crate training advice

[Nancy Sweet]

I have a 9 week old doodle that just came home yesterday. He hates his crate and cries endlessly when I put him in it. I am hoping he will adjust, but I really hate listening to him cry. I would appreciate any advice.

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

When you bring a baby home from the hospital and you put it in the crib do you pick it up every time it cries, it's just as hard with a new puppy. You need to make the puppy feel like the crate is their new home, a safe place they want to be when not with you. They have comfort toys you can purchase over the internet and pet stores that remind your pup of being with it's Mom and litter mates. Also when your pup starts to cry I would give him a "SHHHHHH" or "Quiet", when he stops tell him good boy and let him be. You probably would get the same reaction from him if you set up a gated area or pen and he couldn't be out running around and possibly getting into trouble. It will also take him a few days to get use to his new crate and invorment, at night time try and set up his crate next to your bed so he knows your there...relax it won't last forever.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Nancy,
We have 2 Doodles and I fostered a 3rd. My oldest, Samantha, 18 months old came from a pet store. She hated her crate. At 4 months she was allowed to sleep upstairs in our bedroom with the door closed. She never had an accident. We put the crate in the basement. BIG MISTAKE! If GF that she ever had to spend the night at the vet or wherever and needed to be in a crate she would be absolutely miserable. I tried a couple of months ago to retrain her to the crate and she wouldn't go into my den where the crate was! She was having no part of it!

Mickey, our foster, came from a PM and a shelter. Between the 2 he lived 'behind bars' for 4.5 months (he is only 6 months and 1 week old today). Needless to say he cried in the crate every night - a little less each one but still cried. It broke our hearts. The month he lived here he went into the crate every night.

Charli, our new little girl, also came from a PM to a rescue when she was 9 weeks old. She came to live with us a week later and now is 12 weeks old. She sleeps in the crate every night and does cry but not for long anymore. She doesn't like it but it is the best for her in the long run.

I have a routine for bedtime - I take about 10 minutes before bedtime (and after the last Pee run) to sit quietly with her, snuggle and talk very quietly, if at all. She falls asleep. I then put her in the crate, spend a couple of minutes stroking her and then close the door and leave. Once I leave I do not go back in for any reason. Since she is in my den and can see the kitchen, I leave the light on above the stove. Within a few minutes I no longer hear her.

Take from my story that the crate is really a necessary thing. You just never know when.
Make a bedtime routine and stick with it.
Turn on the TV or some music and ignore the crying. It will get better!

Good luck! Keep me posted on how it goes.

[Adina P]

It's extremely normal for a new young puppy to cry in their crate. Most get over it within a week and adjust just fine, some take longer to learn to accept the crate.

What worked for me and a few others who were having this trouble, is at night time keep the crate with you in the bedroom. Puppy is young and lonely and wants the comfort of his people nearby. Once he learns to consider his crate a safe and happy place you can always transition the crate to another room of the house. Leave a dirty-ish tee shirt of yours with him in the crate so he has your scent by him too.

During the day feed all his meals in his crate, and in between meals toss in amazingly delicious treats (he has to be the judge of delicious) for him to chase into his crate (with the door open so he can come out again)...make it a fun event for him to go to his crate and teach him a verbal cue like "crate up" or "go to your crate" -- practice that LOTS when you do NOT need him to do it so when you DO want him to obey it will be automatic.

In the meantime, know it will most likely get better. My pup cried in his crate initially too..but grew to accept it very well.

[Adina P]

Here are some past discussions on this issue you might find useful:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/crying-puppy-please-help-im

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/update-on-crying-puppy

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/crate-training-question

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

Most puppies will cry for a few days. Try putting something you have worn in it with the puppy. On the other hand, I have a 14 week old puppy who I could NOT crate train. He cried for 3 weeks and I couldn't lose any more sleep so I gave up.

[cheryl & oliver]

Hi Nancy, I feel for you I really do, we had a terrible time with Ollie, he cried and carried on every night for what felt like forever. Both my husband and I were crazed from lack of sleep...Well I spent one night with him in our Den, (thts where I had his crate) just to see if it was that he was frightened or lonely or wanted us. Well he splept thrut he night, from 11-6am, and he made one noise during the night, I said go to sleep Moms here and that was it. The next day we moved his crate into our room, and he has been fine...I leave the door open during the day if he wants to go in and get his toys out, which he does, but really doesn't like to go in it during the day or when I have to go out, he has to be crated...I walk him before I go and just walk him with his leash into our room and in he goes...I take his leash off, give him a treat and praise to the hilt...As far as at night, all I have to say is ok, it's time for nite nite, and in he runs to his crate, so yes he goes now, but it was a nightmare, lol, but this too shall pass....Hang in there...

[Ken & Shirley Morawski]

Hi,
Duchess was crate trained from the breeder and we were told not take her out at night if she made noise. Make sure he has gone poddy before he goes in.If you have a piece of cloth from his birth bed or where his mother laid put that in with him. A old clock with tick tock beat might also help. Get your self some ear plugs if that will help but do not give in or he will never get trained. Do not use the crate as punishment or he will hate it. Duchess loves her crate and when she wants to be alone that is where we find her. Put in his favorite chew toy. I hope this helps,
Ken