Our New Pup (which may get taken away!)

[Coco Puff]

Along with what everbody esle said...you can get a doggy stuff animal and let it lay with him. Pick one similar to his color. That what I did with my puppy and it was pure luv.

[Rayna 3]

I'm still learning a lot myself, but I agree with what most everyone has said. However, I do take issue with Poodlemommy's post. Just because someone makes a mistake doesn't mean they don't want or shouldn't have a puppy/dog. Obviously Brian is willing to try to fix the situation. Why would you come down on someone like that?

I've made more than my share of mistakes with my pups and some that would seem obvious no-no's to other people. EVERYONE has made mistakes that someone else could have advised better -- that's the point in coming to forums!

If this had been a blatent case of abuse I would've agreed with you, but I think it was just a mistake. Chill a little........

[keller]

Originally Posted by PoodleMommy

Yet then I came across this post, and it got me enraged!
Why would someone get a small dog, only to make it sleep alone or stay outside? It does not make any sense!!!! Dont get dogs if you dont want them.

::Going to hug my princess, Elle... to make myself feel better::

Elissa

Now, I don't think that's fair. Brian has taken most of the advice given, and at least brought his puppy back inside the house. Perhaps he just didn't know that it would be best for the dog to be inside, and thought that it would be better for him to learn to stay alone asap. When he found out that that was incorrect, he changed his behavior. Just because someone raises their puppy differently than you would doesn't mean that they don't want or care about him or her. People have had outside dogs, that they loved, since the beginning of time, and there are so many different experts out there who give conflicting advice that it's hard to know just what is correct. Ex: I've been reading a lot on puppy care since before I got Gage a bit over a month ago and have seen a lot of exchanges that go like this:

One expert will say "flick a dog on the nose to stop it from doing wrong".
Expert 2 will say, "never do that, it will be afraid of your hands. Throw a can of pennies at it."
Expert 3: Never do that, you'll make him afraid of loud noises. Spritz him with water.
Expert 4: Never do that. He'll learn to fear water. Just ignore bad behavior.

And so on and so forth.

The thing is, there are a lot of us out there struggling to find the right thing to do, and the majority of us want the best for our pets. Unless someone is being horribly abusive, or won't listen to reason, I don't think we should come down hard on them. We all need a community where we are safe to ask questions without people questioning our love and dedication to our pets without just cause.

[keller]

And I see that Rayna 3 has slipped in and said what I wanted to in a lot less words.

[PoodleMommy]

I wasnt saying this is a blatant case of abuse.

However, I dont think this is a "mistake". He doesnt appear to want the dog in his room at all and it appears he hopes to eventually get this dog back outside.

He never said, wow i didnt realize this was a mistake and I am going to correct this action in the future. Everyone makes mistakes, but they are only true mistakes if you correct them.

Bringing the dog in to get yourself out of trouble and then sending it back out when its older is irresponsible in my mind.

To each his (her) own.

[keller]

There are a lot of reasons why a person wouldn't want an animal to sleep in their bedroom, and while it might be better for the animal, it's not horrible if it doesn't happen. It's not natural to put a newborn baby in his own room from day one, but lots of people do it, and their children are doing great. I think the fact that he brought the puppy inside shows that he will probably keep him in for the rest of his puppyhood. I don't know what the temperature is like in Brian's country at this time of the year, and while I like my dogs to stay indoors, other caring people have come to different conclusions.

To each his (her) own

Exactly.

[yoko]

i'm just happy the puppy is inside

[BrianL]

I made a big mistake and that's why i asked you guys for the best solution. I worked closely with many recommmendations from this thread, the breeder and the local council. I'm sorry that I didn't come up with it all myself.

I didn't think that my inexperience would be labeled willful animal cruelty. I was in big trouble with my dog and wanted to talk to people with experience -- you guys.

Brian

[puppyluv2004]

Brian, everyone makes mistakes. Luckily you are willing to fix yours. Dont let it get ya down!

[coripc33]

Brian, I think you are doing great by asking around for input and then taking the advice that was given. I believe you'll do great - just keep asking for advice when things don't seem to be going well. I think you took a big step by getting the puppy inside - I am sure he's happier now.

Sometimes people get very judgmental very quickly, but I think you should sift through all the messages and not focus on the ones that seem to be negative. I think you should take the positive that came out of your question and, as was said, don't let the negative get you down, sometimes it just happens...

Good luck with everything!

P.S. By the way, how's your puppy doing?