Crate Training Help - YorkieTalk.com Forums

miss_marley · 11-03-2007, 09:16 AM

Hi,
I'm pretty new to Yorkie Talk, but I've been reading the posts for a few days. I just got my puppy on Tuesday, she's about 7 weeks old. My problem is that everytime I put her in her crate at night, she screams, and I mean screams, forever. It sounds like I'm torturing her. When (and if, it seems) she eventually falls asleep, she'll wake up 1-2 hours later and scream. When she does this I take her outside to use the washroom, and she pretty much always pees. When I put her back in her crate, she screams sometimes upwards of an hour and I just try to ignore her but I can't get any sleep either. She also always seem to have accidents in her crate even though I take her out every hour or 2. Her crate is small and I've blocked off a portion to make it a better size for her. She also has a ticking clock, a snugglesafe heating pad, and a stuffed animal, so I don't know what else I can do to make it more appealing for her. This morning a 6am i brought her into my bed with me, and she slept close to 6 hours straight, but I don't want to get into that habit.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal behaviour? I'm also not sure how to tell if she needs to use the washroom or is just crying because she wants out.
Also, on a somewhat different note, I'm training her to pee outside, but she just sits at my feet if it's too windy/rainy/cold out, so I wanted to train her to use a litterbox as well. If anyone has suggestions on this that would be great also.
Sorry this is so long, but I'd love to get advice from everyone who's been through this before!

Yorkiekids · 11-03-2007, 09:18 AM

I can't help you with this one, because Penny loves her crate. She even growls at the other dogs if they try to get into it.

T Doll · 11-03-2007, 09:28 AM

Where are you putting the crate at night? The ideal place is right beside your bed. When he starts to cry, try putting your fingers in the crate for a while. My Mocha is 13 and a half weeks old and I've had him for almost 2 weeks now. When I put him in crate for bed time, he'll whimper a little at first. But then I stick my hand in the crate (most people just use their fingers, but my hand and wrist are small enough to fit through the crate) and pet him for a minute or two. After this, he falls right to sleep. So I would suggest petting him through the crate until he gets comfy or falls asleep. Good luck

T Doll · 11-03-2007, 09:29 AM

Oh, I just noticed that you're in Canada! Where abouts in Canada are you?

miss_marley · 11-03-2007, 09:41 AM

I put her right beside my bed at my level, but it doesn't seem to help at all. I have tried sticking my fingers in, but it seems to just make her more desperate to get out. I also tried covering her crate, but that didn't seem to help either. And i have seriously never heard a cry like this before, it sounds half monkey and half human baby! It escalates the longer she's in there.

I'm from Nova Scotia, what about you?

T Doll · 11-03-2007, 10:03 AM

LOL I know what you mean...my Mocha screams like that too. And when he cries, he sounds like a squeak toy lol. Mocha only cries and screams like that when he's in the crate in the morning while I'm showering and eating breakfast. Luckily, he doesn't get that hysterical at bed time though. 7 weeks is very young for a little pup to be taken away from its' mother. They tend to do better when they're with their mothers for atleast 10 weeks, but 12 weeks is ideal. I'm a new Yorkie owner myself, so I don't have as much experience as most others do in this forum. The only other thing I can suggest is trying to tire him out before bed time. Let him play and run around a lot. Then, have him curl up in your lap and pet him for a while. I always have Mocha on my lap or laying on my chest before I put him in his crate for bed time. He always falls asleep while I'm petting him, so I put him in his crate while he's still sleepy. Maybe that'll help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by miss_marley

I put her right beside my bed at my level, but it doesn't seem to help at all. I have tried sticking my fingers in, but it seems to just make her more desperate to get out. I also tried covering her crate, but that didn't seem to help either. And i have seriously never heard a cry like this before, it sounds half monkey and half human baby! It escalates the longer she's in there.

I'm from Nova Scotia, what about you?

T Doll · 11-03-2007, 10:04 AM

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm in Ontario...I guess we're too far away for a puppy play date

miss_marley · 11-03-2007, 10:48 AM

Haha yes we are pretty far away!
I'm going to try and tire her out tonight like you suggested. She usually gets really sleepy at about 7 or 8, and I let her sleep and then put her to bed at 10, which is probably a bad idea, but i feel bad waking her! Maybe if she doesnt sleep after dinner she'll be more tired. She's actually sleeping in her crate right now and didn't cry when i put her in to my shock, but she's exhausted today and all she's really done is sleep. She also tends to do a bit better in her crate during the day for some reason.

