# Crate training he77



## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Since I've had NO sleep for 2 nights I've spent time reading the advice about crate training, I'm still at a loss. I've only had Bentley (6 wks old) for 3 days. I have a nice bed in the crate, a blanket that smells like his mom, kong with goodies in it, chew toys ect. The 1st day I left it open and encouraged him to go in on his own during the day with the door left open. He was pretty good at it, he even went in a few times and took a nap. 
The 1st night he cried and cried in the crate so I slept on the couch next to him hoping that would help. He did eventually go to sleep waking every 2 hrs crying to pee. I'd take him out without speaking to him he'd pee and back in the crate where he would cry for 30 minutes before falling asleep.
Last night, the 2nd night. He cried all night. I was still on the couch but it didn't matter. When crying didn't get him out he started barking, jumping at the door, it was like a 600 lb tiger not a 10 lb dog. For awhile Ky lay down in front of his cage trying to comfort him. He still cried so Ky gave up and joined DH in bedroom.
I was so tired that at one point during the night I considered moving him and his crate out to the backyard...(I'm joking...or am I..no, I'm joking).
I thought maybe he was hungry so I put his bowl with a small amount of kibble in his crate. He ignored it.
At 6 AM I gave up and let him out of the crate. Took him out to pee, when he came in the house he went right into the bedroom (he's never been in there he just bumped the door open) and walked over to Ky, she gave him a low growl (she's not an early riser). I brought him back to the living room, he looked at me, walked to his fav spot in the kitchen, curled up and went to sleep like a little angel.
I don't know what else to do since this is my 1st puppy and never used a crate before. I know it's only been 2 nights but how long does it take? I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open and I need to get busy with his training today. What doesn't make sense to me is he apparently isn't afraid of the crate since he'll go in it on his own during the day. Any advice would be *greatly* appreciated.
I should mention, he seems quite intelligent. Never a single accident in the house, I've already taught him to ring the bells on the door when he wants out, he's great at sit and come. I think that's pretty good for his age.
Thank you ♥


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Bentleysmom said:


> Since I've had NO sleep for 2 nights I've spent time reading the advice about crate training, I'm still at a loss. I've only had Bentley (6 wks old) for 3 days. I have a nice bed in the crate, a blanket that smells like his mom, kong with goodies in it, chew toys ect. The 1st day I left it open and encouraged him to go in on his own during the day with the door left open. He was pretty good at it, he even went in a few times and took a nap.
> The 1st night he cried and cried in the crate so I slept on the couch next to him hoping that would help. He did eventually go to sleep waking every 2 hrs crying to pee. I'd take him out without speaking to him he'd pee and back in the crate where he would cry for 30 minutes before falling asleep.
> Last night, the 2nd night. He cried all night. I was still on the couch but it didn't matter. When crying didn't get him out he started barking, jumping at the door, it was like a 600 lb tiger not a 10 lb dog. For awhile Ky lay down in front of his cage trying to comfort him. He still cried so Ky gave up and joined DH in bedroom.
> I was so tired that at one point during the night I considered moving him and his crate out to the backyard...(I'm joking...or am I..no, I'm joking).
> ...


You taught a 6 week old puppy that you only had for 3 days to ring a bell to go out? Wow I'm Impressed.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I can't really take credit for teaching him that. I teach all my dogs to touch the bells to go out so I don't miss signals, Ky does it every time she wants out and I think he caught on watching Ky do it, touch bell, door opens..magic! LOL



Wyatt's mommy said:


> You taught a 6 week old puppy that you only had for 3 days to ring a bell to go out? Wow I'm Impressed.


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## Hannah's Mommy (Mar 13, 2012)

I wish I had some advice for you, but you're already doing everything that I did with Hannah and she's never fussed in her crate (we're lucky, I guess!) Oh, but "special treats"... have you tried giving him something extra good when he goes into the crate for nighttime? I still give Hannah a goodie every time I need her to go inside - at night or during the day if we're leaving the house.

Bentley is SO gorgeous! Adorable little butterball! Do you have photos posted?

Congrats on your new baby!


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks yes I have pictures here... http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-puppy-up-1-year/119102-lil-bentley-home.html

Thank you, I'll try the "special" treats he doesn't seem all that interested in treats so maybe I don't have the right ones for his "sophisticated" pallet LOL


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## Hannah's Mommy (Mar 13, 2012)

LOVE the photos!! He's an absolute doll!! 

