Nellie, I have read up on it, and talked with the trainer. Thanks! I've been feeding himn in the crate and that seems to be working.

Also, all, I think my walking him everyday has helped to calm him down. I seen where they took the dog for potty, it was a small gated in area for the apartment complex they live in. I don't believe he was properly exercised. Yesterday we took a 2 hour walk in a park, today we spent an hour outside while I did yard work and later I will be taking him for our usual hour walk, and when he plays with Jade he's not as rambunctious as he was before our walks began. Yes, he's still very playful, and he's brought the puppy out in Jade, but they've been taking longer naps (well, Jade shorter naps) than he's used too.

loriann- i wasn't dishing you about money and cost i was trying to be light about the subject and be joking since the puppy got your shoe. Hence the smiley face at the end of the sentence. Sorry i offended you. I was trying to teach others about cost and what pets cost intale.

Gator... I'm sorry I took offense, I sort of knew you were trying to tell folks it's more than food, and what not... I admit I got a little upset when I felt you hadn't heard me when I said I do know a little (I'm no expert by far) about dog training and what not, or that I know it costs money for a dog... Please accept my apologies for taking it more than what was offered!

not offended....the problem with chatting is sometimes the joking inflections don't come across. I know you are stressed and i was just trying to lighten the load about the lost shoes. So no offense taken. I'm glad to hear you at least get to watch some training because it will definately help. I find usually the owners need more training than the dogs (:

Actually, when I was in basic, Bob told me people learn more by observing anyway. I can't wait to sit in the advanced class! .

This morning I could KILL! Kept me up all night, would not settle down in his crate! NO MATTER what I tried. Let him outside for potty several times, that didn't do it, let him play for a good two hours, put him back in crate, and nothing but barking... and he urinated in there, while his food dish was in there! I"m so exhausted with literally no sleep!

I don't know that I even want to, at this point, keep this dog!

I KNOW you all will bash me, but enough is enough!

Does he fight to go in the crate? Or does he go willingly? Are there any times when he seems to be happy in his crate?

I know you probably know this but the crate should be a happy place for him. If he is always stressed/unhappy there, then that isn't good.

Also, if you let him out when he is barking, then he learns that all he needs to do is bark for you to let him out of his crate.

With our latest dog, his previous owner had used his crate as punishment and it took a while for him to accept it as a place of comfort for him. He got treated and praised heavily for going near and in his crate. He will now go in it willingly, without even being asked.

If you do give him up, I'd suggest looking into rescues that would take him in. I would say puppies are not for everyone. I can already tell you that I would not adopt a dog younger than a year old and even that is probably too young for me.

Nellie, I got Jade when she was 10 weeks old and crate trained, potty trained and everything else trained her! I'm no pro, but I'm not new to the process either.

Part of the problem, I thought, was the crate was in the other room, of where I sleep, so I brought the crate into my bedroom, that did not help. I have to get him to go in by throwing a treat in there, and Yes, he's in there while I'm awake, and near it, so he can associate it with happy times. I had two nights he did not mind being in there, last night he was just so rumbunctuous he did not want to be in there. I finally gave up on trying to sleep around 5, and since then he's been sleeping (after I'd downed a pot of coffee!) GGGRRR and no, I didn't let him out because he was barking... I let him bark, and bark!