New puppy hates the crate!!!!

[Eva]

Got the new puppy this morning.  Tested the crate a few times through out the day and it's been a nightmare!  Now it's been the longest test, 45 min in the crate in the bedroom where he can see me and he's been barking non-stop the entire time and very loudly too!!!  I have a nice fluffy teddy bear in there but he just wants out of the crate.  What do I do???!!!!  Do I let him sleep with me the first night?  I don't want to since he's only 8 wks old.  I don't think I can take much more of this barking though :(

[Pat and Traveler]

I got Traveler on Christmas eve, 2009, when I hadn't really expected to get him.  I didn't have a crate, so he slept in my room that night, with a couple or three trips outside in the darktime.  Next day, being Christmas, no stores open, so no crate.  For the third night, I'd gotten an x-pen, or puppy pen, and set that up in the kitchen.  I didn't hook the ends of the pen together, just tucked them into a corner.  After all, he was just a 10 pound pup, right?  He was so hysterical about being alone in the kitchen that he actually scooted the pen across the floor, got out, put his nose into a little opening in some pocket doors and managed to get them open too and made his way back into my room.  He was so worn out and upset after that effort that he did those little after-sob hiccups for about half an hour, while curled up on his blanket on the carpet by the bed.  He's been uncrated and in my room at night ever since.  :)  

[Gayle Miller]

This is the most adorable story....it could be a Disney shoot!  Thank you for sharing!  I'll bet he's quite the loyal companion!

[Daelene & Molly]

We got Molly the 13th of February, she was so cute and adorable that we let her sleep in bed with us.  That was all well and good for the first couple of weeks but then she learned how to jump off of the bed, and we could not have her wandering the house.  We put her into a travel crate the following night and she cried all night.  I read your post and one of the suggestions about putting the crate into our bedroom which we did and to quiet her down I poked my  fingers through the door.  It WORKED ♥  She now sleeps in her crate next to our bed no crying until she has to go potty in the morning.  I hope you have found a remedy to your puppy crate problem.  Every dog is different, we have a lab that slept in his crate from the moment he came home without one peep.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Rosey would not crate.  We tried and tried and she was more nervous in the crate than out.  She pooped in the crate several times and would get so upset I got more nervous with her being in it than out of it.  So we took her in our bed and at 7 months old she decided she was done with that and now sleeps in her dog bed everynight.  Bandit was an easy crater and will still go in by choice.  I think some dogs just won't do it.  Can you confine him a room with gates instead?

[AZ]

Tough love is best.  Make going to crate as positive as you can..  ie: talk in a sweet voice, good puppy, etc...  It is loud at first but it will get better...

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We did the fingers through the crate door for the first little while, but EVERY time she quieted down we said "good puppy" in a really quiet, happy voice.  She eventually got the idea (I think by about the 2nd night actually) that crying for no reason was going to get her nowhere, but crying when she had to pee would get her out of the crate.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

To add to what I said... I think it's safe to say Luna is comfy in her crate now :p

 

[Gayle Miller]

It seems Luna may now retire to the crate without crying.  I'm anxiously awaiting a puppy by mid July as the pregnancy was just confirmed with puppipes expected in mid May.  This will not be my 1st dog and I do agree that each pup can be different.  Because it's been years since I've had a puppy, I'm preparing for this arrival as if it were my first born!  I read from cover-to-cover a book entitled "The art of raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete.  Someone who owns 2 labradoodles recommended this book to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you're training style is positive reinforcement.  A suggestion made in the book for a crying pup was #1 NEVER let it out when it is crying as this will only reinforce the crying in the future.  #2 Cover 3-sides of the crate with a sheet or blanket so the pup will feel safe and secure. #3 If continues to cry, cover the entire crate, then give a firm shake to the crate while saying in a stern voice, "No".  The pup will not know where the shake came from (because you'd never want the pup to associate you with the negative shake" and more often than not, this will quiet the pup.  #4 It was suggested (as  many of you) that the first couple of nights, it might be helpful to lie close to the crate and poke your fingers in it every now and then.  This usually calms the pup down.  I hope these suggestions help.  I've now purchased their 2nd book, How to be your Dog's Best Friend" and am devouring it's contents as well!  Great books...just an fyi!

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I agree, I read that book and thought it was super helpful. I followed a lot of the advice here on this string and my puppy is much better with the crate. She doesn't love it, but she accepts it, and usually goes in, albeit reluctantly, on her own with a little encouragement. She sleeps all night, without a peep, and she's only 12 weeks. She doesn't cry anymore when I go out during the day. She's a good girl.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Darwin whimpered and occasionally barked for the first night. Whimpered only for the second, and only occasionally whimpered on the third. After that he was quiet all night and just let us know when he needed out in the morning. Now we have to wake him up, he sleeps a lot! It just takes consistency and time, but it will get better!

I agree with the advice here. Do not take the puppy out of the crate while it's crying. That will tell them that if they bark/whine, they get out. Put treats, toys, or a peanut butter filled kong in the crate with them. Another thing I did was kept tasty things in the crate and left the door open during the day. He would wander in and out looking for treats, and eventually started napping in there. I think leaving it open during the day is important because they are able to wander in and out on their own. Then at night, they are more comfortable being shut in because they are more familiar with the crate.

We also turned on a fan right next to his crate. It wasn't pointing in, it was just next to it. We felt the white noise might help him not be distracted by all of the outside noises (we live in an apt complex). It worked very well. This might help if the sounds of you turning, outside noises etc. are distracting for your pup.

 

Don't worry, it will all get better! :-) Darwin is old enough to be left out on his own, but he loves his crate so much that we still use it. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have to say I am in the minority here on what we did with our Vern. When we got Fudge, I put the crate right next to my side of the bed. I put treats in at night and also a Snuggie Puppy. If she whined or cried, I just reached over and put my fingers through the side and it soothed her and she went back to sleep. I also put something in I was wearing that day. We did not crate her that long at night and eventually I started leaving the door open and sometimes she stayed in and sometimes slept on the floor. Where we put the crate was in a corner and IMO, she got very hot at night and just did better out of the crate when she was a little older. She seemed to get up about 4:00 am every morning and after we took her out, I allowed her in bed with us to snuggle. This worked for us, but I would caution you not to start something you don't want to do in the future.

For Vern, it was totally different. He had a little tougher time when we brought him home and is far more sensitive than Fudge. I did let him sleep with us the first night. We all piled in, Fudge, Vern, my DH and me. I did not even try crating the first night. On the second night, same scenario as Fudge and he did great. I did not crate him long either and neither of my dogs has ever had ONE accident at night. Vern likes his crate and I will find him in it from time to time during the day. Fudge never. Both dogs prefer the floor at night, even in the winter. Every dog is different. Just decide ahead of time what you want long term and stick with it. Good luck!!!

[Pam & Trixie]

We just had our 1st night on Saturday.  We both wore ear plugs...Although that did not help much. ( I could still hear the rain)  She cried for 2 hours- very loud.  We just let her be.  No reassuring her- to make her think the crying was ok.   

Each time we got up with her to let her out...She would then cry again for about 10-15 minutes.

 

last night was much better.  She only cried for 10 minutes & it was more of a Wimper.