Yorkie discouragement

[Taryn0405]

Hi everyone-
I just adopted a 3 month (4 months old on the 21) boy Yorkie. He's adorable as all get out. And loves to cuddle. But, I'm getting very discouraged with crate training. He howls randomly in the middle of the night, eliminates in his crate (both ways) and is just simply panic stricken it seems. I'm not getting any sleep and I feel terrible that I don't go out there to comfort him, but I know that'll just basically undo everything I've done.
I feel like a failure, I have never had this much trouble crate training a dog. Any tips and or tricks would be useful. I went out a bought him an actual cage as opposed to one of those little travel crates. Maybe that'll help. But please, any suggestions. I feel like my fiancée and I are losing our minds.


HELP!!
Gizmo's Mommy

[CouversMom]

My advice is to crate train when you are gone and let your pup sleep with you at night. Both of mine slept with me on the first night home with us and never once eliminated in our bed. However, you have to make sure to take them out every two hours for the first couple months. This will most likely stop his howling and you will be able to sleep better.

Good luck!

[StaceyDee]

Where is the crate? Is it in the room with you at night?

I know my Linus needed a very dark crate, so he had a blanket over the top and covering the sides, but he also had to be able to see me at night. If he started to get upset or something, he usually calmed down if I just talked to him for a minute and reached out my hand over the side of the bed so he could see I was still in the room.

He also does a lot better with a little bit of noise. He tended to bark like crazy if he heard any noise at all if he felt like he couldn't get out and protect me. However, if I left some music or the TV on so he wasn't distracted by any other noise, it worked pretty well.

I don't know if this would help or not, but I also always put something that smells like me in his crate. Just a t-shirt that I've worn or something, and I switch it out from time to time, but it usually helps!

I know I've said a lot already, but his crate was an XL crate and he had a bed and toys in one half and a puppy pad in the other half. My little pup's bladder is tiny, so this keeps him from laying in his mess if he has to go.

[Nancy1999]

The trick is to have the crate no bigger than what he can stand up and turn around in. If it's too big, they will pee in it. Also, remember they can only hold it 2 to 3 hours, at night at that age, so you'll have to get up and let him outside or put him on a pee pad. I used a zippered car seat carrier because the crate was too big, although you can make a crate smaller by putting boxes or partitioning it off. I kept the car seat carrier right next to my bed, and I would put him on the pee pad a couple of times during the night. As soon as he could hold it all night, he was up in bed with me. Really as soon as I used the smaller crate, he stopped peeing it his crate. If you don't do it right, you'll be teaching them to go IN their crate.

[kjcmsw]

Originally Posted by Taryn0405

Hi everyone-
I just adopted a 3 month (4 months old on the 21) boy Yorkie. He's adorable as all get out. And loves to cuddle. But, I'm getting very discouraged with crate training. He howls randomly in the middle of the night, eliminates in his crate (both ways) and is just simply panic stricken it seems. I'm not getting any sleep and I feel terrible that I don't go out there to comfort him, but I know that'll just basically undo everything I've done.
I feel like a failure, I have never had this much trouble crate training a dog. Any tips and or tricks would be useful. I went out a bought him an actual cage as opposed to one of those little travel crates. Maybe that'll help. But please, any suggestions. I feel like my fiancée and I are losing our minds.


HELP!!
Gizmo's Mommy

What worked for us through 4 dogs (which may, or may not work for another) is the first few nights a little pup in a new and different situation is going to fuss. Not to mention most likely has to eliminate every 2-3 hours. Play with them, put them to "bed" tired. They'll sleep a bit -- when they fuss we take them potty, comfort them, if they're "wide" awake give them a few minutes of play time, then right back to the crate...pups require this a couple (or more) times a night...they'll eventually start sleeping through the night. We also have their night crates in the bedroom with us...if we know they don't need to go potty and fuss I'll say to them in a soft voice something like, "go back to sleep, I'm here" --- they need to know they aren't abandoned to another room which might as well be another home to a little pup.
We've never had one fuss for more than a few nights with that routine. And for what it's worth: they all now go to their individual crates between 7:30 & 8:30 every night and want to go to bed. They sleep until morning...even the 3 1/2 month old.
Patience and a little bit of exhaustion and all will work itself out.

[Taryn0405]

I don't know if I want his crate in the bedroom with me or not. I'm going to be waking up around 3 to take him out. My only worry is that if he's crying and I go to take him out, he'll get in the habit of crying and assuming that I'll come and get him. Once again, I don't mean to seem like such an air head, but like I said. I've never had this much trouble, granted this is my first Yorkie.
Lots of prayers!!

Gizmo's Mommy

[concretegurl]

Stop! Wait and check, please, pups will cry but if it's serious consider this:

Where did you get him from? When a dog eliminates in a crate especially it can be a serious indicator of a pup mill dog...not to mention the fear of the crate instead of the security of a den...it may very well be a cage to him not a den...that's a serious problem!

This may not be the case for you but if it is a possibility continuing crate training can be detrimental. It is not natural for a dog to eliminate on their bed area...they learn from mom to go in a potty spot of some sort at a young age-given accidents happen but after having a pup mill dog I'm very much so aware of how serious an issue this can be...

You may really want to try a play pen area immediaely with four areas in it a...
BED AREA
PLAY AREA
POTTY AREA
and if you leave him in it during the day a
PLAY AREA
I prefer a 6x6 area but 4x4 works for smaller dogs too.
Throwing a blanket over the area can stop the whining, but more importantly ensuring your dog doesn't learn to view a crate as a cage is critical! Not to mention the pottying in the "den" can lead to more psychological and training issues...