For Hannah's crate treats I use little training treats that she also enjoys during her lessons. They're all natural salmon-based and chewy. She loves them! I drop three or four of them in there to coax her, give her lots of "good girls" and "nightyboo Hannahs." While she's picking them up, I turn out the light and head to bed. 

But I did sleep on the couch by her crate for 2.5 weeks when she first came home! LOL! You're gonna be tired for awhile! It does get better, I promise!!  

Be thankful it's summertime. While it's not as cold in Las Vegas in winter/early spring as other places, it drops into the low 20s and it's often windy. Standing outside waiting for Hannah to do her biz was tough. 

I still leash her for every potty break. Got into the habit very early on when EVERYTHING outdoors was going into her mouth if I didn't control her. And it helped to keep her focused on the task when Puppy Attention Deficit Disorder kicked in - and it still does. LOL! The park and dog park and family room are for playing; backyard is strictly business except for her play pool and I have a long lead for that. (What a MEAN mommy I am!)

Editing to add... The leash for potty also helps get you back to bed sooner. There will come a time when Bentley will want to do "Dog Rodeo" all over the yard in the middle of the night... trying to catch 'em ain't fun when you're half asleep!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Crate training can be noisy. We have been known to put a noisy dog in the garage in their crate where we can't hear them for a night or two. Still getting up to let them out during the night to let them out. At least you can get some quiet sleep in between potty breaks. 
My current puppy I decided not to crate train. She sleeps in a dog bed curled up with my 4 year old male that adores her. No problems. But if she ever has an overnight at the vet's or has to be boarded, I've got a problem. I haven't decided how to handle that yet.
Back to your issue. I have had pups that howled for 2 weeks. Not saying that yours will, but it is possible. So putting your pup in the garage might not be so bad if you need to sleep. My vet suggests putting their crate in the car in the garage for extra noise protection.
Good luck and have fun. They are only small for such a short while!


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! The lil stinker just crawled in crate and went to sleep! 








Wish he'd do that at night LOL


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## Hannah's Mommy (Mar 13, 2012)

LOL! Love it!! :


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Funny puppy...do you have him in a soft crate? You might want to try a wire crate. They are more open.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Yes, it's a soft crate and I keep the windows all open so he can see me, I don't think he dislikes it since he's happy to nap there during the day with no prompting. I'm about to wake him up and make him stay awake with me until bed time, see who drops off 1st LOL


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

We have never used a crate. Some ideas. Sounds like he likes the kitchen. Maybe put an X pen up in the kitchen, and see if he will sleep in there--on his favorite spot and ring the bell when he wants out. Or try putting the crate in the kitchen with the door open and be confined by the X pen. I have heard of putting a ticking clock near the bed helps also. 

Bentley is very adorable, and still quite young.


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks, I was just sitting here thinking about an x pen. My dilemma regarding the kitchen is that I never allow any of my dogs in the kitchen because I saw my mom scald a dog with boiling water when I was young. I would like to break his kitchen habit before he gets too comfortable with it. He is small enough now to lay under the cabinets at the AC vent so I'm thinking about an x pen in the living room near another vent. I wouldn't worry about using a crate either but with Ky I feel I need to as her tolerance level for him is in short bursts right now, when she's done..she's done LOL also I did put a ticking clock in his crate, he throws it around in his hissy fits to get out LOL
Thanks for the ideas!



Max's Dad said:


> We have never used a crate. Some ideas. Sounds like he likes the kitchen. Maybe put an X pen up in the kitchen, and see if he will sleep in there--on his favorite spot and ring the bell when he wants out. Or try putting the crate in the kitchen with the door open and be confined by the X pen. I have heard of putting a ticking clock near the bed helps also.
> 
> Bentley is very adorable, and still quite young.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I went through crate training he!! with my last foster puppy Scarlett. It takes a lot more time for some pups to get comfortable in their crates than others, but if you stay consistent it will happen!

Here are some tips that helped Scarlett overcome her hatred of the crate:
1. All meals fed in the crate. Start with door open for a few meals then swinging it shut, holding it shut for a few seconds and opening the door back up. This helps get them used to the idea that just because they are in the crate doesn't mean they're going to have to stay in it. (And the food just creates a happy association with the crate).

