Does DAP(Dog Appeasing Pheromone) work?

[cloudcandy]

I want my puppy to whine less at night,she is a jack russel chihuahua mix and has been keeping me up!Its hard for us to ignore it since I live in flats and I cant have the neighbours being to disturbed!
Does DAP work for puppys?(She is 7/12 weeks old)
At the moment I have to get up at night 3/4 times between 11-5 am to hold her and show her/remind her how to use her toilet(inside her den) she then is fully energised at 5am so I normally bring her back to bed with me where she will happily sleep until 8-9pm with a toilet break inbetween?

 

[Dekka]

Dogs don't like to go where they live. So if your potty area is in the 'den' you are working against instinct and are setting your pup up to soil your home.

No idea on the DAP

 

[milos_mommy]

7 and 12 weeks is a big difference...is she 7 and a half weeks old, or between 7 and 12 weeks?

7 weeks is very young for a puppy, it's generally not recommended they leave their littermates and momma until at least 8 weeks. This could be part of the reason why she's having a hard time, if she's only 7 weeks old. I don't know anything about DAP. You can try a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, a ticking clock near her, etc. and like Dekka said, she won't want to potty nearby where she sleeps.

I've also found playing classical music helps my (older) anxious dogs calm down, it sounds silly but seems to really work.

 

[cloudcandy]

She's 7 and a half weeks old,turns 8 weeks on Saturday.I read a few article online that it may be best to take puppies at 7 week due to their fear imprinting stage starting at 8 weeks.Maybe its wrong?Maybe its right?I don't know,through my research I found it hard to make decisions as it seems the dog community are so 50/50 on certain things.
I'm going to change her den round as soon as I can find the space for her toilet...

 

[Dekka]

I am not offended by the 7 week thing. Esp with JRT or JRT mixes. The harder terriers can start fighting with their litter mates after 8 weeks.

I learnt that one the hard way.

 

[Laurelin]

DAP hasn't really worked for me but I've heard with others it has.

Is she crated? I would HIGHLY recommend Susan Garrett's crate games. The first part of it is on youtube:

YouTube - ‪Crate Games Part 1: Zelda 13 wks‬‏

Doing these will wear her out some and teach her that being in a crate is good.

 

[UniquityBelgians]

My vet recommends DAP. I have no personal experience with it though.

What is her "den" like? If it's a large space (like a big ex-pen) with lots of room to run around and something like a litter box (potty area??) I wouldn't be too worried about it teaching her to pee in the house later on.. But if it's a really small area, yes it might be a bad idea to let her potty in there. That's how puppies get 'dirty dog syndrome.' I've seen some puppies come from a bad breeder who crated them for too long; These puppies never learned to be clean and just soiled their crates all the time. Very distressing for the owners.
Maybe try to make her potty area a little more obvious as a potty area? What is she used to going on? Grass? Newspaper? Puppy pads? There are pads you can buy in the stores that have a scent designed to make the puppies feel the need to potty there. Maybe give something like that a try (personally I found my puppies would rather shred it and eat it lol). There are also those big patches of grass you can buy, specifically designed for dogs to use (again though you'll need a big area, not just a crate).

I've always heard that one of the best tricks for lonely nights is to put the puppy in an (appropriate sized) crate, and put the crate on the bed with you. One of my puppy owners from my last litter did this (she's been breeding for YEARS and swears by it). He was the naughty NOISY hellion of the litter, and within a week he was able to be crated quietly in the other room with the other dogs. Turning the radio on can help too, and there's always the theory about lettign the pup lay on something with the momma dog's scent.

I wouldn't be too worried about 7 weeks either; You are right, it's a legitimate theory about the 8 week fear period. Funny enough, all of my puppies go through their fear period at 7 weeks (so it seems), and I have to keep them until 8 weeks anyways (to do evaluations). I've always wondered if it's different between breeds or lines. Anyways it's not that much of a difference, I doubt you did any harm (though I certainly wouldn't recommend any earlier than that).

Good luck! If you get the DAP, let us know how it works, I'd be very curious.

 

[lizzybeth727]

We used DAP once in our kennel at work, and it didn't seem to do any good. But a kennel is very different than a home, so it's worth a shot.

You could also try lavender plug-in air fresheners. Lavender is supposed to be very calming.

A year or so ago I found DAP-type sprays at Petsmart. It was a line of products by Tamar Geller, I think. I used the spray on one particularly-stressed dog in our kennel, and it seemed to help a bit. So you could try that.

I've also mixed lemongrass tea in with a dog's kibble, that seemed to help. Oh, and valerian root suppliments.

I guess my point is, DAP may work and may not, but either way it's very expensive. There are lots of cheaper alternatives that may work just as well.

