SCREAMING in the crate

sterlingsmom · Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject: SCREAMING in the crate

Hi all,
We just brought our puppy home a couple of nights ago. She does pretty good at night sleeping in the crate next to us. I've only had to get up with her once, and that was after six hours to let her potty, then it was right back in the crate. We haven't left her alone yet, but I have fed her in her crate, put one of my shirts that I wore in with her, put her favorite toys in there, and she does like her crate very much. I tried putting her in her crate several times and closing the door. The SECOND my bf or I walk out of the room, she goes crazy. Not just a little whine, but a shrilling scream that could possibly wake my mother up, and she lives 25 minutes away from me!
Any suggestions? I am home a lot, but I am a court reporter and I do have to leave for 4-5 hours at a time a few days a week along with riding my horses that I board elsewhere, and I am wondering if it's okay at this point just to leave her in there and let her scream until she falls asleep....

emily · Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject:

It is definitely ok to leave her in there when she screams. She's testing you and seeing if you will give in and let her out. I do recommend one thing though: Get a kong and fill it with some treats and seal the ends with peanut butter(the kong website has all sorts of ideas on what you can fill it with). This treat is only given when you are leaving her in her crate alone. I recommend mixing yogurt with part of her kibble, sealing the ends with PB and freezing it. It will help keep her busy and her mind off of that fact that you have left. Once you get into a routine of this she will probably be sprinting for her crate when you take it out. My weim still runs for his crate and will only eat it in there even though he has freedom of the house now. It just becomes habit.
And I also recommend that you never let her out of her crate when she's having once of these temper tantrums. Wait until she is quiet before you let her out. If you give in and let her out while she's making all the ruckus she will learn that if I make all this noise I'll get what I want. And trying to break her of that habit is not easy. Typically it results in a worse tantrum the next time before she gives up.
Best of luck!
Emily

sterlingsmom · Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject:

Thank you, thank you! Those are some excellent suggestions. I bought her a KONG, and she does really like it. I bought the wrong size treats to put inside, so I'll go get other stuff. She's not much interested in the peanut butter. I tried to put that inside of it, and she was too focused on me leaving to even notice. My Jack's loved it though Laughing

I guess I just needed to hear that it's okay to leave her in the crate while she is having a meltdown...I haven't done it over the weekend because I don't want our "upscale" neighborhood to have a FIT, and I guess I've felt guilty. I haven't taken her out when she's screaming. I have waited until she's quiet...even if it's only a 10-second silence. Tomorrow will be the test since I am going out to ride my horses in the morning and will be gone for about three hours.
Thank you SO much for your reply! I think we're really going to enjoy having a site like this!
Kristina

MarleysMom · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 8:09 am Post subject:

Hello....

We had the same problem when we first put Marley in the crate. The big mistake we made though was deciding about a week and a half after we brought him home to use a crate. Anyway, the first three days when ever we put him in there, he screamed like there was no tomorrow! At first I just tried it for a few minutes but did not open the crate until he completely stopped. After about 3 days he was fine and now it has been about 2 weeks and he now goes in the crate if the kids are bothering him or if he gets yelled at for doing something he goes in there and lays in his bed without anyone telling him to. Plus, he has not had 1 accident in the house since we've used the crate. Don't give up!