# Crate training and crying...



## momto3k9s

It's been so long since I've had to do this.... What have you guys done with your puppies when you first got them and they would cry and cry in their crate? I take her out and see if she has to go potty, then see if she wants something to drink. But I put her back in the crate and she cries.  I make sure she runs and plays, etc...to get her tired for bed but I don't know if I should let her "cry it out". What have you guys done with your puppies and crying in the crate when they should be sleeping?


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## Elaine

I let mine out on a regular basis, about every two hours unless their tone changes and you know they have to potty. Then I put them back in the crate in my bedroom and just let them cry.


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## WarrantsWifey

We put Killian in the crate at night, and the first night was rough, he fell asleep after about an hour of whining. When he cried in the middle of the night I took him out. It took us about three nights till he was used to it. We crated him during the day when I left, but I made an effort when we were potty training never to be gone for more than an hour since he was so tiny and I didn't want him to pee in the crate.

So basically we let him cry it out. We also fed him in there so he got more comfortable. We put him to bed with a stuffy to cuddle up with too. His kennel is in our room so he doesn't feel left out and banished at night!


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## KZoppa

with Shasta i had to let her cry it out. she cried and cried for most of the first night. I made sure that her first couple of months she slept downstairs in her crate so she learned that there would be times and that it was honestly okay for her to spend time by herself. For us the point behind that was so she didnt develope seperation anxiety and so far she's doing VERY well. Plus there wasnt any space in our bedroom for a crate. But basically we just let her cry it out. She went out ever couple of hours for potty breaks and is good now. I can leave her out of her crate all night in our bedroom with no problems as of the last couple of days. She's almost 8 months old...


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## JKlatsky

Cry it out.  Which is rough. ANd some are worse than others. I will set the crate by the bed, I will put my fingers through the crate, and I will take them out if they cry during the night. BUT I will not pet them, talk to them, make eye contact, play with them when I take them out in the middle of the night. I will praise them when they potty and then it's right back in the crate. Pups are used to being able to wake up and play with a littermate or two whenever they want...best to begin as we mean to go on and that means no playing in the middle of the night. 

I try the first couple of nights to keep them up or hours before bed. After the drive to pick him up, I had Tag out all afternoon, then we took him to dinner with us where he ate under the table, and the Pet Store, etc. He would start to fall asleep and I woudl just keep waking him up...He was so exhausted that I think he only cried for about 15 minutes before he slept for 7 hours.


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## crisp

As already stated, the dog has to cry it out. One thing to remember...taking the dog out to potty or for a drink when it cries reinforces the crying. The dog learns it gets out if it cries. Set a schedule for potty breaks...every 3-4 hours and only take it our at those intervals and by your schedule.


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## ZAYDA

Things you can do to make it easier on both of you.
1. put the crate next to your bed so your puppy knows you are there.
2. Close off 1/2 the cage so they just have a nice area to get cozy but not big enough to potty on one end and sleep on the other.
3. You can put a hot water bottle" rubber" and an old time ticking type clock and wrap it in a towel. Simulates a heart beat and warmth of her litter mates.
4. Take water away 2 hours before bed and listen for puppy because they will let you know when they have to go out .
5.Do not play with the puppy just put him/her back in the cage after they are done.
6. This has worked wonders for me and many who have tried it give it a try.

Do not let that crate door open when you know they just went potty !!


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## MrsWoodcock

KZoppa said:


> with Shasta i had to let her cry it out. she cried and cried for most of the first night. I made sure that her first couple of months she slept downstairs in her crate so she learned that there would be times and that it was honestly okay for her to spend time by herself. For us the point behind that was so she didnt develope seperation anxiety and so far she's doing VERY well. Plus there wasnt any space in our bedroom for a crate. But basically we just let her cry it out. She went out ever couple of hours for potty breaks and is good now. I can leave her out of her crate all night in our bedroom with no problems as of the last couple of days. She's almost 8 months old...


I did the exact same thing with max and ruby! :] And at night they can be out of their crate and cuddle with me or sleep on their floor, or they sleep in their crates willingly haha Max just turned 8 months and ruby is 16 months. :]


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## MaggieRoseLee

Key was to have the crate in the bedroom at night. There's no benefit for me to BE THE BOSS and MAKE my puppies learn to not cry for me at the other side of the house. I'm not that much of a control freak.

So if I can get a full nights sleep and a content puppy by having the crate in my bedroom beside my bed, it's a win/win for all involved. 

Puppies have been 100% with their littermates and mom their entire lives..........so why should I be shocked that when I remove them from all that they are trying to scream at their 'stupid human' that they are lost and OVER HERE!!!!!

During the day I tend to use baby gates and closed doors to keep the puppy in the room with me so I can play/train/housebreak and remember to take them outdoors every hour for a romp and pee/poo opportunity.

The main time my pups are crated are if I have to leave the house (and since they can't hear me moving around they know I'm gone and quickly quiet), or if I need a short break in the day that I can't watch them.


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## momto3k9s

Thank you all for your advice! It helps a lot!


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## SouthernNdN

Well right now I and Nuhkia are still working on liking the idea of being in there. The last 3 nights or so have been awesome, no crying after going in. However tonight! She made it sound like someone was trying to kill her for about 30 minutes. Let me just say for only being about 4 mons old I'm surprised the neighbors haven't called the police for the noise! Oh and the scratching or digging sounds like she's trying to dig her way to China. It's insane.

