1st time dog owner, 1st time poster (on any site ever!)

[CusacksMom]

Hello, I'm Court. Parent to John Cusack Shell-Jones, though we just call him Cusack. He's a male Chihuahua born October 23,2010. He currently weighs 1lb 5ounces and we reside North of Atlanta. He's the 1st dog I've ever owned in my life and I'm 30. He's super spoiled and I am in WAY over my head. I found this site and hope some people will have good advice on how I can train my super indulged puppydoll. Its super important to me to do this myself. Some of the issues I'm having include crying all day and night until picked up I have attempted crate training but he would basically cry for an extended amount of time (much like a baby, and no there are no children in my home) which upset me cause I love him and hate to see him unhappy and so I have now given him his own bedroom full of toys and he still cries , chewing electrical cords though they have been sprayed with every concoction PetSmart has to deter such behaviour, I think we're doing well with potty training though I'm trying to pad train (yes I know everyone says its bad but its cold and he's wee itty bitty) he will urinate on pads but enjoys defacating on carpet I recently purchased a PottyPatch (told ya he's spoiled) and its been a God-send as he will go on this (yes pee and poo) but this product is not meant for travel. HELP! I'm scared I'm gonna roll over on him in my sleep as he sleeps with me so he won't cry all night and he sleeps right under me, I haven't slept a full night since he came home. Any advice for this 1st time pet owner is much needed and appreciated.

[shackybracky]

Hi Court welcome to the forum I'm a newbie here too and so far i've found it to be a great place to find help.

The first thing I would ask you to always remember is that you are Cusack's owner, not parent.

What is his daily routine? How long is he left on his own? Where do you feed him and at what times?

It's very easy and rewarding for us to pick them up and cuddle them and sooth them, especially when they appear upset, but it's beginning to cause problems for you both by sending him the wrong messages and it will only get worse unless you change some things. When he cries and you pick him up it teaches him that if he wants picking up or he's not happy about something, all he has to do is cry and you pick him up. He needs to learn that he doesn't gain anything by crying and that he gets cuddles when he's quiet. He needs to learn to be able to cope with life without you coming to rescue him each time.

What kind of training did you do with the crate? Having Cusack sleep in his crate on a night would be a much better option. Crate training has to be done at the dogs pace so that he enjoys going into it.

It sounds like Cusack sees you as the centre of his world and even a room full of toys is no substitution when you're gone.

[CusacksMom]

Cusack isn't left home alone much, someone is always in and out of my house (my brother, fiancee). I feed him beside his crate, which stays open in his room all the time 24/7. Because he's a Chi he's fed 5 small meals around the clock (of Science Diet small breed puppy formula is what I believe its called) daily. I feed him when I get up at 6am and we play as I get ready for work, he goes back in his room at 730am so I can leave for work. Between 11am and 12pm my brother comes and feeds him and they play for about an hour he has a squeaky flea, he loves it he likes to play "hide it from the brother" which I end up receiving multiple phone calls during this time stating he's under the sofa eating electrical cords and not to be surprised that its (my sofa) moved as my brother is spraying them with "no bite" spray AGAIN. I get home at 5pm and continue routine plus we go visiting friends who love to play and cuddle him. I get up in middle of night to feed him because so many books about Chis have me scared of hypoglycemia and as I myself am in healthcare I worry tremendously about his blood sugar dropping and him falling ill. I don't wake him to feed him. He is generally awake and crying when I go in to feed him.

With crate training I was told to place toys and treats in his crate and allow him to explore it then to start closing it for a few minutes increasing the amount of time he's closed in daily. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do as my dog howls and cries like he's been dropped in boiling water. From the 1st second to the last. We've never made it past 12 minutes.

[wvvdiup1]

Hello and welcome to the forums, CusacksMom!

[CoolDog]

Welcome aboard!