Forgot the JOY or crate training

[Aspen and Misty]

Puppy is learning how to be quite in her kennel and that it is quite that will get her out. However, till she learns this leason I'm stuck with screaming puppy and a very bad headach! Poor lil girl, I wish I could tell her that she needs to be quite in her kennel so that she can come out!

I do have a question though.

Puppy wakes me up at 6 am every morning, which isn't a problem, but she sleeps in her kennel and she whins when she has to go potty. I know that it's only because she has to go potty that she is whinning, but I can't let her out of her kennel because she is whinning, but if I don't let her out she goes potty whcih means I have to clean her kennel before I go back to bed (I don't get up till 7:15). Which means that I most likly won't be able to go back to bed because I will be so awake. Where if I let her out, I walk outside, let her out, crawl into bed and fall back asleep.

What I did this morning was I got up, put on proper clothes to walk outside in the freezing temps in and I stood by her kennel. She stopped whinning just to take a breath and I opened the door. The thing is she doesn't even stop for 2 seconds before I let her out. I just don't know what to do about it.

Puppy Update: She has been very good with the other dogs. She is doing exellent in her house training! I'm very proud of her. I'm still trying to name her though (suggestions welcome).


Ash

[aly]

When she whines to alert you that she has to go potty, try to wait until she's been quiet for at least 30 seconds, and then quickly let her out. Even if you have to lay in bed and pretend you're still sleeping so you can catch the 30 sec of quiet time then. If she knows you're awake, it might be making her whine more.

[Aspen and Misty]

Aly - Thank you for the fast response! I tried that yesterday. I layed there till she was quite, then I got up to let her out of her kennel and she was pooping.

Ash

[jenfer]

Have you thought about clicker training? Me think if you can click the SECOND she is quiet, maybe that will make sense to her that it's a good thing to be quiet??? What do you think?

[ParNone]

I'm a very disorganized person normally, but when I'm potty training I make myself follow a routine. That makes it much easier to predict your puppies' needs. It's a hardship for a month or so, but is well worth it in the long run.

So what I normally do is make sure the puppy goes potty before bed, then at any signs of waking up in the middle of the night, I get right up and wisk'em outside. No playing though, once they potty, we come right back inside and they go back in their crate. If they whine again, since I know they've pottied, I would ignore it, because then it's for attention.

I also keep the crate right by my bed, so they can see me sleeping. It seems to help towards reducing whining.

Par...

[Aspen and Misty]

Good idea Jenfer! I will try that!

Par - We go out every morning between 7:20 and 7:30 (she gets fed at 7). Then I go to school. I come home at 3:00 and let her out right away. Then she is let outside every hour, on the hour. She gets her food at 10:30 and goes potty at 10:40. She then goes out again at 11:15 and then we head to bed. We have a nice schedule made up to make sure that there are no accidents. Good idea about just taking them right out, going potty and then coming right in with no playing. I carry her to the door and back from the door, so we defintily do not play. Her crate is a small cat carrier, so it's in the living room during the day and in my bedroom at night, She is in a place where she is right by my bed and right by the dog's bed. SO she gets both of the worlds.

Thank you guys so much for hte suggestions! I just don't want her to think. "Oh I whine and I get out." I'm definitly going to try both of your suggestions!

Ash

[Shelteez2]

One other thing you can try is that if she is constantly getting up at 6:00am to go outside then set your alarm for 15 minutes before hand so that you're awake before she is and can get her out before she starts to whine.

I agree with ParNone though in that she is whining to tell you she has to go potty and is then rewarded with getting to go out to potty.
I would probably do the same as she suggested in taking it out and then right back into the kennel afterwards.

IMO it's very helpful with potty training to have a dog that alerts you to when it needs to go outside.

[Aspen and Misty]

Hey guys, thought I would give an update.

Puppy woke me up at midnight (we went to bed at 11) to go potty. I deced to try just getting her out because I could see Par's and Shelteez point of view, but lets just say it did not work out at all. At twelve thirty she begins to whine again, I know she doesn't have to go potty so I deced to just "ride this one out" and hopefully she will stop. 45 MINS LATER (no exageration either!), she stops whinning and I roll over to go back to sleep. I am again woken at 2 am by her VERY loud and ear piercing crys. I deced, Ok, maybe she does have to go potty, so I try to wait for her to stop for 30 seconds. An hour later she is still going. I swear she doesn't need to brath cause she will just keep whinning and whinning and whinning non-stop! The worst thing is her screams are horrible. They are loud, high pitched and she can drag them out for a minute! It's horrible. She used to whine only for like 20 to 30 mins, but ever since Midnight it's been hour long whinning and crying!

Anyway, it's now 3:30 am. I have had very little sleep. I have a very bad headach and puppy has been moved out into the living room.

I think I have ruined her. I think she thinks "O if I whine I will get out." Hopefully this isn't true, I guess we will find out tomrrow.

Ashley

PS: Shelteez2 - Just so you know your suggestion about settign my alarm early was a good one! I set it for 5:45. I never made it that long, but I think it would have worked had she kept her little mouth shut.

[Shelteez2]

Most wouldn't agree with me, but if a pup is being a brat in the kennel I sneak up and thump the top of it with my fist. It startles them into silence which you can then praise for.

I've never had a dog become scared of me or of the kennel because the dog doesn't see me making the thump on the kennel and they seem to associate their screaming at the top of their lungs with the scary noise. Not just the kennel with the scary noise.

I hope that made sense.

[Aspen and Misty]

Yes it did Shelteez2 and we had to do that with Breeze. The trainer with Paws With a Cause told us to do it and honestly, Breeze doesn't asociate us walking to her kennel with the thumping noise.

The puppy, whos new name is Miesha, spent the day at my moms while I ran to Clarion PA to drop a kitty at her new home. My brother told me that Miesha cried for a hour and a half! New record. I felt so bad

Anyway, she is sleeping outside tonight just kidding. She is sleeing in the livingroom by the nice warm fire with Connor.

Ash