tell me this will get easier please

[WTFwasthat]

Rescue pup - 13 weeks tomorrow but only been here for 3 full days nights (day 4 today) is resistant to crate esoeciallly at night. He barks in there on and off all night. I am not expecting a perfect pup to settl in after day one and fit us like a glove but I would have thought he may have calmed a bit at nights. During the dy he goes in there for around 30 mins while I bath ds, or potter around u/s or such like. And he seems to settle quite well and is never making a noise beyond 5 mins or so. he goes in tehre with a treat and it is very cosy in there. At night here is a blanket covering the crate and i leave the playlist on the laptop. What can I do? should I ditch the crate? Could it be he just is a dog who hates crates? Exhausted and worried that this will continue. Please help

[WTFwasthat]

and before anyone leaps in, I know this is VERY early days. Just want to make the settling in period easier for all of us

[paddythepooch]

make his crate his best place, feed him in there, give him treats to encourage him in there during the day. Stick with it - it may take a few nights but it will be worth it.

Does he need to go out in the night? Perhaps let him out once?

[WTFwasthat]

his crate was dry and clean this morning (there may have been one wee). I mean should I persevere with the crate or maybe he is jsut freaked by ity! I'd like him to enjoy his crate as it does avoid waking up to a lounge of poo and wee! Plus there is no guarantee he will not howl even if he is left to roam the room he is in overnight. I am so tired (plus have this horrid cold bug whcih doesn't help) I jsut want to sleep - and him to sleep too. he has crashed out of hte floor fine this morning. he msut be exhausted! At least he gets to sleep in teh day

[WTFwasthat]

but if he had a wee in the crate wouldn't he settle after? ?He barks almost every hoiur. Surely tht isn't wee related?

[SpicyPear]

You might have answered this before, but could put his create in your room at night on a temporary basis? We did this with our older rescue and everyone said we were making a rod for our own back, but it calmed her at night and we were able to gradually move it further away over a couple if weeks to the point she would sleep in the kitchen all night.

It was only after a couple of weeks sleeping downstairs that we decided we wanted her upstairs with us anyway

[WTFwasthat]

i could crate in my room but what if he yelps when he is in there too? I am panicking a bit as I am so tired and bloody ill at the moment! I will do wahtever works but I cannot think straight right now. I don't even mind if he is in there long term. Anything as long as I can get some sleep and so do the children and Max. If I have him in my room I'm a bit worried about the housetraining aspect. Surely he will wee and poo wherever???

[kitsmummy]

I would try the crate in your room. I suspect that he just needs to know you're there, and like Pear said, let him settle in the crate in your room for a week or so and then gradually move it further away.

Saying that though, our friends lab absolutely hated the crate and could never get used to it, but it doesn't sound like that's really the case with your puppy

[SpicyPear]

Hi WTF, first of all, I knew exactly how you feel being tired and frazzled by it. Any chance you can set aside sone time for yourself today, maybe an hour in bed if you're poorly? To help clear your head.

It would work if his issue is being lonely. I would say worth a try at least. Re the toilet, it's likely he will need out once in the night but if he's crying all night it's hard to tell if it's for the toilet or not. If he does settle in the same room as you, you'll know if he makes noise in the night to take him out. No other attention, just minimum fuss out for toilet and straight back in the crate. I've been doing this and it doesn't seem to have encouraged him to make a fuss.

[WTFwasthat]

spicyP - yes i may move crate to room. sounds like he just wants the closeness as it cannot be entirely related to toiletting imho

[WTFwasthat]

ok, so i have just popped him in his crate while we are in lounge and he snuffled a bit but has settled down to sleep.

[paddythepooch]

Keep with it WTF. I slept downstairs on the sofa for the first week. Allowed me to get to pooch quickly if he woke in the night. He was fine after about 5 nights and has only woken once since then when he had a bad tummy.

Moving the crate to our bedroom was not an option as it's HUGE but it sounds like he is getting used to it.

One other thing - never use the crate as a punishment - so it becomes his place of safety, nice things, his den.

