# Advice on crate training?! :(



## HankyPanky (Aug 17, 2013)

So i've had my GDS for 2 days now. He is 9 weeks old and I want to crate train him to sleep in there, and be in there while we are at work (at least until he is older and potty trained)

here's my problem:

last night was night 2 of crate training....horrible. He cried mostly all night. I know he is missing his siblings and mom and scared in a new place so I completely understand the crying. But should it happen ALL night? He will take like an hour break, fall asleep then repeat. Around 2:30 am last night and the night before, it was really bad. So i figured he needed to go potty. we went outside and straight back to the crate when he was done. but the whinning and crying did not stop. Is this normal? Yes i want sleep, but that is not my concern. I am concerned he is so scared and I feel horrible just letting him scream for that long. But I don't want to get him out when he is crying, because then he will think that is a way out. ugh, Please help. I know I am only 2 days in...and it should get better eventually..i hope..but in the mean time, I feel like a horrible person. How long did it take until you GSD slept through the night in his crate? HELP! 

PS: He has a warm bed on one side of the crate, towel incase he has an accident on the other side. water, food, toys, one of my shirts for smell. and I covered the crate with a light knitted blanket. during the day its the same except no blanket covering it, and i left animal planet on for him


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## FoxyMom (Feb 9, 2013)

Is he in your room? That really helped my parents when they crated their pup at night. All my mom had to do was put her hand next to the crate for Brighton to smell her, and she'd lay right back down and go to sleep. 

It's also helpful to make the crate a great place to be during the day. Try feeding him in there. 


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## HankyPanky (Aug 17, 2013)

Yeah he is in our room kinda by the foot of the bed. My boyfriend slept down there the first night and it was a little better but I dont want him to get used to that
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## rgrey (Jul 30, 2013)

Yep. Took Griz almost 3 nights before he wasn't constantly crying, barking, howling, yodeling, ect. Then 2 nights of noise with several hour breaks between. Then 3 nights of happily going into the crate, only to cry for an hour about 15 minutes later.

Last night was the first night he happily went to bed and slept without a crying fit. Whined/whimpered about 5 hours later but he needed to go outside. 

Just make sure he's not staying in too long-I've put Griz's max time as 6 hours (no idea where I came up with that number) and so far he hasn't messed in the crate.


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

I made sure our little fur ball was happy. I fed and watered the nervous puppy, took him outside to pee and played. It's summer out so I only put a thin blanket on the floor and took off his collar when he went into the kennel. when he laid down, I made happy voice and handed him a treat. I put one favorite toy in the kennel and slowly shut the door. another treat a few minutes later as I shut off the lights and went to bed. 

He will cry and I would suggest you get him away from your room so you can rest. We kept Freki in the living room that can see all exits. He will be on a bed in the same spot when he grows up. 

Just like my kids, if you come every time they cry.. they pick up on it and command you like a robot! Wait till you have kids! It makes training dogs easy!

Now, Freki will yip loud when he needs to go out and pee. He hits the bell on the front door to get it open! 

Good luck with your pup! Never use the crate as punishment and stay out of it. It's his den and nobody gets to put anything in there but him!


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## bella~too (Aug 19, 2013)

I'm new at this too. Our pup is also 9 weeks old; we have had her about 10 dad now. She has slept in her crate now for 5 or 6 nights. It is right beside my bed, covered with a blanket. I give her a treat to get her in to it. She whines for about 1-2 mins and then goes to sleep. She sleeps 3-5 hours before needing to go out. Each night it does seem to get better.

Now her crate is in a special area off of my kitchen and she goes in on her own ad sleeps.....

It will get better, just be consistant 


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## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

I'm a softy. I did not want to crate train, but my husband did. I said fine then you do it. On the fourth night, when he was exhausted and the puppy was not liking the crate he put him up on the bed. The puppy ran to me and snuggled into my neck. He slept on the bed until he was to large, now he has a bed on the floor. 

I now a lot of people crate train. It's just not something I ever did. I have read to put treats and toys in the crate. Also to have thew crate in a quiet area. Good luck.


