Hi,

We bought home our lovely labrador puppy on Saturday afternoon and have been trying to get him used to the crate. He will happily sit in it with the door open, will even round up all of his toys and put them in there, but the moment you close the door he barks, on the first night he whined and howled for about 50 minutes until we relented and put him in our room with us (not a great start I know but wanted him to be reassured that we were with him as obviously missing his litter mates) last night the same. I have tried today to put him in there for several  short periods of time but he just barks. I even had my lunch where he could see me whilst he was in there but still the same, the moment he was let out he just laid at my feet.
I know it is still very early days, but suppose i am just after reassurance that he will grow to like it. I just want him to be crated overnight whilst he is young and when I am out during the day max 90 mins. Any advice would be great, Thanks.

You really have to persevere with it - a bit of persistence at this age pays off for a life time of happy crating.

Here is a link which will lead you through all the steps in crate training: http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/crate-train.pdf

It's early days yet, but keep on with it. 

One of the best tips is always to hide treats in the crate, without him seeing you, so that the dog checks out the crate on his own, to see what's in there.

I'd also advise you buy a copy of The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson (available on Amazon) because that has lots of suggestions for crate training in there too (besides loads of other useful stuff on other puppy problems and general training advice).

Have you tried to feed him in his crate to make it a good place to be?

Hi there - sounds like you are having fun! Not! ;-(

Now its a question of cruel to be kind. You know by giving into him the first night you have rather set yourself back a little by him now realising that if he yells long enough you will come. However you did it for kind reasons and its completely understandable.

Now you can approach crating two ways. You can do the little bit at a time method, feeding him in there, putting him in for 5 mins, 10 mins, 20 minutes etc etc and it works for some but it takes forever to make the crate a useful item. The very best way *I* and all my puppy buyers who use crates have found is simply to ride it out.

This takes courage, guts and a damn good DVD you can turn up loud in your bedroom to fall asleep to. make the crate nice and comfy. make sure puppy has spent a penny and poo'd. Put something nice and chewy in the crate (which he will ignore whilst in a temper). Stay up as late as you can. Turn a TV or radio on in the room where he is crated to a decent volume that he can hear well. Have a nice big bonio or something he likes, half a chew bar something like that. Get everyone in the household sorted as far as glasses of water and trips to the loo go. Throw the biscuit in, shut the door. Tell the puppy, 'night night honey' turn the light out, leave the room and GO TO BED! ;-)

Puppy will howl and squark and sound absolutely heartbreaking. But if he does it for 50 minutes the first night it'll be 30 the next night and 10 the following IF he knows you are not going to appear. He will cry himself to sleep BUT don't all youngsters from time to time ;-) Turn up your TV and ride it out.

Depending what time he went down and what time you get up I wouldn't go more than 5 hours. So at 3am or so, get up, go down, open the crate don't make a fuss, take hysterically happy puppy outside and without having games or anything, encourage a wee and maybe a poo, then back to the kitch, another biscuit (labs are gulliable!) shut the door and do it again. Do not have anyone disturb the pup at all by flushing a chain, getting water or whatever, the in the morning the first person down let the pup out absolutely straight away and straight to the garden.

If you can't let the puppy cry you will make life very hard for yourself but it IS possible to start a feeding regieme and so on in there but all the learn is that after food, they turn round, find the door shut and yell till you let them out because its daytime, daylight, things are happening in the house and people are patently around.

I can chat more privately about this if you like. Its not easy but by GOD for 3 or 4 nights of forcing yourself not to go down till a set time (and if you are putting pup down at say, midnight and getting up at 6 then it should go all night - ideally you don't do the 3am thing - but most of us hit the sack about 11 and get up about 7 in this world and thats too long to begin with). Don't let mess in the cage set you back. have new bedding standing by incase of accidents so you don't need to fuss in the middle of the night. If puppy won't chase a biscuit in then gently lift and guide puppy in and then give him a smashing treat whilst you shut the door etc etc. hand on heart I've never hada single puppy cry for more than an hour if undisturbed and they aren't getting what they want which is your attention. By night 5 most are silent.

Di

HI,

Thanks for all your advice, I know I have set myself back abit with taking him in our room but I think I was being a bit sentimental with him only just left the litter. I did feed him in his crate this afternoon and will do so this evening. Good idea about hiding the treats in there I will try that. Also thinking about moving the crate to the kitchen so not quite so close to the neighbours so hopefully won't have the guilt trip there. Will try to ride it out this evening, Its daft because I have done this exact (well not exact LOL) same thing with the kids and its worked!!!
Will keep you posted - Thanks again.

When I had an afghan puppy, MANY years ago and long before crates, I wanted him to sleep in the kitchen, so I slept on the floor with him for the first night, and for 3 hours the second night before creeping up to bed and he was fine from then on.
If you are worried about your neighbours, it might be an idea for you to stay downstairs with him to effect a quicker result?

I must admit, I don't let the pup get upset whether in a crate or just shut in the kitchen.
Reason being that he's just come away from his dam and littermates and everything he's ever known into a totally strange place and now for the first time in his short life is expected to spend time totally alone.

I prefer to sleep downstairs or, I usually bring pup upstairs and take her out every so often (she will probably mess or wee a bit but it's ok if you are prepared and if you take her out regularly, you may be lucky and she may not).