[Floralnomad]

Off course it will get better ! I'd agree with the sleeping downstairs , that's what we did , but our dogs crate was borrowed and took up too much room to put anywhere but the lounge. ( 6 ft x 5ft) ,which is also why we gave it back ASAP. I also never let mine out overnight once we'd gone to bed ( very late ) , it worked for us my dog was easy to housetrain and wees on command now. (BTW I also didn't lift my kids during the night either when toilet training so maybe I'm just a terrible person, but I found kids easy to toilet train as well ) . Good luck, it will all be worthwhile and In couple of months this will all be forgotten .

[WTFwasthat]

just had the fosterer who dropped him with us on Sunday round. She was fab. Said just keep doing what I am doing and not go to him. Suggested I leave a lamp on and buy earplugs! She has had loads of pups in her care and said she has not heard of crate anxiety in any of them. I feel that with yoyr advice on here and her support that it is not going to be a neverending life of sleep deprivation! I am just so shattered and ill today that I am hoping it will be over soon and we and all sleep again

[kitsmummy]

yeah, the thing is if you're weren't ill this really wouldn't be seeming half as bad as it is! Being ill can make the most mundane things feel like crap.

[WTFwasthat]

kitsmummy - exactly, I am actually totally drained. I could sleep for a 100 years (if Max would let me!) I feel like the energy has been drained form my body. Good job he is the most beautiful pup in the world eh?

[LadyTurmoil]

It's a bit like having first baby - however much people tell you what it's like, you don't really understand until you have one yourself! Hope you have a better night tonight and that you feel better too x

[midori1999]

I disagree with the foster carerer, I'm afraid. Most dogs need to be trained to like the crate, they need to learn it's a nice place to be, it's not automatic. This is a young puppy at a very vulnerable time in it's life and if it is already in rescue then it can't have had a very good start in life and has had several homes already.

I would opt not to shut in the crate for now or have the crate in your room. Give the puppy a hot water bottle with a soft cover, an old t shirt or something that smells of you and leave the radio on, talking/general noise is better than music IMO.

You need to teach the puppy to be shut int he crate, for very short periods at first. Do feed him in there, leave treats in there for him to find, only give him his kong when he is in there etc. If you have Jean Donaldson's book, the culture clash, there's a good section on crate training in there.

I think you'll also need to accept that he may still need to toilet at night for some time, but I would work by setting an alarm to let him out, don't ever let him out when he is barking. Obviously initially you need to do all you can to avoid barking/crying in the crate.

[assumpta]

We have a rescue dog, that, I really don't think, had ever been in a crate in his life! He was a stray in Ireland, then shipped over here. We think he is between 3 and 5 years. He hated his crate in the beginning. I could not entice him in no matter how I tried, so I kept throwing in treats and he would stretch as far as he could to get the treat, then leave the ones he could not reach. I ended up giving him a gentle push till he put all four paws in. for him was the right thing to do. I then kept giving treats and his food in there, and he now knew that it was safe to put all paws in and he relaxed, slept and was happy to have the crate shut. At night he didn't settle so well so I just kept coming downstairs when he would bark, wait till he was quiet, and immediately say 'quiet, good boy', we left the radio on low, covered his crate with a blanket and sprayed with DAP. This went on for about 4 or 5 nights on and off, then, silence. I did buy earplugs in case i needed them and with you not feeling well I would use them! Definately buy some DAP and spray in the crate, it could really help. Good luck.

[WTFwasthat]

assumpta - hi and thank you. Max seems oK in the day in there. He whimpers a bit but them gets on with it. I have started to give him is kong ONLY when he is in there. And I leave his chews in there too. he goes in in the day, and takes them out! I have hard of DAP - is that the diffuser or spray thibg? Also leaving radio/itunes on but rescue worker today recommended radio station as talking is better than music . I will give it a whilr this evening. We are only 3 nights in so am hoping it is just a settling in thign and that he loves us so much already he cannot bear to be parted

[HoneyDragon]

I let pup out each time for a wee. I think she got fed up of going in the garden in the dark and gave up . Took longer to get her over wanting to start her day at 5am though

[lucyellenmum]

maybe, ooh, i don't know - don't put him in a cage? Of course you will then have to put up wiht him probably sleeping in your bed like our little brown rescue dog, but i quite like it, he is like a furry hot water bottle.