# Please help , getting desperate



## Hillswei (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you for your responses


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Wow, I wouldnt want to be a member of your family. You have a baby that came into this world with a bunch of litter mates to snuggle into, keep warm at night with, feel soothed by a heart beat etc. Dogs are social animals. You then remove them from mom and littermates yet expect them to suck it up and be quiet? This puppy is stressed and upset, then you go and stress it even more by throwing water at it to keep it quiet?? Are you freaking kidding me???

My suggestion is to to find this puppy a loving home with someone who welcomes it as an actual "addition to the family" and who understands this is just a 9 week old puppy who needs love, attention and a patient owner.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I have a solution, send me the poor wet dog and I'll let it sleep in my bed so you and your neighbors can be comfortable once again!


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## bernadettelevis (Feb 2, 2011)

wow...really??? a 9 week old puppy???

I feel sorry for your puppy....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Honestly you should be worried about the mental damage you're doing to your puppy rather than your disgruntled neighbors and your own sleep deprivation. 

This puppy is just a baby. Not only has he experienced a highly stressful time being taken away from his mama and siblings...he's dealing with even more loneliness being left in a kennel outside alone at night. Of course he's going to howl. I honestly don't think any puppy should have to experience this as it can create serious detachment issues with dogs and their owners. 

As for pouring water all over him...I can't really think of a worse thing you could do to him without doing physical harm to him. Not only will he associate you and your husband with negative things, he wont trust you. Trust is NECESSARY to a quality relationship between you and your dog. He will see you as unpredictable and untrustworthy if you keep up with pouring water all over him. And NO....this is not "negative punishment for bad behavior" this is actually POSITIVE PUNISHMENT because you're adding water being dumped all over the puppy to remedy his howling. Yeah...its effective but man...that fallout will catch up to you guys quickly when you end up with a sketchy dog. 

Positive punishment + bad behavior = fallout (can be behavior problems or personality issues)

If you were to just ignore him when he howls....THAT would be NEGATIVE punishment. While this is not nearly as terrifying or damaging to your puppy...it will most likely still create issues that wouldn't be there if you handled this situation in a better way. 

Why not kennel train him in your house? That way you and your hubby are the only ones who have to deal with the howling? 

As for dealing with the howling...he's a baby. He needs to be treated as an infantile dog. This means getting up with him in the night and playing with him, giving him mental stimulation, etc so that he can go back to sleep. Hate to break it to you but this is one of the joys of raising a puppy. Just like with raising human babies, parents have to get up in the night to feed, play, stimulate their babies until they fall back to sleep. It might be a few months before he can handle being outside in his kennel all night. 

Jon and I have always taken turns getting up with the puppy, that way we are both not entirely dead to the world the next day. It usually doesn't take long to wear them back out for bed time. 

Another thing I would suggest doing is not allowing him to sleep much during the day if you can help it. Also, do a lot of mental stimulation work or physical play time right before bed so he's extra sleepy.

These are suggestions for if you want to raise this puppy right with the respect and care that he deserves. I really hope you don't take offense to the bluntness of my words but I hate to see dogs treated with such disrespect. Please take my suggestions and use them before you completely damage your relationship with him.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I have the perfect solution: Give that puppy to someone who will actually take proper care of it. Nine weeks old and sleeping outside alone? Throwing water on him to make him be quiet? Are you nuts?

I have a HOUND... They howl. It's what they do. Do you know how I got him to be quiet? By giving him somewhere to sleep that was warm and protected. I wouldn't dream of tossing a nine week old puppy out into a kennel. I'm not even as furmommyish as a lot of the people on here. Why did you get a puppy if you can't handle one? I could go on and on. This just makes me angry. He isn't a human. He is a dog. But he is a baby. He needs more than a no and some water thrown at him. He deserves more. 

If he is an addition to the family he would not be alone in an outdoor kennel at night. What did you expect? A well behaved puppy? You should have gotten an adult dog. Ugh... I don't know what your breeder was thinking...