I then, after a couple of weeks, sleep down with her for about one week. During this time, i find the pup has found her feet and has more confidence and knows the house, it's noises and her new family :)

I've not had it cause me any problems yet and i personally find it much easier to cope myself :)

Lindsay
x

Same here Lindsay - I've never left a pup to cry nor left them on their own overnight.  IMO they have enough stress to deal with when leaving their dam, litter mates and all things familiar to them without me adding to it by abandoning them.

It's never caused a problem for me or mine in more years than I care to remember and with a fair number of dogs too :)

regards, Teri

Big softees, we are :P

Works though ;)

Lindsay
x

If its an easier way for the human to cope with a new puppy then horses for courses and its just another way. Bear in mind that as a breeder i'm well aware that even WITH the litter, when you shut pups away for the night they scream and yell in anger for a time before one by one dropping off to sleep.
Bear that in mind.

I like to make the transition stage short and sharp and not drag it out. Puppies are blank canvas's and of course you can ease them into things, but you can also make them forget within just a couple of short days that there was any other way of being! ;-)

Di

I wonder if sometimes (this is just a thought not concrete) that letting them cry can (in some breeds) lean them towards in security and later SA. I think it is probably a mix of not stressing them overmuch (but being aware some stress is positive for development) and also doing some gradual alone training which is very important :)

when you shut pups away for the night they scream and yell in anger for a time before one by one dropping off to sleep.
Bear that in mind.

At 8 weeks or so the pups are in  the  Fear Impact stage and any traumatic event may have a lifelong effect, more than at any other time ;)
I'd suggest that pups all yelling together is one thing, a single pup on its own in a new strange home is another :)

I'm happy to just agree to disagree and all that though :)
Lindsay
x

Lauren

Further to what I said above, I forgot to say - I think there are 3 ways to deal with this.....

Either

1. You do the hardcore thing of putting him in the crate and ignoring all crying, permanently.  If you do this, be warned that it can take several hours the first time.  If you go this route, it is really important that you don't go down to him ever, no matter how bad the crying gets - or you will be rewarding the crying at its loudest.

or

2. You put the crate in your bedroom by your bed.  There's nothing wrong with this idea, except: firstly only do it if you want your dog to be allowed in the bedroom as an adult.  If you want your bedroom a dog-free zone, then you are sending out conflicting messages by letting him in the bedroom as a puppy but not as an adult.  And secondly, if you decide to go this route, you must try to move the crate out of your bedroom bit by bit, to help him gain independence and feel safe sleeping away from you.  This is important to prevent separation anxiety - that is learns to feel comfortable when you're not around.  A major step towards that confidence and independence is learning it's ok to sleep alone.  I say this because sometimes people start out with the dog in their room, because they don't mind the dog being in their room as an adult, but they don't do any alone training and the dog is with them 24/7 because it's also sleeping with them.  As a result, they end up with a dog with separation anxiety.  So - nothing wrong with him sleeping in your bedroom as long as 1. it's what you want when he's adult and 2. you have a plan to move him out of there gradually while he's still a puppy.

or

3.  You can sleep next to his crate, downstairs.  This is what I do, since mine aren't allowed upstairs.  I make up a bed next to their crate and I sleep down there with them.  Usually for about a week.  I gradually move my bed further away from their crate each night.  Usually there is a problem-free transition when I disappear upstairs.

I brought my, now 13 weeks, 6 week old labrador puppy home and the first night she went in her crate and when she whimpered we simply walked through the room she was in - no eye contact, no saying anything to her, I just walked through so she knew she hadn't been abandoned.  This worked for us and now she goes into her crate never making a fuss - fingers crossed for you.

All excellent methods, just different ways for different people. I would say that the majority of dogs however, want to be with you, therefore if you are parked next to them but they can't actually get at you it *can* increase the fustration element to being crated. The crate becomes the 'monster that is keeping me from mum'. But I can see its something over time that has worked for some.
Di

There is a product available   called a dap diffuser that plugs in much the same way as air freshener .It gives off dog appeasing pheromone and is aimed at reassuring dogs and puppies .Pheromone occurs in all lactatating females mammals is completely natural and
Very successful in dealing with the problems you have described  might be worth a try-JO 

I also find that covering the crate helps - I fostered a Springer (5mths) not too long ago who had always lived in a kennel with his mum - I wanted to crate him as I do with all pups and he howled when we went upstairs which I tried to ignore but in the end went downstairs with a blanket and popped it all over the crate and he settled immediately and for the entire night - he knew the minute that the crate was covered it was time for sleeps and he was happy to oblige :)

Pups like routines and will happily cope with one that is introduced with kindness and consistency. Those first few nights away from their mum is when we're at our least resistant since it takes the hardest of hearts to ignore a crying pup. I also question the wisdom of letting a very new pup get terribly distressed just at the time when you are trying to build a bond of trust between you.

However, you do have to decide what the pup's sleeping arrangements are going to be at the outset and keep to them. For some pups and their owners a few nights sleeping alongside them or taking the crate upstairs works a treat. However, it's important to be clear about what you want in the longer term and if (like me) you don't have dogs sleeping upstairs with you, then the earlier they get into this habit the better. Just make the crate a secure personal space for the pup and make bedtime a very matter of fact event that perhaps involves covering the crate and leaving a radio on low but always involves an unemotional exit.