File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Please help me here, /an/.

Last week we adopted a 6 month old golden labrador puppy. He's a lovely dog and very affectionate. He hasn't been trained at all apart from 'sit', which is a bit annoying as despite his massive size he still acts like a 2 month old, but he's learning to come when called, so that's promising.

The big problem is that at night he cries constantly. We put him in the kitchen with his cushion bed, his favourite chew toy and water, but as soon as we go upstairs to bed he starts crying. He hates being alone, and when you're nearby he'll always lie so he's touching you somehow (the reason he was up for adoption was because he suffered from the horrifically named puppy strangulation disease, so nobody wanted him and he was permanently kept with his mother. He's fully recovered from the disease now). Even if he goes to sleep, in the middle of the night he'll wake up and start crying again.

My main worry is for my mother; her bedroom is nearly right above the kitchen, and as she's a light sleeper at the best of times, she can't get any sleep. My mother sleep deprived is not the sort of person to have a pleasant conversation with, if you get my drift. I desperately, desperately don't want this to cause any problems in the house, especially if my mother ends up resenting the puppy because of it.

I know he'll eventually grow out of it, but I don't want to risk how long that will take. Has anyone got any suggestions or tips to help?
>> Bitter Anon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
Do you simply close him in a room, or do you put him in a kennel/crate? Often a very enclosed space is more comforting than an entire room. Try a crate or kennel with a cushion in it and a blanket over top and see if that helps. Why don't you let the dog lay in the bed with you? Many people sleep better with a pet beside them, and he obviously wants snuggles.
>> Anonymous
He'll get over it only if you ignore it long enough. The minute you give in is the beginning of the end, ie: Your dog will forever want to be a princess and you'll be the bitch accommodating him.

Just buy your mom some ear plugs.
>> Anonymous
Make clear that you're the boss in the house.
If the dog gets the idea he's your boss, he'll turn into a control freak and start scratching and barking when you are not around.
Only remedy is to stop him every time he tries to misbehave.
>> Anonymous
>>130331

If you have no space, why did you get a dog that normally needs a lot of space?

ARGH
>> Bitter Anon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
If he submits to you whenever you ask and obeys without question, why do you deny him what he wants? Letting him on your bed wouldn't confuse him, it would be a reward for being such a good pack member. At a certain point, all the constant "I am alpha, you are nothing" stops being training and becomes harassment.

I guess it boils down to different methods of training and what you expect of your dog. I've never had to constantly reassert dominance over an animal once it's there, so I really don't understand why you would need to. To each their own, however.

The fact remains that either you must ignore him, distract him with toys to keep him occupied at night, or get him a kennel. You could also take him for a run in the evenings or keep him active during the day so he is exhausted at night.
>> Anonymous
>>130379

that's because you're a goddamn pit bull that could kill chuck norris with a glare
>> Anonymous
>>130379
pets on bed = blech.
No thanks, don't need hair, dirt or parasites in my sheets.
>> Anonymous
OP again.

130331: We have plenty of space for a labrador: we've kept several of them before. What I meant is that we have nowhere in the house to actually keep a cage. The only place we could keep it would be the porch, but as it's not insulated he'd freeze in there. And locking him out in the garden all night would be just cruel.

Also, we're not bullying him at all. He gets plenty of love and fuss and is never abused. Dogs however are happier when they know where they stand in the pack; most behavioural problems like agression are because the dog is confused and doesn't know where they stand, or think they're more powerful than their owners. A dog that thinks it's stronger than its master is dangerous. Just simple things like eating before him shows we're the boss. It's not harmful or doing anything physical to him. Besides, I don't think I could wrestle a labrador to the ground to show him I'm dominant XD
>> Anonymous
>>130387

If your dog is clean and well taken care of, none of those should be an issue.

