Puppy - need a guilt free break!

[BellaPoo]

1st don't get my wrong with this post...I adore Bella, but forgot how much work a puppy can be.

I find myself needing a few breaks during the day. I do have 2 boys to help out...but they are kids & we all know their attention span some days.

Thank God for crates! Bella tends to get underfoot of Kacy - our 8 yr old collie and he stresses - not to mention I'm afraid if I leave her out, even for a few seconds, when no one is around Bella would be squished.

She is coming to terms with her crate...no longer crying, whining & screaming when I crate her BUT I can't help feeling guilty when I do.

I got her up this moring & took her potty - which is going extremely well...let her eat & play, took her back out to potty and crated her to write this & pick up the house a bit. OH the guilty...it's awful. Is all this guilt normal?

I didn't have to crate Kacy because we got him from rescue & was an older dog that was completely housebroken. I've never crated before..and the guilt.....LOL, I can't seem to shake it.

Puppies should come guilt free.

Have a great day - I just needed a bit of venting.

[deb2950]

puppies need down time just like babies, did you give your babies naps when they were smaller, did you ever use a play pen when you needed to get housework done and didn't want the babies underfoot? As long as you are not abusing the crate or using it in a punishing manner I would not feel guilty. Give the pup a couple of chewies when you crate him or a kong filled with whatever you feel is appropriate for his diet and then relax. From what you are saying it seems you are giving the pup plenty of quality time!

[MonsterBailey]

awwww bless your heart.. I can totally undertand your guilt, and admire you for sticking to it. We tried ONE NITE to crate train Bailey and I jusssssssst couldn't do it. I'm a whimp, I admit it... Luckily, he was easy to train....

[MyBabyShihPoo]

BellaPoo~

Take a deep breath, and pat yourself on the back...you sound like such a great mommy!

You are in no way neglecting or mistreating your pup by putting her in her crate for a little break for the two of you! Like Puttin said, dogs too need naps and down time, just like any toddler! If Bella isn't tired when you put her in her crate, give her a great chew or Kong to keep her occupied during her time in there! If her crate is in a place where she can't hear you or other people, it helps to leave a TV or radio on in the room for some background noise which is often comforting to dogs, as opposed to complete silence!

When Mickey & Tigger (my two shih-poos) were still real young, and I wasn't able to supervise them and needed to do some work around the house, I would gate them off in the kitchen and leave them with some toys and chews to entertain themselves. It's great not only for the dog, but also for you (the human)!

It's perfectly okay to do this! As long as Bella is left with ample stuff to keep her busy while in the crate (if she doesn't want to sleep), and isn't in there for hours on end, but rather just for short little breaks, she is just fine! So, stop worrying, and keep up the great work...your pup is lucky to have such a caring and loving mommy!

[Kristine]

Don't feel guilty!

When I first got Oscar, I couldnt believe how much work he was (and he actually was a very easy puppy). I got so scared that I had made a mistake in getting a puppy. Whenever he would cry in his crate, I would just bark at him to "be quiet" as I was so scared that he wouldnt take to his crate and then where would I be? In retrospect, during the first week, I was not the most caring dog mommy--I was just too tired from all the work. But I quickly grew to love him and he quickly got used to his crate.

He potty trained so well that I stopped using the crate after a few months.