Using tools like supervision free toys (safe toys like natural fiber ropes and kongs etc) a non spill-able feeder and water (like a heavy bowl and a water bottle) a scent inducing potty pad (the washable ones are great as they are reusable and save you tons in the long run-just be sure not to use a scented detergent) and an easily washable bed will really aid you in this process...always immediately wash anything with potty on it-if they smell potty on it that's the potty area. It's a lot of work at first but the end result makes it all worth it-more work now or continual issues for the duration of your pet's life. Scheduled feedings and plenty of training for pottying is critical even more so for dogs or pups with unnatural potty habits like going in one's "den"

My Scoobers is a pup mill dog and I went through so much with him to stop his behavioral issues, fear, fear aggression, food aggression and hording (over eating) and worse of all he would potty on his bed and sleep right there with it-he was also afraid of grass and thus was too scared to potty outdoors for the longest time-we had to put in so much effort to litter train, grid, potty pad etc are all the same idea...wish they had the potty patch when I had these issues with him...a year of working with him eliminated pottying in the house and he is now officially house broken...he even uses a crate now without fear and extreme anxiety at the site of one...hope this isn't the case with your pup-but it so hope this helps you, wish I knew it all before having trial and error figure it out as I went with him...

Originally Posted by Taryn0405

Hi everyone-
I just adopted a 3 month (4 months old on the 21) boy Yorkie. He's adorable as all get out. And loves to cuddle. But, I'm getting very discouraged with crate training. He howls randomly in the middle of the night, eliminates in his crate (both ways) and is just simply panic stricken it seems. I'm not getting any sleep and I feel terrible that I don't go out there to comfort him, but I know that'll just basically undo everything I've done.
I feel like a failure, I have never had this much trouble crate training a dog. Any tips and or tricks would be useful. I went out a bought him an actual cage as opposed to one of those little travel crates. Maybe that'll help. But please, any suggestions. I feel like my fiancée and I are losing our minds.


HELP!!
Gizmo's Mommy

[tjdmom]

Well, first of all, when he cries in the middle of the night, do you get up and take him out? He might be telling you that he can't hold it any longer and if he's communicating that to you, you need to pay attention. I also find that some do fine in a crate as long as they are right there with you. I have put some on the bedside table and comfort them and they are fine. If he is just one of those that really does not like being confined, could you put a little xpen right next to your bed with pee pads and try that? Don't get discouraged. He's just a baby and he doesn't know how to make you understand just like you are frustrated and don't know how to make him understand. In time and with lots of patience, you will both figure out the best system for him.

[Taryn0405]

Well with the new crate we bought him, he only whined for about 20 min when we put him to bed. Then I didn't hear a peep until 2:00. My fiancée then went and took him out to go potty and there wasn't anything in the crate. So, that's good so far. However, now he's whining and I'm waiting for him to settle down again.

If anything happens that shouldn't in the crate in the morning, then I'm going to try moving it in my room tomorrow night.

Thanks everyone, need your prayers and I appreciate the encouragement.

Thanks!
Gizmo's Mommy

[lillymae]

One thing you need to understand is that dogs are Not loners & partly why he's crying because he wants & Needs to be with you. He will probably calm down if you put his crate in the room with you at night time. As someone else also said, they have tiny bladders & can't hold it for that many hrs in the beginning so when he wakes up & cries you really need to take him out. His bladder will get stronger but if he's made to hold it now he could end up with a UTI.

[Taryn0405]

All went well with Gizmo last night until about 5 in the morning. He ended up pooping in his crate. So, it's getting better. Especially since when we put him in for bed he stopped whining after about 20 minutes.

Hoping this patience and lack of sleep pays off-
Gizmo's Mommy

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Taryn0405

All went well with Gizmo last night until about 5 in the morning. He ended up pooping in his crate. So, it's getting better. Especially since when we put him in for bed he stopped whining after about 20 minutes.

Hoping this patience and lack of sleep pays off-
Gizmo's Mommy

You mean you didn't give him a bathroom break during the night? If you don't give them a bathroom break, they will poop in their crate, and you are actually training them to do this. Dogs HATE messing their den, so they will hold it very long to keep from doing this, but a puppy can only hold it so long. If you do not want to get up during the night, do as others suggested and put him in an x-pen with peepads and a bed.

[Taryn0405]

No, we got up and let him out once at 2 am and once at 3:30. So, hopefully tonight will be better.

Thanks!
Gizmo's Mommy

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Taryn0405

No, we got up and let him out once at 2 am and once at 3:30. So, hopefully tonight will be better.

Thanks!
Gizmo's Mommy

How's he doing on the peeing? Don't forget that he's still very young.

[Taryn0405]

He's doing good. With all fairness, we got him on Wednesday. So, I know it's taking alot of adjustment for all three of us. He goes potty outside, so he's actually a really good boy. It's just the night time that we need to work on a little bit.

Good news though, we took a little short trip this afternoon for about two hours and he did wonderful in the crate.



But like you said, it takes time and he's still very young. I'm sure a week from now I'll look back and shake my head laughing. That little face staring up at you seems to be worth more then sleep anyway!

P.s. We moved the crate into the family room so it's a little more familiar for him, and it seems to help.

Thanks!
Gizmo's Mommy