Crate training our border pup... first 2 days were fine, however today he HATES it inside the crate and will cry and whine for 30 minutes straight. One difference is that today i am not in the room with him, I am in the studio getting work done (trying to anyway) and he cries and cries. My fear is that he is supposed to have a pleasant feeling for the crate if it is to work properly... at least that is what I've been told. Is this true? Should I be concerned with him HATING his crate?

any advice is VERY appreciated.

Did you introduce the crate gradually or did you just put him in and leave him there ?
We left our crate in the lounge with the door open . It had his fleecy blanket and all his toys . For a week or so he didnt use it at all except for the odd sniff but gradually over the last few weeks he has come to use it more ( we have had it about 3 months now) . He will go in for a sleep when he wants some peace and even now will go in at bedtime without us having to ask .
If you have just put him in and left him he may think he is being punished and it is a form of isolation.
He is still young though ( did you say he is 9 weeks in another post ? ) and they do go through this crying stage when away from you .
lel

we did not introduce gradually, mostly because everytime he was out, he peed. we are now letting him out every hour. he is very hard to read, sometimes he will just cry even when he is out. this is a lot harder than i thought! he is only 9 weeks old, so hopefully this is "young puppy stuff".

He is in the crate all the time, except for being let out every hour!!!!

Puppies do wee that is why you have to housetrain them to do it outside!!!

No wonder he is crying poor little soul feels like he is in solitary confinement and being punished.:-( Border Terriers are very people dogs and he has not long left his mum and his siblings, you need to be reassuring him not punishing him by keeping him in a crate most of the time.

Please read some of the postings on how to housetrain your puppy.

Short of time at the momentbut will post again later giving you some more information if someone else doesn't get in before me :-)

All pups will wee and mess and unfortunately, one has to expect that ;)

He will be unhappy if he is crated as you have described, if you use a crate it must only be seen by the pup as a den, a safe and "nice" place that he will eventually choose togo into of his own accord. I am concerned that now your pup will see the crate as a bad thing.

I agree it may be best to check out the advice on house training, don't forget to use a biological wash to get rid of old urine smells, as ordinary disinfectant will contain ammonia and will only encourage the pup to go there again.

Pups basically wee when they have played, just woken up, or eaten, or got excited, so you will need to ideally take him out, go with him, and prasie and reward for going outside. It will take patience and he may have accidents but that is part of the process and normal.

Lindsay

Edited to add: if he cries when out anyway, if you are elsewhere, it may be that he is missing company. Try to have times during the day when you play with him and he will probably fall asleep for a bit afterwards. I would also suggest buying a copy of Gwen Bailey's "The Perfect Puppy", or any good up to date pup book to help.

Hi - If your only letting him out every hour - he will cry , he'll be bored rigid !!!
he needs to be played with and spoken to and interacted with , try keeping him ut of the crate for a few hours and let him play and explore and you can watch him to see when he wants to wee and take him out -when he's tired put him in the crate for a nap -maybe leave the radio on for a bit of background noise .
The crate is really just a glorified bed and somewhere secure for the dog to go when your out but certainly not for long periods of time -If I had to stay in the same room away from everyone ( well, away from the pc :D ) I'd cry !!;)
Liz :)

Hi
I must agree with everyone else , like yourself we are new to the world of dogs and crates . We only use ours over night and leave it open all day so he can go in as he wishes. Until he was fully house trained we put a baby gate up and kept him in the kitchen .
You need to start training him the sooner the better , I did not believe a dog could be toilet trained at such a young age but with persistence they can be .
A crate is really a safe haven for a dog while your out or in bed should never used all day , bit like being in a prison cell!!!!! How would you like it!

