12 week puppy doesn’t like being left in crate

[MumsGoneToIceland]

First time puppy owner and would like advice on how to get to the point where he is happy in his crate so we can leave the room/plan to go out .

At nighttime he goes in crate fine at 9.30/10 ( can’t get him to stay awake later than that or if occasionally we do then he doesn’t sleep in any later). Wakes at around 5/5.30, take out for a wee and then put back in crate till 6 but usually cries until we get up at 6. (Have an alarm to go off at 6 near him to tell him it’s up time but not making a difference atm).. Once I get him up at 6, will then end up sleeping on me for an hour so is not as if he’s ready to start the day just wants company.

During the day, have been trying to get him used to being alone in crate and had got to about 15/20 mins with him staying quiet ( left him about 7 am to go upstairs and get ready/kids up, once or twice a day to have meetings in another room and went out for a lunchtime walk for about the same length of time each day and came back to quiet) . Now he’s crying pretty much all the time he’s left.

I know some people go straight back to work with a puppy where they could be left for a couple of hours and am starting. to feel like i can’t see a point where we could pop to town for a couple of hours etc and wonder if us being around so much has been a bad thing.

So have we made a mistake by not leaving him enough in the early days . Do we leave him to cry and if not how do we do this?

I have taken a step back in training and gone to trying to put him in his crate at random times whilst working in the same room, giving a treat for sitting with door shut and then ignoring him (working with my back to him), then giving him a treat for sitting quiet afte4 x mins , then turn back to working and leaving it longer but can’t get to more than 2 mins before he cries and am sat right by him with my back to him. Was hoping to get to 10 min gaps between treats and praise and then to start doing similar but leaving the room.

We’ve left the radio on, left him with a yak milk chew treat he loves but still cries.

Have we done things all wrong and is there a way to undo it? Starting to feel restricted and don’t want to start feeling resentful.

Thank you!

You have a responsibility to make the room safe for your dog

And when that isn’t possible, a crate is the next best option.

If the crate door should be left open then why not just a comfy bed? DDog likes to be in a corner/ under something at times, so her bed is tucked under a table against the wall. Most of the time prefers a sofa, but if she wants her own private place she has it. Dog proof a space, and get your puppy used to you pottering around nearby and popping in and out without making a fuss of him/her.

12 weeks is still very young, though.

LadyCatStark, this is rather nice, I can respond to your post to me without having to wonder how you are going to publicly twist my words this time 😁

I only once apologised on this thread to the OP about maybe prematurely reaching a conclusioon that the OP has since explained that my first conclusion was not what she meant. At the time it appeared to me - and aparently quite a few othrr pps - thst she was trying to train her pup to spend long times in a locked cage during the day as well as the night.
The two applogies I made to you were nothing to do with jumping to conclusions, the first one was nevause I forgot to put the other posters name down, and van now not remember it, but I think it may have been another name with Cat in it? My second apology to you (and all MNers) was because of the length of my posts, but then I think most people take one look and pass them by - I probably would!

I did attempt to give the OP advice, such as getting a professional trainer for both her pup and herself, I don't see how you can say that is bad advice. I also advised her to prepare herself for more indoor accidents from her pup for a while yet, and that the same could sadly hapen again when the pup becomes an OAP I also asked/advised the OP about whether she couldake her dog playpen any taller so thst he couldn't jump out of it, I would still love to know if he is a puppy Weimaranar 😂

I have honestly not been ranting on this thread, for one, according to some dictionaries includes shouting, and I promise you that I have not been shouting at all. The other reason I have not been ranting is that I find it very difficult to not write short posts, not because I am angry, because I wasn't, I was just very sad in my first post. The long posts are because of my writing inadequacies.
I have only ever once posted in MN when I was in an angry fugue, and that was yesterday (?) when I was apoplectic about an awful neighbour to a MNer, his friends, and a bar he had built.

Lastly, for this post (I can't promise not to post here again if you break your promise, and reply to me again 😉) I am not the only one who has (unintentially at least on my part) derailed the poor OPs posts, as I am not the only one on here who you have had cross words with, and if you hadn't given me your last reply, I would not have responded back to you...

Thanks poorlykitten, and thanks for the link to Peta, it was very interesting and I think an excellent article.