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My fiance and I got our very first Basset on Monday. She is only six weeks old, and we named her Chloe.
I grew up with a Cairn Terrier and my fiance grew up with a "bit of everything" dog, so a Basset is very different for both of us (although Cairns are typically "stubborn" like Bassets are supposed to be so I thought I'd be used to it!).
Unfortunately, I realized that I have no clue about raising a very young puppy. Although my last dog (of 16 years) was a puppy when we got him, he was a family dog and I didn't start taking care of him until he was past his puppy-hood. I'm just now realizing the difficulty in housebreaking, chewing, etc.
Anyhow, during the day, my fiance and I work. We come home when we can (we are teachers and sometimes get longer prep-times, etc.) but Chloe is still alone for a long time. Since she isn't housebroken, we keep her in her crate for now. We have a cat as well, but the cat is still very unsure about Chloe so we don't let them stay together yet. Anyhow, the point is that I feel very bad leaving her during the day, espcially with her "whine/bark" she gives when I put her in her crate. My question here, is there anything I can do to minimize her whines and make her a bit more comfy? I already put her stuffed dog in there, a chew bone, and her toy of choice. I've thought about doggy daycare, but she is too young to be accepted most places and it seems to be very expensive around here where I'd rather make it work at home. She hasn't ever pooped in her crate and only peed once (on the first day) so it's not like she's making it undesirable in that aspect. Is there something to this crate thing that I'm missing or are the cries and whines normal? Will this eventually stop or will she be like this the whole time? Would it be better to by puppy pads and let her have one room in the house? I'm just afraid the puppy pads will become a glorified litter box and I'd rather housetrain Chloe as soon as possible. BTW, I can't keep Chloe in the kitchen because it is open enough where our cat could climb in and we're not ready for the two to be together unsupervised.
I already did something I've been told not to do (and will probably get yelled at on here for it), but we let Chloe sleep with us in bed at night. After the first night, Chloe woke us up crying at 3:00 in the morning. The next night, we decided to try letting her sleep with us, and it worked. She didn't cry, we slept through the night (minus "kisses" at 5:00am which is closer to our alarm than 3), and she did not wet the bed (but slept on me). I always liked dogs sleeping with me and as long as she doesn't have an accident (which she doesn't as long as we promptly take her outside when waking up), I'm fine. My question here, however, pertains to her breath. If I'm going to wake up at 5 in the morning, I couldn't imagine a better way than sweet doggy kisses, however, her breathe if foul, probably worse than I ever remember my last dog being. I tried buying those finger tooth-wipes but they seem to have little to no effect. I'm not sure how an actual tooth-brushing would go over? Any advice for a fresher/better breath?
The first day Chloe was with us, she was very shy and didn't quite show her true puppy colors. She's not a bit into chewng and although she hasn't destroyed anything yet, I'm starting to see she is more "mouthy" than what I thought a basset would be. I know this is a result of being a puppy, but how long does it usually take a basset to come out of the phase (of course I know most will depend on Chloe individually as well as myself)? I suppose if anything, she will make me a better housekeeper, but sometimes it's nice to know what to expect.
Her stubborness is also showing. Tonight, it was raining outside. I've figured out she does not like the rain and refused to go outside to do her business in it. I try to take her out a lot to avoid accidents (usually between 1 and 2 hours depending on if she had any water or food in that time). Well, tonight, she wouldn't go out at all...I had to physically carry her to the grass where she just looked at me and whined. Nothing got done outside, but I had two poop accidents and one pee. I was not happy. Is there a way to deal with this kind of stubborness as a puppy or is it something I just have to get over? I was thinking a raincoat or one of those doggy umbrellas I've seen might help, but then again, it might make the situation worse (or make me one of those dog people(which I'm starting to believe I'm already becoming)? Or should I just have stood out there until she made an effort to do something? Eventually, it stopped raining and I took her out (after the poo was out of her system of course)...but I worry that I live in Indiana where we get lots of rain (and eventual snow) and I'd prefer not to be a second bathroom to crummy weather. Any tips?
She is very sweet and I am very happy to have her, but am just exhausted from all the puppy things I hadn't prepared for/thought of beforehand. She likes to lay in my lap and be held, I wonder if she'll still do that when she's full grown 40lbs+. If anyone has an extra advice that I have not already asked in this post, feel free to share! I can honestly say that this week has proven to me that I know a lot less about puppies and bassets than I originally thought!
