Hi again. Since my last post at a very low point things have improved. My puppy is now 14 weeks, remains ok in his crate at night, on the whole the biting is improving, some good lead walks, recall and all retrieving going well. We are working so so hard. I've been off work 6 weeks now and next week I'm returning. We've been really patient with crate training. Nights are fine. We feed him in there and open the door when he is quiet after his meals. I often put treats in there and often sit with him until he settles and always only open the door when he is quiet. I vary how long he is in there. Sometimes I'm in the room, sometimes not. He is well exercised physically and mentally when I put him in. However, he will often cry despite all of this. I need to return to work next week. K only work til 1-2pm and have a puppy visitor coming in for an hour. Buy in my last few days I'm not progressing him. He is currently crying and whining yet if i let him out he'll curl up next to me and go to sleep. Yet sometimes the minx will take himself there and go to sleep so clearly doesn't hate the crate. I'm seriously worried and wonder if there is anything more I can do or is it ok to leave him whining and howling?
Hi there, a couple of points here. One is teaching the puppy to relax in the crate. And the other is how long you can leave a puppy in a crate at this age. Teaching puppies to be relaxed in crates goes in stages. I teach my puppies to be shut in a crate while I am sat next to them, then a few feet away, and so on. So that any frustration at being shut in and the fear of being left alone are not combined. It sounds as if you have done this, but at some point have increased duration (or distance from you) too quickly. The only way to fix this really, is to go back to a point where your puppy is comfortable in the crate and work forwards more slowly. One thing you can try if the puppy whines in the crate while you are right next to them, is to cover the crate with a blanket. When the puppy is quiet, fold back the front of the blanket so that the puppy can see out again, when he cries drop the front of the blanket back down again. For the second question, no matter how careful you are with your crate training, if you leave the puppy crated (or alone) for too long during the day, he is likely to become distressed. You don't say how long the puppy will be crated for, but it really isn't a good idea to crate a puppy for long periods during the day. You'll find many different opinions on how long is okay. My own personal rule is never to leave a dog over six months old in a crate for more than four hours at a stretch. I personally wouldn’t do this on a regular daily basis either, though I know that many working puppy parents do. For puppies three to six months old I think two hours is a maximum, and for puppies under three months, one hour. So in your situation, it might be worth considering puppy daycare, or at least getting a really substantial playpen where you can have a bed at one end, and puppy pads, water, toys etc. So that your puppy isn't confined for more than a couple of hours at a time. Here is an article that details the crate training process: https://thehappypuppysite.com/crate-training-a-puppy/. Hope that helps
Thank you. He is so erratic with it and that is probably what has thrown me. Fine for an hour with no crying one day, but cries the next time. But as you say this has maybe reset things. He will not be left for more than 2 hours and only 3 days a week. Plus the occasional need to pop to the shops etc. I'll keep at it. J have a sore bum despite the cushion next to the crate!
