Nero.... (UPDATED PICS AS OF APRIL 30,2015)
WOOHOO our puppy is here! We picked him up from Marian yesterday, and simply put he is AMAZING! We are so happy to have found not only the Kai breed, but Marian and our new little addition.
I can't tell you his name yet because we are still deciding. So far the two front runners are Yoshe (the name Marian has been calling him,) and Ronin. There are a few others we may talk over today as well.
He spent most of his first day in the car. His first night presented us our first apartment life challenge. He whimpered terribly. Something I expected and had some ideas how to handle, but it was pretty extreme. I am dedicated to working it out though, my neighbors maybe not so much. So I'll have to find creative ways.
I suspect part of it was simply all the changes in his life. The car ride, the change of routine, a new home and I really didn't have the time to acclimate him properly to his kennel. Today we start working on that. Hopefully I can help him recognize that's his safe quiet place and relieve some anxiety.
I was worried most how our cat would respond and goes to show it's never what you think. Mushu isn't thrilled with the new addition but mostly peeks around corners and then goes on her merry way doing her cat things.
I took a couple pictures but I'll have to get more later. Just look at him and he gets all excited right now making every picture a black blur.
I can't tell you his name yet because we are still deciding. So far the two front runners are Yoshe (the name Marian has been calling him,) and Ronin. There are a few others we may talk over today as well.
He spent most of his first day in the car. His first night presented us our first apartment life challenge. He whimpered terribly. Something I expected and had some ideas how to handle, but it was pretty extreme. I am dedicated to working it out though, my neighbors maybe not so much. So I'll have to find creative ways.
I suspect part of it was simply all the changes in his life. The car ride, the change of routine, a new home and I really didn't have the time to acclimate him properly to his kennel. Today we start working on that. Hopefully I can help him recognize that's his safe quiet place and relieve some anxiety.
I was worried most how our cat would respond and goes to show it's never what you think. Mushu isn't thrilled with the new addition but mostly peeks around corners and then goes on her merry way doing her cat things.
I took a couple pictures but I'll have to get more later. Just look at him and he gets all excited right now making every picture a black blur.
Comments
Also had the same issue with the crate when I took Athena to the condo. In fact she still wines a little but not as much. What worked really well for me was:
Let him play until 30 mins before it's bed time. At that point put him in his crate. And have it facing you on the couch etc. Cover all sides (blanket etc) except the part that allows him to view you. He may wine a very little but he will settle down in no time. Once he falls asleep looking at you. Close the last side and sneak off to your bed. Enjoy peaceful sleep for about 2 hours. Rinse, repeat!
We are in the western Chicago suburbs!
I treated him there and fed him there. And during the course of the day when he tired I closed it up behind him and laid down in front of the door and simply took a 5-10 minute rest. I didn't talk to him or pet him or acknowledge him really once I closed to door. I simply closed my eyes and let my breathing be a little louder.
Once he settled and laid down himself I gave it a few minutes and pulled the cover over the front.
Worked like a charm. He whimpered a little a few times but that was easy to ignore. On the rare moments he decided to be heard at the top of his longs I had a coke can with a few pennies that I could shake just once that would get his attention. I use that very sparingly tho in extreme noise cases (like 2 am) for the courtesy of my neighbors. i made sure to do that out of sight so he doesn't have a deep rooted fear or anger with coke cans later in life. That could be bad. LOL.
Last night was a great start. He was quiet and slept and did very well. He woke at 2am when he heard me taking my potty break and started to rustle in his cage so I took him out.
He responds extremely well to verbal praise. He now seems to already recognize two distinct walk patterns. We have the 'potty' walk which is step out to the same area, potty and then 'inside' and he runs right back to the door. And then we have the longer path which takes us around the complex and he knows he can run and explore and do all his doggy business.
My wife asked me yesterday how I felt after giving birth....
