[kimstm]

Hi,

We brought our new spoo puppy home this afternoon. She is 7.5 wks old. When we got home I took her out to potty and then we played with her inside. I told everyone it was time to put her in the crate. She immediately went in and peed a little. Took her out changed the sheet, used a clorox wipe on the mattress (portable crib mattress) and then I flipped it and put another sheet back on it. Let's try this again. Put her in and she immediately started to dribble out some more pee. Conclusion to me.....................she thinks that is where she is supposed to potty. I took her outside and after a bit she peed. I praised her. We came back inside and I put her in the crate. OMG!! She is loud!!!! Any suggestions on how to untrain her from peeing in the crate?? Actually, I guess, she needs to learn that that is her new bed. How long do I let her squeal in the crate? Should I stay next to her while she is in there? I need a good crate training thread. I am thinking tonight is going to be a very, very long night. On the positive side, we couldn't be happier. She is great with my 11, 3, and 2 yr old. She is precious!!!

 

[Fluffyspoos]

7.5 weeks is a little young..

But when mine yiped in the kennel I never soothed him, his crate was next to my bed when he was tiny and when he started up in the middle of the night I would bang my hand on top of the crate (I'm super grumpy at night.. heh) and within a couple days he was silent through the entire night.

It sounds like you got her from a petstore, or a breeder that just kept all the puppies in the crate, which taught them that that's just were the peeing spot was. The crate mat that I have for my crate has a removeable outside, so I removed that and wrapped a plastic bag around the inside part, that was if he messed it wouldn't soak all the way through (he never did.)

When she's in fussing, just let her fuss and take her out when she stops. She won't go on forever.

 

[kimstm]

Thanks fluffyspoos!

Another question. Is it okay to take her outside to potty now or should I wait till she has had all her parvo shots? I just take her to the backyard, but it backs up to woods and I know that we have animals come through like squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, stray dogs, etc. Thanks!

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Absolutely, she needs to know that outside is the only potty place.

 

[CharismaticMillie]

I had this problem occasionally with Millie. Don't put anything down in the crate. I found that crate pads allow the puppy to pee and not have to sit in it. Leave the crate bare for now.

 

[CharismaticMillie]

Oh also, I had the yelping in the crate problem with Millie too. It was horrible. She yelped for hours and hours. It actually took about three weeks before she learned that whining would get her nowhere.

You just have to COMPLETELY ignore her - it is for attention. (Unless it has been quite some time since she went potty. Then I would try to wait for a break in the yelping and let her out. That way she does not "win".)

 

[yigcenuren]

Once this pup learns that it should pee outside and it stops crying EVERYTIME you put her in the crate, you may find that she will start to cry at night. What that is (or could be if you train her for it) is her asking to go out to go to the bathroom. She is very young and it is still too much to expect her to go through the night accident free. Also keep in mind that she has just been taken away from her littermates and she will be a bit lonely, sad and confused as to what has just happened.
Something will work, have patience and good luck.

 

[SnorPuddel]

Sadly I have no advice to offer, as neither one of my 2 standards have ever cried while crated. Okay not true, Foxxy cried the whole way home, when I picked her up from the breeder. Baldr on the other hand did not cry once on his way home from Montreal, he was such a calm puppy.
However most puppies won't pee in their crate (den), unless they were "trained" to do that by whomever raised them.
I would suggest as ChocolateMillie has to not have anything in the crate with her, and how big of crate do you have ? Size does matter, in this instance

 

[kimstm]

Thanks for the replies.

I will remove the pad from the crate. We are getting ready to put her in there now while we eat.

She has a 42" crate, but I have the divider in there so it is a small area.

Off to put her in. Wish us luck!

 

[fjm]

Has she ever been crate trained? Not all pups see it as a comfy den until they have been introduced to it as such. She is very young, newly seperated from everything she knows ... perhaps a gradual approach to crate training may be less wearing for all of you.

 

[Birdie]

My advice? Lots and lots and LOTS of treats. Don't force her in if she doesn't want to go, make sure the crate is a comfortable place for her. It's her decision to go in and explore for the first few times. Lure her in with some delicious treats (high value hot dogs, chicken, cheese, etc) and just kind of encourage her to check it out. Leave the door open until she is comfortable in there. Feed her meals in there (door open). Having her food in there and making it become a comfortable home environment will seriously help with any peeing issues she has in there. Don't make her ever feel trapped or punished in the crate!! You want it to be somewhere where she can chill out, nap, and enjoy being in for the rest of her life, never a time-out place. Maybe teach "go in your crate!" as a trick! Poodles love learning tricks, and Desmond is a master at that one, hahaha. That could make the whole crate experience more fun and positive for her.

