Hi my hubby brought his new giant breed puppy home last night she is settling in well but i am wondering if she will always get upset if my hubby leaves the room we are in!!  she seems to cry a lot after him we aren't complaining because she is beautiful and she has fitted into our home really quick and she and my own toy breed are getting on great

my other question is we decided to have a large fabric kennel crate set up in the kitchen so that is she wants a little quite time she can go in but she isn't keen do you think i should put it away or just leave it there incase she decides that she likes it??

we have got her the food she likes rc giant puppy and raised her bowl to eat and drink as this is what the breeder said to do she is getting her last injection in 2 wks and we were hoping to take her to obedience class do you think this is a good idea as i want her to learn not to jump up (because of the children)

i hope you guys can answer some of these questions

i am an avid reader of this forum although not brave enough to post much

Welcome to the forum and enjoy.

The new pup is obviously going to feel unsettled for a while away from her litter mates, new home, strange smells and new mum and dad, it will take a few days but she will soon settle in. Regarding her crate I would tempt her in with titbits or food but leave the door open so that she knows this is her safe haven not prison.

I would follow the breeders advice and do everything they have advised you to as they know the breed and what works for their particular breed. Raised bowls will help to prevent bloat etc.

Good idea to take her to obedience classes and you can then start to lay the foundations of a dog that you will be proud of.

Good luck and enjoy your pup, they don't stay babies for long. x

Thank you for your reply

i do keep the crate opened and i have tried all kinds of treats too she goes in but if we leave the room she becomes upset and i don't like to hear her cry and i wouldn't force her to use the crate so i will keep trying with the treats we are going to get her a kong for her size as the ones we do have are way too small for her we are hoping this might get her to like the crate and hopefully she might settle and like this as a place for comfort and quietness

i am on puppy duty tonight as the hubby is working and i cant go to bed she is very unsettled she has to be near you to sleep or as she prefers on you lol as what happened last night she slept with  hubby on the sofa but this cant keep going on so hopefully after the weekend she might have settled
we were wondering if we leave her for a few minutes at a time to cry on her own and we come back will she settle soon or will this make her worse 

yes i think obedience will be the best thing (her mum did obedience and is also shown) her dad is also shown too

but i am so worried about her stressing i know its natural as she has just leave all that she has known

Hi again,

try putting a radio on quietly in her bedroom, leave her and let her cry for a while, go down and verbally re-assure her but don't cuddle or pick her up, leave the room again for longer, I would warn the neighbours though, lol, I would stop her sleeping with someone as this is making a rod that you may not want for your own back. Good luck

Lots of pups are very unsettled and unsure when they go to their new home, they have just left all they know, mum, littermates and familiar surroundings.  I personally would do things the way you are doing them, with regards to not leaving her alone at night time.  If you don't want her to be upstairs in the future than I would as you are doing sleep on the sofa until she is settled.  I would however probably encourage her to sleep in her bed next to you on the sofa.  It can take a couple of weeks for a pup to settle in and you may need to stay on the sofa for a while after the weekend :-D 

Alternatively take her upstairs with you and have her in a bed next yo your bed, then when she is settled you can gradually move her bed further and further away from your bed, gradually onto landing etc.  If you let them settle in and feel secure to start with in my opinion you end up with a more settled and confident pup in the long run.

A couple of things you can do to help are maybe get your pup a DAP collar, it is a collar that gives off a pheromone that is an artificial replicant of the pheromone that a btich produces when she is lactating and it makes the pups feel secure and content, so really would be worth a try.  Pop a top that you or your partner have been wearing in her bed when you are ready to go to sleep. maybe wrap it around a warm hot water bottle or snuggle safe heat pad.  Also having a ticking clock near by can help as they are used to sleeping near their mum/littermates so used to hearing their heart beats and hearing a rythmic noise can be reassuring.

With regards to her crate, if she loves her grub, try feeding her meals and extra special treats in it so she can start to build up a good association with it.  Again a top with you or your partners secent on it and some favourite toys.

Build up leaving her very slowly.  If you don't have one, it might be worth investing in a baby gate so that she doesn't follow you from room to room every time, just pop the gate shut go out the room for a few seconds so she can still see you, then go back in and don't make a fuss.  Leave her with stuffed kongs with high value treats in it for when you leave for a minute or two.  Try scattering some treats on the floor before you go into another room, so she can focus on something else rather than being in the room alone.

Training classes are always a good idea, from a socialisation point of view as much as learning what you need them to.  I would look for ones that use reward based methods and don't have too many dogs per class, as busy classes can be overwhelming for some pups and difficult for them to concentrate if there is too much going on around them. 

Enjoy your new pup :-)

I know it sounds hard but i've always taken the approach of making the pup comfy/warm with things to play with + a blanket from the breeder so the pup can smell her mum and then leaving them in the kitchen or utility etc for the night. the first night you will hear some crying and maybe on and off for a couple more nights but the pup soon realises there's no point crying and learn to snuggle up in their bed and go to sleep.
Don't make a fuss at bed time just take the pup out to the toilet then put them to bed and don't try and cuddle etc as that just makes the pup more stressed out when you leave the room.
It's always worked for me but as i said thats my opinion. 
The small the space you leave them in the better as they feel more secure ie a crate or small room.

Hi thank you for all the great advice
today she seems a little more settled she is actually sleeping in the kitchen near her crate on her own :)

thank you all i hope she gets settled soon 4 hours sleep isn't enough lol but its too be expected she is only a baby

with the training class i have found the one we want to attend but i think i will phone up to make sure the numbers in the class aren't too high!!

Thanks again