Crate Issue w/ new puppy.

[meka2u2]

Help, got new Parti Yorkie last Sunday, it's been a week since we got her. She is 15 wks old. we cant take her outside yet b/c she needs 1-2 more rounds of shots. She wont stay in crate, she cries for hours and hours, throws herself around in there and hits the door all night, so bad that my bf thinks we are being mean to her or she cant breathe b/c I put blanket over it and he lets her out. I tell him we are supposed to leave in until she stops crying and then let out but he doesn't want to hear the crying. He has epilepsy so if he doesn't sleep enough he gets a seizure, but I don't want to hurt the crating process by waiting tool long to do it. we live in a small 1 bed apt so there isn't many places we could put her so she isn't heard by us, so not able to really sleep through it.


We are using a plastic crate not metal one, figured that was more cozy and our 1.5yr old loved that more than the uncomfortable metal crate. I have put her toys in w/ her, treats, special frozen dog treats just for when she's in crate, playing radio, playing ocean sounds, covering crate w/ towel, warm bottles of water covered by her blanket, nothing has worked to stop the crying so far. we are even feeding her in the crate, she will stretch her neck as far as possible so as not to have to go all the way in to get the food. I have even tried just leaving her in a gated area, even then she cries and cries like she's dying or something. Runs back and forth crying and trying to escape, even walks across the potty pad I leave in area w/ her, so even then she's covered in potty mess, when I get back.


The prob with leaving her out when we are sleeping or not home is she's not fully potty trained and I don't want her to eat something or hurt herself. We left her in crate for an hour yesterday to run an errand, when we came back, she was covered in poop, same thing when we did it 4 days ago as well. Which is strange b/c we make sure she goes potty before going in crate, sometimes she wont poop though. So I think she must not have to go. SO is she pooping b/c she doesn't want to be in the crate or b/c she needs to poop? she should have to poop 2-3 times a day right?


how long does it take for her to get used to being locked or gated? for the crying to stop? I cant wear ear plugs b/c I want to he able hear her if she's in distress and I have to hear my alarm for work. Also we have a 1.5 yr old yorkie, he never did any of this. we got him at 12wks. I don't want to torture her, but I want to make sure she'll be ready to go to the groomers in a month or so and the vet's off for her 6 month surgery. I know they keep them in crates so she wont have a choice, but I don't want her to be this distressed and then have them think there's something wrong w/ her b/c of all the drama lol. As you can see I've been scouring the internet for things to help w/ crate stress or separation issues. I saw one thing about a bear that makes womb noises, will that help? Any advice would be appreciated, maybe there's something I haven't tried. it's a struggle.

[Maximo]

I would try the wire crate. Some dogs prefer it, the more open feel. My oldest boy had a strong aversion to plastic and could not tolerate the plastic crate and would not drink out of the plastic travel bowl that I bought for the trip home with him.

At least one side of the crate needs to be uncovered for good air flow.

Many dogs cannot tolerate close confinement, like claustrophobia in humans. My older boy preferred the xpen, but he is fine with the crate like cages at the vet's office.

If you choose to continue with the crate, limit the amount of time she is confined.

Pooping: my younger boy, when I put him in his double xpen to leave him for a brief time, he would immediately need to poop. I think it was nervousness about being left. He had a pad available at all times, so it wasn't a problem.

The fastest way to solve the crying at night problem would be to have her in the bedroom where she can see you. If you don't mind your pups in the bedroom. I had Max's xpen next to bed when he was a pup. No crying.

[Maximo]

Wanted to add: Welcome to Yorkie Talk. Your new baby is adorable.

