Hi All, I’m a first time lab mom and have had my girl for 2.5 weeks. She is almost 12 weeks. I’ll admit I wasn’t 100% prepared when I picked her up. I was originally going to get a pup at the end of this month so I and more time to prepare, but plans changed. Its been 20 years since I had a puppy and have forgotten everything. So as my girl takes her naps, I’ve been reading and reading and reading, and realizing I’m a terrible trainer and that I should have done things way differently, such as.... 1. Crating....been moving super slow on that. She has turned into a velcro puppy (probably because of something i did wrong) so I’ve been under house arrest with her, trying not to make her hate her crate. 2. Sleeping arrangement....had her sleep in a bin next to my bed the 1st 2 nights. Not fun...as expected. I live in an apartment, but the 1st two nights I had her we were at my parents house (because the breeder lived near them, and they 4 hours away from my place) so it was ok if she barked and whimpered. When I got back to my apartment complex, I tried crating her, and I even tried sleepong on the floor next to her. Sound travels well in the building so I’m really worried about that. I eventually caved in and moved onto the couch and let her sleep with me. We continued to sleep on the couch for the next week, and then I caved in and moved us to my bed. Now I love sleeping with her and would be fine with the arrangement forever, but I haven’t been thinking clearly because of the craziness, and forgot that she’s going to get pretty big. I’m single now and have the room, but I’m hoping that will eventually change. So now I’m thinking maybe I need to break this habit now. Is it too late?? Or should I just plan on buying a king sized bed and hope my spouse doesn’t mind an 80 lb. dog sleeping with us... Seriously though, I feel like I’ve made very little progress these last 2.5 weeks. She’s made more progress training me..lol. I really want a well behaved and trained companion and don’t want to mess up. Have I already done too much damage by letting her sleep with me?? Thank you for reading and any input you can give!!!!
I don’t think you are a terrible trainer. You are taking time to let your puppy adjust and grow confident. Why not try having a dog bed on the floor next to your bed. That way if she is unsettled in the night you can just speak reassuringly or reach out a hand for a stroke. I’d say ( from my own experience) that the chances are she’ll just sleep through. Then in a few weeks when she’s really settled and comfortable at being left for short periods you will be able to move her bed to the living room. This has worked for me with three puppies over the years.
I think most tiny pups are Velcro puppies, they gain confidence with age - she’ll soon have too much, I’m sure
We only have a double bed and a 31kg dog sleeping on it with us. It's cramped to say the least. I don't mind though.
My OH let Cooper sleep on the bed when we brought her back in after the early morning potty break. It might have happened regardless, but she is a dedicated bed dog now. Tilly does not get on the bed, but Cooper usually sleeps there at night. We really need to upsize from a Queen to a King. I think Cooper is best kind of Velcro dog, in that she will normally stay close to us at home, and always comes back quickly when called, but she is perfectly happy to be home alone, and does not complain or tear things up. She doesn't stick to us, but usually will curl up on the couch if we are sitting down watching TV. Fortunately we don't mind dogs on the couch. She really likes being petted, unlike Tilly who could care less.
