# Puppy Trauma



## Cavedog (Oct 21, 2010)

This forum is a great resource for people needing advice on dealing with puppy problems, so there are a lot of posts from people with horror stories to tell. One could get the impression that V puppies are all demon possessed. We rarely hear from owners who have a calm, well behaved, trainable pup that is a pleasure to be around. Are there any out there?


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

yes, there are. but it is all the matter of perspective and willingness to spend time with these energetic and smart creatures and see their positive side right from the get go. i have 2 boys, a 4.5 and an almost 2.5 years old. They both have been a wonderful challenge in their own ways, one hated crate (Bende) and figured he will behave at very early age just to be able to be with his human, the other one thought mom was a nipping board (Miksa), but slept thru the night at 10 weeks old, and by now both are just amazing in many ways. they have titles in multiple disciplines, traveled thousands and thousand of miles without any issues, behave in hotels as if they were born there (our newest experience is a suit which was not meant to be booked with dogs, got taken in after some negotiation, manager of the hotel contacted me afterwards that me and my dogs can stay in that suit anytime we want....). puppies are puppies, they need structure, love, lots and lots of sleep, warmth and good food. they are walking and jumping babies, but they are still babies. with the attention span of an edam bean. if you are not willing to take it as a journey, no puppy will please you and that is ok. there are plenty of adults dogs out there craving a home and will require far less effort than a sporting pup. nothing wrong to choose those if that fits your interest and personal situation better. 
just gotta be the right one for you.


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## LMP (Oct 25, 2020)

Ours has been great with potty training and being left alone in his kennel. However, it was very intentional from day 1. We structured his day alot. These are some things that helped us: 

Potty training - He was always in his kennel or pen unless we were actively watching him so we could stop him from chewing and limit potty accidents. This helped potty training go great, we learned to read his signs of when he needs to go. (When he was a little puppy he didn't always "ask" to go outside. But if you knew the signs it was obvious and the asking to go outside followed as he kept getting older) 

Alone time/Kennel - from day 1 he has been in his kennel. We were quite lucky in that he never had the screaming in the kennel on the first night. But he never got to sleep outside of his kennel, and he went in there when we were working from day 1. We regularly left from day 1 (while he was sleeping at first) for quick errands, gym, etc. If we were home and he was being loud in his crate he got a "no" and I regularly made sure to tell him "good" when he was being quiet and calm. Alot of consciousness in rewarding him when he was doing it right so that he didn't have to bark to get attention. 

Calm - he doesn't get out of the car unless he is calm, same goes with the kennel. (Look up robert cabral car manners on YouTube, super helpful). When walking if he gets over excited I put him between my legs and tell him to settle and reward when he is calm. Teach a place command early and practice extending duration. 

Our dog isn't perfect (even though I may think so ), but he isn't a horror story. They are smart! Expectations and early training for behaviors you care about are important.


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## uniquemoniker (Jul 18, 2019)

I have a wirehaired vizsla, she's about a year and a half now. She is smart, has a couple of titles already (canine good citizen and trick dog intermediate). She kennels well for longer periods when we're away, but is left loose in the house for shorter time spans along with my other dogs with no issues. I walk her 3x a day for just 10-15 minutes periods and we run 2-3 miles every other day. The running we started gradually at 12 months then built up with vet approval. 

She's aloof with strangers, largely ignoring them, but absolutely loves her people (immediate family). She can be a little dominant with my dogs in play, but she hasn't been spayed yet so some of that might be hormonal periods as she's had two false pregnancies so hormones flow longer than normal for her (spaying is in her near future). 

She's a great little dog. I really enjoy her companionship. She's chosen me as her person and wants to be with me at all times but not to the point of having separation anxiety issues. 

As far as issues go... She went through a shoe insole eating phase as a pup. And I encouraged her to get a toy whenever she was excited because she was a mouthy puppy. She now runs to get a toy on her own when excitement takes over. 

Sorry for rambling! I know it's hard with covid but for new owners I'd encourage formal training sessions at a young age around other dogs if possible (not play sessions). Also get your puppies used to loud sounds and noises they might encounter in life.


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## Frida010 (Apr 24, 2020)

LMP said:


> Ours has been great with potty training and being left alone in his kennel. However, it was very intentional from day 1. We structured his day alot. These are some things that helped us:
> 
> Potty training - He was always in his kennel or pen unless we were actively watching him so we could stop him from chewing and limit potty accidents. This helped potty training go great, we learned to read his signs of when he needs to go. (When he was a little puppy he didn't always "ask" to go outside. But if you knew the signs it was obvious and the asking to go outside followed as he kept getting older)
> 
> ...


We did exactly this and it worked perfectly for us too. Crate trained and getting through the nights was within the first 14 days. She sleeps downstairs in her crate from 10 PM - 8 AM and quietly waits for us to get up. She can be alone in her crate for 3 hours while we go out for dinner. I love her for that. 

We have a pup that has never had a bad shark attack and only very rarely has zoomies.

She does pull on the lead a lot, but I can’t blame her. The world is so exciting for a 6 month old. So we practice on that.

No demon pup here. But it’s a lot of work.


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