Crate training a puppy
08-21-2011, 04:32 AM
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Sully, Iowa
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What do you guys know about crate training a puppy? What is a good time to start? We have an 8 week old puppy that HATES her crate. She barks, yips, and cries. After a few minutes she wets. Is it too early? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
08-21-2011, 05:22 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Knot Merrill, Southern Indiana
Posts: 5,781
Nope 8 weeks is perfect.
yes they bark and cry but trust me, they'll get over it. You have to just learn to ignore it.
Some things that can help ....
A blanket, rug or small towel from the breeder that smells like mom and the rest of the litter. I used to buy those cheap $2 string rugs from Menards and toss them in the litter box then send one home with each puppy.
A ticking alarm clock.
A radio playing softly.
The crate should be a room where puppy can't see you. That will just encourage the whining. But it should also be in a room that is accessible for the puppy when he wants to use it. He will eventually want to use it for naps because he'll associate it with sleep.
Make sure the room is dark and other house noises (people talking etc) can't be heard. At least initially. Once he gets used to his crate it won't matter.
Give the puppy his meals in his crate.
Use short crate times through out the day. Toss his toy into it for him to retrieve (and immediately bring out), feed him in it, keep his toys in it, keep a nice soft blankie in it.
PM me if you have more questions. I've crate trained lots and lots of puppies and have written articles about it for the magazines.
Sue
yes they bark and cry but trust me, they'll get over it. You have to just learn to ignore it.
Some things that can help ....
A blanket, rug or small towel from the breeder that smells like mom and the rest of the litter. I used to buy those cheap $2 string rugs from Menards and toss them in the litter box then send one home with each puppy.
A ticking alarm clock.
A radio playing softly.
The crate should be a room where puppy can't see you. That will just encourage the whining. But it should also be in a room that is accessible for the puppy when he wants to use it. He will eventually want to use it for naps because he'll associate it with sleep.
Make sure the room is dark and other house noises (people talking etc) can't be heard. At least initially. Once he gets used to his crate it won't matter.
Give the puppy his meals in his crate.
Use short crate times through out the day. Toss his toy into it for him to retrieve (and immediately bring out), feed him in it, keep his toys in it, keep a nice soft blankie in it.
PM me if you have more questions. I've crate trained lots and lots of puppies and have written articles about it for the magazines.
Sue
08-21-2011, 05:34 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 811
Not too early at all. Don't give up! I can't give you any better advice than what Sue gave.
My dog hated her crate when she was a puppy in training. Now that's where she goes and we rarely close the door. :-)
My dog hated her crate when she was a puppy in training. Now that's where she goes and we rarely close the door. :-)
08-21-2011, 06:00 AM
#4
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 3,371
We crate trained my dog when we got him. It was the best thing we could do.. however the crying didn't stop when he was in a different room.. To solve the problem we put his crate on top of a box that he could look over and see me at night. His crying stopped immediately. It was a rough 3 or 4 days before we thought of that... having said that he will always want to be in your room after that I'm sure. I intended for him to be in the same room as me. He still sleeps in his box at night now but we don't lock his door anymore.
Also make sure he has some water in there too. We got a water bowl that attached to the side of the crate.
I'm sure we didn't do everything the right way but it worked for us. I swear by crate training. :D
Also make sure he has some water in there too. We got a water bowl that attached to the side of the crate.
I'm sure we didn't do everything the right way but it worked for us. I swear by crate training. :D
08-21-2011, 06:02 AM
#5
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 3,291
It's not too early. The crate should have been in the house before the puppy arrived.
Talk to Sue, The DogHouseMom and listen to her advice. The crate is for the dogs safety, protection and it's safe place - not for punishment. It wasn't intended for the puppy to spend 10 to 12 hours in it, either. Some people seems to think a crate is for the puppy/dog to be in all the time. Good luck.
Talk to Sue, The DogHouseMom and listen to her advice. The crate is for the dogs safety, protection and it's safe place - not for punishment. It wasn't intended for the puppy to spend 10 to 12 hours in it, either. Some people seems to think a crate is for the puppy/dog to be in all the time. Good luck.
08-21-2011, 07:28 AM
#6
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Location: home again, after 27 yrs!
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i've never understood the need for a crate. anybody? my son's dog goes into his crate easily. it's a huge one.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
08-21-2011, 07:32 AM
#7
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 480
Originally Posted by nativetexan
i've never understood the need for a crate. anybody? my son's dog goes into his crate easily. it's a huge one.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
08-21-2011, 08:00 AM
#8
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: middle America
Posts: 2,849
We have Weimaraners that are crate trained. Big Dogs. They love their "night-nights". They go in for day naps or whenever they want, they are fed in their crates, and stay there for 1 1/2 hrs. after meals because they are suseptable to bloat. They have lots of blankets in their crates, & many toys. My daughter used to give them the bong toy with a little peanut butter treat in it in the crate when they were young. It takes them awhile to get the peanut butter out of it & is fun for them.
