puppy hates the crate. barking all night. help please

[miserablemoo]

Hi
First night we didn't hear a peep from the puppy in his crate. With a cover on it. Today he has barked and cried every time he is in the crate and now at this moment in time is going bonkers in there keeping us the kids and neighbors awake. Do we just ignore him? I don't feel comfortable with him not being in a crate at night. And bringing him upstairs is not an option for us. My husband is downstairs with him so he is not alone (I'm dealing with a sick did) and he starts biting and ripping up his bed! He cries if I leave the room for a minute so its not just at bedtime

Any words of wisdom or advice greatly appreciated. Feeling like we have made a mistake.

[ancientbuchanan]

Our pup cried for 2 weeks, but now having shepherded us up stairs and seen is into bed, insists on being taken into his crate.

But have you got something that smells of his mum? And put a hot water bottle and a ticking alarm clock under his blanket, and he will find them comforting, like another animal esp if he has the comforting smell of mum.

That said, I know several people had to sleep downstairs the first few nights. But it does improve. It's like a small baby. They scream too, or Ds did. For 6 months. And they are not a mistake...he's just missing his family.

[NurseyWursey]

How old is the puppy? Don't forget he's still a baby and still used to being with his mum and siblings. being alone at night can be scary

They're not supposed to be in crates all night. That's an long time for a dog to be cooped up in a cage.

If you insist on keeping your dog crated, could you put it in your bedroom? Then he won't feel as lonely and it may reduce the barking.

[NurseyWursey]

Also if you want your puppy to accept the crate, they have to be trained to accept it if you want them to be happy. It's not just an easy solution to put them in it. If they're under 6 months they shouldn't be in it longer than 3/4 hours.

www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html

this website has some tips for crate training. It can take weeks.

[miserablemoo]

Hi everyone and thank you

I have tried short breaks in the crate today, even when I have not gone out to try and get him used to his crate a little but he hated it. Plus I have 2 children so wanted him to have somewhere safe for him to go when he wants some quiet. I worry about him chewing something he shouldn't if he has free run of a room.

he is ten weeks and was just with his brother so nothing with his mums scent on. He is happy to go on his bed when I take it out of the crate and will go to bed when asked, but he is reluctant to go to his bed whilst it is in the crate.

he has not been in it long tonight. Put him in at 11pm after a wee break. He cried and howled for a while then went quiet for about 40 mins then started up at 12 and won't stop. I took him out for another wee break at around 1.15 and he didn't do anything outside. Put him back in and he started again straight away. He is really distressed.

He cant come upstairs as my dh has asthma and it takes his body a couple of weeks to build up an immunity to the new pet so whilst he can handle him being downstairs, upstairs isn't an option.

we have not got this puppy on a whim. We have waited years. Everywhere I have read says to ignore and they will stop eventually but that's easier said than done when they sound so upset.

Plus my dd has been up with vomiting twice and is coughing so it is just adding up to being an awful night. 1 hours sleep and I'm up at 6.

I have opened the crate door and he is happy now. He keeps coming out but will go back in if I ask him. And when I went to see to my dd he was out of his crate but was being quiet. This is ok for tonight but I can't do this all the time as like I said I worry about him wondering about when we are out or in bed chewing things that could harm him.

Sorry to waffle on. I know he is just a baby and it's all new and scary for him. He just wants to be with me and cuddle but I don't want him to only sleep if he is with me. Think it's just setting us up for a bigger challenge when he is older.

Thanks for reading. Don't worry I am not crating him for long hours. I know he is too little for that.

[ZombiesAreClammyDodgers]

Can one of you sleep downstairs with him the first few nights??

[miserablemoo]

Hi.

yes I slept downstairs Thursday night and that night I didn't hear a peep from him. Last night he was having none of it. My dh was downstairs to try and give me a couple of hours sleep in bed then I would do the second half. I have up at 12 as he was making so much noise and because my dd has been sick.

he didn't cry with the door open but he has been in and out of his crate all morning and been into everything he shouldn't and his toys. He has had another wee break as well. Me and dh will probably have a chat later and see if we can come up with something. Nothing springs to mind really.

[SharpLily]

At his age he'll probably need a couple of toilet breaks overnight but apart from that he'll be fine in the crate - most puppies and even adult dogs appreciate the security of a safe den. The theory is that you need to make the crate an appealing place to be for him, so make sure he has a couple of favourite toys or comforters of some kind in there, but from what I can work out, the crate isn't the problem here as you say he's happy to go in and out under his own steam. From what you've written, it sounds more like separation anxiety - basically he's too clingy to you. Usually you can deal with it by building up his tolerance. For example, put him in the crate and leave him, just for two minutes at a time, so that he learns you always come back. After a while, make it four minutes, then six and so on. It takes time, patience and dedication but is a proven technique.

[Booboostoo]

It takes a few weeks for a puppy to get used to the crate, you can't just close the door and hope for the best. To start off you need to leave the door open 24/7 and make the crate as appealing as possible, e.g. feed in there, give chews in there, etc.

Nightimes are as difficult with puppies as they are with babies, although puppies go through this phase faster than babies. Keep sleeping with the puppy to reassure him. If you think he needs the toilet, don't speak, don't interact, just pick him up take him out to do his business and then pop him back in again.

[Daisybelleblue]

I hope by now your puppy has excepted his crate. As the poster above said leave the door open don't just shut him in. Also try getting a Kong and stuffing it with cheese paste and putting it in the crate. Creating a great environment is really important, good luck

[Fletch3]

Feed him in there :)

[LizzyBennet1813]

we got a puppy a year ago. we never used our dining room so that was his crate to us. followed all the advice on line like taking him to the toilet every few hours and otherwise ignoring him. Also during the day I would ask him to stay in his bed and I would repeatedly walk in and out of the room gradually extending the time I was absent. the idea is to get him to understand that there will be times when you leave him, but you'll always come back. we also started leaving him at home for 15 mins, then half hour, then an hour then two, again just increasing the time every few days. its very time consuming but worth it in the end. we can now leave him while we are at work all day and he's OK.
as for at night, he settled down after a week or do but then started crying in the morning, this started at around 6am and my oh used to go downstairs to him so he started whining earlier & earlier. Then one day he jumped the gate to his room, we bought another gate to put above it and he cried continuously all night for about two weeks. eventually we ended up with a note from the council saying someone had complained. by this point we were so sleep deprived and at the end of our tether that we caved in, moved his bed to the living room & haven't had a problem since!
stick with it, we also wondered if we'd ever get past it but he is as good as gold now :) it just takes time. hope this helps & that he settles soon.