Sorry so long winded and thanks in advance for making it through! I'll end with a picture of me and my baby since she is just cuter than a button (the picture was taken during our first hours together, before even coming home):
Unfortunately, I realized that I have no clue about raising a very young puppy. Although my last dog (of 16 years) was a puppy when we got him, he was a family dog and I didn't start taking care of him until he was past his puppy-hood. I'm just now realizing the difficulty in housebreaking, chewing, etc.
Anyhow, during the day, my fiance and I work. We come home when we can (we are teachers and sometimes get longer prep-times, etc.) but Chloe is still alone for a long time. Since she isn't housebroken, we keep her in her crate for now. We have a cat as well, but the cat is still very unsure about Chloe so we don't let them stay together yet. Anyhow, the point is that I feel very bad leaving her during the day, espcially with her "whine/bark" she gives when I put her in her crate. My question here, is there anything I can do to minimize her whines and make her a bit more comfy? I already put her stuffed dog in there, a chew bone, and her toy of choice. I've thought about doggy daycare, but she is too young to be accepted most places and it seems to be very expensive around here where I'd rather make it work at home. She hasn't ever pooped in her crate and only peed once (on the first day) so it's not like she's making it undesirable in that aspect. Is there something to this crate thing that I'm missing or are the cries and whines normal? Will this eventually stop or will she be like this the whole time? Would it be better to by puppy pads and let her have one room in the house? I'm just afraid the puppy pads will become a glorified litter box and I'd rather housetrain Chloe as soon as possible. BTW, I can't keep Chloe in the kitchen because it is open enough where our cat could climb in and we're not ready for the two to be together unsupervised.
I already did something I've been told not to do (and will probably get yelled at on here for it), but we let Chloe sleep with us in bed at night. After the first night, Chloe woke us up crying at 3:00 in the morning. The next night, we decided to try letting her sleep with us, and it worked. She didn't cry, we slept through the night (minus "kisses" at 5:00am which is closer to our alarm than 3), and she did not wet the bed (but slept on me). I always liked dogs sleeping with me and as long as she doesn't have an accident (which she doesn't as long as we promptly take her outside when waking up), I'm fine. My question here, however, pertains to her breath. If I'm going to wake up at 5 in the morning, I couldn't imagine a better way than sweet doggy kisses, however, her breathe if foul, probably worse than I ever remember my last dog being. I tried buying those finger tooth-wipes but they seem to have little to no effect. I'm not sure how an actual tooth-brushing would go over? Any advice for a fresher/better breath?
The first day Chloe was with us, she was very shy and didn't quite show her true puppy colors. She's not a bit into chewng and although she hasn't destroyed anything yet, I'm starting to see she is more "mouthy" than what I thought a basset would be. I know this is a result of being a puppy, but how long does it usually take a basset to come out of the phase (of course I know most will depend on Chloe individually as well as myself)? I suppose if anything, she will make me a better housekeeper, but sometimes it's nice to know what to expect.
Her stubborness is also showing. Tonight, it was raining outside. I've figured out she does not like the rain and refused to go outside to do her business in it. I try to take her out a lot to avoid accidents (usually between 1 and 2 hours depending on if she had any water or food in that time). Well, tonight, she wouldn't go out at all...I had to physically carry her to the grass where she just looked at me and whined. Nothing got done outside, but I had two poop accidents and one pee. I was not happy. Is there a way to deal with this kind of stubborness as a puppy or is it something I just have to get over? I was thinking a raincoat or one of those doggy umbrellas I've seen might help, but then again, it might make the situation worse (or make me one of those dog people(which I'm starting to believe I'm already becoming)? Or should I just have stood out there until she made an effort to do something? Eventually, it stopped raining and I took her out (after the poo was out of her system of course)...but I worry that I live in Indiana where we get lots of rain (and eventual snow) and I'd prefer not to be a second bathroom to crummy weather. Any tips?
She is very sweet and I am very happy to have her, but am just exhausted from all the puppy things I hadn't prepared for/thought of beforehand. She likes to lay in my lap and be held, I wonder if she'll still do that when she's full grown 40lbs+. If anyone has an extra advice that I have not already asked in this post, feel free to share! I can honestly say that this week has proven to me that I know a lot less about puppies and bassets than I originally thought!
Sorry so long winded and thanks in advance for making it through! I'll end with a picture of me and my baby since she is just cuter than a button (the picture was taken during our first hours together, before even coming home):