They go in their crate when we aren't home for their protection even tho they are highly trained. When they anticipate that we are leaving, they just go get in their crates. It also gives us piece of mind that they won't hurt themselves while we are gone. Sometimes we give them a little treat in their crates as we leave.
Their crates are very big so they can stand, lay down, move around, lay sideways, what ever they want while in them. They don't sleep in them at night but could & would if we wanted them to.
Crates are a good thing & it probably won't take long for your puppy to get used to it. It shouldn't be a punishiment!
It's their safe place when they feel the need to be safe.
Good luck & make the crate a good place that he/she is happy to be in.
They go in their crate when we aren't home for their protection even tho they are highly trained. When they anticipate that we are leaving, they just go get in their crates. It also gives us piece of mind that they won't hurt themselves while we are gone. Sometimes we give them a little treat in their crates as we leave.
Their crates are very big so they can stand, lay down, move around, lay sideways, what ever they want while in them. They don't sleep in them at night but could & would if we wanted them to.
Crates are a good thing & it probably won't take long for your puppy to get used to it. It shouldn't be a punishiment!
It's their safe place when they feel the need to be safe.
Good luck & make the crate a good place that he/she is happy to be in.
08-21-2011, 08:18 AM
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 811
When I first heard of crate training, I didn't understand either. After all, when I was growing up and we had dogs, nothing like that was done (at least by anyone we knew). I thought it sounded cruel.
As an adult, when I decided to get another puppy, I started researching. A dog natually is a pack animal that has a "den". The den is his/her safe place. During the day, they sleep alot. The crate gives the dog the safe place to rest and sleep when you're not home -or even when you are! It also serves to "train" their bathroom habits. They generally will not "go" where they sleep, so they learn to hold it until you let them out. You must be cognizant of their ability to "hold" based on size, age, already learned habits, but the crate is an invaluable potty training tool when used properly.
Now our maltipoo spends a great deal of time in her crate - with the door wide open, even when we are home. The lab was crate trained as a young dog, but we've since put the crate away as it was an eyesore and I was tired of seeing it. He has made his "den" under the end table in the living room. It is enclosed on 3 sides by furniture and a wall, and he loves it there. At night he will slide his head under the bed for that sense of "enclosure".
So what I have learned is that crate training is actually healthy for the dog (again if done properly). It's only cruel if used solely for punishment or if they are not fed, watered and let out as needed.
As an adult, when I decided to get another puppy, I started researching. A dog natually is a pack animal that has a "den". The den is his/her safe place. During the day, they sleep alot. The crate gives the dog the safe place to rest and sleep when you're not home -or even when you are! It also serves to "train" their bathroom habits. They generally will not "go" where they sleep, so they learn to hold it until you let them out. You must be cognizant of their ability to "hold" based on size, age, already learned habits, but the crate is an invaluable potty training tool when used properly.
Now our maltipoo spends a great deal of time in her crate - with the door wide open, even when we are home. The lab was crate trained as a young dog, but we've since put the crate away as it was an eyesore and I was tired of seeing it. He has made his "den" under the end table in the living room. It is enclosed on 3 sides by furniture and a wall, and he loves it there. At night he will slide his head under the bed for that sense of "enclosure".
So what I have learned is that crate training is actually healthy for the dog (again if done properly). It's only cruel if used solely for punishment or if they are not fed, watered and let out as needed.
Originally Posted by nativetexan
i've never understood the need for a crate. anybody? my son's dog goes into his crate easily. it's a huge one.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
their cat goes outdoors and broke her leg, vet costs once and the cast came off outdoors and now my DIL won't take her back to the vet. she should have kept it indoors until healed at least. anyway, just wondering about crates.
08-21-2011, 09:40 AM
#10
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Waupaca Wisconsin
Posts: 1,302
Crate training is great.
You may try distraction to stop the whinning. Put a few pennies in an empty soda can, tape it shut and shake it whenever they whine, it hurts their ears and they will learn from distraction, not to whine. But they also grow out of it. Just don't give in, give them time to learn the crate is a safe place.
And I would not put anything in the crate with the dog at first, esp if you are still house training them.
Just remember like everyone said it should not be used for long periods of time. Ours liked their crates, because they could be near us and see us, while they learned their crate was their den.
What kind of puppy did you get?
You may try distraction to stop the whinning. Put a few pennies in an empty soda can, tape it shut and shake it whenever they whine, it hurts their ears and they will learn from distraction, not to whine. But they also grow out of it. Just don't give in, give them time to learn the crate is a safe place.
And I would not put anything in the crate with the dog at first, esp if you are still house training them.
Just remember like everyone said it should not be used for long periods of time. Ours liked their crates, because they could be near us and see us, while they learned their crate was their den.
What kind of puppy did you get?
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