Hey everyone!

I just got my 2 1/2 month old pup Champ 3 days ago...he is learning his designated potty training areas fairly quick. However I have some questions regarding training for other areas

1. When I first brought Champ home he was so nervous and scared of the new environment he wouldnt leave his crate...however nowadays it seems like he will do anything not to be in there and tries to sleep elsewhere in the house (i.e My bed)....Ive left treats in there and toys and he will just take them out and chill somewhere else. At night when Im going to sleep i put him in there with his toys and he will almost immediately start whining to which I ignore him til he falls asleep. I let him sleep with me around 7-8am on my bed. Is this the wrong approach in getting him to like the crate?

2. While Im happy with his progress in potty training I wanted to take advantage of teaching him basic commands like sit and lay. However Im having a hard time grabbing his attention long enough to start the process. He'll just plop down next to me or go somewhere else in the house. I use one type of treat specifically for the potty training so I dont want to mix that up. I purchased a bag of Zuke's Mini Naturals Peanut Butter flavor for training but he doesnt go to crazy for them. He will definitely eat them when I offer but it wont give him the drive to do something in order to get it!

Please help!

If you don't want him to sleep in your bed, don't ever let him sleep in your bed! Once he is used to sleeping in your bed he will always want to sleep in your bed. Plus, letting him in your bed won't make him like his crate. If the crate is where you want him, leave him there. The whining is normal and will subside if you don't give in.

However, if you only want to use the crate when you can't supervise, then just keep at it. It sounds like it is working well.

As for the training, at 2 1/2 months he won't have much of an attention span so you will only be able to get in about 5 -10 min training sessions. You will have to work up to longer sessions slowly. As for the treats, not all dogs are food motivated. If a different kind of treat is working for potty training then it may be that you need to look farther to find something else he likes. I don't think it is completely necessary to use a different reward for different types of behavior. I use the same treat for all training with no confusion. For Saphire . . . Treat = Good Behavior. Thats all she needs to know to do what she is supposed to do.

The thing is even when I try to say no or take him off the bed somehow he always ends up back on the bed. My room is also the coolest temperature in the house so when I am not home (my mom and sister usually are) Champ will just climb up on my bed.

Well then I guess you might have a new bed mate. On the brighter side when it gets cold you will have no trouble staying warm.

The issue is settled...I got to teach him fairly quickly that the bed and other furniture are unacceptable and that the crate is his place of sleeping at night :-) thank God he is a quick learner!