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I want to agree with everyone else and just say WOW, that poor 9 week old puppy....but I wont..I will give you some of my advise!:wink:

He is only 9 weeks old, please dont expect him to just be fine outside!!

He needs to be crated at night so as to be safe(for his own good and your peace of mind while you are sleeping) and to feel secure.
So crate him INSIDE, and know that he will need to be taken out to go potty at least once thru out the night(that is just the age that he is...) So set up a schedule, pick up water and dont feed him a while before he goes to bed(I do water 45min and food at least 1.5 hours.) Play with him, get him worn out just before bedtime, make sure he has done his duty out side, then you put him to bed, now remember before he came to you he was use to not being alone....so you put him in it, hopefully with a couple toys that he finds comforting, and cover most if not all of the crate. Now he is in bed, he might whimper, yowl, bark, etc for a little while....but once he understand that that is where he is staying he will settle down. HOWEVER, he is still a little baby, so will need to come out at LEAST once to go potty, so either in 3-4 hours or when/if he starts yowling again he needs to be quickly whisked outside, and either walked or taken on leash to where his potty spot is(I also use a "go" word with mine, so that if I take them out in the middle of the night I say "Go Potty!" in a happy/kind voice)once he has gone then he gets some mental stimulation and then you put him back in his crate, like its no big deal...again he might make a bit of a fuss but he will figure it out. This needs to be done either each time that he wake you up and doesnt just go right back to sleep, or at least once during the night when he is this young. 
Now something that you can do, if his crate wont be in the same room as sleeping humans, I suggest a radio on low with some soothing music....that tends to help pups who are getting use to this whole new being alone thing! 

But he REALLY needs to know his crate is a safe area, so when he is in it no matter what he is doing I do NOT suggest any kind of punishment AT ALL!! That needs to be his little area of solitude, and he will figure that out!
Right now, by throwing a bottle at him and "barking" at him you are just making the whole world a VERY scary place for him....which will come back and bite you in the rear if you dont nip it in the bud! You want a happy dog, who gladly goes to bed, his den, his crate....not one that is SUPER scared to go in the _cage_ because of what happens when he is in there!!

That is how I house/kennel train. 
This is ALL part of getting a puppy this young....that is just what you deal with, especially when their whole life gets turned upside down!

I will add more when I think of it, or if you have any more questions, or anything.....


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Please consider bringing your puppy inside. It is just harsh to leave a baby outside alone, and a puppy, is an infant dog.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I agree with what everyone is saying. How do you expect a 9 week old puppy to act? When I brought Ruby home she was 9 weeks old, I set her up in a nice crate with a toy from the breeder that had the smell of her mom and siblings on it, and a blanket I brought her home in so it had the smell of the breeders house too. I put the crate on my nightstand beside my bed. She had her face smushed up against the crate door for a whole week, and I had to face her aswell, with my face close to the crate so she wouldnt cry. I woke up every 3 hours to take her for a pee and played with her for about 15 minutes to make her sleepy again. After a week she started to understand her crate was a safe and comfortable place she could sleep in, and night by night she started to stretch out and didnt need my face right up to the crate with hers. Now, at night all I have to say it "bed time" and she happily runs to her crate and lays down in her bed. 

You cant expect a puppy to be perfect, especially with how you are treating him, throwing water and yelling. If you are not up for the responsibility that comes with owning a puppy, you should find a better home for him. That is no way for a puppy to be raised.


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

Suggestion: if the puppy can't sleep in the house with you, one of you should sleep in the doghouse with the puppy. Problem solved.


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

What research did you do before deciding to bring a weimaraner into your family? They are a breed that NEEDS to be with their people- even more so than most dogs. I highly recommend you find an appropriate home for this poor pup.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

A 9 week old baby should NOT be left outside. Doesn't matter what breed it is. Period.


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

Okay I'm a little confused. I cant see your actual post, just everyone elses?
From everyone elses poata I guess you're leaving your 9 week old puppy outside amd all he does is scream.
Personally...I wouldn't leave a pup that young outside at all. Hes crying because he is scared. Maybe bring him in the house and start with crate training until he is older and not as vulnerable to the outside?

