Well, I gone and done it--got a black labrador to be a companion for approximately twelve years!
He's eleven weeks old, and things are going really well with early training commands and even housebreaking is proving not to be a huge issue.
But there's another issue--barking and whining when I'm not "around".
I have a defined space set up for the little guy, with a crate (no door), a "litter box" just in case, and the dog bowls. This is its own room, and is enclosed with a see-through baby gate.
The problem is, when I confine him and he's awake, he'll just whine and bark and complain. I live in an apartment complex, and yesterday I got a fairly sternly-worded note from some neighbor (somewhat cowardly--no name or number) asking me to do something about the noise or they would register a complaint. Needless to say, this has me stressed out and I'm trying not to let _my_ stress get to the dog.
This is only the second full day, so I probably just need to ride it out a bit (I know, he's a baby, everything is new, he'll act unpredicably, he's been ripped away from his mom and siblings and the humans he's been around for almost three months, but what do any of you who've been in this boat think is the best method? Ignore him (suggested by someone who has raised labs, but I tried that yesterday and it resulted in the complaint)? Startle him (can with coins, or a smack on the wall) when he barks? Just chill out today, Sunday, and spend time with him and worry about it on Monday when the other apartment dwellers are likely to be at work?
I'm going to work a lot from home this week to "ease in" to this, but I'm panicking about this barking and whining, and just don't know what to do.
Help, please!
Thanks in advance!