Crate Training Advice!! - Page 1

We welcomed a new addition to the family this 4 days ago. She is a gorgous black and red, 8 week old pup. Will add pics soon. From all I have read, crate training is the way to go. When we put her in the crate, she whines, howls and barks for about the first 45 minnutes, then quitens for a couple hours, then does it for another 45 min to an hour. Is this normal? Do we offer her a treat as she goes in the crate? And how long will it take for her to get used to it?? Taking any help and advice you can offer.  Thanx in advance.

Nallop First of all you have to make the crate a positive experience for her. Yes you should give her something to do (chew toy,kong stuffed with a treat, or bone) while she is in the crate. You should start off with short periods of time. If she is howling though, let her work it out before you let her back out. If you are using it for sleeping at night, it is a good idea to keep the crate in your room where you can talk to her , let her know she isn't alone or abandoned. Some take longer than others. My male likes to go and lay in a crate with the door open but hates being locked in it to this day and he is almost 4 years old. But he is the only dog I have had this way, most like their crate sooner than later. Just make it fun for her and she will be going in on her own before you know it.

Hope you dont mind differing opinion trailrider, but I NEVER talk to mine whilst they are in their crate, as this communication I personally find, excites them to want to getto the speaker.  I always give them their own space too, as its a lot for little puppies to be in the same room as people when he/she is expected to lay down and rest... things are going on to excite him.  I would NEVEr put the crate into the bedroom at night - I would put the crate in the puppys own familiar space and leave the puppy to rest during the night as well as yourselves.

Use the crate like you would use a babys cot.   i.e. own room, or own area where there is no disturbance, dont engage in conversation with the puppy whilst in there, NEVER leave open for puppys own use until he/she is an adult and doesnt need training to it, only get the puppy own when quiet, and again as with a baby, dont leave there for long periods during the day, but all night without fuss is ok.  Babiesd have toys in their cots for when they awake to play quietly with too.  Hope this helps  Mo - Mascani  

Nallop,

Patience----Patience-----Patience

Rome wasn't built in a day.

You need to feed your puppy in her crate, don't leave the food in there the
whole time, just feed puppy in crate,all the time, then let her outside to go.

My dogs did the same thing as pups, now everyone can't wait to run into
their crate, thinking they are going to be fed, also, sometimes two dogs
run into the same crate, and I have to actually coax one out.

And also, don't alow the whining in the crate to escalate to much,
tell her SHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....
and maybe put some quarters in a metal coffee can and shake at
the same time you say SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...
 

Good Luck, Puppies are WAY FUN!!!!!!

You have to try and ignore all the fuss she makes in the crate.  If you continue to let her out when she makes a fuss you are going to have a very hard time crate training her.

She is only 8 WEEKS OLD ..... if she has been quiet in her crate for SEVERAL hours and then begins whining SHE probably has to go to the bathroom and TRYING to let you know.  At 8 weeks she must be taken out to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours!Take her out to do her business immediately so she gets into the routine and use whatever word/spot and do it consistently.  Good luck... It will get better. 

Penny I guess it amounts to each their own. In this instance though, I meant when you are going to bed at night, so nothing would be going on.... well within reason . I have found when its dark and you can shhh the pup by saying "its OK - or no, go to sleep" they usually will settle right down and do so.  I would agree if you talk in a high pitch voice saying "whats the matter" or something similar, yeah they would get excited but if you use a normal tone with negatives they will get the drift. I personally hate listening to pups or babies cry. Half the time my kids slept with us too, but there comes a time, they grow up (kids & dogs) so I like making it as least traumatic on both of us!  I also don't leave pups crated all day, especially if they are crated at night. When they have to be crated they get something to do, like a bone, in the crate.

I always fed/watered my pups in their crates and used that as a storage place for their toys. They come to think of the crate as their personal turf, and they seem to like it. I always preferred the solid-walled crates because I find that the open ones tend to give the dogs a feeling of confinement without the den-like sense of security.

