Longer Post (moving and a lot of changes for puppy)

I'd like to go ahead and state that this post might be lengthy, and a lot will be packed into it. I think it will be easiest to list my questions and then some of the background info (I'll try to break it up into relevant parts pertaining to my questions) :

1. Should I begin crate training my dog?
2. How can I get him to stop barking for attention/when someone enters the home?
3. Tips to get him to start pooing on a peewee pad
4. What are things I should be prepared for with the upcoming move and drastic changes?
5. Tips on long car rides (upwards of 13 hours) 4-5 times a year.

Info about my puppy:
Name: Nixon
Age: 2.5 years old
Breed: Yorkshire Terrier

Current Living Space:
I've had Nixon for two and a half years. I was a full time college student, did not live at home (where Nixon lives), and was extremely active in extracurriculars (I would make several trips to my home where Nixon lives throughout the week). Nixon has been with our 3 year old Shih Tzu, Mattie, since we brought him home. They stay in a large bathroom connected a small sitting room.

Bathroom:
We live in NorthEast TN with a lot of land, but no fencing. We typically take the dogs out in the early morning, use pee-wee pads during the day, and let them run around our screened in porch for around an hour in the evening. Nixon pees on the pee-wee pads around 90% of the time, but will not poo on them.

Attention/Barking:
Nixon is also used to not seeing me all the time. When he 0.5-1.5 he would maybe see me three-six times a week. My mom or my sister were usually the ones to see him. From 1.5 until now (2.5) he sees me pretty much daily, I'm usually the one feeding him in the evening, walking him, letting him outside, and definitely giving him the most attention. However, over the past two months or so he has started to bark constantly after I've played with him for about half an hour or so, go for a long walk, or take him to a friend's house. It seems like he's been getting much more attention from me, and is barking because he wants more. He also is very noisy whenever someone comes home. Our Shih Tzu he stays with always starts barking first when someone comes in and Nixon follows suit.

The Future and Why I am on this Forum:
Soon Nixon will be going through some drastic changes, and they are ones that I cannot prevent. I will be going to law school and moving into an apartment in Miami, FL. I'll be bringing Nixon, and I am worried about the questions I brought up in the beginning. He will be in a small apartment, and depending on how he does he might have to be put up in my room (with a doggie gate) during the day until I can get home from school (he already stays in a large bathroom connected to a sitting room with a doggie gate).

Some of my biggest concerns are:
-breaking him from his new hobby of barking for attention -barking when someone enters the home (apartments have neighbors)
-13 hour car rides (4-5 trips per year)
-not pooing on pee-wee pad (like I said he is good about peeing on them)
-dealing with the separation from out Shih Tzu
-dealing with a brand new environment
-not seeing familiar faces of my mom and sister
-not seeing me from potentially anywhere between 4-7 hours during the day

Should I look into crate training and is it something that might help ease him into the changes?

I still have 3/4 months before moving so there is some time to start training him or making accommodations so that he can start getting used to changes.

*** Sorry for all the information, it was just a lot of questions and I wanted to provide as much background information as possible. I am looking for really solid advice and hope that all the details I have provided can help achieve that. I am sure some people might give advice on giving him away or leaving him at home neither of which I will do: Nixon has to come with me (my sister is moving for college and mom does not have the time to take care of him full time with her job). Giving him away is not an option, and that may be selfish but I love the little guy and he is genuinely one of my best friends. It's just not something I am willing to do, and I do not care how much of an effort someone puts into telling me to do it. I will do everything I can to ensure he is healthy and loved, but I will not make a decision to give him away without making every attempt first.

Crates are for oranges and apples, not dogs. My dogs slept in my bed on the first night they were in my home, they were 10 weeks and almost 8 weeks. If you want to keep an animal in a cage, please get a stuffed one.

People keep their animals in cages, then wonder why they bark and cause problems. Sheesh

NickyAnn that wasn't really a helpful reply, there is nothing wrong with cages/crates if used correctly and the dog isn't in it for hours. Saying that my dog sleeps in his cage so is in it for hours at night. He's in it when I go out and leave him in the house for a couple of hours to keep him safe in case he decides to chew on cables or something.

brohan1097

1. you could start crate training as crates come in useful for lots of reasons

2. Can't help you there as my dog goes crazy when anyone comes in. I know what to do as I've googled on this but as I have customers coming to my door I can't keep them there waiting while I train the dog lol but your circumstances are probably different so you would have the time. You should start now. As there are no other replies, search the forum re the training or google also videos on youtube.

