hellooo [sry for the multi-nature of the post, but I wanted to condense all my new puppy questions into one!]
just need some advice! i'm really attached to my [7 week old chiweenie] puppy and am currently unemployed-ish so I have tons of time to spend with it. But I have a crate/puppy pen and sometimes I feel like I should leave it in there (independence training?). But I don't know when and for how long. For now, I spend time with the puppy almost constantly in 'some' form (either napping next to its puppy pen or watching tv with it, etc.). To reinforce this habit, when its in the pen, it seems so tormented like its being punished, so I hurry back to it within a couple of minutes.
Any advice on whether I'm spending too much time with teh pup and should just leave it in the pen? or am I doing something thats ok because its still young? I heard there's such thing as a hush-quiet training? but i dunno if I can pull it off?
Edit: oh yea, I should add though I don't sleep with it. At night it DOES go into the puppy pen/crate area
PS #1: at night, is it better to move the crate into the bathroom where its more confined or should we leave the crate in the rather open puppy pen area? [note that I heard the bathroom might be better because it would feel safer in a smaller-warmer area/ in conjunction to the fact that we hear it less in the bathroom]
PS: #2: how 'aggressive' should the play be allowed to get? It seems recently the puppy is starting to burst with energy [probably less shy]. It's play is starting to get very 'bite-y' and sometimes it looks like its straightout attacking me ! [probably the chihuahua side of her]. But is this OK? I'm thinking that getting a kong toy [no idea what this is lol] or walking it [it took its first walk yesterday!] would help make it less crazy?? Or is this kind of play completely natural
thx!
just need some advice! i'm really attached to my [7 week old chiweenie] puppy and am currently unemployed-ish so I have tons of time to spend with it. But I have a crate/puppy pen and sometimes I feel like I should leave it in there (independence training?). But I don't know when and for how long. For now, I spend time with the puppy almost constantly in 'some' form (either napping next to its puppy pen or watching tv with it, etc.). To reinforce this habit, when its in the pen, it seems so tormented like its being punished, so I hurry back to it within a couple of minutes.
Any advice on whether I'm spending too much time with teh pup and should just leave it in the pen? or am I doing something thats ok because its still young? I heard there's such thing as a hush-quiet training? but i dunno if I can pull it off?
Edit: oh yea, I should add though I don't sleep with it. At night it DOES go into the puppy pen/crate area
PS #1: at night, is it better to move the crate into the bathroom where its more confined or should we leave the crate in the rather open puppy pen area? [note that I heard the bathroom might be better because it would feel safer in a smaller-warmer area/ in conjunction to the fact that we hear it less in the bathroom]
PS: #2: how 'aggressive' should the play be allowed to get? It seems recently the puppy is starting to burst with energy [probably less shy]. It's play is starting to get very 'bite-y' and sometimes it looks like its straightout attacking me ! [probably the chihuahua side of her]. But is this OK? I'm thinking that getting a kong toy [no idea what this is lol] or walking it [it took its first walk yesterday!] would help make it less crazy?? Or is this kind of play completely natural
thx!