Crate training my puppy, but water won't work?
I'm crate training my puppy and he's super super snuggly. I know that when you first get it home, you're supposed to bring the crate in the room with you at night and then slowly move it elsewhere. The puppy freaks out everytime the crate door is closed, even if he is right next to my bed and I'm talking to him. I tried squirting a little water at him, but it literally doesn't affect him at all. He just ends up soaked and barking and whining. Please help! My other puppy is crate trained and it's wonderful, but she doesn't seem to be influencing this new puppy at all. We've had him almost 2 weeks. Thanks for your suggestions.
Tagged with: Crate Training • freaks • google • little water • Puppy
Try putting the crate on a chair next to your bed (make sure it’s secure…can’t fall…). Then, you can put your fingers through the wire grill, and let your puppy fall asleep with his head on your hand. Gradually remove your fingers. After a few nights, he will be able to fall asleep without touching you. After a few more nights you should be able to move the crate off the chair and onto the floor.
A couple of other thoughts: the San Francisco SPCA website has some nice behavior articles, including a great one on crate training.
Also, I have been successful by starting off having the two dogs share a crate, so long as the older dog won’t be aggressive. After a few days the puppy can usually be crated on its own.
If the puppy is small enough, I have also used a soft sided shoulder carrier, like the Sherpa, to confine the puppy on the bed with me. They usuallyu accept that very well. After a few nights, I move the carrier to a chair by the bed, then transition to a real crate, then move the crate to the floor.
Since the puppy is distressed, I would suggest not punishing (even with a gentle punisher like water) —it may make him more anxious and cause it to take longer to get used to the crate.
you may want to try placing a sheet over the crate. And add a ticking wind up clock. Place it on the outside of the crate so the dog can hear the ticking. It will work like mom’s heartbeat.
i have always crate trained,also always kept my puppies in the same room as my self,it is OK to bend the rules if,the dog is not being loud,all dogs are different and all of them train different.never expect you new puppy to progress as your first dog.
Stop spraying him with water… your teaching him that being in the crate is bad, not that whining is bad. The crate should always be a happy place if you want him to use it willingly. Place toys and towles to make it more inviting and put a big towel, or blanket over the top to make it seem more "cave like" dogs like it more this way.
You could even try feeding him only in the crate. Dont do this if you intend to leave him cause then you have a puppy with a full bladder and no where to release. But if you feed him only in the crate when you are home and able to take him on his bathroom break later its a great way to get him over his fear of the cage.
Never let him out when he whines or barks, your teaching him that barking gets him out. Instead do the opposite, let him whine and bark and when he does eventually quiet down THEN let him out. Then your teaching him that being quiet gets him his freedom.
I would give him treats everytime he goes into the crate on his own, or when you place him there so he knows the crate is good. Also to get him to be quiet, teach him. Everytime he gets loud even outside of the crate (where you should start and mostly teach him this trick) say quiet. He of course will not respond to you the first time but keep saying it intermitantly until he just happens to get quiet, then immediately treat him. The more you do this he will eventually catch on and then you have a dog that is quiet on command. It will take a while but it is a VERY USEFUL command.
Ignore the puppy. Put him in the crate, and then don’t respond at all. If you react to the crying, the puppy will learn that it can get its way by crying.
Also, don’t make going in the crate or coming out of the crate a big deal. You don’t want the puppy to suffer separation anxiety, that making a big deal of your comings and goings can fuel that.
When crate training, I tell the puppy a command like "kennel" or "bed", put them in, give them a treat, then walk away.
Do not use the crate for punishment if the puppy is bad. You don’t want to puppy to associate being in the crate with being in trouble.
When crate training my pup, I was lucky to have 2 crates-
one in the main area of the living room, and one next to my bed.
At night, he did cry, as expected, but I would say to him "Time for Nite Nite Puppy . . SHHH". I was able to stick my fingers in the crate. The first night was the worst, the ned night better and by the 3rd night he only whined about 3 minutes.
Just be pateint, and consistent.