puppy crate training is not going well. help!

[lisasaurus]

Hi everyone- we adopted an 8 week old lab mix from the humane society last week. shes real cute, of course. she has adapted perfectly to sleeping in her crate at night. she whines for maybe 30 seconds before settling in for the night... does fine on potty breaks during the night, settles right back in.

its the during the day crate training that is not working out so well. i feel like i can't ever leave this dog because she will scream and howl and thrash incessantly. I am very careful to make sure she has had plenty of exercise and potty time, but she will not tolerate the crate. and i just can't deal with not leaving the house AT ALL during the day! its just not realistic.

i am starting puppy training classes this weekend, maybe that will help? in the meantime i would love some support!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

If she cries ignore her I know that is a hard thing to do but dogs are not like kids and if you let her out while she is crying you are reinforcing that behavior. Do you have a toy you can put food into so that she can chew on that while she is in there?

It is more than OK to let her cry just make sure she cant hurt herself in there. The goal is to make it a happy safe place for her even in the day time when she would rather be out with you.

[Asiago]

Firstly congratulations on the adoption of your new little one!

Regarding your question, it sounds as if the difference is that she is separated from you during the day, not so much the crate being the issue, since she is such a good girl about it at night.

She is still quite a baby, and on top of that freshly adopted, therefore gone through a lot of change for a youngster her age. She's been weaned, separated from her litter, somehow ended up at the shelter. It's not known how many times she has changed hands.

In time and with her new confidence instilled by you and her trainer, she will hopefully settle down. It just sounds as if she may have been through a lot of change. That's my take on it at least.

In the meantime perhaps feed her in her crate if you are not already doing so, just to instill a positive association. Also perhaps reserve a special treat like a tasty stuffed kong, or a particular toy, that she only get's while crated.

I would think she will eventually settle down and allow you short trips out of the house, before she needs to potty.

[Geigerin]

Congratulations on the new pup! We went through this with our puppy when he was about that age. I agree that it's probably separation anxiety, and it is heartbreaking.

The only way for us to cope was to let him cry (not how I would parent a human), and as soon as he was quiet, run in and let him out, treat him, etc. That way, he associated a reward with being calm and quiet. Thankfully, that didn't last very long at all. He still loves his crate, and today is his second birthday!

Also, those training classes are the greatest gift you could give your puppy and yourself. They will help so much! We went through every available training class and have been greatly rewarded with an amazing dog, and a close relationship.

[lisasaurus]

wow thanks everyone! your messages are really encouraging. I have been doing pretty much everything you gals mention, so i guess we'll just stick with the program and hope she can adapt. i posted a similar question on my local craigslist (portland) and someone wrote and claims to be a certified trainer who will come over for just $20/session. so i think i'll try that out at least once.

i want very much to have a great relationship with this animal. i am committed to seeing this through. its just really stressful so far between her and my three year old ds! my husband isn't much help since he agreed I could get the puppy if i did all the training etc.

[lisasaurus]

what do you gals think- should i give this some more time to work itself out? or go to the trainer for some assistance? kinda thinking i should give it another week or so. plus we're starting puppy classes on saturday.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

If you can get a trainer who knows their stuff then go for it. I am so hoping things work out for me because getting a trainer will not be easy I will be dealing with crate training myself in a little over 3 weeks and this puppy will never have been crated or confined before

[Ola_]

I would recommend puppy training classes (group ones), probably not so much the individual training at this point. One of the good things about group classes is that you can go and sit in on one (without your dog) to see how they are conducted. Are the dogs and owners happy and working together or is there a lot of frustration. Is the trainer spotting people who are having issues and giving suggestions? Is anyone being treated harshly? IMO this is a must before you sign up (we went to some training classes that were awful and learned this the hard way).

Now, some suggestions that may help with your crate issues though. I'm guessing your pup's crate is in your bedroom and that's why she's content to sleep at night, because you're nearby. I know she'll be growing quickly but for now is it possible to move her crate to your living area (wherever you spend lots of time) during the day and then move it back at night? Or if you have or can borrow a second crate that would work too. Because it may be that your puppy is just fine with the crate but is just lonely, she's so little still.

I second the suggestion to always give her something yummy when you put her in her crate. I have a whole bunch of "food puzzle" toys at home. I started with the regular Kongs, then found out that the Kong company has a bunch of other treat dispensing balls, etc. And of course other companies have them too. Anything hard rubber is fair game. We put cookies in (don't make them too small cause they'll just fall out and not be very entertaining), smear peanut butter/cream cheese/liverwurst, even a slice of deli meat ocassionally (they unroll inside the Kong and are not easy to extract).

When we were trying to get our pup to love her crate I'd also drop a treat in there throughout the day when she wasn't in it. At first I'd leave it right at the front, then I'd just toss it in there once she got into the habit of going in to check. She thought her crate was like a magic treat dispenser! It helps to build that positive association. Now that's if you have no problems getting her to go into the crate - if you do, we can give some suggestions for that too.

[robugmum]

I've even heard of people smearing peanut butter or liverwurst etc on the bars of the crate to reinforce the positives for the pup!

[SquishyKitty]

I don't like crates and don't train my dogs to use them, in fact it's illegal here in germany to leave your dog in a crate for more than 2 hours.

That being said, I would try to find a safe room for her, instead of the crate. A bathroom or something with a bit more room to roam and run, or a backyard if it's puppyproofed.

I would also keep her with you throughout the day, on a long trailer leash so that you can stop her if she's doing something you don't want, but otherwise dogs like to be with people, not alone in a box.

But, this is from somebody who doesn't use crates, so take it for what it's worth. I am american and I've just never gotten the american obsession with sticking your dog into a crate all the time.

[greenmagick]

I use a crate to teach boundaries and quicken the potty training so that they can have more freedom. Though, to be fair, I dont use them that often. When the pups are really young I use them for naps, short trips, etc. For my dane, I used the crate for a bit and then once she was fairly good at pottying outside, I switched her to a room. Then she started jumping the gate and escaping the room...and freaks behind a shut door. I left her out for a couple weeks but she started regressing in getting into things and had a couple accidents, so she is back in the crate when we are gone for now. Honestly, often is is safer as long as it is not abused.

[SoulCakes]

I totally get why people don't like the idea of crates (dog in a cage!), but they're a total lifesaver when it comes to potty training. Plus, there are times in a dog's life when they have to be contained for longer stretches (illness, etc.), and having an effective crate-training foundation allows them to be contained calmly and happily.

That aside, I think you've gotten a lot of great advice! I wouldn't call a trainer at this point; group puppy classes are the best thing ever and a trainer isn't going to do more than demonstrate for you what you've already heard here (plus, it's Craigslist... they may not be that reputable). Just let your puppy whine (I know, it's hard!), and it really won't be long before she settles into her crate with no problem. Once she's housebroken, it won't be an issue at all because she can have more freedom around the house. And like others have said, lots and lots of tasty treats!

If it helps, our new puppy is now 14 weeks old, and he already gets in his crate when we tell him to! He even spends a lot of his day in there of his own free will, like when he naps or has a chewie he wants to munch. A crate is a dog's den, and after they've gotten used to it they'll love it!