Crate training 7 week old puppy - please help!

[Whyisitallsostressful]

Hi, sorry if there are already active threads on this subject, but I’m so tired, it’s easier to start my own than search...

We picked up our puppy on Saturday and I’m trying to crate train her. It’s not going to particularly well and I know in part that’s because she’s still very little and it’s only been 3 nights, but I’m also confused about what I should be doing to make it work.

The books say a puppy will whine or show signs of needing to pee and so respond to that, but the crate training says to calm them in the crate and take them out in the night at intervals, but not to respond to whines because that teaches them they leave the crate when they fuss??

So night 1 I put her in at 11pm, she cried straight away and so I brought a mattress down and slept next to her. When she can see me she generally settles in a couple of minutes. When she woke in the night I took her out; that was around 2am, 3.30am and then she was awake for the day at 5.30am.

Night 2 I slept down with her again and woke with her at 2ish and then she woke for the day at 5am.

Last night I settled her and then tried to sleep in my own bed because she was quiet. She woke at around 2am again, so I moved downstairs. Took her out the crate to wee etc and then she’s awake again at 4am and for the day at 5am. Oh and this morning there was a wee in her crate, so I obviously missed one of her “need to go out” whines, rather than a settling one.

Please can someone who knows about training tell me what I should be doing? Literally a - Dog Training For Dummies - type level of detail would really help!

I don’t know how to help her sleep there happily and sleep past crazy o’clock! She has to crate train because we have 3 cats that I don’t want her to scare and 3 children that need to sleep.

Thank you!

[Isbrexitoveryet]

First strategy,
Week one: Crate in your room
Week three: Crate in hall
Week five: Crate wherever you want it to be

Second strategy:
FEED THE CRATE
treats, kongs, breakfast/lunch/tea, chews, toys all in the crate, make it somewhere they want to be.

Your puppy is still very teeny most dogs are still with the litter and mum at 7W

Also don’t ignore the whine as such. Pick puppy up put them out to the loo, return. Repeat. No games nothing, just toilet.

Good luck

[Whyisitallsostressful]

Thank you so much for replying.

I think I have to go with strategy 2 because dh feels really strongly that he doesn’t like animals upstairs.

I’ve tried to make her crate a nice place to be. It’s available to her in the day with the door open if she wants to go in there and when I put her in there to sleep I’ve been putting toys in with her.

I didn’t put food in there at night because the book I read said no food 3 hours before bedtime. Do you think she needs food in the night though with her being so little? Or did you mean if I need to leave her in there at all in the day?

If I sleep down with her does that effectively imitate strategy 1 or will if confuse her when I try to leave after a week or so?

Thanks

[BiteyShark]

When my puppy was in the crate in the day (for his own safety or to calm him down if he needed an enforced sleep) I used to put him in there and feed treats through the bars every now and again when he was settled and quiet.

At night I would get up to cries and take him out for a quick toilet break then straight back with no speaking or fuss. I didn't sleep next to him but I did use a baby monitor so I could see if he was awake and could hear what he was doing.

[Whyisitallsostressful]

Typically how long does it take for them to be able to sleep through the night? I’m not sure if that is a sensible question or whether the range is huge?

I’ll try to be as consistent as possible in the night time: carry outside - wait for her to toilet - pick her back up - straight back in the crate.

[Floralnomad]

What sort of puppy is it as that will be relevant .

[Whyisitallsostressful]

She’s a golden doodle

[umberellaonesie]

I am a terrible puppy owner in the sense that at night I don't respond at all from 11-5am settled in crate and ignored till morning.
I deal with wees in crate in the morning so fresh vet bed and fleece blanket so no pee smells in crate for day crating though have only had very small one or two overnight wees.
Puppy is put in crate for all day sleeps even if she falls asleep somewhere else. And for short periods during dinner, when I nip out for short times etc she is created with a Kong and treats.

[PrayingandHoping]

If you don't want the puppy upstairs then a
Mattress downstairs like you're doing is exactly the right thing. Keep letting him out for toilet when he cries. Gradually over time move your mattress further away.

