# Crate training time frame



## carsona246 (Feb 17, 2014)

Just brought my puppy home last night and started crate training. How long until they stop crying at night? He cried almost all night, we put him right next to me and i stuck my fingers through the bars, but he still cried all night.
Anything i can do to help?


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

If the breeder didn't introduce him to the crate then it could take a little while for the crying to stop. My last puppy was from an accidental litter and had no prior introduction to a crate and did cry at night. I really like Susan Garrett's Crate Games DVD for crate training starting a solid foundation for future training. Try to do some crate time during the day also so it isn't just a night time thing. I tend to crate or pen my puppy throughout the day and bring them out only when I can devout 100% of my attention to them. Most quickly work out during the day that whining won't get them anywhere and are quieter at night. 

Make sure you puppy in tired at night, don't rough house right before bed, but I would go for a good walk beforehand and do some light training and try not to let the puppy nap in the hours before bed. I like to give my pups something to chew on while in their crate and to make bed time more rewarding. Generally I ignore whining, maybe stick my fingers in the crate, but I don't try to verbally calm them. If I think my pup needs to potty then I will take them out of the crate, put their leash on and carry them outside. I do not talk or pet them, waking me up at night is not punished, but I do not reward it either. If they potty I will softly praise them, pick them back up and go back inside and go back to bed.

Be consistent and patient and you'll soon have a puppy that will sleep through the night. Your pup's entire world just changed and he will need some time to adjust. Also if you purchased your pup from a breeder I'd call or e-mail and ask for some advice. The good ones will be more than happy to help you and your pup transition.


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## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

Efa cried for the first 3 nights. Then it changed to only crying when she to be taken outside to potty. I made sure to feed her in her crate and gave her a pillow at night so she wasn't trying to fall asleep on the hard bottom.


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## MamaofLEO (Aug 8, 2014)

We were travelling home with Leo (MD-->IL) and we stayed at a hotel the first night with him...he had a crate, covered, light music, walked, tired. He cried and wailed until I put him in bed with me (7 weeks old at the time) for the only time he slept outside of his crate. He slept against my legs. Sometimes the stress (travel would do it  of the first nights riles pups up. At 9+ months, now, he continues to be crated and now it is his sanctuary (I never thought he would go right in but in the last few weeks, walks right in, even during day---crate training paid off!!).

Stick with it. Crate Games saved us! We cover the crate (it is in his room, in corner, and covered with light fleece blankets on from and side; he has a runner rug folded on floor, his blankie and his carrot pillow in crate at night and at nap he has some small, low value treats in there hidden in blanket and under pillow). Invaluable tool for us in puppyhood! Good luck!


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

if it's around 8 weeks you have to wake up at least 2 awkward times a night to take it out. if you have help, take turns and take it outside as much as possible. that's a given though. my only advice is don't let them out when they are barking or whining. wait 'till they are calm. if you just got the puppy you should already be working on downs and sits whenever they eat, get a treat or a toy. also use being let out of the crate being a reward for a down or a sit. at the very begining at least stop barking or whining. if you give in to whining you are setting yourself and the dog up for failure.


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## carsona246 (Feb 17, 2014)

Thanks for all the words of advice and suggestions. Second night was better, but still crying each time i put him in. Been taking 4 potty breaks a night, but hopefully we will cut that down


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I put an elk antler in my puppy's crate...it isn't dangerous and pup can't choke on it. I heard him chewing it after the pottybreaks during the night, it helps him settle. Luckily, my pup took to the crate easily(breeder also crated the litter separately a bit to get use to them)
My 10 week old pup goes into the crate on his own when he's sleepy or hungry, he'll run to it when he's hungry as that is where he gets fed. Crate is a good thing!
I have a day crate and a bedtime crate. We do 2 potty breaks during the night, but last night he went from about 11:30pm til almost 4(and I woke him to take him out).


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## ViciousXUSMC (Feb 2, 2015)

Nova hates the crate when its closed, she still goes right in when its open to put in or get out toys and get the occasional bite of food.

Today is Day #3 for her to be in the crate while I am at work the first 2 days were crying all day long with major fits (I have the crate on camera w/ sound so I can see it at work)

For night time crating its not as bad as I can be next to the crate to calm her down until she falls asleep, my issue there is my two cats love to wake her up after I go to bed so for now I am crating her at night until she sits and is calm/quiet and then rewarding her and letting her sleep with us in the bedroom. 

Today is also the first time I am going to try to leave the TV on for her and see if that helps keep her calm at all while at work.

As for the question, I have asked it to many people and some people it took 3 nights, other people it took 3 weeks. I even had somebody say 3 months. I guess it really depends on a lot of varibles from how well you crate train her (how you introduce it, how comfortable you make it, etc) and just the dogs temperment.

Hope your puppy gets over it soon, it's one of the first major challenges with many more to come


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## Gill (Mar 15, 2015)

As Vicious pointed out, I was one of the lucky ones with a 3 night break in period. She will still whimper for 3-5 minutes when she realizes she is trapped, but then she calms right down.

