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NorthCyd

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We are bringing a 10 week old Boston Terrier puppy home tomorrow. I've done this several times before, but it's been a long time. Anyone have any advice on keeping the puppy calm the first few nights in his crate?
 
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Angie

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We put our puppy's crate in with our daughter, who laid beside her (they already had bonded) - it worked awesome.

If you haven't heard of the bell method of potty training, I highly recommend it - it took our dog no time at all.
 

Brentwood

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I have a 6 year-old Boston. Don't give in to the whining when crate training. The first few weeks sucked, but every time she whined at night we took her out then right back to her kennel. I would also recommend bell training, I scoffed at it when my wife suggested it. It works like a charm dog still rings her bell whenever she wants out. I would also recommend socializing it as much as possible. Introducing the puppy to other dogs and crowds of people will be a huge benefit in the long run.

Have fun, Bostons are great dogs.
 
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MeanDean

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There is a stuffed animal toy with a heartbeat that supposedly keeps them calm, but we just let ours cry some the first night or two and he got used to it pretty quick.

I love my dog, but I do not miss the puppy months at all. Good luck!

Yes, the first 2-4 days you just need to let him cry. After he adjusts, it will be fine. They need to have routine and that's how they get comfortable. Put them as far away and behind as many doors as possible so no one hears it or is bothered by it. Do NOT give in and go to him, it just trains him that crying WORKS, and you don't want that.
 
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Cyched

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We put our puppy's crate in with our daughter, who laid beside her (they already had bonded) - it worked awesome.

If you haven't heard of the bell method of potty training, I highly recommend it - it took our dog no time at all.

We used the bell method on our lab when we were kids. I think she was housebroken in less than 2 days.
 

Gonzo

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We are bringing a 10 week old Boston Terrier puppy home tomorrow. I've done this several times before, but it's been a long time. Anyone have any advice on keeping the puppy calm the first few nights in his crate?

We brought a black lab pup home two months ago. Our other lab is approaching 12 years, so it's been a long time since we've trained a pup. So I was in same boat as you. I have no experience with Boston Terriers, but I forgot how much work it is. Biggest thing with crate training is to not have the pup associate it as a bad place. Never use it as punishment. I always coax her in there by putting a few training treats in there for her to go in and eat. We put crate in a dark room where there's little/no activity and we try making sure we don't walk in front of the door too much where she'd be able to see us. Another big thing I've done with every dog I've had is training against food aggression. Especially if you have young kiddos. When we feed the pup for the first few weeks we make sure one of us is down at her bowl running fingers through her food/dish while she eats to avoid her getting aggressive/protective when she eats. Have fun. Lots of work but tons of fun having a pup around.
 
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IcSyU

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If you can do so, do the puppy classes offered in a zillion different places. Great socialization for your dog and understanding a bit of dog psychology will pay off for you in the long run.
 

Angie

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We used the bell method on our lab when we were kids. I think she was housebroken in less than 2 days.

We have a cavachon, so she's not quite that smart - but it was super-quick.
 

somecyguy

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FYI regarding the social aspect, many boarding places provide "doggy daycare" now and some even have social hours, where you meet up with others and just stand around with other owners while the dogs play. Once our puppy had his shots, we took advantage of both to make sure he got some social time in with other dogs. It makes a big difference.
 
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Cardinal and Gold

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You can try putting a water bottle with hot water in it with them in the crate for the first few nights. It helps give them the feel of body warmth while they are going to sleep. Also, cover the crates completely with blankets to make a cave feel and have a fan or other white noise on, but the main thing is to let them cry it out.
 

NorthCyd

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For those talking about the bell method, is this hanging a bell next to the door and training your dog to ring it to go out? I have actually done this before, and plan on doing it again. Works pretty slick, although the problem I ran in to was my dogs would ring the bell any time they wanted to go out for any reason which would get kind of annoying at times when they were bored. Still, better than barking at the door.
 

jdcyclone19

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For those talking about the bell method, is this hanging a bell next to the door and training your dog to ring it to go out? I have actually done this before, and plan on doing it again. Works pretty slick, although the problem I ran in to was my dogs would ring the bell any time they wanted to go out for any reason which would get kind of annoying at times when they were bored. Still, better than barking at the door.

Did the bell method. Had this same issue but was a good way to potty train. Just just took the bell
away and had no issues.

Also, OP, if you haven’t used clicker training before, I’d highly recommend it. Quick and easy way to train a dog. YouTube has tons of videos. 6 years later, I can be in a different room, click the clicker and she will come running to me.
 
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SpokaneCY

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Did the bell method. Had this same issue but was a good way to potty train. Just just took the bell
away and had no issues.

Also, OP, if you haven’t used clicker training before, I’d highly recommend it. Quick and easy way to train a dog. YouTube has tons of videos. 6 years later, I can be in a different room, click the clicker and she will come running to me.

Does it work with wives?
 

Angie

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For those talking about the bell method, is this hanging a bell next to the door and training your dog to ring it to go out? I have actually done this before, and plan on doing it again. Works pretty slick, although the problem I ran in to was my dogs would ring the bell any time they wanted to go out for any reason which would get kind of annoying at times when they were bored. Still, better than barking at the door.

Yep, you got it. Yeah, they do sort of abuse it some, but I'm reaching the point that I'd rather go out a bit extra rather than clean up dog deuce. :)
 

CloneGuy8

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Slight hijack, but the wife and I both work full-time jobs. Is getting a puppy something that can be done somewhat easily when you're gone during the day? We've always wanted a puppy, but not sure how well it would work with us gone in the day.
 

cmjh10

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We've got a 14 month old Dalmatian and a almost 6 month old Lab. The Dalmatian took forever to get crate "trained." The gf couldn't ignore the whining/didnt try. The Lab took to it pretty quick. We brought a blanket with us when we picked her up and rubbed it over her mom and siblings. Didn't take too long to get used to the crate.
 

cmjh10

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Slight hijack, but the wife and I both work full-time jobs. Is getting a puppy something that can be done somewhat easily when you're gone during the day? We've always wanted a puppy, but not sure how well it would work with us gone in the day.

Somebody would need to check in with it every couple hours to go the bathroom.
 
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