(Can someone copy and paste the original post if you can see it please?)


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

ciaBrysh said:


> Okay I'm a little confused. I cant see your actual post, just everyone elses?
> From everyone elses poata I guess you're leaving your 9 week old puppy outside amd all he does is scream.
> Personally...I wouldn't leave a pup that young outside at all. Hes crying because he is scared. Maybe bring him in the house and start with crate training until he is older and not as vulnerable to the outside?
> 
> (Can someone copy and paste the original post if you can see it please?)


The orignial post was there a few hours ago when I read it, but she's editted it now after the responses from people regarding throwing water on their puppy... understandable responses, I think!

Basically, the pup is scared. Every dog is different, but it certainly sounds like this puppy is not dealing well with sleeping outside at such a young age. I think the crate training suggestions are very helpful, and will hopefully be the way the original poster choses to go.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I don't know anything about puppies, but I know one dog my brother saved from a next door neighbor. He saw him throw water all over his little dog out the back door, and she ran and hid in a shed.

So my brother stole her and named her "Shed" and gave her to me. 

As long as she lived, she was always a little skittish of certain things. I believe it was because she got cold water thrown on her in the winter, by someone she trusted. And I bet it wasn't the first time.

To even think of doing it to a little baby dog who was just torn away from his mother and put outside at night - hard to take. For sure.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

WOW.....really sad that the OP deleted her post. :frown:

Too bad that they couldnt handle the truth in the post that we all posted!:sad:
And I am kinda surprised that it isnt against forum rules to delete the first post....all the other forums Im on it is....but ah well I suppose!hwell:


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Looks like I missed the original post, but from the replies, I wouldnt be too happy since I have a weim of my own and know how attached they are to their families. I cant comprehend putting a dog in the kennel, let alone a puppy.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

It's not against the rules here to delete content from an original post, but it should be. I will inform the admin of the forum.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

That poor puppy...


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

so wait...I missed that part...the OP threw water on the puppy to make it be quiet??? Geez, I've heard of "come to jesus" moments, but leaving a 9 week old puppy outside..wet..in the middle of winter is just terrible...:tsk:


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

ciaBrysh said:


> so wait...I missed that part...the OP threw water on the puppy to make it be quiet??? Geez, I've heard of "come to jesus" moments, but leaving a 9 week old puppy outside..wet..*in the middle of winter *is just terrible...:tsk:


Just a side note, the OP is from Australia, so it is in fact summer here, but that is still not excuse (just less... barbaric, I suppose, in a sense that the puppy isnt wet in freezing cold conditions)... still in no way whatsoever an acceptable behavioural correction though, in my opinion!!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

"COme to Jesus Moments" are an absolutely insane idea, that comes from people with ZERO idea of dog training. 
Leaving a 9 week old puppy outside alone is a terrible idea. 
Throwing water on it... SAD.


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## ciaBrysh (Dec 16, 2011)

hmbutler said:


> Just a side not, the OP is from Australia, so it is in fact summer here, but that is still not excuse (just less... barbaric, I suppose, in a sense that the puppy isnt wet in freezing cold conditions)... still in no way whatsoever an acceptable behavioural correction though, in my opinion!!


Oh I didn't realize they were from Australia lol Still not okay though >.<


CorgiPaws said:


> "COme to Jesus Moments" are an absolutely insane idea, that comes from people with ZERO idea of dog training.
> Leaving a 9 week old puppy outside alone is a terrible idea.
> Throwing water on it... SAD.


^^ I do agree, I actually mentioned on a thread I just posted that I did that to my dog once when he was a bit younnger and nipped me in the face. Not something I will ever do again and even though he never did it again, I just don't feel the same as there are other ways that have worked with my other dog and were much easier and better for both of us.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

What is a 'come to jesus moment'?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

bridget246 said:


> What is a 'come to jesus moment'?


A beating they won't forget.


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

CorgiPaws said:


> A beating they won't forget.


Why would anyone do that to their dog? I couldn't imagine it ever being helpful.

