Hey All

Roxy is now 18 weeks old and lots of things are going well. She sleeps really well at night without having to get up to the loo, goes into her crate at bedtime with no fuss or whining, is getting on really well with toilet training, eats well and is gradually responding to training (eg sit, down, no chewing things that aren't her toys, etc). She's going to a puppy school which is helping her to be less anxious and nervous- I hope this will gradually stop her from barking at strangers and other dogs. She made a great improvement from the start to the end of the lesson yesterday, even playing a bit with the other puppies. I'm hoping most of the things I'm struggling with will sort themselves out as she becomes more well trained and builds her relationship with me.

So overall, I am really excited and pleased with her progress.

There is one main thing still worrying me. As I said, at night she is great at going in her crate (which is in our room) and going to sleep. However, there are two times during the day when I have to put her in there while I am dealing with the kids. While she's in there (it's about half an hour) she barks and whines unless we are in the room, until she's let out (although I never open the door until she goes quiet). As soon as she is toilet trained, I won't put her in there when we are home but will continue to do it when we're out until she's a year old or so and I can trust her not to chew etc. I am concerned that she barks in there while we're out too! I have tried giving her chew toys and putting the radio on, etc., but it doesn't seem to help. Do you guys think she will eventually grow out of this as she gets used to the fact that we're not going to abandon her and will always come back? At the moment we are ignoring her barking/ whining. Do you think this is the best thing to do? I am worried that she has a bit of separation anxiety... Cos she likes the crate when we're there no problem, just not when we're out the room...

Any advice would be appreciated!

A x

__________________
Amanda x

Mummy of Kira, Alexi, Snookle, Tabs, Tiggles, Jerry and Roxy! RIP little Tom, Dick and Harry the Degus- we miss you...

Putting the radio on won't achieve anything in itself unless she associates the sound with being calm and relaxed...

What chew toys do you give her when she's in there?

She has a Kong ( stuffed with a variety of things- cream cheese and kibble seem to be her favourite) and a teething type toy, as well as a rope toy...

A x

__________________
Amanda x

Mummy of Kira, Alexi, Snookle, Tabs, Tiggles, Jerry and Roxy! RIP little Tom, Dick and Harry the Degus- we miss you...