Please report your breeder btw as it is actually illegal to sell a puppy under 8 weeks old

www.agriapet.co.uk/hub-agria-blog/2017/july/defra-to-change-puppy-selling-age-to-eight-weeks/

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

The fact that your puppy is underage will also be hindering the process. He/she should still be with their parents and siblings and your breeder has a) acted illegally and b) is a bad and irresponsible breeder. Sorry, I’m not trying to be nasty, but it does have an impact on your pup and your training with them.

[MarleyMooChick]

My pup slept downstairs in a puppy pen to start with & then in a crate when she started to try to climb out. I bought a piece of vinyl to put under the crate as have wooden floors & was easy to clean.
I slept on the sofa for the first week & then moved upstairs & bought a baby monitor so I could hear her. When she whined just took her outside for wee, no talking or interaction, then back in, as has been mentioned in other posts.
The breeder just left his pup with his other dogs overnight & cleaned up any mess in the morning. But I didn't want to come down & deal with any mess, so preferred to take her outside at night.
I didn't want our pup sleeping upstairs as my husband gets up at 5:30am for work, so didn't want the pup disturbed by his crashing around!
In the day time I did feed her in the pen, and would pop her in there when very sleepy when I needed to get on with chores. Otherwise she just slept on the floor wherever I was.
She now happily goes in her crate overnight, and is only in her crate in the day if nobody is at home (max 2 hours as always someone coming & going), as also have cats & like them separated when out. As soon as anyone says 'Alexa play smooth radio' she runs for her crate & a few cubes of cheese, & has learnt that that is her down time.
It can take time & patience & a few set backs, but you will get there.

[Whyisitallsostressful]

Thanks for your comments.

I’ll stick to sleeping downstairs with her for now and hopefully she’ll start to go for longer periods at night as she gets older.

[adaline]

What breeder let you take home a 7 week old puppy?

[OverFedStanley]

It is commercial third parties that can not sell puppies under 8 weeks.

Off original OP topic but there is a lot of evidence in favour of rehoming at 7 weeks before the 8 week fear period. All assistance dogs go to foster homes at 7 weeks.


OP all dogs are different but you can expect a larger dog eg doodle to be able to go through the night 11.00-6.00ish quite soon. So although the first few weeks are tiring this too will pass.

[QOD]

Oh wow so young!
We were a bit like umbrellaonsie but we also got the breeder to keep ddog until 12 weeks

[Sooverthemill]

there are lots of YouTube videos showing you how to crate train whic can be helpful. We tried to make it a happy warm place that puppy wanted to go to and he does still go in at 13 months now. Association with treats is good. Sit outside and feed treats when he stops barking for example. He is still a baby and used to being with mum and litter mates after all so does need company so he needs to feel confident. People do have crates in bedroom and then move him down, we didn't but that's because our room is 2 floors up!

overfedstanley I read that too and we had our puppy at 7 weeks and he settled very well but under new regs our breeder wouldn't be allowed to do this. Obviously the new regs are needed to stop puppy farms.

[Nettleskeins]

OP, I found that although they might wake at 5, and appear full of energy for a short while, they can generally be put back to bed again, and you can go back to bed again, for another long sleep until at least 7 or 8. Is there enough blackout on your crate, or in the room where you are sleeping? As my puppy got older we very much had the routine of waking up, toilet, and then continue as if it was nighttime, until the time that I wanted to be awake..which was about 7.30/8. 8 am was breakfast time for puppy in our house. Then at 9 he was back to sleep again for another long sleep. All sleeps in the crate, including daytime sleeps. I sat next to him quite often, putting my fingers through the bars.

[Nettleskeins]

or shall I say Lay next to him, putting my fingers through the bars...There's a settling down whine/whimper [howl] when you can reassure them, using perhaps a settle down word and there is a I need to do a pee whine which is when you take them out of the crate. In the day I mean.

[Whyisitallsostressful]

She was fairly wakeful in the night again, but instead of waking up properly at 5am I did as you said above and resettled her with my fingers through her crate. She went back to sleep after a few mins and then I woke her when morning time starts in our house at 7am. Thanks all!