posted 10-07-2003 01:53 PM         

My Maltese puppy is barking and whining every time I leave him in his playpen. No difference if I'm around or not. He just doesn't want to be there! He literally goes nuts! I try to ignore him but it doesn't seem he gets a message. I hate leaving him there, (and I don't do it all the time) but I don't have a choice since he is not housebroken yet. That's another problem: he ABSOLUTELY hates going on wee pad or newspaper. Carpet and kitchen floor are fine. Even when I'm sure he has to go potty, and I'm trying to confine him to a pad, he fights me and the second he's off, he does the dirty stuff! We managed to do it on the patio a couple of times. With a lot of patience AND closed door so he couldn't run back into living room... Peeing is worse, he does it so fast, the second I realize what he's up to, he's done already...

So, confining him to a larger area (kitchen and entrance area) is not an option. Nighttime is also a nightmare... bark, bark, whine, whine, bark... I'm at the end of my nerves. I've tried to leave him in our bedroom one night so he can see us, but nothing changed. We look like zombies more and more every day...

Please HELP!