Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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Wobbling Nov 2020 6:30am, 25 Nov 2020 6,423 posts	0 Wobbling During the very bad time a few weeks ago, MrW said he wanted to give Boots back. I think it’s part of the response to frustration, as the following day he said he wouldn’t be without Boots. Scaredy Dog, the best book I read about coping with reactive dogs, has a lot on barking that may help. Hope today’s a better day. Get well Roberto
PenW Nov 2020 6:34am, 25 Nov 2020 2,013 posts	0 PenW That sounds tough WL and Roberto. I really sympathise. I have regular moments of just wanting my old life back (especially being able to go out for a run when I want to or have a lie in/ cup of tea in peace). And thoughts about whether I made a mistake and how will I cope especially when I return to work. Is it partly arousal/over excitement? Not easy to help them calm. I’m alone here and Albie went totally mental last night as I took him for a wee before bed. He found the remnants of a bird fat ball and went totally wild for it. We then had an hour of him zooming and crashing about, biting me, barking, crying etc. I couldn’t calm him, just had to wait for it to pass. If I shut him in the crate it winds him up more. I’m sleeping downstairs at the moment. Maybe I should be tougher and just shut him in the crate but he gets so worked up. He took himself to his crate for around half the night which I see as a good sign. I’m going to try to build on that. (Otherwise he sleeps on my legs - not very comfortable). It’s so hard to know what to do for the best. But it’s only been 5 days and he’s still adjusting. We are getting a good hit rate of most wees and poos outside with just 2 accidents inside yesterday so that’s a positive.
Wine Legs Nov 2020 7:21am, 25 Nov 2020 5,645 posts	0 Wine Legs The totally mental thing still happens with Skye. I just ignore it. It is massively frustrating when it happens though.
SjohnA Nov 2020 7:30am, 25 Nov 2020 204 posts	0 SjohnA Ah, whippet zoomies. Used to have them every night for 30 minutes when Kipps was small. They tend to be either overexcited or overtired. I found mainly the latter. Some may not agree with this but a small puppy should be in a crate a lot. They sleep for 18-20 hours a day. If they are not getting that sleep they get agitated and play biting/zoomies start. PenW - make that crate the best place on earth for him. Treats and toys galore for as long as it takes. He will soon learn to love it And if god forbid he ever has to spend a night in vets like Luna did just recently, it conditions them to relax rather than fret more.
SjohnA Nov 2020 7:34am, 25 Nov 2020 205 posts	0 SjohnA Nice example of a crate training schedule at the bottom of this page: dog-training-excellence.com
Wobbling Nov 2020 7:38am, 25 Nov 2020 6,424 posts	0 Wobbling Boots (2) still gets the zoomies. When he first came to us, it was daily, some sections of our lawn didn’t survive. Now it’s colder and he’s not keen on going out, we get them around once a week, less if he’s had a good off-lead run.
PenW Nov 2020 7:39am, 25 Nov 2020 2,014 posts	0 PenW Thanks SjohnA. I’ve been putting lots of his kibble in the crate - he eats it in there if we’re not using it for training. He goes in to check for food every now and then. I also feed kibble to him for sitting in the bed in the crate. He does sleep a lot (not always in the crate though I try to put him in there). I’ll take a look at the link.
PenW Nov 2020 7:50am, 25 Nov 2020 2,015 posts	0 PenW Will try that over the next few days. Being able to leave him so I can shower or go for a brief run would be an amazing step. I get confused though as some places say use crate overnight and some say never more than a few hours and not overnight. My night options (if I want to sleep in my bed) is to leave him in the lounge (when he can tolerate being left) not crated so he could wander or crated. Or have him upstairs with me in his bed on the floor overnight. I’m finding it hard to work out the best. My living room is open plan with the dining kitchen but with a pet gate across the doorway. The dining room has more furniture chewing options so living room better. Utility room would be ideal in a way but the flooring is not finished and it’s not quite safe for him yet. Don’t know when I can get that done. Or up on the landing is another possibility. I think the reality is so different from my imaginings (and therefore plans and ideas Before).
Lizzie W Nov 2020 8:07am, 25 Nov 2020 24,173 posts	0 Lizzie W [Sounds almost exactly like having a baby. I used to cry when T9 was going to wake up]
halfpint Nov 2020 8:14am, 25 Nov 2020 33,264 posts	0 halfpint Could you put the crate in your room and then gradually move it out of your room and further away.