[SouthernNdN]

Ok, so I have had my pup for just over 2 weeks now. She's right around 3.5 months old. She has been in a crate since day one when I brought her home. Be advised she wasn't crated all before I brought her home.

So, my dilema is this. During the day everything is fine she acts like a normal 3.5 pup from what I can see, however we have work to do on the confidence board, she seems to be learning and listen well. Usually during the day she will follow me around the house unless she decides there's something in the other room she wants and off she go's or she needs to go potty and she'll walk to the door and stand. However when night comes it's a whole nother story. I walk her to her crate and place her chew toy in first. She enters into the crate on her own and sets down. I close the crate door, and offer her a treat all the while stating the word crate. All is well until I walk upstairs and thats when the drama unfolds. She will begin to whine and moan slightly until it becomes a massive (omg someone is trying to kill me) cry and bark fest. I will then hear the crate bounce across the floor and sounds of her digging a million miles and hour all the while screaming.

I do not go down stairs, I don't not offer her any comfort at all. However I'm beginning to wonder if she doesn't have seperational issues. My reason for this is it's now been just over 2 weeks and the fits she throws at night can last for hours!!!

She has no problem going to sleep at any part of the day so long as she is in the same room as someone else. I have my alarm set to get up to let her out in the middle of the night. I let her out, we go outside, we come back in, I give her a treat, and she goes back into the crate and I go back upstairs to bed.

I've heard it can take a few weeks, however the first few days she was here there were really no crying issues, however this last week it has become absolutely umbearable.

Is there something else that perhaps I should be looking at? Considering she was 3 months when she was removed from her last 2 litter mates, could the issue be bigger than her throwing a fit of not wanting to be crated? Does she have seperational issues with myself perhaps? Her daily care giver?

 

[Zoeys mom]

Probably a little separation anxiety but she will calm down if you keep doing what your doing. You can try to put a blanket you sleep with in the crate with her because it will smell like you and may be comforting....she may also chew it to shreds so make sure it's one you can part with

Other than that keep ignoring her tantrums and she will grow out of it. A nice soup or knuckle bone is also nice, or a kong filled with frozen peanut butter

 

[gsdraven]

Are you home all day? Do you crate her at all during the day? I would crate her a couple of times during the day to get her used to being away from you for short periods and working up to longer ones.

The simpliest solution to the night time whining is to move the crate to your bedroom but you still need to get her used to being left alone once in a while.

 

[Denali Girl]

I would also put her in the crate in the day if you are home for a little bit. You can do what you are doing and I think it will settle or you can try taking the crate in the bedroom with you.

 

[Jax's Mom]

For our sanity, I had to move Jax's crate 4 floors away because I just can't handle hearing a puppy crying without going to help them or see if something was wrong (which really doesn't help them at all). It took about a month before Jax went in his crate without any issue but I thought I was going to lost my mind in that time
Stay strong Yes, she has separation anxiety but the only way to get her past that is to separate her from you at a young age, or she will just get worse and more destructive as she gets older and bigger. She has to learn on her own that she's safe by herself and you're coming back every time.
And if she messes up her crate, don't clean it up right away, visit her crate at your normally scheduled time or she'll start to think she has room service.

 

[doggiedad]

i think you should crate her for short periods
of time and then let out of her crate. crate her
and stay in the room with her but not saying anything to her.
crate her and leave the room. crate her and leave the house.
don't wait untill it's bedtime to crate her and leave the room.
crate her a fews times at night and leave the room. i use to leave
a dim light on for my pup at night. you can crate train many times
during a day. short sessions in the crate at first and slowly
add on minutes in the crate. i think i use to crate my pup
for 5 minutes then 10 minutes, then 15 minutes and so on.
sometimes i would be in the room with him, sometimes
i would leave the room and sometimes i would leave the house.
everytime i crated my dog i would say "go to your crate". i would pick
my dog up and as i'm carrying him to his crate i would say
"go to your crate" a few times. then i would sit him down in front
of the crate and say "go to your crate" as i ushered him into his crate.
it was weeks maybe a month later i said to him "go to your crate"
and he got up and went to it. once he did that i started telling him
to "go to your crate" from different rooms in the house.

 

[SouthernNdN]

Well I do usually crate her throughout the day atleast once, usually twice though. And it's usually for about an hour. Long enough for me to run to the store or to seperate my laundry and get a few loads done. It's usually not a problem during the day. I also started feeding her in her crate to get her use to it, and to hopefully use that as a way of getting her to connect the crate as being something positive.

Thankfully last night her tantrum only lasted for about an hr or so. After that it was almost to quiet. I ended up needing a drink, but was way to scared to walk down the stairs knowing she would be up and at it, so, I opted to use my hands as a cup from the sink in the restroom. LOL

I want to thank everyone for their replies and advice. It's nice to have some feedback and reassurance that I'm not doing something completely wrong without my knowing.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

I'm missing about the confusion at night. Is her crate right beside your bed and she's still screaming?

I know that was an immediate 100% fix for me (and I could get up in the middle of the night and she'd still be fine ).

This shouldn't be a 'power' trip for the humans in the house with a young puppy who merely want to be with the rest of it's pack. While clearly there are times I have to crate my puppy and leave the house, the puppy can't HEAR me when I'm away so they quiet fairly fast.

It's when I'm still in the house at night and they think I've lost them so they have to scream until their 'stupid human' hears them that is a problem. So I just keep the crate beside my bed and we all get a great nights sleep.