The howling and whining is perfectly normal for some dogs. I always ignored it, but as soon as the dog quieted down, I'd go and let her/him out. That way they don't form an association between making noise and getting attention. For higly alert dogs simply hushing them only gets them more wound up.

For a young pup, they shouldn't be in the crate very long at a stretch without a break to pee, be snuggled, and stretch their legs. As they get older, they can stay in for longer periods at a time. Still, crating should not make up the majority of the dog's time.

Whether to keep the crate in your room or not is a matter of personal choice. I prefer not to, beacuse I find at night having the pup in a quiet space helps them rest. If I'm reading with the light on, or watching TV it's harder for Puppy to settle down and get some rest. I generally put the crate in family spot that's quiet at night (like the kitchen or entry room) but has frequent traffic during the day. That way, when Puppy's kennel'd during the daytime she gets to see people, and still feels like she's part of the pack. I also like to find a place that the crate can be in long-term so that I don't have to move the den as they get older. That way, it's always the same safe-spot for the dog as they grow. That added sense of familiarity really seems to make them more comfortable. Dogs tend to dislike having their dens moved around.

I remember picking up Abigail at the airport and facing my first night.. lol  Picking her up, it sounded more like the Tazmanian Devil, rather than a sweet 8 week old puppy.  She was just as bad those first few nights, however it did get better.  I would say "Shhhhhhh, it's ok", and "Ni-Night" over & over.

When I left for work, who knows how bad it was?  LOL  Actually she wasn't crated very long during the day, when I leave my daughter is  home and took care of her, and when she'd go to work in the afternoon back in the crate she went. 

Then we bought another puppy 8 weeks later (crazy I know) and started all over again.  He was wonderful to "train", I think his breeder having already exposed him to a crate helped tremendously.  He'd whine a little but realized after reissurance he was ok and it was nappy time.

Today, they are 6 & 8 months old.  I still crate them, but it's not needed at night as they are both potty trained.  At night I say Ni-Night, and they both trot to the bedroom and lay on their respective dog beds.  When we leave for work I say "In your house", and in the crate they go.  I give them a dog biscuit when we leave as a treat which they always look forward to.

It does get better.. but the first week or so is a bit difficult.  It's just like having a baby.  If the baby learns by crying, you will come running and he/she will be picked up.. they will do that all the time for attention.  Dogs are the same, open the crate for a crying puppy and you will do it all the time.  Someone once told me owners need training, dogs don't.

Good luck!

I agree that you want to make the crate a POSITIVE experience.  I crate train all of my puppies and dogs.  Definately give them something to keep them occupied like someone mentioned already... i.e. a kong, toy, etc....  Kongs w/frozen peanut butter inside keep them busy for hours!!!  I also feed my dogs in their crates and before long they get the idea and run into their crates without asking them.  I've NEVER put them in their crates as punishment.  Yes, it's normal that they are at first going to whine, cry, howl, etc etc......best thing is to ignore them.  Eventually they will get the idea that they aren't going to get rewarded for it....too many people give in to this first step and feel "bad" for the puppies and let them out, little do they know is that they are rewarding that behavior.  And yes after a few hours after being quiet if they start getting restless and noisey it would be a good indication of having to go potty.  Also it's important to use a crate that is small when starting out.  Too many people buy the full sized crates that will fit them when they are full grown, but it's so easy for the dog to urinate or poop in the corner and then sleep on the opposite side.  The idea is that most dogs won't mess where they sleep and want to lay in it.  I like those large crates with the dividers, you can adjust the size as they grow....saves money!!  Any time that you are not watching your puppy (if he's not outside) he needs to be put up in the crate.  You don't want them to think it's okay to go potty in the house.  And if you catch them actually in the act of urinating or defecating in the house or within 5 seconds (any longer than that its pointess) ...I always make a LOUD noise "AH AH!!" and take them outside.  Never hit your dogs or rub their noses in it.  You don't want your pup to become afraid of you.  I don't even use the word "no" because you use that too much in your every day conversations. 

That's my experience.  I've tried tons of methods and this works the best for me.  Good luck!!!