NO sleep till....

[Frank and Pippa]

So much grumpiness in the household right now. I need help. Pippa joined our family on July 3rd and I thought I did everything right introducing the crate to our young girl. I followed everything that was said about the start of crate training. I tried making it a positive environment .. Nice comfy bed... I fed her in there.. Wonderful treats etc. At night the place is dark and I have on relaxing doggie music. She is warm, fed/watered and has been relieved outside before bedtime. Cry cry whine and cry ALL night. She hates the crate.. hates it. I try to lead her there at night with a nice bit of liver (which she loves) but that doesn't work. She literally tries to hide when we are getting ready to go to bed. I usually have to guide her to it on a leash to go inside. I thought I was gaining ground this week because she was quite for most of the night..for 3 nights in a row. Last night? It was horrible. She cried and barked (mostly barking) all night. My 5 and 3 year old stayed awake because of it. Now I knew the challenges when I picked up Pippa and I committed myself (and the family) to them but I never experienced this when I have had pups in the past. Please, if you have some suggestions or solutions, I am opened to anything.

On a side note.. She also barks and whines in the crate whenever I am gone. I follow all the rules given to me by Doggie Dan for separation anxiety.

Thanks in advance

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Just a suggestion. Hurley never really liked the crate. When I stared letting him sleep on the bed he slept through the night.
When we first brought him home I put the crate on a stool by my side of the bed. When he fussed at night I would stick my hand in the crate and pet him a little. Then he would settle down. I gradually moved the crate further away from me and then to the floor. He quit whining but was still real restless. After a couple of weeks I realized he just did not like being in the crate so I let him sleep on the bed.

Good luck! Let us know what ends up working for you.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I would try using an Adaptil collar. We got ours from the vet, but you can buy them online, too. The collar releases pheromones (a "scent" that we can't smell) that mimics the scent of a nursing mother. We got one for Winnie the first week that we got her, and it worked like a charm. She was noticeably more content right away, and went from crying on and off all night to sleeping through the night the very first night that she wore it. We had her wear it 24/7 for about a month or so. I wouldn't bother with other "calming collars" that are on the market- they are cheaper than Adaptil, but don't work as well.

Winnie actually never really "liked" her kennel, either. But the Adaptil collar helped her to tolerate it, and helped us all get some sleep. Once she was potty trained, we gave the choice of where she wanted to sleep, and she chose our bed. :-)  And, since she was never a "chewer," the kennel wasn't needed when he left her home alone during the day.

Best wishes!

[Amy and Annabelle]

When I brought Annabelle home, my grandson's toddler bed was still in my bedroom from his sleepover the night before. I took off the mattress and put the crate on the bed frame. It put Annabelle at perfect height where she could see me and I could stick my hand in the cage to calm her down if she got fussy. Luckily it only lasted 2 nights before she finally quit crying during the night. I kept her on the bed frame for 5 or 6 months before I put the crate directly on the floor. By a year, she was just sleeping in bed with me.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

One of our dogs just couldn't be crated.  What worked for us was to put him up on the foot of our bed - he slept there for his whole life.  However, you could get an ex-pen and put the crate in it with the door open so that your puppy could choose to be in any area of the pen or in the crate.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

IMO - not all puppies do well in a crate.  Our first doodle came home crate-trained.  I had the crate near my side of the bed.  Second night he whimpered and neither of us could sleep, so I scooped him up and put him above my pillow - he slept through the night and we never looked back.  Our second doodle came home and he just got so hot in the crate whether it had a pad or not, but he had giardia and diarrhea so I had to think up something until the meds took effect  He is a "hot body" and you can feel the difference in body heat between these two dogs.  Beau was miserable in a crate.  I baby gated off our master bath, and put his crate in with the door open, he never once slept in his crate.  He slept through the night on the cool tile floor near the gate where he could see us - our bed was about 6 feet away.  You might try an ex-pen with just a little bed inside.  Good luck.  

[Jess]

I think it will get better in time
Try to train her during the day, when she's quiet give her a treat or good girl pets!

Our guy was in my play pen and he hated it, now he's in the crate every night all night but you just got her July 3rd. That wasn't to long ago

My first few months with Jack was rough. I cried, regretted it etc etc
Cuddling someone's puppy and training your own are defiantly different
on
Good luck!! I hope it works out soon

[gigi d]

When Graycie first came home to us we put her to sleep with the Snuggle Puppy that had the mimic of a heartbeat in it...didn't receive in time for her 1st night (which was horrible and she cried and cried!)...but had it by the 2nd and she was SOOOO much better.  Only needed the heartbeat for a couple weeks, then I stopped it b/c I didn't want to get stuck replacing batteries all the time LOL

She also sleeps in her crate in our bedroom....

During the day she is in an ex pen in the family room with an open crate inside it...she naps mostly out in the pen, but every now and then shifts positions and will go in the open crate....maybe you can try that option?