Every Bad Habit a Puppy can have...ours has!

[weldredge]

We have a 14 week old mixed breed rescue dog. She is about 10 lbs and looks like a min pin. Our family consists of 2 grown up humans, a 13 year old human girl, an 11 year old human girl and a 6 year old canine girl. Our new girl, Pemi, we call her, is the recipient of much love and care...HOWEVER, she has us wrapped around her little foot!

1st -- We have had her 1 month and we are having SO much trouble housebreaking her! She stays in the crate from 8:30-3:00, so I know she can hold it...but she is up 2-3 times per night. No water after 8 p.m.. We limit her space...but we have an awkwardly laid out house -- very open concept with no doors, so it is hard to confine her. I bought a puppy -child playyard and she can actually CLIMB OUT! ARGH~ By the way, we take her to her pee and poop spot consistently and she'll go and then come into the house and go again not 10 minutes later~ She gets a TON of attention and play time. At least 30 minutes of working on sit, down and stay as well per day.

2nd -- I broke down and took her into my bed last week in the middle of the night because I was exhausted and alone (husband away). How do we put her back in the crate and persuade her to sleep through the night? Her crate is in our bedroom, but we clearly have to move it...so where? SOmewhere where we cannot hear her? When we get up with her in the middle of the night, she does pee and sometimes poop straight away outside, no playing, but then she cries horribly after re-crating till we break. At this rate, we break quickly because we are so darned tired. This baby has broken us!


I know I know it is all our fault and now we are at wit's end! Any input is appreciated. We had little or no trouble housetraining our big dog as a pup, so we have no idea how to proceed.

 

[LabBreeder]

Maybe she's upset because she's in a crate from 8:00-3:00. It almost seems like she's trying to "get back at you" for crating her all day by pottying inside, even though you have just taken her out. Is there any way someone could let her out on a lunch break?

Just a thought. I'm sure others will give their opinion as well.

 

[bubbatd]

This is hard , due to the age you got her and not knowing the background. Was she with a breeder or the HS when you got her at 10 weeks ?? I personally she needs TLC and would keep her cage near you during the night , close enough for hushes and a finger wiggle into cage, I really don't know small breeds... so hope others step in. Make sure her cage is a den at night, by covering it up. Where does your other dog sleep ?? Feel sorry for you !!! But by having 2 two leggers, you know what Mom's go through !

 

[Roxy's CD]

Maybe she's upset because she's in a crate from 8:00-3:00. It almost seems like she's trying to "get back at you" for crating her all day by pottying inside, even though you have just taken her out. Is there any way someone could let her out on a lunch break?

Just a thought. I'm sure others will give their opinion as well.

Dogs do fine being crated for that amount of time. My parents dog is crated from 7-5. I know it's a puppy but she should be able to hold it that long. A lot of people don't agree with paper training, but I did it with Roxy because she was left alone for longer periods of time. I didn't have any trouble with *her* moving it outside.

It's so hard to say with the housebreaking thing. All dogs are different so different methods work with different animals.

As for the crate at bedtime... My rule is: After 5 minutes of crying, I'll come back ONCE and firmly say "Dog's name, your fine! Go to sleep! Enough!". And than that's it. They'll usually cry for up to 20 minutes but they will go to sleep. Eventually they'll figure out that crying doesn't do anything. *points finger* You gave in and let her in the bed! Big boo boo, but you already know that. (I admit I've done it myself after a tiring day)

Post more info and than we all can give you a more specific solution.

 

[weldredge]

HI -- most days she does get out at lunch, but she CAN go 8:30- 3. I do have her next to our bed and it is covered with a blankie. Toys and comfort objects are in the crate as well as a nice bed she "made". Our other dog is not in a crate (they made her very anxious and she ate her way out of 3 of them before we gave up...but she had very good house manners.)

We got Pemi from a shelter and she was a Sato (a puerto rican street dog). We adore her, but I am dyin here!

 

[Roxy's CD]

I had the same set up as you with Roxy when I first got her, although she didn't have toys or anything "fun" in her crate at night time. Just blankets and her George (stuffed animal she carried everywhere).

I know it's hard to ignore them when they cry but it's really the best thing. It's like the baby that cries and gets picked up all the time. As I said, speak to her firmly once, and than ignore her. She'll go to sleep, and the more you ignore her, the better she'll get.

