Puppy Help!!! Wont stop crying...

[gt95stang302]

We just adopted an 8 week old german shepherd / lab mix. We are attempting to crate train her, and when she goes in she cries like we are beating her!!! We just started giving her treats to reward her for behavior, but are not giving them to her every time. We have yet to reward her with a treat for going to the bathroom outside.

I introduced her to the crate today with a treat in front of the crate, one in the middle, and one in the back. She sat down and didnt seem to mind. I closed the door and left the room after a few minutes and she started crying incredibly loud. She was running around the crate and scraping at the "bars". As long as we are in the room she doesnt seem to mind.

Last night (the first night we had her), we first put her into a large cat size crate and she did the same thing. We took her out figuring it was just too small for her and put her in the bathroom with a bed. She had an accident, which we cleaned up and put odor remover on, but did not scold her at all.

Is this normal? Do we need to ignore her when she is in the crate and let her get used to it? Do we need to put some treats in there? When my wife and I are at work she will be in there for a couple hours at a time.

I dont know her prior history on crate training, or if she was even introduced to a crate. She was flea ridden, ears full of mites, and she might have worms when we adopted her, but she is current on shots. We are administering worm medication every morning / night, and we cleaned her up with everything else.

What are your suggestions on crate training her? I feel bad leaving her in there and letting her cry and freak out.

 

[Cheetah]

Try only giving her meals in the crate, and only giving her special toys in the crate, such as a Kong stuffed with goodies (I freeze yogurt, peanut butter, carob chips, fruit such as melons, strawberries, blueberries, anything you can get into a Kong that's okay for them to eat). Let her get a taste of it, so she wants it really bad, and lure her into the crate with it. Let her stay in there with it until she's done, and let her out before she can whine.

If she starts crying right after you put her in, just ignore her.... no matter what. She should eventually calm down and turn to the kong (or whatever you decide to use, Kong is best though because you can customize).

Covering the crate with a blanket might help to calm her down as well. I cover Shippo's crate with a blanket at night to make it more den-like. >^_^<

 

[Sean5033]

tough love..

We're going through the same thing with my 4mo old Jack Russell. I got some advice that is basically just Tought Love. If she's crying just ignore her at completley. Even if you let other dogs out of the pen when it's dinner or potty time, if she's crying, just keep her there. When she's quiet, take her out and give her a treat, even if she has to go right back in a few minutes later.

This has worked for us pretty well over the past week. It's tough because we feel horrible because she's crying so much, but letting her out whenever she's crying only reinforces that by crying she can come out.

BTW, This method was used on our other JRT, and when she's in the kennel, she doesn't make a sound. Sometimes I forget she's in there, until half an hour later it dawns on me "Hey, somethings missing."

Edit: Covering it with a blanket does help the puppy quiet down too. We had a get together with 6 or 7 extra people chatting in the living room the other day, and she was completly silent while the blanket was over her cage.

 

[Foxxian]

My puppy Briar used to cry and whine when I put him in his crate at night or when I left for an hour or so. I found that leaving him in there with the crate covered helped, as well as leaving a radio on or the tv so he didnt feel so alone. He did settle down after being ignored also. You may want to try the thing with the radio, put it on something soft and on low vallum, it might help to settle her down until she gets used to being crated.

 

[gt95stang302]

I think its more of a seperation thing than being in the crate.

I like the kong filled with stuff idea!!!!! I always put little treats in her crate and she goes right in to retrieve them.

The second you leave the room though, she starts crying. When she's not in her crate she wont leave your side.

Her potty training is going VERY well however. She woke us up last night around 1:00, took her out and she went right away, and brought her right back in. Couldnt get back to sleep because she was yelping and crying though. We tried putting her in the little room next to our bedroom and blocking the door with cushions, but she cried the same and she climbed the cushions. Back in the crate she went and we closed all the doors to cut the noise down.

She was quiet, then the cat decided to stick its arms under the door, and that woke her up. She started yelping and crying again, next thing I feel is a cat on me. Now the cats get put into their room at night, she is in her room in her crate.

She did have an accident again sometime during the night, just a little pee though. Of course we always spray it down with odor eliminator. I'll start giving her worm pills in cheese in her crate I think.

 

[girlbuffalo1]

for potty training--

You have already gotten some good advice! Yes let her cry it out (unless she is crying as it is potty time--which she should be able to sleep through the night with no potty in a couple weeks). Covering her crate may make her more safe. Toys may help too.

For potty training make sure the crate is very small...just enough room to turn around and lay down. When she lays down there should only be a couple inches on each side of her--just enough to turn around. She will not potty unless she is ill or it is an emergency (you keep her in there too long ect) if this is the case!