Greg

"young puppy stuff" is weeing all over the house for a few months yet until he learns, being played with, getting him into a routine, eating, drinking and bonding with his family! You have to put work on the backburner for a shortwhile and get yourself into a routine - try something like this:

Puppy wakes up
Outside for a wee
5 minute play with toys
Outside for a wee
Food (if its one of his four meal times)
Outside
Play again till he starts to get tired
Put him in his crate (try putting it in the studio maybe?) with the DOOR OPEN and lots of lovely soft blankets and toys
Puppy will then (hopefully) go to sleep for an hour or two (thats when you get to do your work)!

Get into a routine like this and you will know when you can fit around your puppy, because thats the way your life has to be for the forseeable future - its a cultural change! :)

I don't know much about BT's, but I am sure the above will be added to by BT people if I have missed anything :)

HTH
Chloe

thanks so much. this forum is GREAT. i've been reading this book called "the art of raising a puppy" which had me keeping my puppy in a crate ALL DAY except for five 15 minute play times and i was wondering why my poor little guy was miserable! this thread has been VERY helpful. thanks again. i'm closing that stupid book and paying attention to my puppy.

greg

Good for you :)

Lindsay

Brilliant Greg.

Stupid book, throw it in the bin as well!!!

Enjoy your baby there is nothing nicer than a Border puppy, who loves you to bits. I should know I have 10 of the little devils and expecting more at the weekend and I can't wait. They are very eager to please and if done correctly very easy to train. They will sell their soul for a titbit, so have a pocket full of bits and reward all his good behaviour.

If you have any problems please ask again, or alternatively call your breeder. Where did you get your little boy? Maybe I know his breeder.

Its nice to hear that this site has helped once again.

Jayne

hi jayne,

we got our little guy from Sandra Tool... Glen Lair in Alta Loma, CA. www.glenlair.com she was a pleasure to deal with. we are hopelessly in love with our Border Terrier. ever since we stopped crating him all day like the book said, he has been a dream. here is a question for you: now more than ever, he cries when we leave the room... i now leave the crate open in the kitchen with baby gates at both entrances and the minute i am out of his sight he cries. normal? i'm sure it is... just making sure and if there is anything i should be doing. thanks again for all your help!

greg

He is feeling lonely at the moment Greg, have you tried leaving loads of toys etc. with him and especially something like a kong full of treats. Don't forget that he has been with his littermates for the past few weeks and all of a sudden he is on his own.

Can you leave a radio on so that he doesn't feel too isolated.

Or perhaps you could take him into your study with a pen, so that he can see you and feel reassured. You could always cover his area with something to protect the floor. Have to admit my pups are usually with me most of the time when they are that age and I start the separation thing a little bit at a time.

To be honest you may have to harden your heart a little and stick in the ear plugs for a few days, How is he at night?

Jayne

hi jayne,

how do you start the seperation thing? and when?

i started taking him into the studio with me, he sleeps on his pillow on my desk and when he wakes up we go outside... then play until he gets tired, out again to wee and then back to the pillow. it is working pretty well. just a little concerned about the upcoming days where i have to be out running errands etc..

thanks again for your help.

greg

jayne...

above message is me. my brother-in-law was here last night and registered on this site for his beagle and the computer remembered him...

thanks

So which username are you going to use Greg?

try leaving him on his own for just a 10 minutes at a time and if he doesn't cry reward him, if he does cry wait until he isn't crying for a few minutes and then reward him. |Have a radio on or the televison so that he isn't completely alone.

Then gradually increase the time you leave him. I promise as he gets older it will get easier, he is still very much a baby at the moment.

He sleeps on his own at night doesn't he?

Jayne

well, kind of. he sleeps in our bedroom in the crate with the door closed next to our bed...

should i move it into the kitchen?

Is he Ok in there with no crying?

If so gradually move the crate further towards the door, and eventually put it outside the door.

Eventually he will learn to be on his own, he is still adjusting to life without siblings and at the moment you are all he has got and he doesn't want to lose you too.

I think you will find that once he has got trust in you completely that when you go away you are going to come back, he will be quite happy to settle down and sleep when you arenot there in the room with him.