Spoiled, overly clingy puppy

_Redzer_

Hi,

We got a puppy a few days ago, she's absolutely lovely, friendly, playful and all that. We all love her. Her biggest problem is she is so clingy. She has to always get attention or be on your lap for her to settle down, otherwise she'll just yelp and cry.

This has gotten really, really irritating for me because I came home after finishing my exams and I just wanted to lie on the couch and be hungover in peace, but since I was the only one in the house at the time, I had to mind her and have her on me because she can't be left alone. She screams holy war if she is.

Tonight we put her to bed. We got her a cage that's fairly large, she's only very small herself, just to get her used to the idea that this is bed and she can't go to the bathroom there, plus since she's too small to go outside just yet, it stops her peeing everywhere.
Anyway, my sister got advice off someone in the pet store to block off a big chunk of the cage so she wouldn't be tempted to pee in it. I thought the space she left was far too small. The dog could barely turn around.

Anyway we went to bed and the dog started crying and howling, I ignored it thinking she needs to break out of this cycle, but it got extremely bad to the point I couldn't -it was very clear she was in distress. I went down to the dog to find she was shaking and covered in her own crap and was petrified of the cage afterward. My sister insisted on putting her back in saying the pet store staff said it was best, but I refused. No way was that best given her reaction.

She's got the room to herself now at least, so that's less stressful, but she still cried for a while.

She was absolutely spoiled rotten by the owners we got her from. She was extremely well minded beforehand, but to a ridiculous level that she can't ever be on her own or without getting constant attention. Even for a puppy, when you'd let this slide a bit, it's crazy.

Any advice on how to break these bad habits as easily and as stress free for the dog as possible?
I really hate having to stress her when it isn't her fault, it was her previous owners who allowed these habits to develop.

tk123

1 - You need to SLOWLY build up the time she's alone either in a different room or in the crate.
We started by crating our pup in the kitchen with a stuffed kong and feeding all her meals when we were in there with her. Once she was happy and settling in the crate we started to build up the time she was alone. My pup is VERY laid back so was happy to sleep in the crate and took to it no problems.


2 - Somebody needs to get up with the pup at night and take it out to the loo during the night so she's not forced to go in the crate
For this I waited until the pup cried during the night, took her out to the loo and then straight back into the crate. We were lucky with her because she only needed to go out once a night but for some pups you'll need to take them out every 2 or 3 hours - the can't hold it any longer.

Chinasea

First off you really remember that she is only ONLY a puppy and trying to come to terms with so much alone from the rest of the litter, her mother, her initial environment. She is not a little robot.

Thank goodness you went down to the dog to see what the crying was all about. She only wants some love and if that is not available, not sure why you guys got a dog.

Puppies are a lot of hard work. They have many needs. Why did you guys not get a more mature dog (the dog pounds are choc a bloc) if you can't cope with the needs of a puppy.

mymo

Follow tk123 advice re the crate, it takes time.
I crated both of mine in my room for first few weeks, got up 2-3 times a night (it should be fine to carry her to the garden, wait for her to pee or poop, even if she's young) for the first few weeks, gradually moved the crate to the hall over a couple of months.
Please remember she is a baby, you take a toddler from its family it would scream the house down!
You are lucky you got such a well loved pup, the breeders obviously cared for her very well, that's a good thing.
She will be less clingy once she feels safe and happy.

andreac

How old is she? Did you get her from the breeder?

aonb

OP you only got this puppy a few days ago.
She is probably frightened to death - strange house, strange people, strange smells/noises. Where have all her familiar people/home gone?! Presumably she had siblings and her mother - they have all dissapeared! She is trying to find someone to bond with to replace her mother/sibs - thats you/her new humans!
be patient with her. As someone said earlier, everything has to be done slowly and in little installments, and with TONS of patience. She will soon get used to her new world/humans - just give her time to settle in before worrying too much. Lots of tlc, praise, gentleness. Start training her immediately - outside to poo/pee, lots of praise. Gentle handling when she does something you dont want to do. Quiet voices, and no shouting/smacking. She will soon get the hang of it all. What breed? How old? Good luck!

Magenta

OP did you spend any time at all looking up how puppies behave before you got her? This is all completely normal behaviour. It sounds to me like you don't seem to understand that she is only a baby, did you expect her to be perfectly behaved and housetrained already?