I don't know what to do at this point.

danahammer;585747]1) She screams and cries when left in her crate at night. I know you're supposed to ignore it but it goes on for hours sometimes. I need to sleep at some point. She has currently been screaming off and on for like an hour and a half. She only stopped because I came into the living room and turned on the tv and laptop and stay here. But I can't do this every night. I am dealing with some serious sleep deprivation. I haven't slept normally since I got her. Does anyone have any ideas about how I can restrain her at night so she doesn't harm herself or other things, but isn't so distressed that she screams incessantly? I can't handle it anymore. I'm done.

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Put her crate next to your bed. End of problem. Puppies don't like to be alone.

2) I feel extremely guilty about leaving her home alone all day while I'm at work. I have a long commute so she's out there in the yard alone for a really long time. I leave toys, water, and bought her a dog house (which she won't use) to make her as comfortable as possible, but realistically, I don't know how much time a puppy should be spending alone, period. I don't do long drawn out goodbyes, nor do I greet her with excitement - I know that's bad - but she doesn't seem happy about being alone. Ever. And by the time I'm home I'm so tired, it's all I can do to just feed her, walk her, and work on commands for a bit.

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We all have to work. When I'm at work, my puppy is in her crate, where she is safe, and feels secure. Dogs sleep a good 16-18 hrs. a day, so they're sleeping when we're away, anyway. (So dump the guilt!)

What breed is she, and how old?

There have been times when I was too tired to do much more than feed my dogs (4), and maybe got in a walk. Don't worry so much, and besides, dogs are content to be around you even when you're doing nothing - or even sleeping!

3) She is crazy hyper. I don't have any idea what to do about this. Whenever we go places I always feel like the worst dog owner in the world. All the other dogs are so well behaved, but Molly just jumps around and runs and freaks out because she wants to meet everyone she sees, at the expense of my arm health and her dignity.

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Pretty normal puppy behavior. She may need more exercise than she's getting to burn off pent-up energy. Mental stimulation helps, as well. A lot depends on the breed (so, again, what breed, how old?). Exposing her to diverse people, places, and things is very important to young puppies, even if all you do is hang out outside the grocery store, so she can meet and greet lots of people. Have you taken her to puppy kindergarten, or enrolled her in an obedience class? If not, do so, ASAP. The sooner you learn how to communicate what you want to your puppy, the happier you both will be!

I keep doing the "off" thing when she jumps on things, but it doesn't work. She jumps and jumps. Which is apparantly bad for her because she's long and skinny, but I can't seem to make her stop.

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Then distract and redirect her to do something else. She doesn't know what "off" means, and if you repeat the word more than once, it may even egg her on, much like pushing a dog away who is jumping on you - the dog thinks you're playing, and just gets wilder. Ask for a behavior she does know (like sit). If she doesn't know any cues (like sit, down, come), then distract her - maybe clap your hands and call her name, while walking briskly to another room. She will follow you.

4) Walks are less than fun with her at this point. She either wants to race ahead at lightning speed or stop and smell everything. EVERYTHING. And she weaves all about like she's a drunk driver. I can sometimes make her walk in a straight line, but only if I dangle treats above her head. And that doesn't work all the time.

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Don't feel bad. Lots of more experienced people than you have difficulty getting their dogs to walk nicely on lead. I play a game of fetch to burn off some of the energy before walking one of my dogs. It works wonders. However, you would do yourself a great service if you enrolled in an obedience class, so you can learn how to train your dog, and effectively communicate with her.

I'm just crazy super frustrated. Any advice/solutions would be most helpful. I'm considering giving her to a stay-at-home-mom-type family so she'll have the attention she deserves, even though it would break my heart. She really is an adorable, friendly, awesome little puppy, and I feel like a total failure as a puppy owner. My biggest concern is that she's not getting enough attention, but I can't quit my job, you know?

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My daughter felt much the same way about her insanely wild and unruly dog she took in as a puppy, who'd been tossed along a freeway with her littermates. I showed her what to do, and how to do it (and checked in on them several days a week!), and lo and behold, we now have a Delilah who sits, and does not jump on people and rip the skin off their arms! LOL She's walking nicely on lead, too, although sometimes she backslides!

You've never had a dog, so how are you supposed to magically know what to do, until you learn. An obedience class will help a great deal. And again, most of us have to work, and our dogs do just fine. I live by myself, and work the overnight shift. I have to sleep during the day. Do my dogs care? Heck, no! They're content and happy to have me there, sleeping or not. On the weekends when I'm awake during the day - the dogs are napping!

See if you've got a local dog training club in your area, because they're likely to charge quite a bit less for classes. Or, try the SPCA - my grandson enrolled in a class for kids his age and their dogs, and he was very surprised by how much he enjoyed it (and has enrolled for another)!