We have a new puppy. (8 weeks) She is *very* vocal. Talks when she's
playing, cuddling, excited. She's healthy. Well socialized. We have a 10
year old spayed female Rat Terrier and a 7 month old Boston (also spayed).
The old dog could care less if we have no dogs or a hundred dogs around
here. She is a non-issue. The Boston is tickled pink to have a playmate,
she plays well, nothing aggressive and lots of wiggling and acrobatics,
zoomies, etc. The puppy loves to play with the Boston and they are constant
companions. All three dogs sleep with us. The puppy does well, we get up
in the middle of the night to walk her. The pup, btw, is a Boston/Rat mix,
but not related to either of the two dogs.
As long as the pup can be within a few feet of us, she is happy. Doing
anything and everything involves being with sight of us. Mostly me. (I
guess I am the mother figure, my husband will suffice in a pinch, but all
the dogs look to me mostly) I work at home, in a building 35 feet behind my
house. The dogs have a run adjacent to the building. The two older dogs
love it. If the weather is bad or I leave the property, everyone goes
inside. The two younger dogs get crated. I never leave for more than an
hour or two. I put treats, stuffed kongs, a variety of stimulus in the
crates.
The pup screams 100% of the time. When I leave, she screams. When I come
home, she screams. And when I say scream, I mean scream. Not just puppy
mumbling under her breath, but big decibel screaming. She is off the chart
in her vocalizations.
If I take her out of the run, when she's noisy, I am rewarding undesirable
behavior...right? If I take her out of her crate when she's screaming, I'm
rewarding bad behavior....right? If I were to squirt her with the water
hose when she gets noisy, I am out there constantly.
The run has a dog house, a "balcony" that the pup can easily maneuver up and
down. Lots of toys, visibility to see out. Fresh water all the time,
interaction with us, just going back and forth from shop to house. We stop
for skritches, treats, etc. Company comes over and we even give our friends
treats to keep in their car to treat the dogs when they stop in.
I am pulling my hair out over the noisy pup. Otherwise, she is good as
gold. Housebreaking is going very well. She goes for her first puppy
visit, but has been seen by the vet as I go to pick up supplies and food for
the dogs (I take her with me) and the staff and vet all chat and visit.
Her earsplitting screams get to me, I can imagine what my neighbors
think...that I must be stepping on her toes. I maintain good neighbor
policies, and always ask the neighbors if the dogs ever bother them to let
me know.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
Perry