Crating advice?

[Jenns Boxer]

We finally got Duke's crate (a large one) except I don't have the divider yet. So I put boxes in there to close up some of the space. He is NOT liking the crate very well. I've rewarded him with small treats for going in and sitting etc. I've been feeding him in it as well and then taking him directly outside aftwards.. but he's been whining, crying and barking when in it. I had to leave the house for an hour the other day and when I got home, I could hear him barking before I even got out of the car. He had thrown up in his crate, chewed on the boxes and was sooooooooooo upset with me! I've been trying to ease him in it, praising him when he's in there, treating him and not letting him stay in it for overly long periods of time. He'll be quiet when I'm near him but once I get out of his sight, he'll start the barking etc. And he does have toys in there with him! Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[ilovrubz!]

hey do u have a picture of your crate? i want to get one for my dogs because they keep getting out! theres a post about it. But i know next to nothing about crates. thanks abz

 

[Oakley's Mom]

Is the crate in your room or a seperate room? Oakely was the same way in his crate in the laundry room, after a few days we moved it into the bedroom and he was a lot calmer in there. Still cried a bit but diminished over time when he got used to a routine.

 

[bunkermom]

Poor baby!

I didnt have to do this with Remi our new baby (9 wks old now) but I have read on previous posts here that if you leave the TV on or a radio on low that sometimes will help. Remi doesnt have to be crated much because I am fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom but she is crated at night or when we have to run to the store for something. She doesnt cry at night because she can see us and if she starts to fuss we tell her in a stern voice 'Remi, hush!' and she quiets right down. We are one of the lucky few from what I can gather!!

When you got your puppy did you happen to take a small blanket or towel and rub down the other puppies or mom? We did this with Remi (in fact we took 3 receiving blankets incase she had an accident!) and the day we brought her home we just rubbed momma and the other puppies really well and now she sleeps with one of those blankets every night. We thought the familiar smell would help her adjust better. We also took the toys that we had bought for her and let the momma and puppies play with those too!!

I dont know if you can get in touch with the people you got your baby from but maybe they will let you come back and try rubbing down the mom with a towel or blanket!!

Good Luck!

Autumn

 

[mmcnaney]

I've also heard of people rubbing towels on their body does that help as well? Maybe when she is a newbie the scent of her mom and bros will help but as she gets more comfortable the scent of her owners will be more stimulating? Our puppy comes home friday and although my bf and I are taking time off work to get her situated crating will have to begin when we go back to work and I want her to be as comfortable as possible. Also, putting her in front of a window might help as well? Ok this is my last question..if she sleeps in bed with us at night..which i dont know if thats good or not...will that help us be more alert if she has to go out at night? Will that be bad for her if we crate her during the day and not at night?

 

[bunkermom]

Yes, I think rubbing down the mom and other puppies in the litter with a towel or blanket is a great idea, it worked great for us. Then they have something familiar in a new unfamiliar house!

In regards to sleeping in your bed at night this is the only advice I can give: Dont start something that you dont plan on making permanent. Puppies are just like babies and if you let them sleep with you in bed it will only take a few times to make it a habit. Your new puppy will get used to your smell and body heat to sleep and will have a MUCH harder time crate training later if you change your mind. BUT, with all that said I think that it is great that you want to sleep with your new baby...but it is a BIG commitment.

One other thing to think about...how old will your puppy be when you bring him/her home? If your puppy will be very small or very young you might want to rethink having him/her sleep with you if you are a very deep sleeper because you might roll over on them and hurt them or smother them! I know it sounds awful but it happens with new parents and babies sometimes...purely accidental but no less tragic.

My last bit of advice: I personally would crate train at night first. Let your new baby get used to it for a couple of months and then when he/she is older you can make the decision to let him/her sleep with you. By that time you will realize how wiggly they are and how loud they snore!! You might just be VERY glad that you crate trained at night!!

Good luck whatever you decide!

