Need more helpful advice...pretty please....

sptddog

Regarding my other post - our 14 week old pup is just not getting the nighttime crate thing. I posted another post about it...and after I posted we had a great night - he woke at 4am, went out to pee, went right back in, w/ no grief, and slept until 6am.

Last night, def the WORST so far. He started barking/crying as soon as we put him in the crate (okay, 10 miutes later). Barked for an hour before my husband had enough and went down and gave him a stern 'quiet'. He did that a few times, and then pup was quiet until midnight (only an hour later). So, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and took him out. He didn't want to go back in the crate, but I put him in, and he started right up again. I slept on the couch near him, going on the 'crate in bedroom' philosophy that I was near him, and that almost seemed to make it worse - he just whined everytime I moved. I continued the night w/ the stern 'quiet' each time, and he does quiet, but it's short lived. He was up again at 3, 4, 5, 6. I didnt' let him out any of those times, just told him quiet and left it.

Is the saying 'quiet' rewarding him? Or should I continue on the couch doing it?
Should we be trying something else?
Should it be taking almost 2 weeks? Or, are we prolonging it by letting him out during the night?
Do we just put earplugs in and ignore him as many nights as it takes to stop?
Should I continue putting him in wide awake during the day and letting him in there until he settles? Or should I just be putting him in when he's tired and just goes in and sleeps?
Do I need a doggie trainer to crate train? Oy. Crying or Very sad

He's learning everything else so fast - in a week he's got sit, down, stay (within reason), gives his paws, housebroken for the most part, and chews his own stuff w/ supervision!
He has a big fluffy bed in there so I don't think he's cold, I even had the HEAT on last night!!!!
Should I try one of those exercise pens or kids playyards, and make him a small area where his crate is inside, but his door is open? Is that going to change anything? He'd still be penned, but maybe he just really hates the confinement of the crate?
Is covering the crate something to try?
Is he ever going to get it?

He's currently curled up on his bed (not in his crate), sound alseep, since he was up all night!!!!! Rolling Eyes

The only two dogs we've ever crate trained were easily quiet within a week. One was from a pet store (we adopted her after she was too sick to sell), so maybe she had an advantage.

anne · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject:

Very odd...

Honestly I would try different scenarios and see what works. The idea of covering his crate is good.

I did have one pup that I bred and crate trained but as he got older (about 12+ weeks or so), he went thru a phase of crying/barking when he didn't want to be in his crate. Now since this pup was started on crate training early and I knew he was fine with it, I knew his behavior was just being BRATTY. In which case I had no problem with disciplining him.

I'm not sure where exaclty you are with the training, per se. It sounds lke you are doing things right....

sptddog · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject:

Anne, thanks!

I think he's been started right (at the breeders), and today I went back to putting his food in there, and he's been in an out all day eating. He had a bed in the crate and then one out w/ us in the family room, so I picked the one up in the family room so his only warm comfy bed choice was a blanket on the floor or his bed in his crate. He went in willingly twice today to sleep in there (door open w/ my daughter and I playing in the other room). I gave him a treat each time and left him be. But, it reaffirms that he's not afraid of the crate itself etc, so I'm moving to assume maybe he doesn't like to have the door closed, or he's just being a brat. Is it possible for something so cute to be a brat? :-p

We'll see how the next two nights go, I'm considering an exercise pen or a kids pen and giving him a whole 'area', that way I don't have to close the crate door - if that works, it will be worth the cost, both to him and I. Smile

peppernaei · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:54 am Post subject:

marvin didn't seem to get the crate at first and cried when we put him in. it was torture to ignore him and some nights i resorted to ear plugs - my husband slept right through it. once i knew his schedule i didn't let him out unless it was "time" for him to pee. we fed him in the crate with the door open until just two weeks ago (16 weeks old). and we made a point of crating him a few hours in the day even if we were working from home. covering the crate worked for marvin especially in the morning when the sun was up before we wanted to be. we still got up early to let him out but then put him back in the crate for another hour or more. we used a big towel.

funny thing - we were using a wire crate since we had one from zaphod but marvin out grew it. last weekend we upgraded to his big boy bed. its a plastic crate with a plush bed and he loves it. maybe its because he's growing up but since we brought the new crate home he is in there all the time now and barely ever cries when we shut the door. i would have bought it sooner had i known.

proof...he's in there now