As the great trainers here taught me... you have to be strong and not give in. Any sign of weakness they will latch on to and use it to get their way. Ignore them until it is actually time for them to come out and even then, I wouldn't let them out until they take a break from crying.


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## carsona246 (Feb 17, 2014)

About 13 weeks now, and we are doing great! He even goes into his crate on his own if we stay up to late. 
For future puppy owners, it does get better


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

ViciousXUSMC said:


> As for the question, I have asked it to many people and some people it took 3 nights, other people it took 3 weeks. I even had somebody say 3 months. I guess it really depends on a lot of varibles from how well you crate train her (how you introduce it, how comfortable you make it, etc) and just the dogs temperament.


It totally does depend on many variables. Dena fussed very little, and only got me up at night twice from 9 weeks old. Keefer was longer, and Halo too. There just is no one size fits all answer to this question, which is why there are so many answers.


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## ViciousXUSMC (Feb 2, 2015)

I am at the point now where as much as we may not want too, Nova needs to go into the crate for a while while we are home.

This way she wont freak out if somebody puts her in there out of necessity (a shower or something) and also not think that when she goes into the crate it means we are about to leave the house.

I have a feeling once we get this down, it will lower her "cry time" when she goes into the crate when we do leave the house as well.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I agree, Vicious. It's a good idea to use the crate from time to time even when you don't really need to, for all the reasons you mentioned.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

In Jasira's case, I could have taken her out 12 times a night and she would still go potty in her kennel. She didn't completely stop until she was 2 years old. Xerxes, on the other had, was my dream puppy. I tried to let him out often but he hated sleeping where he pottied and the 10 week old little guy would hold it for over 4 hours trying not to go. I've owned 7 GSDs and an Irish setter before them since I left parents to live on my own and I never had a puppy try so hard not to go until him. My first GSD, Saron, was my heart dog, but Xerxes is a VERY close second. I love Jasira but she IS my problem child. LOL


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## ViciousXUSMC (Feb 2, 2015)

Nikitta said:


> In Jasira's case, I could have taken her out 12 times a night and she would still go potty in her kennel. She didn't completely stop until she was 2 years old. Xerxes, on the other had, was my dream puppy. I tried to let him out often but he hated sleeping where he pottied and the 10 week old little guy would hold it for over 4 hours trying not to go. I've owned 7 GSDs and an Irish setter before them since I left parents to live on my own and I never had a puppy try so hard not to go until him. My first GSD, Saron, was my heart dog, but Xerxes is a VERY close second. I love Jasira but she IS my problem child. LOL


Nova is like that, she will hold it a very long time in her crate. But on the weekend when she is not in the crate at all we keep having accidents in the house now, I do not even think she is giving a sign or trying to hold it is the issue she is just going.

2 long walks today and she went right after the walk instead of while we were out :/


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

If she is having accidents in the house then crate her when you are not 100% focused on her and she hasn't gone recently. Restricted her freedom until she has earned it by consistently pottying outside. If you take her out and she does not potty then place her back in her crate, give her some time in there then take her back out. Repeat until she potties outside, praise and reward her then let her have some supervised free time out of her crate. The more times she rehearses pottying in the house the more difficult it will be to break the habit. Also make sure you are cleaning up where she goes with a cleaner make for cleaning up feces and urine, any odor will draw her back to the spot.


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## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

It took three nights for Duncan to stop making noise and sleep through the night. This sounds mean, but we keep him in his own room at night away from everything. I can still hear him faintly if he cries, but my husband can't because he wears ear plugs. We cover the crate with a blanket and make sure he is ready to go to bed (dinner, bathroom, walk, grooming) beforehand. My reasoning was this: he's going to cry one way or the other whether or not he's in the same room as us. If he's in the same room, I'm going to end up taking him out and talking to him, sticking my fingers in the crate, etc, and it just reinforces the crying. Even me rolling over in bed in response to him crying is reinforcement. So, to me it made more sense for me to set an alarm in my phone several times a night to get up and let him out rather than struggle to figure out what to do with him when he cried. He knows I'm coming back to check on him on a regular basis and he doesn't seem traumatized by it at all.

This has not made him hate his crate. He goes in there for naps willingly and curls up in the back, very comfortable. I will throw treats in there during the day so he can see that entering the crate does not automatically mean being "trapped." It is clearly his "safe space." I think it helps him relax because he seems to be a light sleeper and doesn't rest well unless everything is dark and quiet. I give him his stuffy and something to chew on. The crate has been so useful for us because now I can take him places with me and he will just chill out in his crate without panicking even if I need to do other things. Covering the crate with a towel or blanket really helps.

I do not think this would work with a puppy who soils their crate or who is prone to separation anxiety. Duncan is pretty collected by and large, so it was an easy adjustment for him.


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