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I got so frustrated with Kizzy last night that I told him that I was going to take him back to the tree I found him tied to. Between him, and everything else that is going on in my life, I'm just plain exhausted. When I went to bed last night, I made the mistake of trying to take him into the bedroom (rather than putting him in crate, which I usually do). When I got under the covers, he thought that it was a really neat game to grab the covers in his mouth and run backwards as quickly as possible until he got to the end of the bed. Needless to say, he was in the crate within 5 minutes...
Someone PLEASE tell me that this gets better. He's about 4 months now (and is now in his crate enjoying a peanut butter Kong, so I get some peace for at least 10 minutes...). I definitely wasn't planning on getting a dog at this point, but I'm surely not going to give up on this. I just need some positive reinforcement. PLEASE!!!
It WILL get better! He's a puppy and just wants to play. He needs lots of exercise daily, nice long walks. A tired dog is a good dog! And thank you for saving him.
First, stop making the crate a punishment, but instead a pleasure. Put safe chew toys in there, and hide treats in the bedding, to get past the idea of it as punishment.
We crate Bigun every night, immediately after his last trip to the potty post, and his goodnight loving. If he cries, we firmly but gently remind him it is "Night-Night." In the beginning, we covered him until we went to bed. He has a standard Night-Night time that allows us puppy-free hours to unwind before we go to bed.
At four months, your dog is an infant, and will probably need a midnight trip to the potty post. That won't last forever.
Now, at fourteen months, Bigun uses his crate when he needs time away from us, or just a comfortable place to snooze without interruption. Being a beagle, we crate him (we live in the RV until the end of this month) whenever we go out, because we are not certain he won't eat anything dangerous to himself. My previous dog was allowed open crate through the day, once he was potty trained, but he never tried to eat everything that fit in his mouth.
Be patient. Of course it gets better. This is a training time for both of you. Everything improves with time.
To make things clear, I don't use the crate for a punishment. He eats in there, and gets his peanut butter Kong treats in there as well. When I put him in at night, he gets his Kong, and goes in with absolutely no issues. (As I did the other night, after the bedroom fiasco...)
I guess it's just been a really long time since I've been around a young animal for such an extended period of time that I've forgotten how to sleep (and do everything else) with one eye open.
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm praying that all of this time and energy I'm spending on him now will pay dividends in the future. But, as I'm sure you all know, sometimes it's just so hard to see past the eating of cat litter, or the sneaking of a chew or two on my shoes.
Please be patient with your baby. Please don't give up on him.
He might be a little clumsy but the best reward is you will have his undying love for years to come.
Many people get pets when they are (or so they say)/are not really ready to and it saddens me so much when they let them go and say "oh, well...", I just don't understand and honestly do not agree with that.
Attention, pet adopters/buyers: please do your homework and think carefully before getting a pet. It takes love, time and patience. It needs training, walks, feeding, care, etc. It has a personality, which you must be willing to work on.
It does not - or at least in my humble opinion it should not - come with a XX day money-back guarantee. It is a living creature deserving of much love.
I am very happy you have such kind heart and are patient with him. Congratulations, your patience will be rewarded with a lot of love. And I am sure many people have the highest regard of the ones who don't give up on their fur babies.
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Between him, and everything else that is going on in my life, I'm just plain exhausted. When I went to bed last night, I made the mistake of trying to take him into the bedroom (rather than putting him in crate, which I usually do). When I got under the covers, he thought that it was a really neat game to grab the covers in his mouth and run backwards as quickly as possible until he got to the end of the bed. Needless to say, he was in the crate within 5 minutes...
Please don't give up on him. 
