Crate Problems

[JLinz]

Baxter is going on 10 weeks and I havent yet used his crate during the day. I have just started trying to get him accustomed to the crate today. I cannot possibly watch him every second of the day, so I need him to start using the crate while I cannot be around.

He has been sleeping in the crate every night no problems door shut and locked, however everytime I put him in there during the day he seems to go crazy. He has peed in his bed 2 times (including today). I have resorted to taking his bedding out of his crate when hes not willing to sleep in there.

Right now he has been in the crate all of about 15min. I literally put him in there so I could take a quick shower, he wet his bedding in 10min after I put him in there. I had to take out the wet bedding and wash it and just put him back in and he has been carrying on for what seems like hours!!!

Do I just ignore the barks and cries for help? I know he doesnt have to go to the bathroom since he went 1 & 2 prior to going in the crate...

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Yes. Do not take him out while he's barking, whining, etc otherwise he will learn that when he does these things he gets to come out. If you want to take him out, make sure he has been and is silent so he associates being quiet with being let out. It takes some time, hang in there. You could try putting a couple of toys in there or a stuffed Kong to keep him occupied as well. If he's soiling his bedding I would take that out since you don't want to start that habit. Also, make sure the crate is only big enough for him to stand up, lay down, and turn around in and no bigger.

Good luck.

 

[JLinz]

Crate is currently too big for him...I have it blocked off with boxes though to keep him from having too much room.

Was just wondering if hes crying for hours on end am I suppose to ignore it for that long. Today he threw an absolute fit. I walked in and out of the room sometimes he would bark at me other times he would be quiet.

I ended the crate session today after about 1.5hrs of him barking crazily. Upon entering the room the last time he became quiet. I allowed him out at that point...

 

[JLinz]

UPDATE:

Seems its not just in the crate...Anytime I leave he cries...I left him gated in our living room walked into the kitchen to heat up dinner...Crying and barking and small accident on the floor....how do i break this?

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

As long as you let him out when he's quiet that's fine. But good grief 1 1/2 hours for a 10 week old pup is WAY too long. He should be going out to potty every 30 minutes 60 MAX. He doesn't have to be quiet more than a few seconds before you take him out.

Yes if the crate is too big for him then crate training will not work. You can buy a divider, or use boxes, but the space he has access to needs to be only large enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lay down in.

Have you tried putting toys in there? Stuff Kong? Etc?

 

[JLinz]

Ok well then Im guessing im having too high of expectations at this point....

I have the ability to keep him close by basically at all times...However, I live alone. I need to go shopping, get groceries, run various errands where he cannot be with me...This is why I am trying to get him to use the crate.

Am I being unrealistic in wanting him to be in there more than an hour at this point? When would be a good point at leaving him for more extended periods of time?

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Ok well then Im guessing im having too high of expectations at this point....

I have the ability to keep him close by basically at all times...However, I live alone. I need to go shopping, get groceries, run various errands where he cannot be with me...This is why I am trying to get him to use the crate.

Am I being unrealistic in wanting him to be in there more than an hour at this point? When would be a good point at leaving him for more extended periods of time?

IMO if you don't want him to potty in it that's a good possibility. That's like asking a 1 year old human child to hold their bladder it's not going to happen. A 10 week old pup isn't potty trained, you are trained to take him out, he will eventually learn to let you know but if he has to go at this age he's not going to have a very long threshold. Getting him used to it is GREAT...start at about 15 minute increments when you're home to get him used to it. then let him out for an hour or 2, and put him back in for 10-15 minutes and keep going. He's a baby, expecting him to hold it for more than 2 hours during the day is probably not realistic (less if outside of the crate)...if you come home after 2 hours and he's messed in his crate then scale back to 1 1/2 and keep going until you're letting him out before he messes in it. If you're home he needs to be going out more often so he learns potty training skills. And at this point his life is about playing and learning what the world's about, so 15 minute increments when you're home is probably better. If you need to go out and you really can't maybe stop home to let him out for a potty break in between errands, and you're going to be a long time, maybe see if a trusted neighbor could let him out, or a local teen, or a pet sitter, or something along those lines.

good point for leaving him a little longer comes with age and how he does with potty training. When he's 3 months you can increase that time a little bit more, etc. But a lot will depend on him, some get it quicker than others.

