# Baci is Now Home



## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Just got Baci home! Visiting him for the past three weekends seems to have helped him know me and feel more comfortable. I'm off to play with him now. I'll post new pictures later


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Yay! Congrats - we're looking forward to seeing plenty of pics!


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

Yeah!!!!!


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

He's all tuckered out. I LOVE his personality!


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Hopefully this will upload too...


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

How sweet Baci looks in his picture - hope all is going well


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

How sweet…Enjoy your baby Baci!


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Oops. Double post.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

So far, so good! He's pottyed outside twice and played, played, played. He's sleeping in his pen while we eat dinner. Unfortunately, he's sleeping on the Piddle Place!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Congratulations! Hope you have a good first night.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

One of the cutest things he does is chase his tail. He actually catches it and circles in place a few times before letting it go. He also will flop down on our floor air conditioning grates and cover it completely with his body as if to say, "Hey! The house is leaking!"


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Napria said:


> Unfortunately, he's sleeping on the Piddle Place!


Rory did that too for a while :frusty:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What a cutie!


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

How was the first night?


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Deacon Blues said:


> How was the first night?


Bad. I got only 2 hours sleep. We had a series of thunderstorms, so even though I KNOW BETTER, I slept with him on the couch. I didn't want him to be scared and I didn't want to roll over on him. Stupid, stupid me.

Today we started crate training. Why am I not surprised he's not happy in there?


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

What a cutie pie! Daisy still insists on sleeping on her pee pad tray in her ex-pen and she's 8 mos. Sigh! :crazy:


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Napria said:


> Bad. I got only 2 hours sleep. We had a series of thunderstorms, so even though I KNOW BETTER, I slept with him on the couch. I didn't want him to be scared and I didn't want to roll over on him. Stupid, stupid me.
> 
> Today we started crate training. Why am I not surprised he's not happy in there?


The first few nights can be the roughest. The thunderstorms threw a bit of a wrench in the situation.

This video by Emily Larlham is about getting your puppy to like it's crate and/or pen. She's an international trainer, author, and lecturer, and is on YouTube with 106,000 subscribers. She's all positive training.






I didn't use it personally, but a lot of people swear by Susan Garrett's Crate Games DVD.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Thanks again, Gary. I put Baci in his crate last night and slept on an air mattress next to it last night. I'm not positive, but I think he used his Piddle Place last night. He actually stayed in the crate from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM this morning, with hardly any complaining. I took him out to potty and he did.

Tonight I'm going to put him in his crate and sleep around the corner from him on the couch in the living room. Monday night I'm planning to be in my own bed.


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## MiasMomma (Jun 14, 2015)

Baci is so cute and I love his name. 
Our Mia still lays on top of the AC vent, but only for a minute, very funny to watch her hair flying up! Beware, one time her name tag on her collar got caught in the grate and she was stuck. I was right there thankfully.
She has always slept in her (portable) crate at night where she can see me, elevated on a safe place. But also at night she is sleeping in her Xpen in our Kitchen area, happy either place but I want her close to where I am in case of any emergency. And JUST today, she fell asleep on the floor, during the day, OUT of her Xpen. She's so used to playing out of her Xpen, I guess she couldn't relax enough to fall asleep? She hasn't been in her Xpen at all today in fact! Wow. 5 Months old today too!


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## midwifeheather (Jan 30, 2015)

hes adorable!!!


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Short update: he's fine going into his crate at 9:00 PM and quietly going to sleep. I slept around the corner on the couch downstairs the night before last and upstairs in my own bed last night. Baci has been quiet all night. It's hard to tell if he's using his piddle place, but I put paper towels with his urine on it.

During the day we crate him while we eat (the crate is in the breakfast room, not far from my place at the table.) He's not crazy about that but tolerates it. If I crate him any other time he bark/whines nonstop. We're working on this, but my kids are having a hard time with it.


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## gelbergirl (Jun 9, 2007)

I would give him a kong with some peanut butter in there . . . or maybe his plastic set of keys if he has those . . and LOTS OF PRAISE for heading on into the crate.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Napria said:


> During the day we crate him while we eat (the crate is in the breakfast room, not far from my place at the table.) He's not crazy about that but tolerates it. If I crate him any other time he bark/whines nonstop. We're working on this, but my kids are having a hard time with it.


The hardest thing with daytime crating (or ex-pen, which I like better, as it's not SO confining) is that you ahve to absolutely, COMPLETELY, 100% ignore him, no matter what he does or what noise he makes. And it is really important that EVERYONE in the family does this. We weren't successful with this with Kodi when he was a puppy, because my kids were still at home, and just couldn't TOTALLY ignore him. Since one has now moved away, and the other is rarely home during the day, I have had a MUCH easier time getting Pixel used to day time ex-pen confinement when I have to be busy with something else. She doesn't LIKE it, but after a bit of muttering, she flops down in her little puffy bed with a huff, and waits quietly until I come back to get her.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

krandall said:


> The hardest thing with daytime crating (or ex-pen, which I like better, as it's not SO confining) is that you ahve to absolutely, COMPLETELY, 100% ignore him, no matter what he does or what noise he makes. And it is really important that EVERYONE in the family does this. We weren't successful with this with Kodi when he was a puppy, because my kids were still at home, and just couldn't TOTALLY ignore him. Since one has now moved away, and the other is rarely home during the day, I have had a MUCH easier time getting Pixel used to day time ex-pen confinement when I have to be busy with something else. She doesn't LIKE it, but after a bit of muttering, she flops down in her little puffy bed with a huff, and waits quietly until I come back to get her.


