Crate training - urgent help !

[Humansatnav]

We've been leaving Otis in his crate overnight - he hows, wimpers, barks . He ( & we) slept 2 hours Friday, 5 Saturday ( we leave him for 6:30 mins ) & none at all last night.
I think the way we've done it is wrong & I intend to move the crate into the living room ( from under the stairs) & hide treats,, toys ect. to let him know that its a good space, then from tonight sleep in the lounge with him, next to the crate so I can reassure him until he is settling.
Flame away if I've done it completely wrong up till now- there is so much contradictory advice about. Would the mew approach work ? Any tips gratefully accepted - Otis is 8 weeks & the humansatnav clan are knackered.

Bump

The way I've always done it is to put the crate in the bedroom at first. 8 weeks is very young to be left totally on their own, and they need to learn to be away from their mum and litter mates. I waited til pup was happily sleeping through in my bedroom, then slowly but surely moved the crate further away from me. I've actually got two crates - a larger one in the kitchen which he's always been fed in, and stays in when I go out, and a smaller one upstairs purely for sleeping. I've got him used to having the door shut on the downstairs one whilst eating or sleeping. We moved house recently and I've done away with the bedroom one altogether. Pups now 10 months and it took him a couple of nights to sleep through in the kitchen, but now he's fine.

It's a slow process but, in the scheme of things, it's a few weeks/months out of 10+ years of dog ownership of having them sleep close to you.

I think it is one of those things there are mixed views on. We were told just to leave them and go - it seemed cruel but I double checked this point with several people. It felt like controlled-crying a baby but was told it was fine. As it happened she was fine and has never even squeaked at night (but is really chilled) - I just put on some dim lights at bedtime and pottered in the room she was - she got into bed at that stage and was fine. Good luck!

We put ours in the bedroom and then slowly moved her out. It worked brilliantly with no crying.

I just left mine from day 1. My spaniel was the worst. The first night he cried most of the night, the second night he cried till 2 and the third night he was completely silent and we lay awake worrying! But he was fine and there was no more noise.
I fed mine in the crate, and popped them in if I left them for school runs etc. It got to the point where my youngest dog would go and get in his crate as soon as I picked up my car keys which was quite sweet.
Persevere.

Honest question (with no judgement attached!) but why are you so set on crate training? We were really encouraged to crate train our lab (although I was dubious as I couldn't see why generations of dog owners had coped without them and they had suddenly become indespensible!) and it was pretty much pointless. Didn't help with toilet training or anything else really but was handy when I had to mop the kitchen I guess!

he's a baby and he's scared - we always either had them in the bedroom or slept with them downstairs on the sofa. I have never used a crate. None of my dogs have slept upstairs as an adult, they all settled downstairs for the whole night very happily, no accidents, but that was once they felt safe and secure there.

Do you have dc? with our last two puppies we had a rota of who was sleeping on the sofa with the puppy - they were fighting to be ON the rota not off it . I have some lovely photos of sleeping dc and puppies over the years.

We are crate training because of the open plan nature of our downstairs - also to give him a safe place to escape to if he needs it. We are moving the location of the crate and have been advised to make it a fun place to be , hide treats and toys in etc.

I have been assured that one day I will look back and laugh (!)

Update - Moved the crate in to the lounge on monday as planned , dd & dh did sterling work with treats ect.
Bedtime I settled him in woth a treat & his spft tpy, went up to ger undressed/ quick wash .
He barked /whined - went down after 30 mins or so and he was fast asleep.
I chanced going to bed and he slept for just under 5 hours .
Same again next night - 30 mins whining then slept till 5 .
Last night i put him to bed 1/2 hour earlier and he only whined for 10 mins then slept for nearly 6 hours !