[ziggymoonshine]

I just got a new puppy yesterday around mid-day. He's a male Chinese Crested. I have not had a puppy in YEARS and have never had one inside. He is not potty trained or crate trained obviously. I started taking him outside yesterday and praising him for pottying in the yard. He did really good and has only had two small accidents since yesterday.

I have a question though, he is so tiny that I have been carrying him outside and sitting him down. Should I be letting him follow me outside so that he gets the hang of where the door is? I've been trying to associate words like "outside" and "go potty." He's a true hairless and late at night when the dew is on the grass he is freezing and I feel horrible! I can't find any clothes to fit him though! He's just so little. Does anyone know of something I could do or somewhere I could buy extra tiny clothes for him so that he will not be so uncomfortable?

Okay and last night he fell asleep on me so I put him to bed in his crate and sat the crate right beside me in the bed. He slept for about an hour and then woke me up whimpering so I got him out. He jumped around the bed for about 10 minutes and then fell asleep on my chest. He proceeded to get up about every hour and a half to play and lick my face but when I would try to put him in the crate he would cry. What should I do? I don't mind him sleeping with me but if he's going to wake me up every hour I just can't! I've got him sleeping in his crate right now with the door open in the den and he has been fine.

ONE MORE THING! I have a part time job that I work at about 3 to 4 days a week for about 4 to 6 hours. I know that for potty training to be effective I need to be consistent, but I'm wondering what to do while I'm at work? My family will take him out when they are here and I am not but when we are all gone, I'm not sure what to do. Should I just take him with me?

THANK YOU FOR READING! SORRY FOR THE LONG POST

 

[Hambonez]

We carried our puppy out first because he couldn't walk down the 1.5 stairs anyway! (8 wk old less than 4 lbs dachshund mix when we got him) He couldn't get to the door either because of baby gates, but it hasn't seemed to make a difference. We did bells, which he will ring to get our attention if we're not easily accessible and he needs to go out -- but for the first few months he didn't know he had to go anyway, so we would emphasize the word "Out!" when we took him out, and tell him "Hurry up!" and praise him when he went outside, but it was all us. Like someone flipped a switch a little before 5 months old he started banging on the back door (we always took him out the front to potty) when he needed to go, and he hasn't had an accident since! ("Since" has been one month - so we have plenty of times for more accidents)

For night time we just did a "cry it out" type thing. He learned pretty quick that crying doesn't change the sleeping arrangements.

Do you have any skills that would lend themselves to making custom dog clothes? I crocheted Hamilton a sweater. He hated it... but it fit like a dream!

For work - can you hire a dog walker? Of course if you can take him to work that's really cool!