Advice on Crate Issue

[Guitarzan]

Hi,
Dexter is almost 8 weeks old. He never has accidents in the house. On occasion in the night he will pee on some newspapers that we leave in the kitchen for that reason. He does have a crate in the kitchen but we just leave the door open and put a baby gate in the kitchen doorway.

My question is, should I lock him up in the crate or is it OK to do it as I have been? He doesn't tear anything up or cause any trouble (other than pulling off the dish towels from the oven). My only problem is that he cries when we put the gate up (even if we are in there with him). He will stop after about 20 to 30 minutes but then he starts up again at about 5AM. Would locking him in the crate help with this or make it worse?

ANY feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Sandi]

Hi Josh,

You didn't mention how long he's been home with you. I think it's wonderful that he's fairly well behaved at 8 wks. DOing his busines on the paper (not in crate) and only crying when hes left alone.

If its only been a few days he may quiet down at night, however, he may not. He's probably just lonely and wants to be cuddled.
He's had his littermates for sometime now and needs the warmth and compansionship.

My Baxter never cried at night but we had a littermate of his also.. Bella cried all the time (she's such an attenion monger) until I put her in the crate with Baxter. She didn't cry as much.

You might want to try and lock him in the crate with some stuffed animals that he can snuggle down with. Or maybe a hot water bottle ( heating pads frighten me) in with him, make him feel like a littermate is with him. Also even tho he's good in this open environment, he may be afraid.. That kitchen is an awfully big crate, my 2 seem to like the security of their own little space.

I found trial and error to be my best friend, not every solution works for every Boxie Baby.

 

[Moonshadow]

crate

My four month old loves his crate and expects his door closed. He only gets treats when I close the door. If the door is open, he comes looking for me to close it so he can have a treat. He goes in on command or when he is tired.

 

[Sohshee'smom]

I think if you ever want to really train him you will need to put him in the crate. He may cry for a few days and even wake you up at 5am but it will stop in time. He is still young and could get very distructive when he is older. You will want him to be use to the crate at that point so that if you have to leave for any long amount of time he will be comfortable getting in there. It may be harder on you at first, but I think you will be glad you did it in the long run.

 

[Titan'sDad]

Carate opinion

I have an 8 week old male. He has been with us almost 2 weeks now. He yelps when he is in the crate but is getting better about it. I rock him to sleep and put him inside to nap. He is learning that when he stops yelping is when he can come out. If he wakes up during the night, I take him outside to do his business and immediately place him back inside the crate and shut the door. Then I lay in the floor next to the crate and he goes back to sleep then I can slip off to bed. When he is inside the crate, I always shut the door to get him used to it.