 

[brem]

how cruel to let a dog cry...

 

[poodlesmom]

I agree that unfortunately you are going to have to tough it out. Very importantly you must remain consistent. Give in once and you are right back at square one. Here's a suggestion that might possibly help as well. Whichever person she seems to have made the strongest attachment to should take an old t-shirt or sweatshirt and wear it so that it has their scent on it. Then you could take that and put it in the crate with her at bedtime. This may give her some comfort. The only other suggestion would be since your other dog isn't crated I would think it might help if her crate not be where she sees her possibly wandering around, at least a bedtime.

A hint for the potty problems. I have noticed with my own 2 dogs that many times they go out and immediately do their business and then a few minutes later they wet again. Perhaps keeping her out an extra 10 minutes or so might alleviate the problem.

The good news is that with your help she will outgrow both issues.

 

[canadianmandy]

maybe Im weird but I couldnt crate train my dog.... She had her mind set up she was a free dog. We tried to put a gate in a hall first ... She jumped the gate. We built a huge Pen in our sunroom (walls were 5ft tall) She jumped and jumped till she would cling her paws to the top and heave herself over. She wasnt lonly Her sister buddie was with her.She just wanted me. SOOO I spoiled her and she slept with me .. under my blankets lol! Though house traing was hard . (It always is with two) but we made it!

 

[LabBreeder]

I just mentioned the crating from 8-3 cause our JRT/Chi mix would hold it while we were gone, take her out and she'd potty, go back in and 5-10 min later she'd piddle on the floor and look at you when she did it. I eventually got it to where she was great kenneled at night and didn't cry when we left. If I took her out every hour after we got back she wouldn't piddle inside (not even 5 min after we finished). I think, with ours, she wasn't done when we came back in and decided she'd finish on the floor.
Things get better, really.

 

[Elly]

Is the pup crated in the day as well as at night? I guess it seems like a lot of time in the crate but I know you probaly have no choice as you have to work in the day and get some sleep at night.

I found that I had to just let Zoe cry and eventually she would poop out and go to sleep. It is hard to do but it will make it easier in the end.

 

[girlbuffalo1]

move her crate

Try to move her crate to somewhere where you can't hear her! When we got Wrigley if he tried to fuss and after I took him out tried to fuss more in the garage the crate went (now don't think I'm cruel if it was 70 in our house it was 60 in the garage)---we only had to do that a couple of times..no more crying!

 

[weldredge]

THANKS and an update

Hi, Thank you all for the ideas, the plans and the advice! We tried the let 'er cry thing last night. Now you need to know that I was never a mother who let her baby cry so this is VERY hard! (I am sure you all can relate!) We got up with her at around 1:30 and she peed outside. I put her back in her crate and she fussed a bit. I just kept saying "Pemi, you are fine, now go to sleep" and in about 7 minutes, she did! (Isn't she smart!??)She fussed again at around 3:30, but I did just spoke to her and she calmed down. Even tired old daddy said that it was progress!

Now, about the potty training, we are leashing her in the house, sort of the velcro dog technique...so she never has a chance to go inside. I will let you know how it goes!

I appreciate the reassurances, because we were beginning to think we shuld have had an "only dog".

Wendy (and Cocoa and Pemi)

 

[Roxy's CD]

Great! I'm glad it worked. As someone mentioned if she's being crated during the day and night, perhaps when she gets better with the housebreaking thing, you could just get her a bed for your bedroom as opposed to the crate. That will take a couple of hours of the "crate" per day.

 

[weldredge]

More...

RE the crate training -- we are essentially using the crate as a housebreaking and safety tool till she is a bit older. Our 6 year old dog has not been in a crate since about 18 months old. For the summer (starting the 21st) we will all be home all day, so I am hoping that it will help her potty issues to have someone with her 90 % of the time. Again, our house is very open concept (and quite big) so limiting her space to roam is difficult -- hence the crate -- and she climbs out of the puppy yard! ARGH! She is in it while we are all at school and again to sleep at night so...from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the day and from about 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m....I already feel guilty enough,so be gentle!!!

Not crazy about the crate...maybe she can sense that!

Hoping for a sleepy night tonight...