[doggiedad]

lamb bone might be ok for a pup. i wouldn't
give one to an older dog. i wouldn't give one to my pup.
i think they're to soft.

Oh we give him a lamb knucklebone from time to time. He loves it. He loves it so much that he will work on that sucker for 45 minutes or more. I've done all the little things. He eats in there. He gets treats in there. We only give him the bones in there. Doesn't stop the fact that he gets pretty intense separation anxiety.

 

[PDXDeutschhund]

Your doing fine don't sweat the small stuff By this time next week his tantrums may very well be over or if anything he'll wimper for 5-10 minutes. It's worse for you because you didn't put your foot down on day 1 when he didn't understand any rules in your house. Now he thinks he doesn't have to be in the crate because you taught him he could get out. Now your breaking the rules and making him stay in which is naturally confusing. A few more days of you being firm with making him sleep there and he'll finally get it

I wish I had put him in the crate on the first night instead of sleeping on the couch with him just below me. Now he's got separation anxiety and the job is that much tougher. With that said, we only put him in the crate a couple times before last night. Mostly we were trying the slower method, but it just takes too darn long.

Oh, and on the lamb knuckle bone, it seems like it's mostly flesh and cartilage around a joint. Once he works all that off, we throw it away. I don't want him chewing on the harder bone. It was recommended by the shop keeper at the Holistic store that we go to. You guys don't think it's a good idea? What would you use instead? I heard the cartilage is good for him.

 

[JKlatsky]

So you don't praise them after you open the gate? Last night I waited until he calmed down every time I let him out, praised him, took him out to pee, put him back in and went back to bed.

If you praise him at all (which I don't usually at night) it should be when he is in the crate. Dogs are very present minded...if you are praising him when he comes out of his crate...well you are rearding him for being out of the crate, not in the crate. If you want to praise and reward him for being quiet in his crate, I would praise and pop a treat through the crate and then walk away again and NOT let him out. Also just being let out of the crate is a reward, he doesn't need an additional dose of praise.

 

[vat]

Agree, only praise him when he is quiet by tossing in a treat and maybe using the phrase good quiet. That is how I did it and it took about a week. You are already making progress if he is giving you even a minute of quiet. Stick to it and remember with dogs it is either black or white, yes or no. if you bend the rules at all they do not understand that and it makes training that much harder.

 

[liv]

Hope last night went better for you!! I've been dealing with my foster squealing when I put him in the crate (and he was already crate trained - just testing boundaries) and today is the first time he didn't make a peep, but it's taken a week! You'll get there!

 

[PDXDeutschhund]

Last night he was a little better. At times he actually quieted down. It sucked that I had to let him out to go pee because he was quietly working on his kong.

And after he went back in, which wasn't easy, he started crying again. It's really difficult to get him back in that crate after I left him out.

 

[Skotty009]

Skotty doesn't like it in his crate either but I lure him into his crate with treats and toys. The first night we had him I didn't even have a crate and we stuck him in a large laundry basket just enough to fit him a very little room. We stuck a pillow and blanket in there with him hoping he would not pee or push the basket over while we were sleeping. Now he fusses in his crate just a few times a day but when he does my 2yr old daughter runs over to him and talk to him to calm him down. I tried letting him run free in the house hoping I can get the potty training thing down but we have had way too many accedents. So I will have to do the tough love action. It's not very hard for me as I have 3 kids under the age of 3 and have learned to do alot of tough love.