2. Training the cue word for going into the crate. I did this with clicker training but doesn't have to be done with it. If you are clicker training, spend a few days teaching click = reward. Then, toss a treat into the kennel, say the cue before pup goes into kennel, click as pup goes in and then pup will find cookie. Repeat repeat repeat. I did this close to a hundred times a day with Scarlett (each meal for 2 days straight was fed in this way, kibble by kibble). Has the added bonus of tiring them out mentally. 

Odds are puppy is going to grab cookie and then run right back out but that's fine. Just getting them in there is the first step. Second step (depending on size of kennel) is to do actual training in there. If puppy knows 'sit' fairly well, start asking puppy to sit in the kennel (with door open and you partially blocking the way). When puppy sits, click and reward (or just reward). Repeat over and over and over. 

3. Treat puppy whenever puppy goes into kennel. I would throw random pieces of kibble in there when Scarlett wasn't looking so she started going in on her on. When I had to put her in (either for night, time outs, or naptimes) I always gave her a few treats, too. It also helps making sure puppy is tired before going into crate, but not so over-tired they scream and scream (hello my current foster puppy). 

4. If they are crying, the best thing to do is ignore it. Learn the difference between 'i need out to pee' and 'I'm crying because I want out to play' or having a temper tantrum. if it's a pee break (especially at night) then keep it short and sweet and no play time or getting pup worked up, then back into crate. If it's anything but a pee break noise, ignore. You have to ignore. Some people will put their fingers in the crate or move close or whatever but that just reinforces puppy's cries. They think, "hey i yelled and that person moved closer...maybe if i keep yelling, i'll get let out". And god help you if they learn that they get out of the crate by yelling. That'll make the problem twice as hard.

So, if you know for sure puppy is crying for no other reason than wanting out of crate, you have to ignore. In my case, Scarlett would scream to the point that I needed ear plugs and oftentimes would change rooms and she'd by herself. Some people might think it's mean, but I believe all dogs, especially foster dogs, have to be 100% crate-trained and get used to being on their own. If I have a smart foster, I'll time my leaving the room with their screams. I don't say a word. I just leave. If they quiet down soon after, I might go back into the room but as soon as they scream again, I leave. 

My current foster pup only screams at 5am after her pee break. She thinks the day should be starting NOW and I disagree. so she goes into her crate (and gets a cookie and a toy so she has the option to play quietly OR sleep) and i lie on my bed. The second she screams, ranger and i are out the door. The first week she'd scream for an hour before falling asleep. Now, she's happy to play quietly or snooze until 8am. 

I know some people get frustrated with the crying and who can blame them, I do too. You need tools (ear plugs, white noise machine, etc) and a plan of escape. Either the puppy goes into another room or you do, so you don't cave and let the puppy out. OR worse, punish the puppy in the crate. I know some people who do the 'hurricane' thing where they shake or hit the crate the puppy is in to 'correct' the crying. That is by far the worst thing a person could do to a dog who doesn't like their crate. The crate is supposed to be a safe place and hitting the crate just makes a dog scared IN the crate and they start to associate the crate with being frightened. 

Hope some of that helps. You can also search for Scarlett's threads and see the continuation of progress. I don't think i slept for a week when I got her!


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

The first night I had my dog here as a puppy, he cried for six hours while in his kennel right next to my bed where he could see me. The second night I just let him wander around while I slept, and the 7-8 different spots he urinated and defecated, and me waking up every 45 minutes catching him chewing on things he shouldn't dissuaded me from that course. 

So, what I did on night three, is moved the kennel to another room. I think it actually helped him that he couldn't see me. He cried for an hour and then was silent through the night. In a way, I think having the kennel near me night one encouraged him to keep crying and whining because he knew I could see him and figured he could get my attention. Once I was in a different room, he probably figured it was possible that I couldn't hear him or was sleeping through his crying (It helped that I didn't respond at all), so he just gave up and went to sleep. So, you may want to consider putting the kennel in a room where you're not.

Still, there was a transition. He cried for about the first hour for another 4-5 days. Then he cut it down to 15 minutes a night for about a week. Then he was completely silent unless I got up and walked by him. Eventually, he started understanding when it was bed time and bounding into his kennel with his treat and awaiting another half treat and a couple ice cubes and being petted. I even took his collar off at night to let him be more comfortable. I could walk right by the kennel and not a peep.

