Crate training - HELP!

[Marilyn Norberg]

Someone please help us with this crate training thing. Our "Irish" is only 8 weeks old and even though last night was only her 2nd night in the crate - she appears to absolutely hate it. She whined, barked and wimpered all last night. I've been trying the treat tricks, mealtime in the crate and leaving the door open but she doesn't like it. I'm beginning to think that maybe I should just leave the door open at night and lay plastic bags around her crate so I would know if she leaves the crate and that's all well and fine but what do I do when I have to leave the house for a few hours? I can't bear the thought of another sleepless night.........please help us! How long does it normally take for this crate training thing to work? Has anyone ever tried leaving a leash on their puppy and attaching the lease to be piece of furniture? We're willing to try anything at this point. Any suggestions, please!! Did I fail to mention that she also puked and "dumped" in the crate as well - and "no" her crate isn't too big for her!

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I wish I knew more about this subject but all I can tell you is what I did. Yankee cried and whined at night too. I layed on the floor beside the crate and put my fingers through the opening where he could touch them. He was OK after a few days and knew the routine. I only kept him in there for 3 months and he was so good I never put him back in.

Maybe just put him in the bathroom where it's easy to clean up. Give him toys. Have the crate in there open with a blanket with your smell on it. Either close the door or put a gate up. That's all I can offer.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Dogs by nature love their Dens ( aka homes to us humans). Make the crate cozy, small, and secure.
Block off only enough room so that Irish can turn around. This works not only as sense of security and potty training too.

We actually used a cat carrier until Spud could almost not move. He slept in the cat carrier that was placed on a chair beside my bed. He could see and hear us but he was safe while we slept. We would also be near enough to hear him wake up when he had to go right out during the night.

Place Irish's favorite toy in the crate and one bone to chew. Chewing sees to comfort them.
There are some stuffed animals that mimic the mothers heart beat if you can afford them

The puppy just needs to be near you and feel secure and he/she should adjust to the crate at night. I truly don;t like the leash on while you sleep. Others may have used this method and it worked... dunno?

[Debbie and Toby]

You could try putting Irish in the crate for a few minutes at a time during the day, stay right next to the crate and reassure her that she is Ok, and gradually extend the time that she is in there once she starts to do better with it. We also have found that Toby does better in the crate when we are not home if we leave the TV on for background noise. You could try using a radio next to the crate at night and turn the volume to a very low setting. You could also try putting a blanket in for her but I would watch very carefully to make sure she doesn't chew on it. Toby has a nylabone (one of the softer, rubbery ones) that is always in his crate. That keeps him busy while we are away, plus at night he will sometimes chew on it for a few minutes before he falls asleep. You also might try putting the crate right next to your bed, and hold your hand down to her so she can smell it while letting her know "it's ok". I know it seems like an endless situation right now, but it will get better. I think it might be some separation anxiety right now. Also, I would suggest putting the crate in whatever room you are in, leave the door open, and put some of her favorite toys and treats in occasionally, praise her whenever she goes in. Hopefully she will adjust to her new environment soon. Keep me posted. I know how hard it can be the first week or so, as we got Toby at 8 weeks, and I felt the same way, no sleep.... but after the first week things improved rather quickly, he was already sleeping about 4 - 6 hours at night the second week, and after that he started sleeping all night, accident free.

[Adina P]

Did you take puppy out at all that night? I would set your alarm to go off every 2 hours at night the first 1-2 nights...then less and less often.

Where is her crate located?

What is her feeding and water schedule?

Do you have earplugs? LOL =)

I hate to miss sleep...it makes me VERY grumpy...but if you can maybe trade night duty with someone else in the house every other night for the next week...maybe you can get through it okay.

I wouldn't use plastic bags...she may tear them up and chew and swallow pieces. If all else fails...you can move her crate to the kitchen or somewhere without carpet, leave the door open and put an exercise pen around the whole thing so she can come OUT of the crate but can't get free.

[Tammy & Gracie]

My Gracie was difficult as well. Your baby's stomach issues could be caused by the stress of moving from breeder/mommy to you or even just the stress of crying all night! Gracie would howl, scream, whine and cry for my attention in that crate! I used a wire crate, with the divider making her den small. I put the crate on a table level with my bed and put a dim nightlight in the room so I could peek at her to see if her cries needed attention or needed to be ignored. I could reach over and offer a comforting finger without even sitting up. More importantly, she could see and smell me. At that point she calmed down. It only took a night or two till she learned to sleep. She also had tummy upsets and until her digestive issues went away, we did have to get up and go out at least once a night. As soon as her tummy troubles passed, she began sleeping thru the night. I left her crate on the table for a few weeks, then I moved it to the floor across the room and all has been fine ever since. I agree with other comments, no leash, she can chew that in two. Also plastic probably will be chewed an eaten. You need to win this battle! Hang in there. She will be happier and especially SAFER if she is crated whenever unattended. You can do it!!!!

