Progress Report: Day Five

Shadow naps on a sea of puppy training pads.

It’s 2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Day Five) and Shadow is conked out in his crate, snuggling with Leon the Lion and an old T-shirt bearing my scent. He’s been an angel all day, but I would have said that at this time yesterday too – before he had two accidents in a row, launched into a 25-minute fit while I was cleaning the first in another room, and became a berserk little devil each time Chris or I took him outside.

But it was a blip in an otherwise sweet and as-obedient-as-a-baby-can-be few days, and his sudden lack of eye contact told us he knew he had misbehaved.

Raising a dog from puppyhood is definitely shaping out to be a challenge, but the benefits (he just woke himself up by his own hiccups, looked at me with his sleepy blue eyes, and resettled himself with a tired sigh – so cute) far outweigh the frustrations.

Click here for a video of Shadow pouncing around his new home.

On the housebreaking front, the number of accidents has been decreasing each day. The main reason for that isn’t that we’ve trained him well (although today he’s been staring at me when he needs to go… maybe the beginnings of a signal?) but that Chris and I are getting better at recognizing when to take him out. According to the experts, puppies are too young to physically “hold it,” so it’s really up to us to be recognize the signs. From my observations, if his attention isn’t occupied by sleeping, playing, eating, or chewing… he needs to go out.

He just can't get enough of that coffee table!

As far as training goes, he already knows to “sit” on command! We accomplished this with tiny training treats (or sometimes bits of kibble so he doesn’t eat too much) and 5 to 10 minutes of repetition every day. Sometimes he doesn’t want to listen – he’s still very easily distracted – but generally he’ll plop down when we ask. Our next challenge is “down,” which is not coming as easily.

We’re also working on biting and nipping. He’s a puppy, so I wouldn’t expect any less, but it sometimes takes away the fun of playing with him. We started by responding with “No!” and yanking our hands away, but yesterday decided to start making a yelp or “ouch!” sound and shutting down for a few moments when he bit. At best, he’ll realize he hurt us and will stop. At worst, he’ll see that his plaything stops playing with him when he bites.

The biggest issue for Shadow, however, seems to be separation anxiety. This is extra frustrating considering I ACTUALLY AM WITH or near him 24/7 but occasionally want to shower, brush my teeth or get myself something to eat. (Selfish me.)

Until today, the second I left his sight and he couldn’t follow, Shadow went berserk. First there was the whimper, then the whine, then he’d try to test the pen by throwing his body against it. Soon he’d start to cry and bark. And after a few minutes, I would have a heartbreakingly hysterical puppy on my hands, sobbing the way human beings melt down and choke on their tears.

I knew from Cesar Millan’s book, “How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond,” that returning during his whimpers would only convince him that crying is the way to make his people come back to him. So I waited behind the adjacent wall for what seemed like an eternity (the longest lasted 25 minutes, the shortest 8), struggling to ignore the pain and mentally willing him to calm down so I could go back to him.

For Shadow to break his separation anxiety, he must get comfortable with the crate.

It’s without a doubt the hardest part of this so far. I’d rather clean up 100 accidents than listen to the little guy cry himself numb. But as my father-in-law told Chris the other night: It hurts your ears and your heart, but you have to do it. (And yes, I know it is practice for a human child… eventually.)

So today I cancelled any appointments I had scheduled over the next week. I am devoting every minute (I would say “waking” minute, but there’s no other kind these days) to helping Shadow break his fear of being alone when I have to tend to other projects in the house or run out for an hour.

Today, my technique has been moving him to the crate every time he falls asleep on me and relocating his meal spot from the kitchen to the side of the crate. He’s also gone into the crate on his own several times to sit or play – so far so good!

Each day, I’ll increase the time he stays inside with the door open, as well as with the door closed while I’m in the room. Hopefully by next week he’ll be able to sleep there rather than the much smaller carrier on our bedroom floor.

Check back for updates on this progress. Anyone going through a similar predicament may find it useful – I certainly would have.

I was warned that getting an eight-week-old puppy would be like raising a baby – that he wouldn’t sleep through the night, he’d need constant attention, he’d cry when left alone, he’d make messes, and at times I’d be completely dumbfounded as to what he wanted. And so far, all that has proven true.

But as any mother would agree, it’s all worth it. When he nuzzles his face into my leg, cocks his head to the side in confusion, follows me around like a shadow, or pounces around excitedly (the canine equivalent of a baby laugh in my opinion), it doesn’t matter how little sleep I get or how many accidents I have to clean.