Wow, where to start? First off, I can see where you would feel overwhelmed with this. You have a very busy life and I'm sure your hands full with a toddler and another baby on the way. Raising a puppy can be a big job, but if you approach this correctly, not so bad and you will have the reward of a lifetime companion who only wants to please you and gives 100% unconditional love. Now lets look at what problems you are having. 1. Dirreha: Your first stop should be the Vet. Have him checked, make sure there are no medical issues, there are dozens of reasons he could be sick. If you rule out medical, then look at food next. Make sure you are feeding him the right food for him. There is even sensitive stomach food out there. Make sure that people food isn't coming into the meal plan. A wise trainer said to me once "Your dog isn't your garbage disposal". Then eliminate fright from the picture, make sure your aren't constantly yelling at him, don't whack him with newspaper if he has an accident, don't stuff him in the crate if he doesn't want to go. I want to add one more to the reading list Heather suggested, a good website or book on "Positive motivation dog training". I've been training my own Rottweilers and Retrivers for over 25 years, and refuse to use any method but positive motivation!! Now let's look at the puppy for a second. He is basically a little furry toddler himself. He knows nothing at this point and is looking to you to teach him. You have also chosen a very active breed. He needs tons of exercise and will be naughty if bored. Another wise trainer told me once "A bored dog is dangerous to your furniture, books, shoes, carpet .... Don't let him get bored". When you think of the type of pup you have, think of what his job is, what he was bred for. He was bred for a working dog, pulling sleds. He needs a good walk every day, lots of play sessions and people time. One little trick I use with puppies and young dogs is to give them a Kong toy (hard rubber toy, cone shaped that is hollow in the middle) with a bit of peanut butter inside. They will work for hours to try to get all the peanut butter out. When you need to correct him for chewing on something that isn't appropriate, then gently redirect him to one of his toys. Now about crates. Crates can be the most wonderful tool in the world or your dog's worst nightmare. First rule, crates are the dog's den, his quiet place where he can go when he feels tired to rest. Your children should not play in their crate or go in after the dog, especially when they are becoming used to a crate. Place the crate in a quiet area so he can sleep if he chooses to go in for a nap. They are also quite helpful when you need to confine for his benifit. For instance if you are having a delivery and need to have the door open where he could possibly escape outside. Use a crate at night for sleeping, when you are away and leave the door open so he can come and go during the day while at home. If you are trying to housebreak, use good housebreaking techniques instead of constant confinement to crate. You can also utilize a "baby gate" to keep him in a room with tile floors to ease accident clean up. Make sure to feed on a schedule with immediate walk after he is done. With some work, you will have him under control in no time. I hope this helps you out. Research and read, I'm sure you will do great. And feel free to PM me if you have questionsor want to chat more about getting him on the right track.
Please help...new puppy and clewles!!