I'm so hoping that she grows out of this! and soon.


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## paulag1955

I slept on the floor next to my Shasta's crate for the first 2 weeks she was home. By that time, she was sleeping through the night and I just stopped sleeping next to her and went back to sleeping in my bed. Her crated was/is not in our bedroom.


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## Franksmom

I do everything everyone else has mentioned with the crate above, plus, for the first week or two after bringing our pups home, we wear an old t-shirt for a couple hours a day, that t-shirt goes into the crate with the pup and we change it dailey, I've never had a big problem with my pups whining, and the pups havent' chewed on the t-shirt for some reason. I think having our scent right there with the pup helps.


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## SchDDR

Stop letting the pup out when it cries.
You're creating the association that crying = freedom.

Set an alarm, take the dog out on a schedule, and ignore the crying otherwise.

Are you crating during the day, or only at night?
If you're only crating at night, it can create a negative association wherein crate = your absence. You want to be sure you're also crating during the day, where the pup can see you, and thus not make that negative association.


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## SouthernNdN

I actually don't let the pup out when she cries, nor do I walk by the crate or let her seem me during the night. However I'm up stairs and she is down, so I really have no need to go down. I live in a two story cape cod, so basically any noise made any where in the house can be heard from anywhere.

As for crating during the day. I usually do crate once or twice during the day. It's anywhere from 30 min to 1 hr or so, depending on where I need to go or what I need to do. Last night she did her crying thing, it stopped after about 30 min or so. Then about an hour or an hour and a half later she started again, I figured perhaps she may need to go out. I took her out, she did her buisness. (She ended up growing and woofing towards the woods by my house, which seriously freaked me out LOL and we went back in.) I took her back to the crate, she entered. I gave the cmd to down and that was the end of the crying for the night. I take her out right before bedtime, but evidently she didn't empty the entire bladder.

We shall see what tonight brings.


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## SchDDR

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Now it's just a matter of waiting the pup out.

I do NOT miss those agonizing puppy nights.


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## Sasha1

Gosh Sasha acts like she is dying in there..she bites the cage. She is only 7 weeks. But it is her first night away.I feel so bad.


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## Unforgiving

We just got home with our pup. Fed him dinner in there and then he's been out for an hour before going in the crate to get used to it. Omg so noisy it's unbelievable sounds worse than a crying child! Starting to wait it out!


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## Charlie W

We have the puppy in a smaller crate in my son's room at night, he seems happy when there is somebody else in the room and has even put himself to bed a couple of times! We also have a big crate for the daytime which is in the house where the big dogs get left. That way he has their company whilst still being physically separated.. He seems to like his crate and the only time he cried was when he went into the small crate and my son was not in bed yet!


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## trcy

My puppy was only in the crate at night. He did put up quite the fuss about being in the crate for a few weeks. Sometimes throwing a tantrum lasting 45 minutes or so...

I slept right by the crate and talked to him in a calm voice. Eventually he would go right to sleep in the crate. We rarely use the crate now, but if we need to crate him he never makes a fuss anymore.


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## Moriah

My guy did not want to go willingly into a smaller crate. I didn't want to force him. I baby gated between the footboard of my bed and the wall so he had a corner of my bedroom.

Then I bought a large adult size crate and he was very happy with that. I read somewhere that small can be scary for a puppy and puppy doesn't notice that he is growing bigger as the crate gets "smaller." No problems after that. He slept like a baby!! (Except for needing to potty during the night.)


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## misslesleedavis1

I remember the first night we brought Dexter home. He cried in his crate and offcourse i melted like a softie and put him in bed with us. After that he was put in his crate beside our bed, and he did okay, a week after that he was sleeping outside the crate on a giant tempered glass shelf under out TV, always was an independent little dude, never was keen on crates. 
Sounds like you are doing everything right! I dont miss puppy whines  i can never get to sleep


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## Clare

Oh I was just searching the archives and came across this thread as my pup is currently crying like a banshee having lunch in his crate. But I work from home 99% of the time and I cannot watch him all day. My husband didn't want him to associate the crate with a bad place but after reading this, he's just going to have to cry it out!


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## Rozae’s Lady

Hey You Guys new to the channel I just purchased a 5week year old German Shepard I’m at a loss on where to began she cries in the crate and love bitting I’m mixing wet and dry I went to pets mart and got the puppy milk it gave her the runs so I stopped giving that to her she’ll leave some of her 1/2 food and eats it later when she wants with water she’ll pee on the puppy pad sometimes or right next to it I got some off tht puppy pee spray I don’t think she likes it I don’t no where to start or how to began


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## Fodder

Rozae’s Lady said:


> Hey You Guys new to the channel I just purchased a 5week year old German Shepard I’m at a loss on where to began she cries in the crate and love bitting I’m mixing wet and dry I went to pets mart and got the puppy milk it gave her the runs so I stopped giving that to her she’ll leave some of her 1/2 food and eats it later when she wants with water she’ll pee on the puppy pad sometimes or right next to it I got some off tht puppy pee spray I don’t think she likes it I don’t no where to start or how to began


Welcome Rozae, you’d be better off starting your own thread in the puppy section, as this one is 10yrs old.


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