Crate training

[Gameofhomes]

I've had a puppy a couple of weeks he's settled in learning well. I'm crate training. There is so much conflicting advice. He goes in crate sometimes during day but not for long. Sleeps in crate at night with door open and someone downstairs. I need a few hours to myself to clean and do chores. I want to put him in crate when he's tired during day obviously only about 2 hours. Can someone give me advice. Do I just leave him to cry? I can't have him around my feet all day. Yes I know he's a puppy he can't be with me 24/7

My puppy just started off sleeping in crate at night, with door closed as he was a chewer and would chew all night long. After a couple of weeks we started putting him in crate whilst we had dinner, door closed with a stuffed kong. Unfortunately he wouldn’t sleep in there in the daytime at first. This did get better when we were able to take him for walks outside as he was tired when we got back so I could pop him in crate and get some things done. I just started with a few minutes gave him praise and a treat going in and coming out andcthdn gradually built up the time in crate. It did get to the stage when I got the hover out he would automatically go in his crate himself and when I got my car keys the same. It takes time, but worth the effort to go slowly at first.

He won't stay long in crate and only goes in once for a sleep less than an hour during day. Night time we have to sleep downstairs he goes in with door open. He's very clingy. Yes he's a puppy but he can't sleep upstairs with me. I don't know about leaving him to cry I'd he's fed , watered and toileted and should be sleepy. Not all dogs like a crate. I've never crated before

Proper Crate training takes months. Our pup sleeps in one in our room but we don’t shut the door until she’s nearly asleep then pop it open as soon as she’s awake. It just stops her wandering off in the night if she needs the loo. She’s got to wake us.

We don’t crate in the day. Pup sleeps where she likes and we make sure she’s not unsupervised plus we’ve puppy proofed the living room.

Crate training doesn’t involve shutting them in until they stop crying. That’s punishment not training. Crate training takes weeks and months to build value in the crate so they want to stay in there. I do crate train but it’s separate to sleeping in one.

@newpeep how old is your pup. Also my pup follows me everywhere. What happens if you need to leave the room during the day.

She’s about 5 and a half months. We let her follow. She’s now often choosing not to. She is noticeably growing in confidence daily. She grabs her treats and flies off to her open crate to eat then often well away from us. We’re aiming to start some alone training in a few weeks when we’re both home and build it up if she’s ready.

We’ve not forced anything. We’ve just let her mature.

I've done everything that various instructions say. However all puppies are different. I need to leave him sometimes in crate during day as its not safe in living room even though its puppy proofed. I can't take him with me upstairs its not safe. I live in a huge old house i have open staircase so he's locked by a safety gate at the bottom so he's not allowed upstairs. Ibwas looking at a pen.

Keep reinforcing that his crate is the best place to be, so games in the crate, throwing treats in the crate etc. I wouldn't let him cry for too long, just keep incresing the time that he's in there, very slowly. Can you sleep downstairs with him, until he's used to sleeping in the crate all night? It'll come, and it's worth it. If it's not safe for him to be out of the crate, crate training is definitely needed.

Oh, sorry, I've just seen you are sleeping downstairs. I'd keep doing that, until he's 100% chilled in the crate and will sleep alone. It's still v early days, he'll get there.

I wouldn’t crate train…..

What would you do instead?

If you leave him to cry in the crate all he'll do is associate the crate with fear and upset and be even more reluctant to go in there.

Mine just followed me around the house as a puppy - is your home really that dangerous that you can't have him following you and tethered somewhere while you get on with the housework?

Puppies want to be with their owners - it's normal and forcing separation when they find it distressing rarely works in the long run. As mine got older he lost interest in following me about and would just lie on the sofa and watch.

I had a shower this morning for the first time and she didn’t follow. She was too busy playing with an empty yoghurt pot I’d given her to lick. She watched me go upstairs then carried on playing. She eventually came to find me when I was getting changed and declared me boring and back downstairs.

It comes in time.

Interestingly my neighbour got a pup a few weeks before we did. He forced separation from day one on poor advice. - as in ‘just go out for an hour - he’s got to learn’. He’s got major problems with it now which is going to take months to undo. All dogs are different of course.

Leave her to follow you round till she gets bored, you can't leave them in the house much on their own in the early days anyway, so leave them in a safe place with a bed and a couple of toys. Ours decided the half landing was her safe space.

They grow out of following you everywhere. We gave her treats wrapped in toilet rolls in a box to tire her out and keep her occupied if we wanted to do something in the house. Or tired her out with some training.

Yes I'm sleeping down stairs he sleeps in there with door open . The minute door closed he howls.

Have you tried closing the crate but throwing treats in? Best to do that at a time other than bedtime. Once he associates the crate door being closed with good things, you should be able to close it for increasingly longer periods. So close it for a few seconds whilst throwing kibble in, then let him out. Then the next day close, throw a treat in it then wait for a few seconds before throwing another treat in then let him out, and gradually extend the period before letting him out. As long as he's calm in the crate, he gets treats in there. Eventually you hopefully won't need to keep feeding him treats.

Yes I'm sleeping down stairs he sleeps in there with door open . The minute door closed he howls.

Why does he need to sleep in the crate with the door closed?

Is it something you actually need him to do or is it something you just feel like you should be doing with him?

We never crate trained our beagle and he's never destroyed the house or peed everywhere or had any issues. It's not a necessary part of dog ownership so if it's not working for you/your dog just try something else instead.

Quite honestly I think you’re onto a loser now he’s built up negative associations. We were very very careful not to do that as I’d like my dog to sleep crated when we camp. Not a dealbreaker but if she will it would be great. So at night we’re careful she is making the choice to go in and settle before I shut the door and she is always released at the first hint of her wanting out.

We’re working on crate training in the day so she’s happy to be shut in awake but that takes months. It’s different to night time crating.

Thats required sacrifice of time and effort but for us, worth it.

if you don’t want to use a crate long term don’t bother. It helps with toilet training but it’s not essential. As for going upstairs then maybe carry pup in a sling and wear them. Put in a pen with a nice chew if you have to do something. They won’t be any happier in a pen than a crate as it’s confinement. You will still have to sleep with them or have them sleep with you wherever you are. Maybe put a pen around crate to confine any night time accidents. Depends on your house.

Long term you can revisit it if you want.

It makes me cross that people are told to just shut them in a crate and they’ll be fine. It’s so much more complicated than that and takes real dedication to ensure your dog is genuinely happy in one.

My puppy is 9 weeks old. We have a crate in a pen and have used it to enforce naps it’s been a game changer. If I left her to sleep anywhere she wants when she needs it she’d tear the place apart, nip kids legs and end up over tired. I found that reducing all the stimuli via crate has helped massively with quality of sleep and she’s then her usual bubbly self and we can all enjoy each other. She naps better there than anywhere else. I partially cover the front of the crate which has really helped calm her. I think she felt too exposed otherwise. The pen also lets her observe and keeps her safe when we’re busy. I couldn’t believe all the conflicting advice about puppies and crates it’s so unhelpful. Learn what your puppy needs is the only advice I can give, be that a crate or not.