Skippy's Mom · 11-04-2007, 05:38 AM

Didn't you realize your puppy might be too young?

Yorkies are way too young to expect to be able to hold anything for 8 hours in a crate at 7 weeks, she's too young to be away from her Mother at that age too. Have some patience with her and at 12 weeks try again

with the crate at night. In the meantime, have a larger "area" for her that has her crate there too, maybe a large playpen or rubbermaid container with pee pads and a crate with the door open--this way she can keep her crate clean and still be able to "go" when she has to. As for the crying, she will eventually stop- but she's a baby remember, and things will get better!

littlewhip · 11-04-2007, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy's Mom

Didn't you realize your puppy might be too young?

Yorkies are way too young to expect to be able to hold anything for 8 hours in a crate at 7 weeks, she's too young to be away from her Mother at that age too. Have some patience with her and at 12 weeks try again

with the crate at night. In the meantime, have a larger "area" for her that has her crate there too, maybe a large playpen or rubbermaid container with pee pads and a crate with the door open--this way she can keep her crate clean and still be able to "go" when she has to. As for the crying, she will eventually stop- but she's a baby remember, and things will get better!

Great suggestion

7 weeks is a bit young, she is screaming because she knows you will take her out, i would try the xpen or a bigger area, and keep her crate in there with her untill she figures out, and she will, I have crate trained 4

It will get much better, just a bit more time, hang in there

miss_marley · 11-04-2007, 08:45 AM

It's funny that you suggested that, because last night we had a storm so I knew there was no way she would use the washroom if I took her outside. Instead, I put her crate inside her exercise pen, and lined the exercise pen with newspaper. This worked well, and she did get up a few times during the night and make a bit of noise, but she settled back down pretty quickly and the noise wasn't as intense. The only thing that worried me is that she somehow got on top of her crate to try and get out, although the exercise pen is too high for her to get out of. I'm worried that she'll hurt herself jumping back down off the crate.
Maybe I'll line her pen with pee pads so it won't make as much of a mess.

miss_marley · 11-04-2007, 08:48 AM

Oh, and I do realize she's too young to hold it all night, and that she would need to use the washroom at least a couple times during the night.

lila6753 · 11-04-2007, 01:47 PM

Hi, Congratulations on the new BABY in the house. That;s what she is. I personally don't believe in crates, my preference anyway, because my dogs were rescues. Mia was a crybaby also and I just bought a gate to block off the kitchen and put all her goodies in there when I left the house but when I was home I let her have the run of the house and of course, the bed at night and the sofa during the day, where ever I was, so was she. Can't help it. She has me twisted around her little paw. I love it..........Hang in there.......Don't give in.............Sure.................GOOD LUCK... Mia and lila6753

11-03-2007, 09:16 AM	#1
miss_marley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 104	Crate Training Help Hi, I'm pretty new to Yorkie Talk, but I've been reading the posts for a few days. I just got my puppy on Tuesday, she's about 7 weeks old. My problem is that everytime I put her in her crate at night, she screams, and I mean screams, forever. It sounds like I'm torturing her. When (and if, it seems) she eventually falls asleep, she'll wake up 1-2 hours later and scream. When she does this I take her outside to use the washroom, and she pretty much always pees. When I put her back in her crate, she screams sometimes upwards of an hour and I just try to ignore her but I can't get any sleep either. She also always seem to have accidents in her crate even though I take her out every hour or 2. Her crate is small and I've blocked off a portion to make it a better size for her. She also has a ticking clock, a snugglesafe heating pad, and a stuffed animal, so I don't know what else I can do to make it more appealing for her. This morning a 6am i brought her into my bed with me, and she slept close to 6 hours straight, but I don't want to get into that habit. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal behaviour? I'm also not sure how to tell if she needs to use the washroom or is just crying because she wants out. Also, on a somewhat different note, I'm training her to pee outside, but she just sits at my feet if it's too windy/rainy/cold out, so I wanted to train her to use a litterbox as well. If anyone has suggestions on this that would be great also. Sorry this is so long, but I'd love to get advice from everyone who's been through this before! __________________ Marley and Alex