Edit: I just wanted to add to this thread. Some people don't have the knowledge that most dog owners on this site have. The bashing went a little to far in my opinion. I get she poured water on the hound for howling. It was also recommend to me to calm down my dogs aggression. It back fired on me. Tried other ideas with equal rate of 0 success. I backed off and started to watch her a lot more with treats in my pocket. When she went played with her toy or went to sleep I would wake her up with a treat and praise. If she let me pet her I would reward that to because she usual wouldn't let me. My road started off very bumpy. I haven't found any quick easy fixes that doesn't lead to more problems later. The long road just seemed much shorter than any short cuts. 

The point of my little story is that I made mistakes. I took a lot of great ideas from this forum. I doubt I would have stayed if I had been given similar responses as the one the OP received.

Edit again: I suppose it was more of squirting water and shaking a can of coins. Both options only really excited her more. Crate for calming down and a few minutes of bathroom time if I couldn't get her under control. I never wanted to use the crate as punishment. It was advised to me to do so. I ignored it because I never wanted that link with crate being a punishment.


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

I've heard the term "come to jesus moment" mentioned in the horse world multiple times, but never associated with a beating.
In my experience with horses it is that moment where the horse and the handler/trainer have disagreed for so long that the horse has that "ah ha!" moment. 
I personally, have never liked or used that term, EVER. It's one of those things that I think too many people think that they can control. Like, how every customer that comes into my store with a dobe, rottie, pit, or shepherd needs a pinch collar and thinks they can use it correctly. Everyone thinks their dog needs to have that moment where they realize that their owner is the master of all, the giver and taker of life and they need to fully submit to everything that they wish at any moment.


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## bernadettelevis (Feb 2, 2011)

bridget246 said:


> Edit: I just wanted to add to this thread. Some people don't have the knowledge that most dog owners on this site have. The bashing went a little to far in my opinion.


No i don't think so. She got a Weimaraner puppy and she should have informed herself BEFORE she got the puppy. I feel so bad for that little baby. I can't imagine how scared it must be...

She probbly knew that the puppy couldn't stay inside (for whatever reasons) before she got it!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

bridget246 said:


> Why would anyone do that to their dog? I couldn't imagine it ever being helpful.
> 
> Edit: I just wanted to add to this thread. Some people don't have the knowledge that most dog owners on this site have. The bashing went a little to far in my opinion. I get she poured water on the hound for howling. It was also recommend to me to calm down my dogs aggression. It back fired on me. Tried other ideas with equal rate of 0 success. I backed off and started to watch her a lot more with treats in my pocket. When she went played with her toy or went to sleep I would wake her up with a treat and praise. If she let me pet her I would reward that to because she usual wouldn't let me. My road started off very bumpy. I haven't found any quick easy fixes that doesn't lead to more problems later. The long road just seemed much shorter than any short cuts.
> 
> ...





Huginn said:


> I've heard the term "come to jesus moment" mentioned in the horse world multiple times, but never associated with a beating.
> In my experience with horses it is that moment where the horse and the handler/trainer have disagreed for so long that the horse has that "ah ha!" moment.
> I personally, have never liked or used that term, EVER. It's one of those things that I think too many people think that they can control. Like, how every customer that comes into my store with a dobe, rottie, pit, or shepherd needs a pinch collar and thinks they can use it correctly. Everyone thinks there dog needs to have that moment where they realize that their owner is the master of all, the giver and taker of life and they need to fully submit to everything that wish at any moment.


I heard the term for the first time on another forum I lurked. The quotes describing it are posted here somewhere. It was a long dramatic thread tho, so I won't even take the time to look it up and link. I've never heard the phrase anywhere but there and what,they explain is plain abuse.

I think the posts were honest. Putting a 9 week old puppy, of a very socially dependent breed in an outdoor kennel and then proceeding to throw buckets of water on it for barking? How many ways can you sugar coat "that's terrible and you're totally destroying your dog with abusive ineffective techniques!"
"I'm sorry officer, I had no idea it was wrong to punch my kid in the face for being annoying."