Good luck.

JMO.

 

[JLinz]

I just bought the crate divider for the crate. I got this crate from my GF who bought it used off someone on Craigslist. No divider....The crate IS too big, so ive added boxes to take up space, but he will pee on his bed and move the boxes and sit on top of them...Hes pretty smart. This has only happened 2 times though...

Wednesday he will be 10 weeks old.

He sleeps all night in the crate no problem...Feed him in the crate, no problems...He just does not like being left alone in there...or anywhere for that matter. I have some time off coming with the holidays...Im hoping that it gives me some freedom to work with him...

His accidents inside the house have been cut to a minimum...Maybe 1 a day at the moment...He still has not yet developed a way to tell me he needs to go, but im hoping thats gonna come with time. I just keep taking him outside as often as possible

 

[Boxeramamama]

Dexter also had crate-hate in the beginning, and I know how heartbreaking those cries can be. I lived alone when he was a little pup and went by the "their age in months +1" rule for how long he could hold his bladder. I would come home from work (luckily I had a schedule that allowed me to do this) so that he had a potty break every three hours at first and extended it from there. Sometimes, I would come home and he would be cryyyying. When I came in the door I would stand, calmly, in his view, until he was quiet (even for a few seconds). This also helped later with him not jumping up (no attention until he's calm). It didn't take him long to figure out that quiet = loves.

I may have missed this in your post, but do you put him in the crate while you're home for extended periods of time or just while you're out? With Dex, he would cry and cry when I'd leave, so sometimes I'd just stay outside the door (out of the house) to see if he was crying like that the whole time or just at first. It was usually 5-15 minutes before he calmed down, but it made me feel a lot better to know he wasn't stressing the whole time. However, if he has to be in his crate when I'm home for any reason, he doesn't settle at all. He just wants to be with me. Maybe if you're practicing when you're at home, it's making it harder on your pup? I'd start with just short stints, but leave the house so you're not there taunting him to start - go outside where you can hear when he's calmed and come back in as soon as he's quiet?

Are you making a big deal about putting him in his crate/leaving him alone? I was told when I got my first boxer that the less fuss you make about leaving and coming home, the easier it will be on your pooch. It's hard to be matter of fact when you're so excited to see those eyes (or sad to leave them behind) but I've found it really has helped.

Good luck!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

In a perfect world yes. But alas, people like me and my wife both have to work. Boa came home on a friday night at 8 weeks old. So we had 2 days to spend all day with him, then it was in the crate on Monday morning for 4 hours in the morning, and 3 hours in the afternoon, from that day forward. We both work, I can get home at lunch, but thats it. No one else to help us out.

They can adjust right off the bat. We had a few pottying in the crate issues in the first week or 2, then that was it, he adjusted, he learned, and he learned how to hold it till lunchtime.

I am not recommending this as the way for someone to raise a puppy if they have alternatives. If given the choice I would have preferred to spend much more time with him at first.

But to those that might read this and worry because you have to work and might not be able to be there, they can get by being in the crate for a few hours. If thats going to be their life, might as well adjust them to it as soon as possible.

To the OP, at 10 weeks, its going to take a bit of time for your baby to adjust to the crate. Took Boa 3 weeks to a month to stop hating it. He does not love it now, but he accepts it willingly. Just keep at it, you'll be ok.

Then you hire someone to help you out. there's always teens willing to do something for a little extra money, next door neighbor, or a pet sitter, or gate off a kitchen area and use puppy pads (not something I'd recommend it slows potty training but it's better than making the habit of messing in the crate).

There's ALWAYS a way sometimes you just have to get creative. And this person has already said they're home, it's just to run errands.