11-03-2007, 09:18 AM	#2
Yorkiekids Piper & Sebastian Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: florida Posts: 14,495	I can't help you with this one, because Penny loves her crate. She even growls at the other dogs if they try to get into it. __________________ Susan, Piper ,Harley & Suiki

11-03-2007, 09:41 AM	#5
miss_marley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 104	I put her right beside my bed at my level, but it doesn't seem to help at all. I have tried sticking my fingers in, but it seems to just make her more desperate to get out. I also tried covering her crate, but that didn't seem to help either. And i have seriously never heard a cry like this before, it sounds half monkey and half human baby! It escalates the longer she's in there. I'm from Nova Scotia, what about you? __________________ Marley and Alex

11-03-2007, 10:48 AM	#8
miss_marley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 104	Haha yes we are pretty far away! I'm going to try and tire her out tonight like you suggested. She usually gets really sleepy at about 7 or 8, and I let her sleep and then put her to bed at 10, which is probably a bad idea, but i feel bad waking her! Maybe if she doesnt sleep after dinner she'll be more tired. She's actually sleeping in her crate right now and didn't cry when i put her in to my shock, but she's exhausted today and all she's really done is sleep. She also tends to do a bit better in her crate during the day for some reason. __________________ Marley and Alex

11-04-2007, 05:38 AM	#9
Skippy's Mom Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 217 Blog Entries: 2	too young Didn't you realize your puppy might be too young? Yorkies are way too young to expect to be able to hold anything for 8 hours in a crate at 7 weeks, she's too young to be away from her Mother at that age too. Have some patience with her and at 12 weeks try again with the crate at night. In the meantime, have a larger "area" for her that has her crate there too, maybe a large playpen or rubbermaid container with pee pads and a crate with the door open--this way she can keep her crate clean and still be able to "go" when she has to. As for the crying, she will eventually stop- but she's a baby remember, and things will get better! __________________ Skippy and Gabby's Mom http://www.dogster.com/dogs/626557 Gabby Skippy

11-03-2007, 09:28 AM	#3
T Doll Mocha's Mommy Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 888	Where are you putting the crate at night? The ideal place is right beside your bed. When he starts to cry, try putting your fingers in the crate for a while. My Mocha is 13 and a half weeks old and I've had him for almost 2 weeks now. When I put him in crate for bed time, he'll whimper a little at first. But then I stick my hand in the crate (most people just use their fingers, but my hand and wrist are small enough to fit through the crate) and pet him for a minute or two. After this, he falls right to sleep. So I would suggest petting him through the crate until he gets comfy or falls asleep. Good luck

11-03-2007, 09:29 AM	#4
T Doll Mocha's Mommy Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 888	Oh, I just noticed that you're in Canada! Where abouts in Canada are you?

11-03-2007, 10:04 AM	#7
T Doll Mocha's Mommy Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 888	Sorry, I forgot to mention that I'm in Ontario...I guess we're too far away for a puppy play date

11-04-2007, 08:45 AM	#11
miss_marley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 104	It's funny that you suggested that, because last night we had a storm so I knew there was no way she would use the washroom if I took her outside. Instead, I put her crate inside her exercise pen, and lined the exercise pen with newspaper. This worked well, and she did get up a few times during the night and make a bit of noise, but she settled back down pretty quickly and the noise wasn't as intense. The only thing that worried me is that she somehow got on top of her crate to try and get out, although the exercise pen is too high for her to get out of. I'm worried that she'll hurt herself jumping back down off the crate. Maybe I'll line her pen with pee pads so it won't make as much of a mess. __________________ Marley and Alex

11-04-2007, 08:48 AM	#12
miss_marley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 104	Oh, and I do realize she's too young to hold it all night, and that she would need to use the washroom at least a couple times during the night. __________________ Marley and Alex

11-04-2007, 01:47 PM	#13
lila6753 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Momence, Il. Posts: 24	crate training Hi, Congratulations on the new BABY in the house. That;s what she is. I personally don't believe in crates, my preference anyway, because my dogs were rescues. Mia was a crybaby also and I just bought a gate to block off the kitchen and put all her goodies in there when I left the house but when I was home I let her have the run of the house and of course, the bed at night and the sofa during the day, where ever I was, so was she. Can't help it. She has me twisted around her little paw. I love it..........Hang in there.......Don't give in.............Sure.................GOOD LUCK... Mia and lila6753