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

yes, I've heard that term regarding children also. Not in a good way.

Whether you have one drop of knowledge about dogs, there's something called common sense. Throwing water on a dog is done out of anger and frustration because they are annoying you like hell, not because you don't have knowledge of what to do.

Personally, I hope the OP doesn't leave. I understand Bridget's point though - perhaps if we had all reacted more like DanaMama the OP would be more likely to stay and learn ways to help her puppy, not hurt it. Even when we are dead wrong it's hard to take tough criticism.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Totally off topic - X, you have another winner in your sig! Seriously, you could make greeting cards with those photos.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I think many times people are given bad advice on training some of it is down right abusive. Poor puppy sounds lonely and scared I say bring him in the house the first months of life are critical to your puppy some mistakes leave scars on a dog that they will not forget. Cuddle love and kiss that little puppy he will be a much better dog is he feels loved and secure.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

SpooOwner said:


> Totally off topic - X, you have another winner in your sig! Seriously, you could make greeting cards with those photos.


i wish I could take credit but they come from Team Weenie - I thought I had a link below the photo but I must have deleted it. So I added it back. I'm not that creative believe me.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Ha, Team Weenie! I love it! Anyway, sorry for going off-topic, but since the OP deleted his post anyway....


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

SpooOwner said:


> Ha, Team Weenie! I love it! Anyway, sorry for going off-topic, but since the OP deleted his post anyway....


I was wondering. I didn't see the original post so this one lost me! I looked all over for the original and couldn't find it. I think I'm glad I missed that one!


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

CorgiPaws said:


> I heard the term for the first time on another forum I lurked. The quotes describing it are posted here somewhere. It was a long dramatic thread tho, so I won't even take the time to look it up and link. I've never heard the phrase anywhere but there and what,they explain is plain abuse.
> 
> I think the posts were honest. Putting a 9 week old puppy, of a very socially dependent breed in an outdoor kennel and then proceeding to throw buckets of water on it for barking? How many ways can you sugar coat "that's terrible and you're totally destroying your dog with abusive ineffective techniques!"
> "I'm sorry officer, I had no idea it was wrong to punch my kid in the face for being annoying."


I agree that throwing water on a 9 week old puppy (or any age) is not acceptable. With a puppy that age if you have to resort to training techniques that are considered abusive, where are you going to go from there?


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## Mondo (Dec 20, 2011)

I don't know that throwing buckets of water on a dog is ever acceptable. Maybe I'm just a softie .. I've always chosen praise over punishment, and it's worked pretty good.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I do not think anyone was hard on the OP. Like mentioned this is common sense. The OP had even tried to downplay her husbands actions of throwing the jug of water at the puppy by saying he was frustrated but it worked and then went on to say she then did the same thing to the puppy the next evening.

This is abuse plain and simple and if I even had a clue of who the breeder was I would immediately be contacting them and letting them know the type of person the OP is. As a breeder and dog lover this thread just made my stomach turn.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

bridget246 said:


> What is a 'come to jesus moment'?


My only experience with that expression was last year when my Mom was dying and my oldest brother, and executor of her estate, wanted to have meeting with all 5 of us siblings to discuss her will. He called it a "Come to Jesus" meeting. (Mom, on her deathbed, wanted to amend her will...).

There were tears, anxiety, and difficult moments for sure... but we ended up all hugging each other before leaving the room.

So... in that context, I suppose it refers to just putting everything out in the open and shining a harsh light on it. And then there's the truth.

Other than that, in regards to the puppy, it maybe refers to having the puppy submit (to complete insanity, in this case...).


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yes, our posts were honest...and blunt...mine included. But guess what that accomplished? We wont ever know because she no longer wants to be a part of this community. I for one feel bad that I didn't take a 10 minute breather to calm myself before replying to her post because yes...my post was strongly worded, although full of information. 

How are we to truly help this puppy when the owner was bashed and beaten? Guaranteed the informative parts of our posts were overlooked because of the hurtful words in them, its hard to engage the brain and think logically when you are being dragged through the mud. 