 

[cloudcandy]

Hey Guys,
I brought the Dap plug at a vets,apprently its useful to help puppies settle on more so we'll see.
Right now she has a cage/crate with a basket rull of blankets as a bes some floor covering(that came from her mothers and her food and water.This is in the kitchen,that is open plan onto our sottinfroom/bedroom where we sleep so she is close to us...ish.I took the toilet out of her cage last night and put it outside it.Idealy I would like to block of the kitchen area sk when I crate her at night and during the day she can still get out,sit in the sun,and rest and go toilet.But everything Ive tried to block her with jas not worked!!The gap is too large for a babygate thing so thats not an option.
I might try the bed crate idea,maybe a cardboard box,would o not have to place that buy or heads though?And would that not just encourage her to think shes head of pack?Atm if she sleeps in the bed she stays minimum below our shoulders but she prefers to be at our knee level.
i have a dog toilet thing(forgotten the.name)its got pretend grass on it.
we'll see how the DAP goes...its only day 1 X

 

[milos_mommy]

letting your dog sleep near your head isn't going to encourage her to think she's "the head of the pack", in fact, your dog probably isn't viewing you as part of her "pack" at all. Dogs don't comprehend the idea of "alpha" they only comprehend whether they're required to follow rules and what behavior is going to benefit them.

 

[cloudcandy]

I dont know if maybe everyone on this forum is off the same opinions or standings when it comes to to dogs but i swear everything I read is so 50/50.
"dont let your dog sleep in the bed,he'l think hes incharge" vs "No they wont"
Maybe its because the things I researched are different when put nto practice?"

 

[Moth]

My dogs have always slept with me and it has never been any trouble. Even with my pushy cocker spaniel it was fine. Watson loves cuddling up in the middle of the blankets touching both me and my BF.

 

[Dekka]

The trick with the internet is look at the source.

Its hard on forums to know who has lots of experience with lots of dogs vs the person who has only owned a couple of dogs their whole lives and not really done any training..

But the dog on bed thing is silly. You don't want a dog who guards the bed, that is bad. But Dekka and Kat sleep on my bed every night (often under the covers) and they have no desire to take over.

If you want some reading on the dominance myth with back up I wrote this on another forum a while back... I would copy and paste but would loose the links

Why you should forget the idea of dominance/pack theory as relates to you and your dog. Also why punishing bad behaviour is often worse than doing nothing. (as promised) : dogs

 

[Beanie]

The gap is too large for a babygate thing so thats not an option.

Baby gates come in all kinds of different sizes. A baby gate is still an option, but you will have to look for one that is larger. I see you're in London so this particular item isn't an option for you, but here's an example of one that expands a good deal. This is a 9 foot one.
GMI 108-Inch Keepsafe Expansion Baby and Pet Gate : Target

 

[milos_mommy]

There are a lot of myths about dog training...most of the things you see on TV are probably not accurate at all. There are tons and tons of different ideas about how to train and care for dogs, use common sense and what seems logical.

For example: Ask WHY would a dog think it was the leader of the "pack" if it was sleeping near your head? Even the guy who came up with the "dominance theory" has admitted he was incorrect, unfortunately the general public kind of ran with the idea, and it's hard for people to differentiate being a "leader" as in being consistent and firm, and using silly tricks to make the dog think you're "pack leader" like eating before it and walking in front of it and not letting it on furniture.

 

[cloudcandy]

Wow...ok.Its not like I wanted to dominate my dog but I just read it...and kinda believed it.I think loke most things,you just have to research and see how things apply to your life and dog.I dont really have a problem with the dog in my bed and ok once in a while,I just dont want her to get possesive over the area or...as she does now climbs up on it as she pleases!(do NOT ask HOW this teeny jackchi does this...its a mystery!!!)
So I moved her toilet out of her crate and bam..she went toilet where the toilet WAS :,(
Is javing the toilet outside the crate going to be a problem?
She used it once today,the rest was the floor or in the crate...doing!I've read your meant to say something loudly and take them to the toilet,infact u should make them walk to the toilet...problem being when icarry her over to the toilet she jist keeps peeing and by the time shes on the litter shes donw!!
i read u should make them walk to the looo,but how do i get her to get their whilst not peeing?
anddddd ONE more thing,she seems to like the lotter box...to the point where sje goes inside the crate gets some food and then eats it on the loo!!!whats that about!!she also drags her tous there!!!!

 

[Dekka]

The problem is she has started to learn to go where she sleeps. Hopefully she will fix this, as you don't want a dog who goes in their crates, thats just gross.

There is a sticky here (not sure where, maybe someone can link it) on how to house train your dog.

dogs form substrate preferences, they like to go on the same surfaces. Everytime your dog has an accident its like they are rewarded. Perhaps move her potty area as far away from her eating area. Also at meal times put her in her crate with her food and close the door, when she is done eating let her out, and take her to potty. That way she can't drag her food over, and puppies generally go to the bathroom after they eat.