[pam]

I remember Ranger really having problems with the crate training too. But we did keep up with it, I knew I would be out at work for a block of time a few days a week and did not want to come home to any presents because of bordem. We too just kept at it, I remember having to say the words kennel up and then physically pushing him into the crate when I had to leave....he eventually got used to it. Now all I need to say is OK I have to go, and in he goes. Night time was a problem too, we finally purchased another small crate, kept it close to our bed and he was able to settle. he sleeps in our room often with his head up under the dust ruffle. He just likes to be close by when we are in the house and at sleeping time. he is now 2 years old, but oh how I remember the early crate training probs. Best to you hope you can endure your new lovely baby. I do not thiink I would leave her with a leash to the furniture, that could cause some real anxiety problems, or maybe have furniture fall on top of her, ouch....best to you

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

One thing that has always helped when I sold my litters of puppies, I would give them a baby blanket that all the puppies slept on the night before they left the nest. This made their new home like their old one with familiar smells. It really does work, if you can contact your breeder and drop off a baby blanket, get them to put a baby blanket in with the litter for a few mins to get their smells, put it in with your pup and it will help.

[Mommy2Max]

I would think all dogs are different but, I'll tell you what we did. Let me start off by telling you that the advice I got at the time by my vet and several pet stores was "let 'em cry."

We got Max at 7.5 weeks old. The first three evenings he slept in bed with us. Mainly because - I wanted him to know he was safe, I needed sleep and I didn't know any better. The fourth night, my husband slept downstairs on the sofa with the crate in front of the sofa. He stuck his hand in crate and Max slept on his fingers - LOL. The fifth night - he slept downstairs by himself without a problem. I have a wire crate covered with a blanket in a way that makes it den-like but promotes air circulation. At the time, I also lined the crate with inexpensive fleece blankets for those few accidents. I also placed a stuffed heartbeat toy in there for him. I think it helped. Kemp sells Snuggle Puppies @ the Doodle Country Store. I chose chocolate colored fleece blankets thinking it may make him feel more like his mom was there since Max is chocolate. I don't have a clue if that made any difference to Max or my crazy thinking but, that certainly isn't a necessity. Of course, I needed to get up several times a night to take him potty but, that weaned off as he got older.

Although, Max didn't cry at night much ( I think he cried one night when we tried crating him in our bedroom), he did cry during the day while I was home. I let him cry and he would go on for about 20-30 minutes. Then it would start up again. I never took him out when he cried. I figured a accident was better than teaching him crying would get him out of the crate. It stopped as the weeks went on. Every so often, if I'm upstairs getting ready, he'll throw out a yelp or two but, I still don't let him out unless I can watch him.

I hope that helps?!

~Danielle

[Kyoko]

I think I woke up every 2 hours or so when we first got Charlie. I kept - and still do - her crate in my bed room, so she can feel secure and I can easily get to her when she whimpered to go to potty. It was like having a newborn baby, and I was sleepy at work for a good while, plus it was during the snowy winter, so it was tough keep going outside in the middle of the night 2~ 3 times!! I also put her in a crate while she napped during the day, too. Now, she seems to relax more and sleep deeper in her crate than if she naps in our living room, dining room etc... Irish is just a tiny baby yet. It will be OK.... She may just miss being with her mom and her siblings... Charlie suckled on her stuffed piggy back then in her crate.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I guess I am very fortunate. I made Abby's crate really cozy and soft with thick blankets, threw in a shirt that I had worn (for my smell) I kept the crate by my bed so I could reach and stick my fingers through when she wimpered. If it was a whine more than a wimper I took her out to potty. She only needed to get up twice for 2 nights, once for night 3 and 4, and then slept happily through the night from then on. I didnt crate during the day preferring to keep her in a blocked off kitchen if I had to leave the house with all sorts of toys, treats, (special things she only gets when I have to leave like a kong filled with all natural peanut butter) and cozies to lay on.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

It is easier in the long run, I think, to just sleep by the crate the first night or two or even a week if necessary. Even if it means sleeping downstairs in a sleeping bag or on the couch. That way you will know if anything is wrong or she is just fussing. Try throwing a sheet over the crate, like you would a bird in a cage. That helps a lot of puppies. In the meantime put a towel in your bed, or under your head if you are on the couch and get it smelling nice like you. Put that in her crate for awhile. Clothes dryers turned on with no heat, a cd player or tv turned low, ticking clocks ( hard to find anymore) and toys that have a "heartbeat" designed especially for young puppies all seem to help. In the meantime keep feeding in the crate with the door open and use the crate in the daytime for puppy naps when you are sure Irish is really tired.. By the way, I love the name! using a leash tied to furniture is not such a good idea. Puppies can get into a lot of trouble with a fixed leash and collar while you are not looking, including choking to death.

[Sandy]

Hope things are improving! I can't really add anything new - just reiterate what has been said. We got Toby at 8 weeks. The first night his crate was in the kitchen, and he didn't make a peep. We think he must have been in shock somewhat, because he had volatile diarrhea all over the crate. Poor baby. The second night we put him in the crate again, but now he knew he was here to stay, and started to cry. My husband spent a lot of time laying on the kitchen floor beside the crate that night, and finally I brought Toby upstairs with us, in a box. He ended up in our bed for a while. That next morning we decided to purchase a second crate, and put it in our room. We put Toby to bed that night - not a sound. Turns out he just wanted to be near us. We also had a blanket that had been in with his siblings, and we put one of my husband's worn t-shirts in the crate as well. So we have two rather large dog crates in the house - one in the kitchen, and one in our bedroom, but that's what works for us.