Is it a bad sign that the crate is still a major production?

[Debbie Magon]

Hang in there dont give up and try, try, try.
Pups are like babies. They are all different and some will take ages and some will click very quickly.
Either way you will be rewarded for your patience and understanding of a baby boxers needs .


Read some behaviour books and talk to others who have pups.
What about taking on a puppy preschool class?
Many vets run them and they are wonderful support and learning places for new owners.

Eventually your puppy will grow up and you will have a wonderful mate and companion who will be a far more worthy friend than many a human you will encounter.
Remember positive reinforcement such as treats for good behaviour and lots of hugs.

 

[LilPeanut]

I understand you.....more than you know!

I completely understand your situation!! I have an 11-week old pup, and she freaks out, I mean FREAKS OUT when we put her in the crate, every time, all the time, and she never stops or gets better. She has gone #1 and #2 in there several times, then tramples on it, so we have a lovely scent emanating through the room. We are even worse off than you - we can't calm her down for 30 seconds to be able to let her out! She is just constantly barking barking barking barking......

Sometimes she slams the crate so hard, she gets one of the locks open. She ignores her treats we throw in, and ignores her kong full of food. Any suggestions don't help. I also sleep by the crate, put my hand in, nothing helps. Only time, I guess?? You will learn to sleep with her whimpering, you will be so tired. I have been doing the same thing you have, for a month! I am so tired, I pick fights, mess up at work, etc. It's horrible. But I am trying to convince myself it's normal, and it's good to hear that others have the same problem! Sorry, no suggestions, just want to say, I'm here with ya!! :confused:

 

[JulieM]

One thing to keep in mind is that each thread posted takes up bandwith and server space - something that Olly pays for out of his own pocket, and provide free to everyone here. Searching the site for topics that come up frequently often gives the answers, so there's no need to start another thread and take up more bandwidth and more server space (and more of Olly's hard-earned money). It may seem like a flip response, but if everyone searched before posting my guess is that the board would take up half the space it does now, and quite possibly even less than that.

 

[bustermom]

Six days! :eek: Pshaw, that's nuthin'!

Here's the reassurance you're looking for......things will be fine. Honest. I promise. :D

Having gone through the puppy howls 7 times in my life, most recently 6 months ago when Buster was the same age as your screaming demon, I can honestly say that it does get better.

With each and every pup, I looked at my frazzled, sleep deprived, rained on (it always rains at 3am when pups need to pee) self in the mirror each morning and asked "What the he** am I doing wrong here???? Carlos/Trixie/Maggie etc. weren't like this!!! This is NOT a dog - it's a possessed screeching demon!"

Of course, I would then remember that Carlos/Trixie/Maggie etc. were in fact the same, but an apparent act of self-preservation had given me selective memory so that I couldn't remember the pain.

Here is what works. Get into a routine and stick to it. Pups thrive on routine and are thrilled when predictable things happen (makes them feel smart ). Playtime, naptime, feeding time, potty time...try to keep things consistent. Make sure the schedule is reasonable and will work for the age of your pup, in other words potty time should be on the schedule every 15 minutes when playing, after eating, after waking, and after coming out of crate (and also when it's obvious the urge is about to strike).

The pup will eventually settle into this routine and as he gets older you can VERY gradually increase time between potty breaks. (My Buster is 8 mos. and still has to pee every 35-45 minutes when playing hard with our other dog).

Your pup looks to you for everyting - which is why he cries when alone - he misses you! Take this as a compliment and realize that this is a wonderful training tool! Your baby wants you near, he wants to do things that earn your praise (and that treat in your hand! :p ).

Take a deep breath, relax, and go pet your little pumpkin. Look deeply into his eyes and say, "okay, muffinbrain, here's the scoop. I love you and will do everything in my power to keep you safe, healthy, loved, and happy. But I need to get some sleep!! So...you've just peed and pooped, I've tired you out chasing the evil ball and tugging on the evil rope monster, your crate has a comfy towel/old blanket for you to curl up on, it's naptime. In you go." Pup goes in crate, kflanaga collapses on way to bed. :D

 

[kflanaga]

Well, I'm happy to report that there was some progress last night, and I got some much needed sleep! We went to puppy socialization class, which totally wiped him out. He let me sleep on the couch all night with not a peep except when he needed out at 2 AM. As a side question, is this 2 AM pee session something that I have to actively wean him from, or will he simply stop asking to be let out when he can hold it longer?

 

[ssleighter]

Glad you got some sleep. Wearing them out during the day is the best battle plan you can have for getting a good nights rest!! Yes, he will eventually stop whining at 2:00 AM, the time will vary for a while and then mercifully you will be asleep til your actual alarm goes off! That is a wonderful morning indeed!!

Good luck, it sounds like your pup is progressing nicely!

 

[myrocky]

You still have a few months yet before he will be able to sleep through the night.

 

[kflanaga]

Just an update and still looking for advice.

There is progress. Now, going into the crate is not a major production, most of the time. It's more of a minor production, and occaisionally, in sleepier times, no production at all. The morning crating, after breakfast and a walk outside (with bathroom, of course) is usually the worst, and he just settled down with only about ten minutes of whining. He still doesn't like when we leave the apartment with him in the crate, but about 75% of the time, when I return, he is asleep, so I guess I can't ask for much more yet.

The middle of the night trip outside has pushed back from 1:30 to 4:15 for the past few nights, and since I normally get up around 5 anyhow, he just has a little ways to go in that department.

Should he be spending as much time as possible in his crate in order to get him used to it? Obviously with letting him outside to go, and to play inside a few hours a day.

Also, if anyone has any advice on my other thread in this forum about food treats, that one is a big issue for me.

He does pee in the crate occiasionally, so he has a minimum of bedding (enough to cover the hot water bottle, which is almost a necessity). I still can't tell the "I have to go out" bark from the "I want to GET out" bark", but I'm working on it. Thanks for the advice, and without this board (and it's posters) this first time puppy owner would be lost.

 

[Debbie Magon]

Are you both at work all day?

Puppies get very bored and lonely and need as much stimulation and human company as possible.
If you have to spend huge amounts of time away from him and are unable to break up his day at say lunch time, would you consider having someone come in and spend a little time with him?

A crate is a wonderful tool for puppy traing but if hes kept in there day and night it becomes nothing more than a prison.

I realise people have to work etc, but a neighbour , friend, family perhaps that could pop in to break up his day, would help him immensely.

 

[kflanaga]

while there has been some progress....

To answer your question, I'm away a few hours a day right now, but not more than that.

While I'm impressed with how crating has helped the "not peeing in the house" part of housetraining (Simon actually brought me his leash and pawed at the door to go out last night at only 9 weeks), he still seems to pretty much hate that crate.

Now, we have been crate training for about two weeks. The night time crating before bed has become pretty easy. Sometimes a little whining, but not more than that and he is usually out until he has to go at about 4 AM (argh!). But, it's all the other cratings during the day that are pretty much still nightmares. I crate him several times during the day while I am home and in his sight, and once a day for a few hours while I have to be away. The barking can go on for anywhere between fifteen minutes and an hour. He is in there screaming up a storm right now. Again, I'm having a hard time, because treats and toys in the crate go completely ignored. Is it reasonable to think that he should have "accepted" his crate by now, or am I still just being impatient?

Sshhh.....he just settled down.....