As an adult, he only uses a kennel for when we're asleep (Mainly because when he is awake he goes to windows and barks at things and tries to engage me, and I've got insomnia to begin with). When he's in that kennel, not a peep, and I'll even get up and open it up in the morning and he'll lay there for a while like "I don't want to get up. I'm sleeping." and doesn't come out until I gently request that he vacate.  I think he feels safe in there. And kind of enjoys having his own space with a blanket (Which I don't allow him to take out of the kennel, so it's something he only gets while he's in there and incentive to like it). And he gets lots of petting and treats and ice cubes and I talk to him a while before bed.

I even see him sometimes finding small spaces around the apartment where he's surrounded on all sides, simulating a kennel in different rooms.  In the living room, he rolled up a small carpet in the corner with walls to two sides and a television stand to the third and crams himself in there sometimes because he finds it cozy.

It isn't too far back on the evolutionary ladder that the ancestors of dogs dwelled in caves and slept in small enclaves. Having a low ceiling and three "walls" around them back them feel safe and signal it's time for bed. It's a very defensible position should a rouge bear wander in and try to eat them. 

One other note: Puppies like regular rhythmic noises. If you have a room with an air conditioning unit in the window, that'd be a good one to try for the kennel.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Just my opinion, but seeing you is part of the problem...
Ive crate trained coming up on 20 puppies.....
I use a small plastic crate and then cover it with a sheet...
Keep the crate bedside...
If they fuss to pee in the middle of the night ..I keep the lights dim - don my turn out gear...dont talk to the pup...pee them and pop them right back in until morning...






Bentleysmom said:


> Yes, it's a soft crate and I keep the windows all open so he can see me, I don't think he dislikes it since he's happy to nap there during the day with no prompting. I'm about to wake him up and make him stay awake with me until bed time, see who drops off 1st LOL


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## Ohiomom9977 (Jul 27, 2012)

Almost a month ago I was exactly where you are right now - our puppy is currently 11 1/2 weeks and he HATED the crate when we first brought him home. Cried like crazy, everything you've described. We moved the crate into our bedroom after a few days of fighting to get him to like it (it was in the kitchen) and it's gone MUCH better. I don't know if it was moving the crate or just time but we've had him almost a month now and while he doesn't go in on his own he no longer fights us or cries in it. Keep it up!! You have a beautiful puppy!!


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks for all this useful info!!! I'm going to try several of the ideas tonight and see what works. I'm sure ( I hope) that I'm smarter than a lil puppy so I plan to be victorious LOL

I knew a puppy would be a lot of work but I didn't think the major problem would be a crate....onward and upward


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

soon enough, when you are well rested , this will be just a memory....


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## monarchs_joy (Aug 13, 2011)

Ditto what everyone else said regarding crate training. I just came by to be moral support  LibertyME is right - soon this will just be a memory. When Finn came home he SCREAMED his head off for days in that crate, and then one night, he just stopped. It took 3-4 days of no sleep, but it happened. I did the same things recommended here. Now Finn happily goes in there and sleeps. In fact, he's in there right now, by his own choice, upside down, snoring away and chasing bunnies in his sleep


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

LOL thanks! I know this will pass it's been decades since I was up all night with babies I think I forgot how hard it was 



monarchs_joy said:


> Ditto what everyone else said regarding crate training. I just came by to be moral support  LibertyME is right - soon this will just be a memory. When Finn came home he SCREAMED his head off for days in that crate, and then one night, he just stopped. It took 3-4 days of no sleep, but it happened. I did the same things recommended here. Now Finn happily goes in there and sleeps. In fact, he's in there right now, by his own choice, upside down, snoring away and chasing bunnies in his sleep


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## monarchs_joy (Aug 13, 2011)

Bentleysmom said:


> LOL thanks! I know this will pass it's been decades since I was up all night with babies I think I forgot how hard it was


Some days I feel like I can't remember how or when the incessantly biting, crate screaming, 7-week old alligator that had more daredevil acts than Evil Kneivel turned into my very sweet, well behaved 8-month old love bug, but he did  It's all a big blur. The joys of puppy rearing! 

This part will be over before you know it


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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Success!!!!! YAY!!! Since I know Bentley loves to sleep in the kitchen up against the AC vent during the day, last night I moved his crate to the back room next to another AC vent. That's the only thing I did different, put him in the crate with hugs & kisses and he went right to sleep! Woke up only once in the night to go out to pee, put him back in crate and he slept until 8 AM!!
The breeder didn't have AC so I think he's decided he's an AC kind of guy 
Thanks for all the help, you've all been great and I feel human again!! LOL


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

YAHOOO!!!! I can just imagine how good you feel with some decent sleep!!!!


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