# Crate Training: How long does this take?



## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

Hi there!
This is from an exhausted Puppy mom. My guy is 17 weeks old today and I have had him for 11 weeks. 

He has been crated since I got him. He knows "kennel." Will walk in without any fuss.

I exercise him 2 times a day, and he is usually in the back yard or in the house with me. (I work from home. ) He plays with our older dog literally all day. 

I plan his meals/water out to where he shouldn't need to go out after I crate him before bed.
I've tried kongs. I've tried special quiet time snacks. I crated him in our bedroom for the first 2 weeks or so.

He has finally gone 2 weeks without defecating or urinating in his crate. .... but the crying never stops.

I have tried ignoring it, but after 11 weeks of getting 2 to 3 hours of sleep at a time. .... I'm getting a little hazy on other options. I have never rewarded this behavior. Potty times are straightforward, with no playtime and it's right back to the crate when he is done. 

I've tried spraying water. I've tried teaching "no" or "quiet" ... but "no" only works outside of his crate. 

I tried leasing him and tugging it when he wHines or barks. Shaking cans of pennies. 


I have had several dogs throughout my life. He has been the hardest one to crate train so far. I think my guy holds the world record for most hours consecutively barking. No hoarseness. I dunno how he does it.

Any other recommendations short of buying a sedative or a bark collar? 

I would like a full 8 hours again! 

Thanks. (I hope I'm not alone. I'm sure someone has had a similar situation. )


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## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

Mischa, the unsleeping.


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## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

Ps. I don't let him nap during the day, because I want him to sleep through the night. We see how well that works...


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

He needs rest during the day. Over tired pups are not fun.


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## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

llombardo said:


> He needs rest during the day. Over tired pups are not fun.


I feel like the both of us would do better with more sleep... lol.


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## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

Feel like I should also mention I have tried covering his crate- but he pulls blankets inside and tears them up. I have tried fans, clocks, talk radio, gentle music. ..


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

Instead of responding to him at all, I would just ignore him completely. Set a schedule for when you take him out to potty, don't ever let him out when he whines. With a puppy that I had, I set alarms throughout the night for taking him out. That way, when he whined, he was never rewarded. I feel like a lot of perseverance is involved with crate training! Good luck!


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Put his crate in the basement or furthest point possible from you and ignore him. His whining has gotten him attention...period.


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## DiamondMint (Feb 8, 2015)

lexiz said:


> Instead of responding to him at all, I would just ignore him completely. Set a schedule for when you take him out to potty, don't ever let him out when he whines. With a puppy that I had, I set alarms throughout the night for taking him out. That way, when he whined, he was never rewarded. I feel like a lot of perseverance is involved with crate training! Good luck!



Aaah yes! Such an obvious answer that I totally missed. Thanks! I will set some alarms and keep him on my schedule instead of his. 8D


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

*"Potty times are straightforward, with no playtime and it's right back to the crate when he is done"
*

doesn't sound like much of a reward to me. And you have to be on pup's timeline, not your timeline.

You still have a baby on your hands.

Crate training and potty training are two different issues - IMHO.

What is your feeding schedule?

When potty training my pups I take them out many times a day and give a word. I say "hurry, hurry," and praise them like a maniac when they go.

I do not expect much of their immature systems and never punish them for mistakes. If a pup is punished or shamed they will hold in and/or try to hide when they have to go.

Unfortunately that leads to a harder road in training.

I've been lucky enough to be at home with my last few pups and a combo of experience and time has seen no mistakes.

As far as crying in the crate, that will cease if you simply ignore it. When your pup has gone out for the last time -- 10 or 11 PM, put him in the crate with a toy and leave. If necessary, cover crate with a sheet so that there is not distraction. No giving in to whining.

I wish I could tell you it's an easy solve, but you'll have to have a lot of patience here. 

Start from the beginning as if you have an 8 week old pup.

Bad habits are exponentially hard to overcome.

Your puppy is not being bad, just unsure.

Good luck and hang in there.


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## d4lilbitz (Dec 30, 2013)

Depends on the individual dog and how consistent you are. Some dogs are very easy to train, others not so much. I've found females are easier.


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## SS01 (Feb 26, 2019)

I’m going through the same thing. I just got this 8 week old German Shepard a week ago. I started crate training today. I live in an dorm building as well so his barks and howl can be heard EVERYWHERE. When i go to class i usually worry he’ll be barking and causing interruptions upon others studying. He would bark 2 hours straight and it’s so hard to ignore it. He won’t sleep in the crate at all, just howling and barking. I’m at the point deciding whether to adopt him to another family that’ll take the time to take Care for him. On the other hand, i love him so much, i still want to continue training him. I asked others to see if they gone through the same thing, they said their puppy was easier to learn, I’ve watched YouTube videos, none of them work. Treats don’t work at all. He just whines, barks, growls, and bite on the cage. I don’t know what to do.


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