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## dioworld (Feb 1, 2012)

Crate training is the best thing you'll not regret doing.
You only get the pup for 2 days, it's normal for pup to cry(even in playpen), it usually take them a few days to adjust to new environment.
you can start crate training to daytime telling him go crate and place some treat there, first without closing the doors, then repeat and repeat for 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes .... so on.. place some toys in there as well. Never put him in crate for punishment, eventually they'll start loving the crate. They'll feel the crate is the safest place they can be.

I remember after mine got neutered, first thing he got home is go into his crate himself, you can tell in his eyes crate is the most comfortable/safest place for him.


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## FoxyMom (Feb 9, 2013)

trcy said:


> I now a lot of people crate train. It's just not something I ever did. I have read to put treats and toys in the crate. Also to have thew crate in a quiet area. Good luck.


We kind of did the same thing. When we first brought Strider home we tethered him to my side of the bed. We tried the crate, but he wouldn't stop crying. Once he was out, he laid down and went to sleep.

It took me about 2-3 weeks to crate train him during the day. Now he goes in on command, but he would still rather stay out. When he is a bit older (he's 8 months right now) we plan on leaving him loose in the house. 

Our Rottie, on the other hand _loves_ his crate. It's his safe spot. When it was in the house and he got scared (thunderstorms, fireworks) that's where he would hide. Now he hides in the bathtub. Haha!


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## mandiah89 (Jan 18, 2013)

During the day when you are home play games with the crate... throw a treat in there and let him go in and get it throw a favorite toy in there for him to get it... throw a treat in there tell him bed/kennel whatever your command is going to be when he goes in slowly shut the door behind him for a minuet (dont need to lock it) then let him out keep doing this praise him when he goes in voluntarily to get a treat/toy... when you feed him his meals give him his command once he is in give him his food and shut and lock the door and walk away go back a few minuets later and let him out and praise him... You have to make it fun... I would suggest not keeping food and water in there at night, night time is for sleeping not for eating or drinking this also makes it harder to potty train if they constantly have access to food/water... At night time give him something like a bully stick or a stuffed kong put him in and go to sleep... shouldn't take long to crate train, penny was crate trained in only a few nights and has no problem being in the crate and happily hops in for her breakfast/dinner and goes in not a problem while I am cleaning or need to get stuff done with her out of the way.. its a great thing to have and it gets them use to being in there so if they ever need to be in a crate esp at the vets they will be use to it and wont cause extra stress... Be persistent never use as a punishment and it shouldn't take much longer, some dogs granted do take longer than others to get use to it. good luck!


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## FirefighterGSD (Jan 20, 2014)

mandiah89 said:


> During the day when you are home play games with the crate... throw a treat in there and let him go in and get it throw a favorite toy in there for him to get it... throw a treat in there tell him bed/kennel whatever your command is going to be when he goes in slowly shut the door behind him for a minuet (dont need to lock it) then let him out keep doing this praise him when he goes in voluntarily to get a treat/toy... when you feed him his meals give him his command once he is in give him his food and shut and lock the door and walk away go back a few minuets later and let him out and praise him... You have to make it fun... I would suggest not keeping food and water in there at night, night time is for sleeping not for eating or drinking this also makes it harder to potty train if they constantly have access to food/water... At night time give him something like a bully stick or a stuffed kong put him in and go to sleep... shouldn't take long to crate train, penny was crate trained in only a few nights and has no problem being in the crate and happily hops in for her breakfast/dinner and goes in not a problem while I am cleaning or need to get stuff done with her out of the way.. its a great thing to have and it gets them use to being in there so if they ever need to be in a crate esp at the vets they will be use to it and wont cause extra stress... Be persistent never use as a punishment and it shouldn't take much longer, some dogs granted do take longer than others to get use to it. good luck!


Reserecting this thread because it's exactly what im going through right now with out new 11 week old. Day #4 with us today and first night in the crate. Thank you to everyone who comments and gives advice, it makes things so much easier!

This is awesome advice (make it fun).


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

I actually put my pup's crate on a chair next to the bed for the first week or two and I could put my finger through the grate on the door so she could smell me.

I think he'll eventually settle down, shouldn't take long, but those sleepless nights probably feel like and eternity!


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