when we weren’t home. Put classical music on when we left( proven to calm them in shelters), cover part of the crate like a cave so just the front is visible ( security) if your crate is big and has a divider , that came with it, put it in to make it smaller, adjust as the pup gets bigger. Don’t get a squishy bed .Invest in a Kuranda bed with the crate legs. Guarantee for a year and it’s chew proof. I’m on year 9( aluminum one) and he ate EVERYTHING For bedding. We callied his bed the ,” the penalty box” , so he knew where to go when he was naughty. Left the door open all the time so they would go in and out on their own. I had our crate in the kit+hen next to the back door for easy potty training. Take hem out and put them back in the crate. Then take them out to feed them when you eat breakfast. Then jus leave he door open for them till your ready to leave. 
best I& luck


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