# Puppy crate training help!



## Bogart (Nov 14, 2009)

Well, I had my pup with me in the bedroom in a crate from the get go. He cried a few min then went quiet. I fed him in the crate I gave him a stuffed kong also. 
I also had a puppy playpan in the Family room (he stayed in there when we had to leave the house or he needed a time out for being to shark toothy). It took him alot longer to get used to the playpan then the crate. 
He got toys in it and chewies and then I just rode the wave as I call it. I ignored him and only let him out after he was quiet for at least a minute. 
It took him about a week to get used to the playpan. 
He sleeps now in the open crate every night ( I left it up for him) and he is free during the day now and has the run of the house when we are gone. He still has my other male Golden for company. 
Even if it's hard you have to ignore the crying, if you know that she doesn't need to go outside for potty then ignore her. My husband had to get up early every day for work so he wore Earplugs. It helped with his sleep and every day it did get better with the little guy.
Cooper is 6.5 months old now.


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## Ada's Mom (Aug 24, 2011)

Can you move the crate into your bedroom if it isnt already? It might help the pup not feel alone. 

Also, i assume you aren't letting him out of the crate when he cries...but if you are that will need to stop as he's learning crying gets him let out.

Other than that I'm not sure...maybe a warm water bottle and clock? I've never tried that, but it's something i heard about for new puppies.

Goid luck! Let us know if you find something that works.


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## doula1st (Aug 2, 2011)

Can you tell us what you have been doing for the last 2 weeks with the training.....like how you get him in the crate, where the crate is, how long is he in the crate, etc?

You want to make the crate a positive place for him to go. So, using stuffed Kongs or other treats in the crate is a great idea. I have 2 crates, 1 right next to my bed and the other one downstairs.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Jugdish said:


> Just brought home a 3 month old puppy and are having a difficult time crate training. We have had him for 2 weeks now and he still crying, barking, etc. He doesn't want to be alone. Any ideas or suggestions would be very helpful!


Our puppy didn't want to be alone either. The first night I moved my older dog's crate next to his and put her into it. She loves being in the crate, and the company seemed to help him a lot. If you don't have another dog to do that with, I strongly suggest you put the nighttime crate in the bedroom with you. He can hear you breathing and will feel comforted.


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## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

I second the next to the bed idea. I know it helped a lot when Samantha was a puppy. We adopted Mulligan when he was older, and had to be very slow introducing the crate (i.e. treats through the door, then further and further into the crate). 

Again, don't let your pup out when it cries, and I would try crating him for short periods after exercise during the day so that he can get used to it. When he settles down and is quiet give him a few minutes before letting him out.

Best of luck, and enjoy your new guy!


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## Jugdish (Dec 21, 2011)

The process, so far, has included a few 1/2 hour stints during the day with treats inside and the door closed. We leave the kennel in our family room during the day with the door open so that he can come and go as he pleases. I am with him a majority of the day, with him only kenneled maybe 1 1/2 hours a day total. The biggest issue is at bedtime where we put him in the kennel with treats, a towel and a nylabone and he whines and barks for up to an hour before going to sleep. He will wake occasionally and whine as well. I'd like to try to put the kennel next to the bed, but I'm pretty sure he would whine like he does during the day when he can see me.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

We had Hank's crate near our bed. If he needed to go out I could hear him and whisk him out the door, or if he started crying I could softly "shhh" him and stick my fingers through the openings.

Our other 2 puppies had been crated in the kitchen and cried for several nights, this worked out so much better.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

If he's only spending an hour or so a day in the crate then he really needs to be spending a bit more time in there. It really is good for him as long as he is getting adequate exercise and playtime during the rest of the day. He should be napping in there, just like you would let an infant nap in the crib rather than sit and rock him for all his naps.

Every single time he steps foot in his crate, he gets a reallly yummy treat. Something high value like a tiny bit of hot dog. Every single time. Pick a word that you use when he enters, (I say "crate") so it becomes associated.

Feed him all his meals in his crate, try it with the door open, if he won't stay in and eat, then go ahead and close the door. 

Invest in medium sized kongs and fill them with peanut butter or plain yogurt and pumpking and freeze them. Then when you need to crate him, he has a 'pacifier' to occupy him. I always crate my puppy during our family meal times so he doesn't learn to beg or pester us at the table. It took awhile, but with frozen kongs and consistency, he has learned to accept this routine.

Any time you cannot give him your full attention, he should be crated. This will keep him from chewing or having accidents in the house that you're not aware of. It will also give him more actual time in the crate, which is probably what he needs to become more accustomed to it. 

Is the crate in the middle of the room? Most dogs will look for a safe place to "den" up. Something off to the side, in a corner etc. (Sort of like when you go to a restaurant you would prefer to have a booth on the edge rather than a table smack in the middle of the room) Try to establish a corner where he can observe the household but not be in the middle of everything. Having him sleep in his crate in your room is great advice. He just wants to be with his people. You can try covering with a towel or two to make it feel safer and more enclosed. Some people have good success with this.

Puppies are like children, consistency is the #1 most important trait for successful puppy training. Do not ever remove him or give attention when he is fussing, it simply rewards the behavior. Stick this out now, hard core, and you will be surprised how quickly this stage will pass. He may never LOVE his crate, but it doesn't have to be an issue.

You don't mention it, but if you haven't signed up for a puppy kindergarten class yet, please do that immediately. As in "right now". It is your best bet for living happily with this dog for his whole life. A good instructor has heard pretty much every scenario you can dream of and will have good suggestions on postive methods for handling problems. And, just as important, heading off future problems which will build on behavior you let slide now. 

Golden puppies are generally so smart and eager to please, you will feel like a genius dog trainer if you will just go to class and work with him for about 10 or 15 minutes every day. Please keep us posted on how it is going. I promise you will get through it!


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## Jugdish (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have incorporated many of them in our daily activities. He still does not seem interested in any toys or treats when he is in the crate, but he has learned to settle down and rest. As for the nighttime crating, we did finally bring him into our room and that has been our saving grace! He is quite pretty much all night, and if he does whine a little we just tell him to be quite and he does.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Jugdish said:


> The process, so far, has included a few 1/2 hour stints during the day with treats inside and the door closed. We leave the kennel in our family room during the day with the door open so that he can come and go as he pleases. I am with him a majority of the day, with him only kenneled maybe 1 1/2 hours a day total. The biggest issue is at bedtime where we put him in the kennel with treats, a towel and a nylabone and he whines and barks for up to an hour before going to sleep. He will wake occasionally and whine as well. I'd like to try to put the kennel next to the bed, but I'm pretty sure he would whine like he does during the day when he can see me.


Are you putting a blanket or sheet over the crate? That's like "lights out and good night" to my dogs.


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