Meet Baruch

Baruch · 06-06-2008, 09:05 PM

We just got our new puppy yesterday (8wks old). However, I do have a concern... he will not stop crying in the crate! He slept in it last night for 7 hours with no problem, but today I put him in the crate after taking him out to pee and he did not go so in the crate he went! He screams bloody murder! I put him in a corral instead and he does better, but I don't want to give too much room. How do I reassure him in the smaller crate? I can't ignore him because he doesn't seem to give up. Do I correct the behavoir by shaking a can or spraying him? I don't want him to not like the crate, any advice?

ps. I would post a pic but I haven't had time to figure that out.

**Quita** · 06-06-2008, 09:11 PM

You have to just ignore him. Be patient and he'll settle down. Maybe put a nice bone in the crate with him or a stuffed kong to keep him busy. If you do put a bone, however, be sure to still supervise. Sometimes chips and splinters can come off, and you might want to take away the chipped pieces so that they aren't eaten. NEVER let him out when he's crying, or you are rewarding the crying. This will make it 10 times harder to stop. I also found that covering the crate to keep out distractions also helps.

**triciakoontz** · 06-06-2008, 09:22 PM

Always put a puppy in the crate with a treat and have a couple of great treats in the back of the crate. I also do what Quita advises. One of the things I found helpful with my puppy when I first got her was getting a larger crate. I was using a small one to begin with and she was much more upset in it than she was in the larger one. If you Google the phrase "crate training" you will find a bunch of great articles on positive crate training. Good Luck with your new puppy - can't wait to see photos.

Baruch · 06-06-2008, 09:26 PM

I have the crate covered, and I alway a kong or nylabone in there with him. I have crate trained puppies before and I have never encountered this! I feel so bad for him. I do ignore him and only let him out when he has stopped for a couple minutes. It just goes on for 30 minutes or more! He was crying while I wrote the first post and he has finally stopped crying, it took 25 minutes this time.

eclaire · 06-06-2008, 09:28 PM

Hey

I agree with both posters - you HAVE to ignore the crying. The fact that he stayed in there last night for 7 hours straight says alot. When I got my girl (she was 10 weeks old) she cried for like 25-30 minutes straight before stopping, and then would only be quiet for about 30 minutes and started the yelping and crying and barking again. It was seriously the hardest thing I ever went through ignoring her. I sat on the couch and even cried because I felt so bad, but I kept telling myself it was the right thing to do, albeit tough. She got over it, now she goes right in her crate and rarely makes any fuss about it

He WILL get used to it.

Oh, also don't spray him with water or shake a can of coins at him while he is IN the crate... you don't want him to have a negative association with the crate... its supposed to be his happy/safe place (eventually... lol)

Baruch · 06-06-2008, 09:29 PM

I wanted to add it is a large adult size crate with a partition, should I remove the partition or atleast give him half of the crate. I am just worried he will have too much room and pee in it.

eclaire · 06-06-2008, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tferraro

I have the crate covered, and I alway a kong or nylabone in there with him. I have crate trained puppies before and I have never encountered this! I feel so bad for him. I do ignore him and only let him out when he has stopped for a couple minutes. It just goes on for 30 minutes or more! He was crying while I wrote the first post and he has finally stopped crying, it took 25 minutes this time.

The other thing I did was actually time exactly how long it takes... and you can see the improvement... if only a minute at a time... that was encouraging to me....

eclaire · 06-06-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tferraro

I wanted to add it is a large adult size crate with a partition, should I remove the partition or atleast give him half of the crate. I am just worried he will have too much room and pee in it.

Mine has a partition and I left it in here with her having less than 1/2 the crate. Now she is almost 4 months old and she has a little more than 1/2 of it. Slowly making it bigger, otherwise she will definitely pee in there.

michael327 · 06-07-2008, 01:36 PM

When I brought my two home the first night I let them explore the crate open. In and out, toss in some treats, lots of affection. Played with them till they started to look drowsy and then sleepy time into the crate. I placed with each of them a T shirt I had worn so they would have something with my scent in there with them. That seemed to really make a difference. My male would bunch it up for a pillow and the female would paw it around to her liking and lay on top. Crating should always be a positive experience for the pup. Calm and patience go a long way toward success. Of course once they were comfortable and feeling at home,they proceeded to shred two $60 fleece dog beds!
Gotta love the little monsters.

Baruch · 06-08-2008, 07:40 AM

Well I made the crate a little larger and it has made a difference. But when I got up this morning to let him out there was pee on his bed! He is very good with holding his bladder. I let him out to pee every hour during the day and he has not had an accident in 2 days. Now in the crate!?..........