New puppy driving me crazyyy

[MrsWineasaurus]

Right, we got a new puppy on Friday. Whole family absolutely in love with him, he seems to be picking up the whole pad training pretty well so far. The vet recommended Crate training which we've tried. Only problem being all he does is constantly whine and bark when in there.

Any advice on how to help him settle before I pull all my hair out please??

We got a soft toy from out sons room (make sure it doesnt have anything like buttons or a plastic nose that the dog can chew off). It was a bit bigger than the puppy, smelled of my son.

The puppy curled up with it and settled. Think it made her feel less alone and more like sleeping with other puppies.

She is now one and loves her crate. She chooses to go in it and prefers it in there if we are out rather than being out in the kitchen.

Although she is only ever in it a hour at most during the day.

try feeding him in his crate but leave the door open so he can come and go as he pleases.

put a blanket over the top so its more like a den.

put in him when he has just has a play session - so he's more tired and more likely to learn its a nice place to sleep.

make sure he has a box and blanket in there so its warm and comfy and he's not getting cold - a old t shirt put in that smells of you is good too.

never let him out of the crate if he is making any noise at all - or you are teaching him that noise = getting out and he will do it all the more.

if he has learnt this already then you will have more noise to start with until he learns quiet = getting out. (be quick though as soon as you get close to let him out he will make a noise and you'll be rewarding the noise again.)

get a book about positive reward puppy training.

praise him lots and lots when he is quiet.

ignore and distract him when he is noisy out of the crate.

I did consider giving him one of my DS' toys. Did you find that your puppy went after anymore toys after that? Or did he just stick to that one?

We've tried feeding him in his crate. He will sleep in there sometimes when we are here (his choice) but the minute we leave the room he starts again

You need to get him used to it in 5 minute increments.
Leave him in it for 5 mins then 10 mins then 15 mins. Never let him out or go into the room with him in the crate while he's whining or he'll just think that's how he gets out so will cry all of the time.

I've been leaving him in there until he stops whining, I understand it may take a while but the noise starts to grate after a little while keep telling myself he's only 8 weeks old so he isn't going to get it straight away.

Guess persistence is key, wish us luck! X

Well you've only had him for what, 4 days? He's still getting used to his surroundings. Did you get a blanket from the breeder that smells like his mum? Usually they give those out and you can put them in there.

Things that helped ours were those microwavable heating teddies and old tshirts of yours that he can cuddle with.

he can have his own toy box with a mix of toys in that are rotated regularly so he doesnt get bored (a favourite one is rice in a small plastic water bottle tied in an old sock - just watch for when it gets too chewed and needs to be replaced) - make sure the dc's toys are not left low enough for him to pick up - its unfair to expect him to know the difference.

Try googling crate training and looking for tips on there.
We adopted a number of them. Our puppy loved it from day one. We said to the DC if puppy goes in his crate that's his safe place you leave him alone. He used to take socks he had stolen and any little toys in there and we put a piece of vet bed in for him and water.
We draped a towel over one side of our crate and put a spare piece of vet bed over the top so it felt like a den for as him as read somewhere dogs are den animals.
Another thing we did was get a puppy kong and put some small pieces of dried dog food in it and wiped cheese spread round the tip of it which kept him amused we gave him the kong just before going out.
Our dog very rarely barks but we have an outdoor kennel and if we use that he hates it and barks and cries a lot. But his crate in the house in the main room doesn't bother him.
Good look it does get easier.

Brighteyes Our dog used to steal teddies and socks and take them in his crate! We used to have to empty it out once a week to find his little hoard haha

Watch this video about house training using a crate. It's only 5 or 6 minutes and it all becomes clear :)

Take a look at this video on YouTube:

He's got lots of positive training and clicker training videos and they're always very easy to follow.

If you get interested in clicker training, 'click for quiet' can be useful for a dog or puppy who will cry for hours before giving up....as others have said the golden rule is never open the crate when they are crying or whining.

You have to 'load the clicker' first (teach the puppy what a click means) and there are lots of articles and videos if you google.

Click will mean - correct! Treat is coming!

Once you've taught that you can work on the crate. Get him happy in there by shaping. 'Shape' him going in there by clicking and treating when he goes near the crate or looks at it and eventually going in there. Click when you can shut the door half way for a second and build up the time.

With the door closed, click and treat when he's quiet, initially you will have to be quick, every few seconds. Wait for him to take a breath from crying and click and treat. Start building up the time he has to be quiet for - 1second, 2seconds, 3seconds. The smaller you make the steps, the quicker it is!

Puppies are vile, they are very very hard work and just bite you in return.
This is why they are cute - because otherwise you would never have one. Post puppy depression is definitely a thing!
When they get a bit older they are absolutely wonderful ( although still vile at times) but a bit less cute.
There is a puppy survival thread on here with some excellent tips from people who know what they are talking about

SpareChangeDownTheSofa I was lulled into thinking our puppy was going to be tidy keeping his things and some of ours all in his crate but this didn't last did yours?

Why is he whining and barking? Surely the door is open?

Crate training involves rewarding him for choosing to stay in his crate with treats/toys/food, not caging him - he needs to learn that it's a calm positive space.

You start with only a couple of minutes several times each day and gradually build up over time until he learns it's a nice place to be.
He's a tiny baby and has lost his mum and siblings and been in a new home for 5 days. You need to be more patient and do some research on puppy training

Dogs trust website has good resources

Oh goodness, yes it is so hard isn't it when they are crying and barking wanting to get out! All of the recommendations so far are good, I would say that a good idea is popping a blanket over the whole cage is a good idea to make it darker and cosier!

Poor little thing.

8 weeks old, just separated from mother and siblings, then shut in a bloody cage until it knackers itself out and stops crying.

That's not crate training. You need to educate yourselves.