May 17
Crate training a puppy:when does the barking, howling, whining end?
I made the mistake of not crating him as soon as we got him home and now, when I leave him outside, or try to crate him when we’re not around to watch him(can’t leave him out, he chews EVERYTHING..I could make a list if you want me to)…but now when we do its endless amounts of howling and whining and barking. I’m not sure what to do or if I’m doing things right. I taught him to sit in like 5 minutes and he’s very intelligent but he’s SO loud and I don’t know how to teach him anything else because he’s so impatient. He gives up and plops over sometimes when I’m trying to teach him things like shake. I figured that would be the next best trick to teach him (1.sit, 2.shake, 3.lay, 4.heel, 5.stay and then others)
This is the first time I’ve owned a puppy(I’ve had pretrained dogs) and I thought that I was prepared and researched enough but I guess not.
I made the mistake of not crating him as soon as we got him home and now, when I leave him outside, or try to crate him when we’re not around to watch him(can’t leave him out, he chews EVERYTHING..I could make a list if you want me to)…but now when we do its endless amounts of howling and whining and barking. I’m not sure what to do or if I’m doing things right. I taught him to sit in like 5 minutes and he’s very intelligent but he’s SO loud and I don’t know how to teach him anything else because he’s so impatient. He gives up and plops over sometimes when I’m trying to teach him things like shake. I figured that would be the next best trick to teach him (1.sit, 2.shake, 3.lay, 4.heel, 5.stay and then others)
This is the first time I’ve owned a puppy(I’ve had pretrained dogs) and I thought that I was prepared and researched enough but I guess not.
Any advice or help is appreciated!
By: AJ
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May 19th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Well how long has it been since you started crating him? I’d give it a week or two and he’ll probably get the hint that whining and barking isn’t going to get him out of the crate. Have you tried giving him a bone to chew on while he’s in there?
May 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Oh dear. You need to buy him lots of chews & chew toys which you leave in the crate. If nobody told you the top of the crate should ALWAYS be covered so that he cannot see things landing from above.
When you go out leave a radio on low or the tv so he can watch the pictures he will soo stop howling, at the moment he is still a baby. I would also give him something of yours that you no longer need so he can smell you & know you are coming back soon.
I would try & teach him to come next because then he will start to follow you around the house, once he follows you teach him heel/stay/wait then start on tricks. If you are not getting anywhere try taking him to puppy training classes. Good luck.
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Posted by K. G
It’s probably loneliness. I’ve heard putting a ticking clock near lonely puppies will remind them of their mothers beating heart, so that may help to alleviate some of it. And just ignore him when he starts to whine. As with training, just remember that puppies have very short attention spans, and its recommended that your training sessions last only five minutes or so until they’re older. Hope this helps!
May 24th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Are you putting the dog in the crate when you are punishing him? If you want him to sleep in the crate and live in the crate while you are absent then you shouldn’t put him in there when he’s being punished. It’s best to have the crate in a place where there isn’t alot to distract him (like windows - birds, or people walking around) until he gets used to it. Make sure he has a blanket and a couple of toys, things that are just his so he knows it’s “his place”.
Other than that, he is a puppy so the barking is unfortunately something that you’ll have to live with for a while. Just make sure he gets lots of cuddles when you let him out and tell him he’s good when you put him in!
May 24th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Is there a separate room you could put the crate in so you don’t have to hear the whining?
I’d suggest an exercise pen, but crating is a fact of life and all dogs need to accept it.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Cover the crate with a light blanket, it muffles the sound and helps them to settle down. Short periods to start, but only let him out after he’s been quiet. Don’t give in!
Your #3 the command is “down”, if he gets on the furniture the command is “off”.
May 31st, 2009 at 5:40 am
Don’t give up, don’t give in! Crate training is a lifesaver in the longrun! Give puppy time to make the crate his own space. As soon as you let him out, take him right outside to potty. No playing or baby talk at this time!. After hes all done, go right in the house. This will help him associate outside with potty, first ,and foremost. Leave the crate door open. Place a treat in the crate for potty. Maybe he will start to see the crate is not a punishment. Now you can run the heck out of him and play. THEN do the trick training. He will have a longer attention span now that his puppy needs have been met. Don’t forget to leave him large safe rawhide or nylabone chews. The reason I say large rawhides is so that the dog can’t chew it down to a piece that is a size he can swallow. I have a Pitt and a Rotty mix. I take away their rawhides when they are about 5″ long so they don’t swallow them. When they are going to be alone, I only leave out the huge 2 feet long chews or the nylabones. But I always leave something. You can’t punish them for chewing something they shouldn’t chew unless you have given them something you allow them to chew. They must chew something! You have a long way to go with your puppy and it sounds like you will have a great trained dog one day because you are already taking responsibility and trying fix problems as they come. I think the hardest age to tolerate is 6-12 months. Then they mellow out. Anyway, stick with the crate, maybe spray water at the cage when the puppy barks and howls. Many of my friends have had good success with the water method.
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Well when you crate train the best thing is to cover the crate with a blanket and dont pay attention to him when he is in the crate, otherwise he will see you as giving into his whining and barking. Tell him SSsshT if he is barking. More importantly, he is lonely in that crate. The best thing is to give him bones and a ball that has peanut butter in them. It keeps them busy for hours. If anything, another companion would be ideal if he has separation anxiety. Good luck:D
Another thing is walking and excercise! You need to drain out his energy. And by that I mean Walking or jogging with him. You can also play ball with him outside. You can put any dog in the back yard, but it doesn’t mean he will run around. It’s vital for any puppy. It WILL stop the destructiveness too!~