 

[gt95stang302]

You have already gotten some good advice! Yes let her cry it out (unless she is crying as it is potty time--which she should be able to sleep through the night with no potty in a couple weeks). Covering her crate may make her more safe. Toys may help too.

For potty training make sure the crate is very small...just enough room to turn around and lay down. When she lays down there should only be a couple inches on each side of her--just enough to turn around. She will not potty unless she is ill or it is an emergency (you keep her in there too long ect) if this is the case!

Its hard to let her cry it out, makes me feel bad.

The crate we have for her now is on the big side, you could fit four of her in there. She has a bunch of toys in there, and we keep a clean towel in it, and some kind of bed with a vinyl covering on it so its easy to clean up if she has a spill.

I have to leave for work at 1:30, and my wife will be home at 5:15, so if I can get her to go to sleep and sneak out i'll be golden!!!! I dont want her to associate crate = us leaving.

 

[Cheetah]

The crate we have for her now is on the big side, you could fit four of her in there.

This could be why she's having accidents in there. It's big enough that she can soil in a corner without having to worry about touching it, so she will soil.

 

[baineteo]

I read in many books and articles that the cage should not be too big - try making it smaller by slotting a plastic board or cardboard across the cage.

 

[girlbuffalo1]

you need

You need to make it smaller if you want to crate train. It's just something you will have to do and gradually make it bigger as she gets bigger. The crate we have for Wrigley could probably fit a full grown lab in it and he is tiny (was 4 lbs when we got him) I would say we had him using about one sixth of it at first...now at 9 months and for the last 2 months he has had free reign with no accidents in the full crate. Also sometimes bedding can lead to accidents too. We had been crating Wrigley with absolutely no accidents---the crate was only half partitioned off and we put a towel in there for him to sleep on. When we were gone a bit too long he would pee on the towel and push it out of the way. Sorry dog--no more towel! Now however with out complete trust in his potty training I will probably put a blanket in for the winter.

You need to ignore the cries (unless they are for potty). When Wrigley tried this act when he was a baby (and I knew he had went potty) I would pick up the huge crate put it in the pitch black garage and go back to bed. Yeah..he only tried that like twice LOL (I'm so crruuuell). Never had problems with his crying again (unless it was valid--like sickness, needing potty ect)

 

[moxiegrl]

Its harder on the dog to be crated when your home, then when your not. Katie never had a problem being crated when we were gone, as we would stand outside the door and "listen" and not a peep. The one time we tried to crate her at night we got an ear-full from our lil girl. Is it possible to put the crate in your room at night, and slowly move it where you want it over a period of time. This way she can see you, and then after a couple nights move it farther away..etc etc?

 

[gt95stang302]

Well, we havent had any accidents in a few days, she is doing EXCELLENT in her house training.

Unfortunately it sounds like she has kennel cough. She sounds like she is hacking something up every once and while, so she is going to go see the vet.

Back to her crying, she doesnt mind the crate, she will run in there and she eats in there, so she's not scared of it. She doesnt like to be away from us. If we are home, she will come take a nap at our feet. When we leave we dont want her running around with free reign so she goes in the crate, gets tons of praise and a treat.

The second she cant see us she starts crying and whining. We tried bringing her in our room without the crate, we brought in a big fluffy bed for her, but our bed is kind of tall and she couldnt see us, and she started crying again. Is there anything else we can do other than just leave her alone? She freaks out every time.

 

[baineteo]

While I'm no expert, in fact, I'm a newbie . But I'd just give my thoughts.

I'm guessing that she's crying and whining because of one or more of the following reasons:
1) Natural instinct, as many describe. In the wild, if she's left alone or trapped, it would almost mean that she'd die. Thus, she cries and whines for help.

2) She was given attention whenever she cries/whines in the crate. This teaches her that if she continues to make noise, she doesn't have to be in a situation she detests - which is being alone in the crate.

3) Seperation Anxiety.
She might be really sad or disturbed that you guys have left her, alone. Thus, she makes noise to try and get your attention and go back to her.

For reasons one and two, do what Sean5033 told you - totally ignore her, even if she's asking for a potty break. Wait until she's totally quiet before giving her any attention. It would be better if you know the difference between her needing a potty or her seeking attention. If she's seeking attention, don't go back to her after she stops - give her attention after she stops only if she needs to potty.

For reason 3 (seperation anxiety), try rubbing her toys, bed, towel - any thing that she normally likes - with all your scents by rubbing them in your hands. Then leave them in the crate with her, and completely ignore her as above.