[meka2u2]

I can try using an wire crate, but what about when I put her behind a puppy gate so she's free to roam in kitchen or living room? Why is she throwing a tantrum at those times as well and trying to escape? She has quite the set of lungs on her and can cry for hours on end. I don't mind her in the bedroom, but at 15wks, is she ok to be unconfined to roam my bedroom while I'm sleeping if she's not yet trained? I can also try using the plastic crate in bedroom besides my bed, that's much smaller and more manageable in my tiny bedroom than the big metal crate.


thanks for the advice

[dawn27]

I agree a wire cage would be better. They like to be with their humans as much as possible and if they cant be by your side it helps that they can at least see you. I'd also leave it exposed/no blanket unless they are down for a nap or at night time. If you can put the cage in your room. I know it won't be easy but when they whine you can hush them and that will help just hearing your voice. If that doesn't work I suggest sleeping in the living room with the pup in the cage next to you.

Putting her in the cage for naps and doing in a way that makes it not seem so much like a punishment will help too. Maybe even leaving the cage door open when she falls asleep will help with some of the frustration she is feeling. Use lots of soft working and speak to her telling her she a good girl. Don't get her all hyped up using load working that could excite her. Hope this helps !

[lovestiny]

It sounds like you don't like metal crates, but they come in all different sizes and you can put a soft crate liner. Both of my pups are crate trained and they see their metal crates as they safe space, not a punishment. Not sure why your pup is upset being gated as well. What type of environment was she living in before?

[Wylie's Mom]

Hi and welcome to YT .

Many, many animals simply cannot tolerate being confined to a small space - that's quite common really (just look at zoos and the psych issues those animals have). We have many dogs here at YT who can't deal with tight confinement. If I were you, I'd stop the crate training in this little one bc it's clear it's not benefiting her in any way, nor you.

I'd recommend you buy an Iris pen from Amazon or Walmart and set it up in your bedroom. It will fit a bed, pee pad, water dish, a couple toys and it will give her room to move around and not feel so closely trapped.

[meka2u2]

I got her from a 76 old woman who said she decided to buy her on impulse and then couldn't handle a puppy, due to her age and potty training etc.. She in her husband decided to rehome her b/c they were to old to keep up w/ her energy etc... I was told she slept in a xpen and inside of that a soft carrier and didn't cry when she was in there. Obviously not accurate b/c the min we put her in the soft carrier, they gave us, it started to collapse and she started crying and so we had to take her out and leave her on lap for the car ride home. Then we put her in a gated area in kitchen next day due to her being so adverse to the crate and she still ran back and forth crying and trying to escape.


B/c of her such intense reaction to the crate, we've been gated the living room and leave her in there at night and leaving crate open w/ toys and special treats in case she decides to venture in. She cries for a bit and then stops. We have been putting her in there for 30 min naps, twice a day w/ the door open this wk but the min we close the door, the histrionics start even if we leave it completely uncovered . We've only had her for a little over a wk. I wonder if she was taken from mom before the 12 wk mark, but the lady we got her from didn't have much info b/c she also bought her from another person, who said she was leaving the state and couldn't take pup w/ her. So essentially we are Fiona's 4th home. Original was a breeder, though I don't know who.


thank you for all your advice. I do have a metal crate but it's entirely too big and doesn't have a divider to make It smaller, but I will look for a divider and try to put her in that and see if she like that more than the plastic crate. I still wonder why she is also freaking out, when gated in the kitchen or bath.


I could try to see if the lady we got her from has the info for the first owner, so I can get the breeder's info. Maybe she has some insight.

[dawn27]

I would imagine that's she is just confused and scared from being re homes so many times, poor girl. I really do hope that you work with her and please do not send her away for the 5th time.

Keep working with her with the metal cage. From my experience training my four I've learned that they are the most efficient and safe way to train them. You could use the one you have as long as she isn't going potty in it. That would sort of defeat the whole idea of cage training.

[JasmineNoelle]

Poor little Fiona being just 15 weeks old and with her 4th Mommy. IMHO, it sounds like she has some separation anxiety and rightfully so. She sees you leave.....even just from her sight, she may think you are not coming back. We rescued our last precious yorkie at the age of 6 1/2 months old and she is the most adorable little Velcro companion that I have ever had the joy of meeting. If ever I am out of her site for even a few minutes she panics. We have worked with her lots, but she remains the same. We have learned to accept her and she has given us all her love.

