How to get a puppy to like his crate? Help? (poop, toy)
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We are trying to get the puppy used to his crate, even for a few minutes at a time and he is HOWLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last night he had to sleep on a pillow on the floor near the bed so we could get some sleep. Please give advice
Also, despite what you will doubtless read about dogs loving dens and the crate being a source of comforting confinement, especially when paired with special treats that are crate-only treats, some dogs never DO love being crated. With our dog, we had to settle for tolerating being crated. No matter what, this many years in, it's pretty obvious it's never going to be something he loves.
How long will he howl if you ingore him?
Never let him out or talk to him or treat him IF he is howling or barking or anything wrong in the crate
The minute he is good, give him a treat.
Can you move the crate into your room at night? New puppies cry at night because they're used to sleeping in a heap with Mom and siblings. After a few nights he should adjust to that. A stuffed toy for snuggling may help.
For the daytime a toy or treat to occupy him may help. Leaving the crate open when you're spending time with him, and occasionally putting a treat in there, so he goes in and out naturally may help. You can feed him in the crate too, to associate it with good things.
Did you read the advice to feed him in his crate in the other thread? Every time he goes in there, give him a treat, a stuffed Kong, something good. Put him in there when he's tired, not while he's still full of play.
Some howling is to be expected. Ear plugs help. The crate should be by your bed.
This is why several people suggested you enjoy a good night's sleep before puppy comes home, because you won't get a full night's sleep for a while. How old is he?
ETA - missed your update on the other thread. Twelve weeks is a good age, love the name Prescott!
We just got a new puppy, freshly weaned. At bedtime she goes in her "kennel" (it's a zip up collapsible roomy thing) that is put in the bedroom across the den from our bedroom and both bedroom doors are shut. Leaving the ceiling fan and TV on ( we sleep with our TV on) helps muffle her whines. After about 3 or 4 nights of this and she doesn't act up as much. Keep babying him by moving his bed to your room and he'll have you trained in no time.
lol at the howling..that's normal. let somebody lock you in a cage for an extended period of time and you just may howl yourself.. they don't like it. it's meant to train them not to wizz and poop on the floor. it works. the other alternative is to spank them, which is the method I used. it's a lot less crule than crating them.
Wow game time...I have to disagree with you. Spanking a pup for something he does not understand or cannot control Is cruel. Crate training is more akin to transitioning your children to their grown up bed from a crib. Done correctly, there is nothing cruel about it - a learning process. It is so much more than just potty training.
And it's not like she's cramped or anything. Being a chihuahua, she has enough room to move around. We can't leave her loose when we go to bed or the carpet would be loaded with pee and poop and anything she could find to tear up. Before bed time she ends up in my wife's lap where she goes to sleep. When she goes to bed my wife puts the spoiled brat, er, I mean puppy in her kennel on her blanket. She's usually fine till I get home from work in the morning and she hears the door. She used to bark and whine a lot during the night but she's getting better about that now. As soon as my wife gets her out, she puts her down on the training pads and won't let her off till she does her "business".
Step 1. Doggie dish always goes to the back of the crate whenever being fed. This instills a sense of "If I want to eat I must go into the cage." As the dog is headed to the cage, saying the words "Cage, cage, cage" or "Crate, crate, crate" instill a verbal association with the food, crate and the word itself.
Step 2. At this early stage, all treats can also go towards the back of the cage but the dog must never be tossed a treat so as to "lure him" into the cage only to have the door slammed shut. The dog will pick up on this tom-foolery and know that all attempts to go after food result in lockup. This is about the dog wanting to go into the crate - not tricking the dog into the crate. Again, the words "cage, cage, cage" or "crate, crate, crate" (or whatever you prefer to use) are associating positivity with going to the crate and the treats.
Step 3. After a few days of allowing the dog to go into the crate for treats, food, etc... (without the door being slammed shut behind him), you can work on shutting the cage for short periods of time. Typically, I keep the door shut with my leg (not latching it) and stand by the crate. For every moment of silence, even if it's 2 seconds, I click and give a treat. ONLY CLICK DURING SILENCE! Once you can build the dog up to a period of one-five minutes of silence, you open the door and take him out for a short walk.
Step 4. Work on building the time up and remember that crying, howling, or any of the above ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, 100% does not get the dog out of the crate. I don't care if the dog sounds like it's being resurrected from the dead by canine-eating zombies, that dog stays in the crate until it's quiet.
Step 5. Your patience is key to this. The sooner you lose your patience and begin to grow agitated, the sooner the dog will too. It can get very trying listening to the dog cry and moan for what could possibly be hours on end. There will be times that you say to yourself "Will this dog ever shut up?!" You have to remember that it will eventually shut up and that is when you take the dog out of the cage. Try to "capture" the moment of silence by saying "Good girl/boy" or clicking and dropping a treat in right before you let him out.
Step 6. I can't reiterate enough that barking, howling, screaming, and begging will in no way spring the dog from the crate. YOU HAVE TO PROMISE YOURSELF THAT IT WON'T HAPPEN!!! As soon as that dog catches on, it will know that that behavior is what lets him or her out. You want to do the opposite. You want the dog to realize that quiet behavior, and even relaxed behavior, is precisely what gets her out of the cage.
Step 7. It's probably best to start this over the weekend. I once had a Blue Heeler that had to stay in his crate for 13 hours before he finally shut up and I could let him out. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night but it was all worth it in the end.
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How old is he?