Recommendation: 1)Speak to your neighbors, you may even realize that they don't even hear him. Sometimes our fear of the noise may make us perceive that the pups are being louder than they really are. 2) Since you are crate training put a water bottle in the cage instead of a water bowl during feedings. Its good that you feed in the crate. Make sure you close the door, and they cannot see you when eating. This will help build independence. The water bottle will work in the same way a treat toy does. Itll keep him occupied. Leave him in the crate for 30mins after meal. Prasie when you take him out of crate and let him go immediately outside for relief. Remove bottle when not feeding- otherwise potty regression.
Consistency is definitely key. Also im charging $200/word for my amateur advice. Thats why the message is so long. lol
I second @Shikoku 's recommendation. Take your cute little puppy in your arms and knock on your neighbors door. Most of the time they would go "aww how cute!" then let them know you're in the process of training your cute new puppy and would like them to let you know if it gets too noisy! Better than having them complain to the landlord.
My wife also sent me a text this morning that read 'you did good, daddy' which was a great way to start the day
My wife always thought my need to 'pee' in the middle of the night was a warning for diabetes (I've been checked I'm good) this morning I realized it was my psyche prepping me for puppy parenthood again!!!
We named him yesterday after much family discussion (two or three weeks worth of discussions and comparing to other pets old and new)
Officially he is 'Neroon' (Nay-roon) but he'll pretty much be called 'Nero' all the time.
Whats in a name: we actually have been working on this for weeks. On the short list of names were:
Kona - we decided to save that name for a later date (and the forums already have a beautiful Kona!!!)
Yoshe - what Marian called him. She had mentioned it meant 'beautiful' and my daughter equated it to the dino in Mario Bros.
Ronin - Our first strong contender especially seeing that in his short lifespan already he has had several 'almost' families but they seemed to fall thru for one reason or another. Even our adding him had a challenge or two that raised some doubts. So I decided not to use that name since he has his 'forever family.' I decided to break the cycle and take that name off the list.
Nero - My wife first brought it up this weekend. I liked it however wasn't initially sure. Nero, the Roman Emperor. Nero, anime character from Devil May Cry. And as I thought it through I remembered a character from Babylon 5 (Science Fiction TV series) One of my favorite complex characters. Ya I'm a sci-fi nerd what can I say!!! Nero for short.
NERO it is.
Two nights and counting and absolutely incredible. Aside from his 2 hour or so potty breaks which go off without a hitch he is absolutely a dream in his kennel.
He spent his first few hours alone yesterday too and when my wife got home aside from circling around and around he was pretty quiet.
The end all was after his 30 minute walk around the complex I sat on the floor in the living room to get caught up on Walking Dead and he kept nudging my wife who was working on a lapboard with some coupons. She finally put it away and Nero climbed up on her lap and fell asleep for an hour or so. My wife's smile was amazing.
Once I can get some more stable pictures I'll be sure to add.
Sorry for rambling here!!!!!
More pics!
We've been keeping a pee-pad in the tile area where he's had an accident or two during training....but now he sleeps on it. So much for that idea. He's acclimated to crate training very well. The only accident he has had all week (since Monday anyhow) is when I called home to check on things. My daughter put me on speaker. He got so excited when he heard my voice that he pee'd.
That right there is true 'puppy love.'
Morning Pee then RUB MEH BELLY!
He's the best birthday present ever.....you are never to old to think that!
Anyhow, this vet was great. Even small details like asking if he could offer Nero a treat from the training bag I carry with me.
It was a busy day. After that he had his first training (socialization) class. He was the best behaved dog in the class! (We were so proud!) He already knew and responded to the basic commands. I think we will all get more though from the next classes. I think I'm going to also research agility training options in this area. It looks fun and a great dad/daughter/Nero activity as well.
A few pics of Nero hamming it up for the camera:
and Mojo is a neat cat- is he a large cat? He looks big- I love his paws
... Calling Wildlife rescue now!