Yet another crate training thread...

I picked my puppy up @ 8.5 weeks old and have had him for a bit over 3 weeks. It took him about 2 or 3 nights to acclimate to staying quiet in his crate. He has always whined and cried a little bit, but this stopped after about 10 minutes.

Starting last night, I put him in his crate and he cried and barked for two solid hours. Since he's usually so good in the crate, I did take him out after 30 minutes to see if he needed to go, even though he had gone just before I put him in the crate. He did not need to go so I put him back and left him until he fell asleep a couple hours later.

Today the same thing is happening - I put him in the crate after his walk and he's making a big ruckus, even now 45 minutes later. We just got back from an hour long walk in the park where he did #1 and #2 so it's not that he has to go.

I'm wondering if there are any ideas of why he may be getting "untrained." As his behavior has gotten better, I've started allowing him to nap while laying on my lap, but usually after a half hour I want to move or do household chores and put him in his box. I'm not sure if that's connected.

Any pointers on where I should look?

1. Exercise -- can you recap daily structured exercise?

2. Do you know about crate games? There a current thread on this. I would absolutely go back to Square One and go through the usual beginning crate-is-good scenarios.

3. Sometimes the last bit of a rambunctious walk or fetch or whatever needs to be sort of a cool-down for the excited pup who is now in no mood to stick his wired-up self into a crate.

JMO, and I know the puppy experts will have better replies.

Are you giving him anything to keep him occupied in his crate?

I got my most recent addition at 12 weeks old and he had never been crated. I literally had to wrestle him into the crate and shut the door as fast as possible at first.

It took a few times for him to realize that every time he went in his crate, he got treats. I would just throw a handful of kibble in it randomly and he would race in to eat them up. Maybe I would shut the door, maybe I wouldn't...for any long period of time, I would give him something like a stuffed kong or everlasting treat ball.

He now loves crates and is even trustworthy in a soft-sided crate. I couldn't find him last night near bedtime and I assumed he was downstairs bothering the cat. I was hollering at him from the top of the stairs "Time for Bed!". He never appeared...because he was in his crate already waiting for his crazy mom to give him his treat and shut the door. Oops!

Try covering the crate with a blanket. When my dog can see the other dogs through the bars, he tends to get excited and bark and scratch. Once I cover him he tuckers down.

Thanks for the ideas -

I usually give him a bone or something to chew on, but he doesn't seem to care. Once he settles down, he will chew the bone, but it seems to have no bearing on if he will keep quiet or not.

Same can be said for putting a blanket over the top. I usually do cover him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference one way or the other.

If there's any other ideas, please let me know.

Meanwhile I'm just stepping back his training steps a few weeks - putting him in the crate and leaving him until he is calm - which is how I got him to be so good about the crate in the first place. It's just strange that he'd suddenly relapse like this.

What is his daily exercise like?

Also, this was along the lines of the "good crate" games I meant:

" I would just throw a handful of kibble in it randomly and he would race in to eat them up. Maybe I would shut the door, maybe I wouldn't..."

Just like when you first intro the crate.

 Quote: Damon Hudac

Thanks for the ideas -

I usually give him a bone or something to chew on, but he doesn't seem to care. Once he settles down, he will chew the bone, but it seems to have no bearing on if he will keep quiet or not.

Same can be said for putting a blanket over the top. I usually do cover him, but it doesn't seem to make a difference one way or the other.

If there's any other ideas, please let me know.

Meanwhile I'm just stepping back his training steps a few weeks - putting him in the crate and leaving him until he is calm - which is how I got him to be so good about the crate in the first place. It's just strange that he'd suddenly relapse like this.

This sounds just like my pup (5 Mo), which we have had since he was 8 wks - he couldn't care less what you put in the crate. He goes in and out all day and is just fine, but as soon as you close the door he changes. He will bark non stop for hours on occasion. It is very nerve racking and unbearable at 3 AM. If I let him out he will be just fine and lay down next to the bed and go right to sleep.

He gets plenty of exercise, so I don't believe that is the issue with my pup.

I will follow this thread with interest.

Crate games. The door gets shut for two seconds and opened. The door gets shut randomly, etc., etc., etc.

The door isn't shut ONLY when less pleasant things are about to happen (owner leaves, bedtime, etc.).


You will have to start with Game One now that you have rewarded barking by opening the crate and letting him sleep beside the bed. If I had to, I would move the crate nearer my bed at night.

Or I have also had one there and one in the main living area.


JMO!

Thanks Connie!

I am trying to adjust his feeding schedule so that he eats later and doesn't have to go out in the REALLY early AM. I can put up with a 20 minutes or so, but after that I am just at the end of my rope (I am a baby and I need my sleep)!

You know, sometimes with pups you just have to wait them out at night.....

Do you think somewhere you may of reinforced the "If I sound pathetic, I'll get out and play" by mistake?