>>130399

We have four dogs who share our beds and our furniture with us, and we've never had an issue regarding dominance. Each dog is different, and requires a slightly different approach. Your suggestions might be necessary for an overly dominant or aggressive dog, but not every dog needs that level of reinforcement. Mine are perfectly happy an aware of their position in the group because they have confident owners who reinforce boundaries (they wait patiently for food, do not grab, and obey the commands they're given). Furniture and sleeping areas are not an issue, and if they became one they would lose those privileges. It's that simple.
>> Anonymous
what the FUCK is wrong with people
labrador's are MENTAL.
FULL STOP

IF YOU BUY ONE TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK OR NEXT YEAR OR FROM CHINA OR ENGLAND IT WILL STILL BE MENTAL.

also, to buy a dog just so that you can have it in a confined space is slavery, nothing more. He wants to be with you man, if you ignore him he will become mechanical, but if you play with him all the time he will just be mental.
But being mental is only bad because it doesn't suit your lifestyle isn't it...
>> Anonymous
OP here again. I know full well how mental labradors are as puppies, but they mellow out as they get older. I always remember when I was 5 when we had (to me) our first puppy. Before he was house trained we kept him in the kitchen. As we didn't have a door on it we put a wooden board there instead. One night he somehow knocked it down and went on a rampage. Next morning we found the downstairs a scene of carnage- plants were knocked over, cushions torn to shreds, pictures ripped up, dog mess everywhere, and sitting right in the middle of it was an adorable little puppy wagging his tail off. He grew up into the most laid back, unfazeable dog ever. So yes, I know full well how mad labradors can be :D

130748: So, you're suggesting I'm in his company 24/7? Wow, your dogs must howl the house down when you go out =/
>> Anonymous
wtf /an/, you're missng the point. OP said they had a 6 month old UNTRAINED rescue dog. Do you have any idea how big a 6 month old labrador is? They're close to waist high! They're not like tiny puppies where you can pick them up to show them who's in charge. Can you imagine a dog like that trying to wrestle for dominance or snaping? Jeez.

Most dogs when they're 6 months old already know the basic commands, lke sit, stay, heel, leave etc. If OP's dog only nows sit, it's going to be like trying to teach an illiterate 12 year old with ADHD how to read. It's gone past the critical learning stage. And have you ever heard a big dog cry? It's a LOT louder than a little puppy. No wonder OP's house is suffering.

Training a dog to be alone is important. A few houses down from me is a couple who never bothered, and when they go out the dog does nothng but bark and bark and bark. I swear, I'm going to shoot that goddamn thing. I bet everyone else on the street wants to too.

/an/'s judgement should be like a fairy tale: cruel but fair, with a few trolls thrown in for good measure. OP asked for help and everyone starts whinging about how they shouldn't keep a big dog, despite them saying before they've already kept some, and that they should let them on the furniture. The hell? At least some posters made helpful points =/
>> Anonymous
Put it to sleep, it's the easiest and most satisfying way of stopping his crying.
>> Anonymous
>>130665

OP's dog isn't described as having a dominance problem, though, but as having some degree of separation anxiety. Your neighbor's dog, BTW, most likely doesn't have anxiety because he's left alone, but is barking because he's just board out of his mind. It would be the same if they left him in the backyard and expected him to entertain himself.

The simplest way is to ignore him, and after a week or so he should get the idea, but, honestly, crate training is best solution. You can't just shove him in there, though. Start by putting him in for short periods, reward him if he's quiet, and give him things to keep him occupied. A sterilized, hollow bone filled with peanut butter (or a kong toy) can be good idea, depending on how food motivated he is. Another anon mentioned exercise before bed, which is also good advice. With reassurance and time (remember he is in a brand new place, so anxiety is natural) he should be get the general idea of what 'bedtime' means and realize that you are not abandoning him when you go to bed.

There is no quick way, short of a shock collar or just taking him up to bed with you, though. Sorry, anon.
>> Anonymous
hey there :]

my dog had close to the same problem when we left the house she'd rip up everything. it's called separation syndrome. when a dog gets lonely it'll cry or destroy things. i'm sure your dog will grow out of it as long as you don't encourage it by giving it attention when it does cry or it'll see that it's allowed to. after my dog was scolded for it and she grew some she stopped. :]

or perhaps she may still have some sort of after math from the disease and she may need to be checked out once more. i hope it goes well
>> Anonymous
Maybe try leaving a TV on with a low volume setting?
>> Anonymous
My dog does that too and he has gotten better after three months but I do let him sleep on my bed and stuff so he mostly cries when I leave the house.
>> Anonymous
>>131313
its not a parrot...
>> Anonymous
why not just let the damn dog sleep with you? or is it nomming your underwear, as seems to be many an anons problem?
>> Anonymous
Why not let him sleep on your floor?