3. Never used pads, again look up how to train the dog

4. Really it depends on the dog. Never been in your situtation as when I've moved I've always worked from home and so the dog's never been left on his/her own. Some dogs adapt better than others. If he's used to having company all day though then he might not be happy being left on his own so you would have to start slowly with short times and build it up.

5. Long car rides I would think as long as you had lots of breaks and he's happy to be riding in a car he should be fine and hopefully sleep a lot of the time.

Once you move it would be better if you had a few weeks at home with him getting him used to you going out for shorter times than moving and suddenly two days later expecting him to stay on his own for hours.

Sorry if I've not been much help but I'm not a trainer so rely on this site or google for answers to my training needs.

Why do my dogs not need either crates, or leashes? What is the correct use of a CAGE, call it a crate or a container or a habitat, it's a CAGE. Zoos no longer use them, they are antique and create disabled animals. The real question to ask is why do you need a cage in the first place? The answer reveals what a trainer does not know about training.

I too was against cages a few years ago but I have one to keep my dog safe so he didn't chew cables and electrocute himself when I wasn't around. He loves his cage as did my last dog who slept in one although the door was never closed on hers. It's their own personal space where no one bothers them when in it, it's their little den. Mine comes and goes into his cage at will, it is not some tiny little box that's he's shoved into, plenty of space for him to do his own thing so is never likely to become disabled using it.

I also use a leash, again to keep my dog safe. Whoopee doo for you being the great trainer if you don't use either, hope you live out in the sticks and aren't in a city when you take your dog/s for a walk.

How would you like to live in a cage to be safe, and be walked on a leash for safety. Seriously, you can come over here and crawl into a cage to sleep and be safe for the 9 hours a day that I am away everyday, then we can go for a walk around the block and you can heel like a good person.

Do you really think that any dog benefits from that life?

None of these photos happen if a leash is used. https://www.flickr.com/photos/136279...57665522956944

a 2.5 year old animal is not a puppy, this is a full grown dog, that should not be treated as a puppy would. So and I am not trying to be rude here, but if you are treating a 2.5 year old dog to defecate on a weewee pad, there is a serious problem. In fact I have never heard of a 2.5 year old dog using a weewee pad. This is 2.25 years gone on too long, the sad thing is that problems that are allowed to happen for this long often can not be fixed.

Wow I'm surprised at sweeping statements NickyAnn
Like 1CuteDog safety of my dogs is top priority whether that be on a lead or a short time in a crate so be it
Fairly recently one of my dogs sustained an injury which ment 12/14 weeks crate rest only short lead walks had he not been introduced to a crate he could have done himself more damage And NO he wasn't crated for hours n hours on end
I'd be very interested to know how you'd react if your dog was in a similar situation
Having looked at your pics I'm presuming your dogs are being worked with gps collars? Why the need are they working so far out that you can't control them
It obvious we'd not agree on the use of crates /collars /leads but there again i'm not a dog training guru

My dog doesn't live in a cage because unlike your dog being left for 9 hours a day I am with my dog always except for a few occasions when he is left while I go shopping. My dog is also not always walked on a leash, but definitely when we are in town beside traffic to keep him safe.

Are those shock collars on your dogs?

Actually I have no need for GPS, the collars are beeper and vibrator collars used to steer and bring the dogs back on command, GPS collars are almost never needed on shorthairs, they are reserved typically for hounds that range much farther. As for crates, I do not own one, never have, and never will. Just answer the question, how would you like to spend all day in a closet that you could barely turn around in? This is inhumane, and dogs that live this way will have problems with mobility that can actually cause more injuries. The OP ask about crate training, and since their dog is 2.5 years old and evidentially not trained to do much of anything, I would throw the crate out and start over, by loving the dog instead of protecting it by locking it away where it can not move.

Have you ever seen the crates that dogs on puppy farms live in? Are they happy