 

[littlebit722]

I put a radio next to Jackie's crate and left it on all the time so she would have some noise. Not sure if it helped, but she never cried and she loves her crate.

 

[SouthernNdN]

So, an update to the whole crate dilema. It's not changed. This saturday will make 4 weeks, and she is still thowing massive fits while in her crate.

Such as right now. I had to run down the road for a minute. Came back and she was throwing her fit. As of right now I"m up stairs and she is down in the room below me and screaming like a Banshee! I've resorted to placing a radio in the room as well with no luck. She has her bone and Kong, still no change.

She is constantly with me, so I believe she has seperational issues and is extremely dependant on me! I need to figure out some way to break this or to reduce the stress she puts herself in.

 

[PaddyD]

How much exercise does she get?

 

[SouthernNdN]

She gets her walks 4-5 times a week. We also play fetch with a ball, well actually I throw it and she runs after it and tries to pass by without dropping it, but we're working on that.

I can rough house with her an hour before bed or 3 hours before bed and nothing really seems to help out.

Also, to Maggie, no her crate is not right by my bed. It's not in the same room. I tried that and got no where, she kept me up during the entire night back n forth screaming to get out. So a few days of that and I moved it.

 

[Jax's Mom]

She gets her walks 4-5 times a week. We also play fetch with a ball, well actually I throw it and she runs after it and tries to pass by without dropping it, but we're working on that.

Not to sound like I'm a spectacular dog owner or anything but my dogs get 4-5 walks a day and that doesn't seem tone nearly enough. Tiring her out a bit more physically and mentally could help.

 

[SouthernNdN]

Well, I may have to resort to doing that. However I didn't think at her age she would be so gung ho on running a marathon. However if this screaming keeps persisting something will definately have to change.

I can leave her downstairs in the living room by herself, and be upstairs for 5-10 minutes sorting clothes and no issue, but put her in her crate and shut the door and all **** breaks loose!

 

[SARAHSMITH]

My puppy is 4 months old. We were crating him at night, but we just started leaving him in our mud room with a baby gate. He's great about not chewing things he shouldn't. I know dogs should be OK in a crate, but since yours is sooo difficult maybe you could try leaving him in a safe room instead and see how that goes?
Or, could you try putting your puppy in a crate at the same level as your bed and comforting him (even with the door opened and your hand inside to pet him), and if he's good, day by day moving the crate a little further away?

 

[RogueRed26]

I would acquire a comforting collar or comforting diffuser that releases pheromones. I did this when I started to crate my shepherd puppy. She was TERRIBLE! She would scream, howl, bark, and cry all night long. I thought I was gonna go CRAZY! I was even tempted of giving up, but I stuck with it.

Daily long walks and obedience can help as well. A common motto on this forum is a tired dog is a happy dog. I am not gonna lie. Its tough, when your dog is going full speed and your tired from a long day at work, but its a commitment you made to the dog, so its best if it is fulfilled. Do bear in mind though, at least in my instances, whenever I spend a long day with my shepherd, by the end of the day she still doesn't want to be in the crate and sometimes protests, but within a few minutes she gives up and goes to bed. This might happen, so don't think its a step back. Don't get discouraged.

I know it sounds cliche, but hang in there. My shepherd didn't stop throwing tantrums till a month later. You'll get there as well.

 

[SouthernNdN]

An Update however very early lol.

So today,I didn't allow my pup to nap at all throughout the day. Usually after playing or exercising she would nap for about an hr or so. Today I didn't let it happen since she was up til after 3am crying non stop.

Needless to say through out the day we worked on the crating issues, trying to get her more comfortable with the crate.

Well tonight I put her in the crate, along with a bed sheet I had taken off the bed( it was going to be thrown out) and place it in her crate, along with her toys, and the radio playing. I also moved the crate in the same room however while in it she can now see through the living room.

She cried for about 5 minutes, and after that, I've heard complete SILENCE! So, I don't know if it was from not napping through the day, the crate and obedience training, the walk or the sheet, or a mix of all of them. However what ever it is or was, I hope it continues!

Here's to all the advice and to a first night in a month of good sleep!

 

[Pattycakes]

I would continue to crate her during the day while you are in the house. When she is quiet and calm, praise her and give her a treat. Then slowly build up the time you are either out of the room or outside. When she is quiet, do the same...praise and treat. As for nighttime, I would try putting her crate in your bedroom and have her sleep next to you to see if this helps.

I agree with more exercise. My dog is 18 months old and I know if I get home late from work I have to stay up a little while longer to make sure she gets enough otherwise she will come and wake me up and wants to play. But if she gets plenty of time outside with some physical activity or mental activity then she is down for the night.

Good luck and just keep doing what you are doing.

 

[SouthernNdN]

Well, I ended up moving her crate into my bedroom about 3-4 nights ago. She still whines but it's usually only here and there a few times. Other than that, she knocks out for the night. Except for her nightly moving her toys around in the crate and dropping her bone which usually scares the bejezzus out of me! lol

I've kept with the crating during the day as well. She seems to be calming down a bit on that as well. However I have noticed that no matter where I go she is always there. Even if there are ppl here in the house, and I am up stairs doing computer things, she will make her way up to the room and lay down beside me and nap. I would definately have to say she has taken to me more so than anyone else.

However not only do I have to keep working on the crate issue, she has always developed an agression problem. So needless to say our walks are becoming a bit more crazy. But all in time!