Yes, I still consider throwing water on the puppy abuse. Don't get me wrong here...I just think the way we all responded should have been with a little more tact and respect so that Hillswei would actually listen and not shut down to what we have to say.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

What the heck I dont even see the post!


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

I don't understand how someone wants to bring home a puppy if they aren't going to be a part of a family. What is the point? Usually you want to bring the pup home, make sure it's warm and well protected from the elements of the harsh weather and treat it as you would as child in the beginning stages but laying a foundation of boundaries and trust. I really hope the pup is being cared for properly because they are so vulerable to diseases. For example what would happen if a raccoon or some other dog that has rabies or parvo came along? That puppy wouldn't have a standing chance. Their immunity is immature still at the early weeks of puppyhood. If you plan on leaving your pup outside and throwing water on the pup and not using the proper positive methods you don't deserve to have a dog. Honestly do us all a favor and bring the dog back. We don't need anymore dogs in the shelters that end up being put down because their owners never wanted to do things the right way. This puppy is not a wind up toy that you can play with then shut it up when you feel like it. Please have a heart and let someone else take care of it.

PS. I didnt see the post but I got the just of it.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Mondo said:


> I don't know that throwing buckets of water on a dog is ever acceptable.


Duke will tell you that it is totally acceptable... on a hot summers day, out on the back lawn, followed by zoomies all over the yard :lol:


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

umm, yeowch. I don't know exactly what the OP wrote but what I got was that they did something extremely ignorant in a stressful moment of frustration. Then realizing that what they were doing couldn't be the "best" possible solution to the situation, they come on here asking for help. Just to be "smacked down" (imo). Should they have know better? Yes, but everybody has their "stupid" moments.


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## hmbutler (Aug 4, 2011)

Celt said:


> umm, yeowch. I don't know exactly what the OP wrote but what I got was that they did something extremely ignorant in a stressful moment of frustration. Then realizing that what they were doing couldn't be the "best" possible solution to the situation, they come on here asking for help. Just to be "smacked down" (imo). Should they have know better? Yes, but everybody has their "stupid" moments.


I agree and also disagree. The original post said they were putting the puppy outside to sleep, and he would whine for around an hour or two. They had tried ignoring the puppy, which didn't work, so her husband threw water over the puppy to shut him up (and still left him outside) which stopped the whining for a while. She then also resorted to throwing water on the puppy when he would whine outside, but it hadn't stopped him from whining when he is first put outside (understandable). She justified the water punishment by saying they were frustrated, and so were the neighbours, but it wasnt helping. Hillswei then asked what else should they try.

I think it's understandable how some people reacted, but because of those reactions, it is also understandable that Hillswei probably felt vilified and hasn't been back on since. Suggestions to help solve the problem were given, and hopefully were read and taken into consideration, but these forums are full of passionate dog lovers, it hurts many people to consider a 9 week old puppy having water thrown over him at night, knowing that the puppy doesn't know what he's doing wrong. He's just a baby. If Hillswei didn't think what they did to their pup was considered wrong to many other dog owners (whether they themselves consider it wrong or not), then she does now. 

And while its hard to read things that are a blatant attack against you (even when they arent directly against you, but could refer to you and your circumstances), it's also educating if you read the advice properly. I, for one, have a completely new relationship with Duke since joining this forum. He was an outside dog, and I thought that was fine, coz it is honestly what almost everyone I personally know here in Australia does with their dogs. In most areas, the weather doesnt vary much so extreme weather isnt a problem, and I didn't even think about the psychological damage I could've been doing to my boy by having him outside when we were home. As a kid, I always had dogs and they were always living "mostly" outside, so it was what I knew. Since we moved into our new house, just shortly after joining this forum, Duke is inside whenever we are home (he is still outside when we are not home - we have a secure yard with a locked gate and very high fences, I guarantee with 99.99% certainty he will never get out, and no one else will get in), and both me and my husband have such better relationships with him now. But I only started to think and act this way after some very heated threads about chaining dogs and leaving them outside all the time. I spent a lot of time feeling attacked (even tho none of the comments were directed at me, and the people they were directed at kept their dog on a chain zip-line 24/7) and was quite hurt by some of it, but it's made me a better dog owner, I think.