I remember this from crating my previous dogs, but my kids were too young to remember crate training the last dog and they weren't born yet when I had my previous dogs. It's so hard since my 18 year old son is autistic and my 17 year old daughter is very sensitive. But I will persevere!

The crating is going better today, but the housebreaking.... Ugh! It's just like potty training a toddler. It brings back those days of no diapers, but trying to anticipate getting the kids to the potty when they need to use it. I keep telling myself it should be better in a year, lol.

We're starting with basic commands today and had a fun game of "Baci COME!" He did very well and seemed to enjoy it. Now he's plum tuckered out


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What a cutie! Remember that an indoor potty option will make things WORLDS easier for you in terms of errorless potty training, and it is SUCH a nice thing to have a dog who will potty in an appropriate place indoors in bad weather. You can't do this with a big dog… it's one of the advantages we have with little ones!


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

krandall said:


> What a cutie! Remember that an indoor potty option will make things WORLDS easier for you in terms of errorless potty training, and it is SUCH a nice thing to have a dog who will potty in an appropriate place indoors in bad weather. You can't do this with a big dog&#8230; it's one of the advantages we have with little ones!


Thanks. We're smitten with him.

I'm not sure he's using the indoor potty. It's in his ex pen, but I can't really tell if he's using it for anything other than another place to lie down! Maybe I should keep that back gate in the ex pen up for easier access? But how can I tell if he's actually using the piddle place?


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Napria said:


> I'm not sure he's using the indoor potty. It's in his ex pen, but I can't really tell if he's using it for anything other than another place to lie down! Maybe I should keep that back gate in the ex pen up for easier access? But how can I tell if he's actually using the piddle place?


Ideally you witness him using it so you can reward it generously with treats and praise. The peed-on paper towel is helpful and yes, even a little piece of poop will help him understand. You might drain the Piddle Place into the toilet bowl and see what thou hath wrought.

Suzi here taught me the concept of "throwing a party" when the so their business in the appointed location so I have a little container of kibble right there.

Baci will figure it out soon. They're very clever. Rory will do "number 1" then come for her treat. Then she'll go do "number 2" and come back for a second treat.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Do you think I should take it out when he's out so there's better access to it?


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Napria said:


> Do you think I should take it out when he's out so there's better access to it?


I didn't during puppy phase because I didn't want to confuse her but I did use a little piece of wire to hold the pen door open when she was out so it wouldn't close and keep her from getting in when she needed to.


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## Napria (May 17, 2015)

Hooray! It was obvious he used the piddle place last night! Now if I could only get him to use it during the day when I'm watching.


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

Napria said:


> Hooray! It was obvious he used the piddle place last night! Now if I could only get him to use it during the day when I'm watching.


That's good progress!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Napria said:


> Thanks. We're smitten with him.
> 
> I'm not sure he's using the indoor potty. It's in his ex pen, but I can't really tell if he's using it for anything other than another place to lie down! Maybe I should keep that back gate in the ex pen up for easier access? But how can I tell if he's actually using the piddle place?


I haven't got a clue, as I've never used one.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Deacon Blues said:


> Ideally you witness him using it so you can reward it generously with treats and praise. The peed-on paper towel is helpful and yes, even a little piece of poop will help him understand.


Be careful with this, however, NEITHER of my dogs will us a litter box that has poop on it. They want a CLEAN box. A little pee smell doesn't seem to put them off, but poop in a box? Nope! Not using THAT dirty potty!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Napria said:


> Do you think I should take it out when he's out so there's better access to it?


One of the problems with the Piddle Place is that they are expensive enough that most people don't want multiples. IMO, puppies are errorless with less work if they can EASILY get to their potty. I have a litter box in m office, one in the bed room, one in the kitchen and one in Pixel's ex-pen&#8230; which are the only places Pixel is allowed to be without close supervision. In those areas, she is errorless. If I had to rely on her making it back into her ex-pen, she could have MUCH less freedom.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Deacon Blues said:


> I didn't during puppy phase because I didn't want to confuse her but I did use a little piece of wire to hold the pen door open when she was out so it wouldn't close and keep her from getting in when she needed to.


Also, wasn't Rory quite a bit older puppy when you got her? That makes a big difference too. Little puppies have a VERY short window between when they realize they need to go, and needing to get to the potty. Older puppies have a little longer period when they can "hold it".


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

krandall said:


> Be careful with this, however, NEITHER of my dogs will us a litter box that has poop on it. They want a CLEAN box. A little pee smell doesn't seem to put them off, but poop in a box? Nope! Not using THAT dirty potty!!!


Truffles will never use the litter box unless it is clean. I checked frequently so I won't find any surprises in front of the box!


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## Deacon Blues (Nov 22, 2013)

krandall said:


> Also, wasn't Rory quite a bit older puppy when you got her? That makes a big difference too. Little puppies have a VERY short window between when they realize they need to go, and needing to get to the potty. Older puppies have a little longer period when they can "hold it".


Rory was 6 months but I swear she had a bladder the size of a thimble. And yes, I don't let anything accumulate on the Piddle Place, more for me than for her.

This is probably extreme but you all know that I'm a little OCD, so I have 4 of the green turf tops, and I'll rotate a clean one onto the base. I hose them off in the yard and they dry draped over a patio fence. And nobody needs 4 BTW.


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