Autumn

 

[UCDhrseldy]

I had almost the same problems with Sydney. Unfortuneately I didn't have the luxury of getting her litter and mother scents since I saw her and took her home the same day. I let her sleep with me the first two nights and had a towel with us which I moved to the crate. I would then take her out often throughout the day. She still didn't like the crate at all for the first week, even though I tried the TV and radio bit. Our big turning point was when she was super worn out from playing all day and was sleeping, I put her in there and closed the door, and she passed out. After that she now goes in there if she's sleepy or needs a toy. Night crate training is also awesome, she picked up on that one really quick. Once they get the idea that they can just sleep happily in the crate, life is golden. Good luck with your little one!!

 

[mmcnaney]

Ok i completly agree with having her get comfortable in her crate at night since she will already be tired and hopefully just fall asleep. The only problem is I am going to be so heart broken taking her away from her warm mom and sticking her in a metal crate. I am going to take a blanket and have her mom lay on it to obtain the scent and make her crate as cozy as possible I just dont want her to have any accidents on her blankie and loose the smell so maybe i will have to get a couple of blankets for her. So crate training at night is going to be the easiest but how about during the day? I guess I could baby gate her up in the kitchen but i will have to make sure she isnt able to get into any cabinets. I just dont want her to whine all day while we are at work. My bf and I work like 10 mins away from our home so we plan on checking up on her as often as possible but when we leave i dont want the whining to start again. So by placing these blankets in her crate will that eliminate her sence of lonelyness? One more question..is it better to place the crate on carpet or tile flooring?

 

[bunkermom]

She is going to whine in the crate at first. No matter what you do I dont think anybody has ever had a puppy who didnt cry atleast a little bit!! Its okay, as long as you are letting her out a couple of times during the day while you are at work she will be fine. Here are a couple of tips that will help.

1. If you bought her a full sized crate be sure and divide it down to a much smaller size. If she has the entire crate to move around in she WILL potty in one end and then sleep in the other end. Very hard habit to break.

2. Put a blanket or small amount of padding in the crate for her to sleep on. I do not suggest the towel that has mom's smell on it because if she does have an accident you will have to wash the towel and then you will lose the smell. You can put it in there but I wouldnt let it be the bottom padding in case of accident.

3. Depending on how old she is, she will need to be let out to potty a couple of times during the day. If she isnt let out, be prepared for accidents...they will be unavoidable.

4. When you get home to let her out, pick her up IMMEDIATELY! She is going to have to pee right away and more than likely will squat right outside the crate and go! Pick her up and take her outside and PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE when she goes! I found that letting Remi step out of her crate to greet us resulted in peeing first and then greeting, so we just pick her up right out of the crate and run to the door!!

5. If you decide to baby gate her in a room and let her potty on newspaper while you are gone that is your decision. Many people decide to do it, personally I think that it will greatly extend your potty training time but you have to do what works for you. Just know that if you normally put your Sunday paper by the recliner after you read it she will probably pee on it because she thinks that is where she is supposed to go instead of letting you know she needs to go out. Some people paper train while their puppies are young with great success...I prefer crating. You might have to try a couple of ways before you find the best for you!!

6. Lastly, I always make sure I put a toy in for Remi. Usually a soft one because she tends to prefer those but any toy that your puppy likes should be fine. Just make sure there arent parts she can chew off and choke on while you arent home.

Good Luck!
Autumn

PS. Some people also feed and water while in the crate. I have no advice on this because I never tried it...sorry!!

 

[Jenns Boxer]

Update

I've been trying to ease him in it, praising him when he's in there, treating him and not letting him stay in it for overly long periods of time. He'll be quiet when I'm near him but once I get out of his sight, he'll start the barking etc. And he does have toys in there with him! Any suggestions? Thanks!

Quoting myself here to give an update. It's been slow but we had some progress tonight. He wasn't barking when we came home and no throw up etc. And the most importantly, he wasn't upset with me. He did go right outside to do his business and he knew exactly where we were going when I got him out of the crate and had his leash. I still see a long road with the crating and potty training, but we're seeing some more positives in him.