Hopefully, Hillswei can look past the verbal attacks, and take out of this thread the advice that was given and hopefully it will lead to a better life for their puppy. If she wants to change their dogs lifestyle to solve the problem of him whining, but her husband doesn't, then maybe that's when she should look into whether or not keeping the puppy is in the puppy's best interests (I don't think it was right for people to immediately say things like "here's a solution - rehome the dog" coz that's not really helping at all).


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Good post Hayley.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Didn't see the original post either. But, by the end of page 2 I was ticked....just by reading the replies. Just had to get that off my chest. LOL. :twitch:


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

hmbutler said:


> I agree and also disagree. The original post said they were putting the puppy outside to sleep, and he would whine for around an hour or two. They had tried ignoring the puppy, which didn't work, so her husband threw water over the puppy to shut him up (and still left him outside) which stopped the whining for a while. She then also resorted to throwing water on the puppy when he would whine outside, but it hadn't stopped him from whining when he is first put outside (understandable). She justified the water punishment by saying they were frustrated, and so were the neighbours, but it wasnt helping. Hillswei then asked what else should they try.
> 
> I think it's understandable how some people reacted, but because of those reactions, it is also understandable that Hillswei probably felt vilified and hasn't been back on since. Suggestions to help solve the problem were given, and hopefully were read and taken into consideration, but these forums are full of passionate dog lovers, it hurts many people to consider a 9 week old puppy having water thrown over him at night, knowing that the puppy doesn't know what he's doing wrong. He's just a baby. If Hillswei didn't think what they did to their pup was considered wrong to many other dog owners (whether they themselves consider it wrong or not), then she does now.
> 
> And while its hard to read things that are a blatant attack against you (even when they arent directly against you, but could refer to you and your circumstances), it's also educating if you read the advice properly. I, for one, have a completely new relationship with Duke since joining this forum. He was an outside dog, and I thought that was fine, coz it is honestly what almost everyone I personally know here in Australia does with their dogs. In most areas, the weather doesnt vary much so extreme weather isnt a problem, and I didn't even think about the psychological damage I could've been doing to my boy by having him outside when we were home. As a kid, I always had dogs and they were always living "mostly" outside, so it was what I knew. Since we moved into our new house, just shortly after joining this forum, Duke is inside whenever we are home (he is still outside when we are not home - we have a secure yard with a locked gate and very high fences, I guarantee with 99.99% certainty he will never get out, and no one else will get in), and both me and my husband have such better relationships with him now. But I only started to think and act this way after some very heated threads about chaining dogs and leaving them outside all the time. I spent a lot of time feeling attacked (even tho none of the comments were directed at me, and the people they were directed at kept their dog on a chain zip-line 24/7) and was quite hurt by some of it, but it's made me a better dog owner, I think.


I just wish she would have been given more support. As you said, she may never come back here again. I wouldn't if I were her. Instead she will most likely get her advice from others who might be less knowledgeable about dogs. I don't think she came to the right place for support. The suggestions were way too spread out. Not everyone has the will power to look through so many verbal attacks. I just hope she does come back here and gives this place a second try. If she thought it may not be wrong then she is going to listen to whoever she finds more supportive. It is a human nature to look for advice through support. 

Raising a dog is hard and each dog is different. We all know that. That first mistake is just the beginning of more things to come. For her sake I would like her to find a place that doesn't rub her face into the mistakes she makes so much. Bad advice is all over the place. It is hard to know that a mistake is made until after the damage has been done. So just try to open up a little to those with less knowledge. I didn't read the first post but it didn't seem like she actually wanted to hurt the dogs. She came here looking for help.

Edit: It's like my vet was going to put Bridget on Hills or Royal Canine food to help with her stomach issues. The vet has years of training and sounds very knowledgeable. Without the proper support it is hard to realize what the vet is doing may not be in the best interest of the dog.


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