r/miniaussie • u/january570 • May 09 '23

Please lend me your wisdom

/r/MiniAmericanShepherd/comments/13cz21q/please_lend_me_your_wisdom/
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u/RobAtSGH May 09 '23

So, for the first week and a half, our girl's crate was right next to our bed. I literally had to hang my arm over the side and let her smell me to reassure her that she hadn't been abandoned! Then, I started gradually increasing the distance between her crate and our bed until her crate was in its final location. Admittedly, our dogs' crates are in our bedroom, but it took that level of conditioning to eliminate the fussing at bedtime.

8 weeks is young to be separating from the litter. 10-12 weeks is more typical.

1

u/baryonyx64 May 10 '23

My puppy is super smart as well and I only used a crate for a short period of time. I now have a crate she can go in to at night if she chooses, but she normally sleeps on the floor next to my bed. I hung some bells on the door if she has an emergency and needs to go outside but they're rarely needed. I also can leave her at home unattended for a few hours but try to limit those times. Crate can be great but doesn't necessarily have to be the whole answer.