When she goes in there at night tonight, maybe put a kong with something tasty in it to keep her busy. Give her LOTS of exercise before bedtime!! Wear her out! Fetch, chase, whatever she likes. Get that girl tired! Is the crate in your room? If not, I would say move it up there for the first few nights, so you can hear if she wakes up and needs to potty. It can also help her feel more comfortable and secure in there. If she does cry and wimper, just ignore her. Don't talk to her, don't acknowledge her. That will only encourage her to whine more. She will calm down, if it takes her 10 minutes or 2 hours. Get ear plugs if you want, or go to bed earlier than you normally would tonight, just in case you lose sleep.

Good luck!! Desmond LOVES his crate since I did exactly this from the day I brought him home. He sleeps in it all the time just cause he likes being in there, and he has never had a problem with it.
Also, congratulations on your new puppy! I'm glad to hear she is doing well in your home.

 

[Purley]

Whenever I have had a puppy I always crate them at night, even if they are not crate trained at the time. I'm afraid its a necessity for me - I don't want a puppy wandering around the house peeing wherever. I usually have the crate right beside the bed and when they cry I stick my fingers through the wire door. But I don't let them out, even when they are little - until they are not crying - it only has to be for a short while. Otherwise they get the idea that if they make a racket - you will let them out.

I don't do gradual in a crate at night - its cold turkey for any puppy. Mind you when I got my Golden she hadn't been crated and she went in a wire crate and slept all night and never made a sound.

Big dogs are a lot easier to train than little dogs. Even when they are little they seem to be able to hold it longer. If you take the puppy out at night, don't play with her. Just tell her the command for peeing - I usually say "hurry up" and then when she goes, bring her in. You don't want her to think that this is play time.

 

[CelticKitti]

From someone who didn't do this from day 1, KEEP AT IT!!! Kodi cried for 3 hrs the first 3 nights... and not knowing any better I started letting him fall asleep on my lap then putting him in his crate. To this day, he does not like his crate the way I'd like. I've worked really hard with him over the past few months (he may be having surgery and will need to spend some time on crate rest) to get him to be quiet in his crate. It would have been MUCH easier if I'd kept at it at the beginning!

 

[neVar]

she will have a few accients in the crate- and then learn that' it's not comfortable to hang out in it- nd that's where she's to sleep.

Put her in the crate with a kong or something to distract her- nd leave (seriously i cna't stand the noise) come back after 30 minutes. take her out to go potty.

i let them sleep out the frst few nights- but in my bed so they are attached to me - and teach the crate during the day (in the car- while i go see the horse- go get groceries etc) just an hour or two at a time. I give a treat when i go- then home pick up and straight outside (if you let em walk at first they will piddle! )

i've done bout 10 dogs crate trained the last year alone (fosters fosters and a couple of my own)
don't take em out when they are crying unless- it's at night- when they've been quiet- then straight out go pee and straight back to the crate- no talking no cuddles other then praise for piddles outside

I also leave the crate totally empty other then an easy to wash toy (kong) until they are holding it in the crate

 

[partial2poodles]

I was such a sucker....I thought my head would explode from the crying and biting the bars....and I have trained all 7 by putting them in bed with me and keeping them in the same room all the time. When I sat on the couch to watch TV, I held them. If I was eating, I would make them sit by me and watch or feed them at the same time. They did everything with me and went everywhere. If I couldn't supervise, they stay in the kitchen that has a 48" gate so they can't jump it.

Did I create monsters? They are confident, obedience trained, trusting of everything and very social. I compare them to home schooled kids vs daycare, pre-schooled and public schooled kids. In the end, its what is best for you, the main caretaker of the pup.

 

[Poodle Lover]

I've heard great things about Crate Games training video.

Crate Games

 

[kimstm]

Thanks for the advice. We survived the first night and it wasn't bad (knock on wood). We put the crate in our room with a towel. She whined for prob. 5-10 minutes while my husband and I lied in bed reading. After a few minutes she lied down and went to sleep. I woke up to pee at 12:30 which in turn stirred her awake so my husband took her out while I checked for any messes in the crate. There were none. He brought her back in and put her in and not a peep. I heard her about 5:45 so I took her out and then checked her towel and it was completely dry!! I can definitely live with this. I hope it wasn't just b/c she was exhausted from today. Today I am going to try and start spending some time with her in the crate with me in the room and out of the room. The kids are playing with her now. I am going to go in my room and exercise and put her in while I do that and she will be able to see me. Hopefully she falls asleep and I will go shower. Even if she doesn't fall asleep I will still shower.:rolffleyes: LOL

Kim

 

[Birdie]

Woo! Glad to hear it was a successful night. Sounds like she did great.