I begin this with a plea for help! My very adorable 10 week Sam is having problems with anxiety. I have spent the last couple of weeks slowly training him in the way Pippa suggests (with leaving and returning when he stops crying, and rewarding), but it seems to not be making much effect. He sleeps through most of the night absolutely fine in his crate, with few problems. However in the day he really struggles with the crate, anytime I pop him in there (usually when I shower or make food) he cries and cries. I thought it could be boredom crying? So I have been putting him in there when he has gone to the bathroom and had playtime. Any suggestions or perhaps reassurance that this might get better? Thanks JP!
Sounds like he's objecting rather than anxious - 'tho I can't hear him so I may be wrong I met a 12 week old pupster who objects loudly whenever he's left alone, just for a short time, in the day - he's a very confident pup who was all over the other dogs in seconds of meeting them. As soon as he was put in the car crate he shouted loud and long!
Yes, it will get better; it just takes a little longer with some puppies than others. I agree with Boogie that it sounds more like he's objecting when left in his crate while you have a shower or whatever. When Juno was little and in her crate I used to give her a toy when I was going for shower etc. and she has a nylabone that she always has when I'm going out shopping. I know it sounds daft but I have always told her I'm going for a shower or whatever and that I won't be long.
Sam is still very much a baby , its quite normal for them to demand attention Make everything very " matter of fact " , put a radio on and try to ignore, it does get better as they mature
Yes, just ignore the crying and try to only come back into the room and let him out when he's quiet for a couple of seconds. You can clicker train this as well, if you have a clicker (obviously). It's hard for young pups to be alone, but it's a very valuable lesson for them.
Re: crate issues Cash is 9 weeks old. We picked him up at 8 weeks and he has slept in his crate without wetting or soiling it. He can go 5-6 hours which I think is great. His crate is in the kitchen and we have been talking turns sleeping near him. I didn't think this was much different than allowing him to sleep input room for the first few nights. We don't talk to him or make a fuss when he needs to go out. Last night we tried to sleep in our own room and let him cry it out. I let him go for over an hour, waited for a small break in the screaming, and took him directly outside. He went to the bathroom and I felt bad for letting him wait so long. I put him right back in and fell asleep next to the crate. I awoke before him and he was fast asleep. A few moments later he rolled over and got his leg stuck between the spaces in the crate. He was very upset and ran out as soon as I freed him. During the day I follow the advice on crate training. I reward him when he enters the crate, when he is quiet, and when he lets me shut the door for brief periods. This afternoon he got his collar stuck on the latch of the open door! What are the odds! How bad would it be if I placed one of our other crates in our room while I continue to work with him on staying in his crate in he main part of the house durong the day? I used these crates with my other labs without incident. Now I am nervous to leave him because I won't know if his cries are attention seeking or if he is stuck!
Teresa ,hi there,it's horrible hearing them cry....and it can drive you mad too! Dexter is our first dog ,he was crate trained when we got him at 5 months so I didn't have the issues I know come up very often with puppies and youngsters.Dexter doesn't wear a collar in the house ,our property is secure,he couldn't get out anywhere so there's no need for him to have it on so that takes away the worry of them getting stuck on anything. As I say Dexter is our first dog so I'm not experienced enough to say whether working a 2 crate method would impede your progress..He's only just left his Mum and litter though so I really can't see that it would do any harm for a couple of nights ,he's only little.Certainly whilst you are building up crate time during the day and making it a feel like a nice ,safe comfortable place for him to be. Can you fit the crate into a snug little corner anywhere so it's protected on 2 sides so he can't get anything stuck?Then maybe stand a board or something up against the other sides at night?youd have to make sure it was really chew proof though so trial it during the day so you could see how he was reacting to it. Poor boy,2 crate attacks in one day! X