[lilgidget]

I've tried the plastic carrier with Gidget--no luck. She went ballistic even from the first day I had her. She was only 6 1/2 wks old. Put her in carrier the first night and she slept about 3 hrs.---then the crying started. She was in the bedroom with me, in the carrier, set on top of a TV tray so she could see me and easily tell where my voice was coming from. Next tried the wire cage since she didn't seem to mind being in one when I took her to the groomer. She peed and pooped when I tried putting her in the cage. (She's now 5 mos.) Tried throwing treats (she loves baby bell cheese) and she would go in as far as she could without getting her back paws inside. Leave the cage door open and throw pieces of hot dog, cheese, etc. inside. Same story. She'll leave the treats if it means she has to put her back paws in the cage. What to do, what to do.......

[canana]

I have both the wire crate and the plastic crate. During crate training, I used the wire crate because it's recommended that there is sufficient space for the puppy to stand with an inch or two of space above the head and enough space to turn around. The plastic crate I had was from my previous dog and it's much too low to stand up. My dog now uses both - he likes to crawl into the smaller plastic crate as a napping place.

In the wire crate I use towels. Not too much, or they'll feel comfortable to pee inside. When he used to cry, I covered four sides of the crate, leaving the side with the crate door uncovered.

About the crying and acceptance of the crate. PLEASE do a proper introduction of the crate. It requires training on your part. You cannot just lock up a puppy in a crate and expect them to like it. All good behaviours you're looking for requires training on your part.

Take a good thorough read through these tips of DO's and DON'Ts.

The Dog Trainer : How to Teach Your Dog to Love His Crate :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?

https://positively.com/dog-behavior/...joy-the-crate/

[canana]

Forgot to say warm welcome to YT

And your puppy is super cute!

On separation anxiety, that's another thing that requires a lot of training. What you're dealing with is very common. Read up on the below asap to prevent bad behaviours from developing!

For your understanding of it:
The Dog Trainer : Separation Anxiety in Dogs :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?

This is great, on the yo-yo calming exercise and 300 Peck Method:
Managing Your Dog's Separation Anxiety | Karen Pryor Clicker Training

[meka2u2]

thanks to everyone for your advice, this wknd will be her 4th wk w/ us and at this time still no luck w/ her liking the wire or plastic crate. we are currently feeding her in the plastic one, she too stretches as far as she can so she doesn't have to go all the way inside w/ her 2 back feet lol. Sneaky one she is. SO at the moment at night, we have been letting her sleep in the bedroom on her bed next to our other yorkie, it seems to have helped w/ the crying, we just get up every 3 hours to taker her potty. I feel for her b/c we are her 4th home, so I realize its part separation issue. We do not plan on rehoming her, we are willing to stick it out. it's not her fault. we have also been picking her up when she falls asleep during day and placing her in the crate, leaving the door open, she cries for a few moments and then sleeps for a bit and then after 15-20 mins she cries to come out and finishes her nap on her bed. so still a work in progress, baby steps, something's better than nothing. will take the little victories where we can.


She still cant go out for walks, until her last shots next wknd. She's been pretty good w/ remembering the potty pad most of the time and our boy yorkie, Nemo has gotten somewhat used to her and now they play some. He didn't like her at first, b/c she's always jumping in his face and nipping at him, so he would growl at her. We have also started gating them together in the living room when we have to leave and they cant come and that has also helped w/ the crying, she does it for a few mins after we put the gate up and then she tries to escape, then she stops crying , until she sees us leave then it starts again for a bit and then she goes to play w/ Nemo.


We have cameras set up so we can check in on them at any time. She runs so fast, all that baby energy i suppose, she runs laps in the living room every day, several times a day, usually w/ her fav toy chicken firmly in mouth. We love her to pieces already, such a funny little thing. She makes so many diff noises for diff things, when she scratches herself, when she wants to play , when she goes potty, it's very entertaining.


Here are a few pics of them, one is them wrestling w/ her fav purple rocket lol