Sunday night I let Coco(nut) sleep in a crate next to Aunt Hope for company hoping that would help the transition without her litter mates. I left her crate door open, set a small litter box right outside the door and surrounded it with an exercise pen. She was fairly quiet all night (at least, I didn’t hear her) until early in the morning when she started to fuss.

Later in the morning we got her Iris pen set up in the dining room. And like many of you that just got puppies, even though she was raised here and knows me, she’s still getting used to this new routine, new pen and being without her sisters and brother. So we’re getting a lot of whining and fussing.

But when she settles down and is quiet, I reward her with some attention. If she’s fussing I ignore her. Reward the behavior you’re trying to encourage and ignore the behavior you don’t want enforced or repeated. You have to be consistent and give the boundaries just like children!

When I’m not busy and she’s quiet, I’ll get her out of the pen and we’ll do frequent potty breaks outside and some free play time inside. But I’m actively watching her when she’s loose playing. And I’m taking her back outside frequently to see if she has to potty. A lot of people give their puppies way to much “free rein” in the house too soon. That’s when we start having accidents and learning to pee whenever and wherever we want.

She loves her belly rubs!

If I’m busy with something and can’t watch her, then she’s going back in her pen. Same if I take her outside and she doesn’t potty. I’m not going to turn her loose in the house again. I’ll put her back in her pen, not as punishment, but so I know where she’s at. Then we’ll try another potty break in a few minutes. If I miss her cues that she needs to potty then she knows she’s go the potty box and an appropriate place to relieve herself.

Also when you get your puppy used to being in their crate or pen while you are at home and they see you leave the room, then come back in the room over and over again throughout the day, this helps them see that you’re leaving is not a big deal. That part helps to prevent separation anxiety.

Along that same thinking, whenever you leave your house or come back home, do not make a big deal about it. If you fuss over your puppy every time you leave. And then beeline it for the puppy and get them all hyped up as soon as you get home, you’re just fueling that separation anxiety possibility. Keep things low key and calm when you leave and come back (whether it’s from the house or just from the room).

I’ll keep sharing Coco’s puppy adventures and training so make sure to follow the blog!