May 18, 2011
I have a pup who is being crate trained. He screamed for a few days. Now he is quiet intermittently. At what point do I start interacting with him?
Full Question:
It was recommended that I buy your videos by our breeder. I now have a pup who is being crate trained. He screamed for a few days. Now he is quiet intermittently. At what point do I start interacting with him? I think that he was dominant in his own litter and is pushy at 8 weeks. He is also quick to get snotty. I know, because when I first got him, I let him do too much socializing with the family. Then I started the heavy duty crate breaking. Now that he is quiet for most of the day do I start giving praise? Or do I wait until he is always quiet? As soon as I give him a treat or praise, he is right back to screaming for a few minutes. I think it's best to leave him a couple of days, but what are the signs that he is ready to get a privilege? Also, he was back to screaming in the middle of the night. He has been in the crate now for 3 1/2 days.Thanks, for your time, and your dvds are very very helpful.
Pei
Cindy's Answer:
3 ½ days is not a very long time for a puppy, and many of them do some sort of vocalizing for much longer until they realize screaming isn’t going to pay off. I would start giving the dog some type of positive reinforcement for being quiet, I wouldn’t say anything but when the pup has been quiet for a period of time then approach the crate and throw some treats through the bars or openings toward the back. Walk away. I rarely give verbal praise while the dog is in the crate especially when we are doing the initial training. If he remains quiet, go back and reinforce with more treats. You may need to use something that holds a very high value for this pup, to make it worth it for him to like being in there.
I use a crate every single day of my dog’s life; it’s not something we do for just a few days. It’s part of pack structure training, the most important part.
If you haven’t read the Groundwork to becoming your Pup’s pack leader, I would recommend it.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
I use a crate every single day of my dog’s life; it’s not something we do for just a few days. It’s part of pack structure training, the most important part.
If you haven’t read the Groundwork to becoming your Pup’s pack leader, I would recommend it.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
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