Baby Gate Whining While Home

[MarlyAndMe]

Marly whines at the baby gate even when i am home and in the same room. I will take him out to the bathroom multiple times when he does this just to make sure that is not it. How do i get him to stop whining and to stay down. Without yelling and saying no, is there a more effective way anyone can share?

[DanielleK]

It'll drive you nuts for a few days, but you need to ignore, ignore, ignore.

No matter how much he whines or jumps or carries on (as long as he isn't hurting himself) IGNORE him. Put earplugs in or your ipod or something if you have to.

At the rare moments when he does quiet down, go to him and praise him like no tomorrow. Tell him, "Quiet...quiet...good boy!!" Use a soothing but very happy voice. Give him a small treat or just some lovins' and attention.

Then go back to what you were doing. If he starts up whining again, go back to ignoring him. But the minute he quiets down again, repeat the praise, etc.

Only take him out when he is quiet. If you know is 'bathroom schedule', stick to that, not just to responding to his whining. (If he needs to go and is whining, better to take him out than to have an accident, but ideally he should not get a response to his whining at all.)

I know it will be hard, but after a few days he should get the idea of what's going on. He'll realize that when he's whining he gets NO attention and when he's quiet he gets praise/treats. He'll also learn the command, "Quiet".

[MarlyAndMe]

Thanks a lot! I will try this out

[Izzy Princess]

Originally Posted by DanielleK

It'll drive you nuts for a few days, but you need to ignore, ignore, ignore.

No matter how much he whines or jumps or carries on (as long as he isn't hurting himself) IGNORE him. Put earplugs in or your ipod or something if you have to.

At the rare moments when he does quiet down, go to him and praise him like no tomorrow. Tell him, "Quiet...quiet...good boy!!" Use a soothing but very happy voice. Give him a small treat or just some lovins' and attention.

Then go back to what you were doing. If he starts up whining again, go back to ignoring him. But the minute he quiets down again, repeat the praise, etc.

Only take him out when he is quiet. If you know is 'bathroom schedule', stick to that, not just to responding to his whining. (If he needs to go and is whining, better to take him out than to have an accident, but ideally he should not get a response to his whining at all.)

I know it will be hard, but after a few days he should get the idea of what's going on. He'll realize that when he's whining he gets NO attention and when he's quiet he gets praise/treats. He'll also learn the command, "Quiet".

Thank you so much DanielleK for the great info. We have a new Biewer puppy that is going through this same thing and we are ignoring the whining and rewarding the quiet by saying "good boy quiet". It's hard to ignore them but you have to or it will reinforce the whining if you go to pick him up, etc. My first Yorkie, Izzy, was a dream doggie and never cried while in the crate or pen. Cosmo..well he is a my challenge!

Good luck on your new puppy!

[MarlyAndMe]

How were you guys able to get them to use the pee pads? That seams almost impossible.

[DanielleK]

Originally Posted by MarlyAndMe

How were you guys able to get them to use the pee pads? That seams almost impossible.

I thought the same my first week!!!

Here's the advice I got, which turned out to be spot on!

Get your pup a crate and an xpen (an exercise pen or a kid's big play yard, worth the investment!). Make sure the crate is just big enough for a bed, food and water. Put it in the xpen, and make the xpen small enough for just two or three pee pads and no bare floor.

Keep your pup in the crate (door closed) for about two hours (this varies on age) and then let your pup out of the crate into the pen (on the pee pads). Wait and watch and if your pup goes on the pads, give them tons of praise and a treat! Then let them out for a little bit of supervised play time (the length of time is age dependent also). Then put them back into the crate - think of this as nap time and snack time for them. Wait another two hours or so and repeat the process.

If at first they don't go, give it a minute or two and then put them back in the crate, door closed. Come back in fifteen minutes or so and try again. Eventually they will go. Repeat the process until they do. It won't take them that long to realize that potty when they come out of the crate means treats and loving and play time!!

If your pup is under 16 weeks this is all I would do. Before you take them out of the pen make sure they've pottied. Give them some extra time if they need it to poop (mine likes a bit of privacy, I have to leave the kitchen for a minute or two). But make sure they are "empty" before they get to play in the house. You are setting them up for success.

Once they get older, and are doing well, gradually make the xpen bigger or take away a pee pad, leaving some open floor. If they continue to use the pee pad and not the floor, you are on the right track. Gradually make the free space bigger, leaving the pee pads where you had them (so as not to confuse them).

Eventually you can do away with the xpen, and have the crate and the potty area (pee pads) in, for instance, the gated off kitchen. And so on.

[MarlyAndMe]

I read in my yorkie book that their crate was supposed to be a good thing, and not to lock them up in it...what is an xpen and where do you purchase it? This leads back to the whining though haha, he will whine and whine. I tried ignoring this morning and praising when he was quiet, it was actually working. I just feel so bad leaving him in there for hours when im home

[DanielleK]

Their crate IS a good thing, like their bedroom. It's got their bed, food and water and toys in it. What's not to like? Closing the door is just allowing your pup some quiet time, that's all. If you never treat it like punishment, believe me, your pup will never look at it that way.

Dogs by nature are den animals and feel comfortable to have a small space of their own.

An xpen is an exercise pen. You can google for them. Like this:
Pet Yard XT Pet Gate Enclosure

As for the whining, once he learns that whining does NOT get him attention, he will no longer do it. It took my puppy (at 11 weeks old) only one week to stop all barking/whining when left in his crate or alone at night. Now he thinks nothing of it.

As for leaving him alone, puppies sleep a lot and he will be having his meals and drinks in the crate, naptime in the crate and if you put chew toys in there he'll have something to keep him busy when he's awake. So he'll really want for nothing. In fact, if you don't want to leave him "alone" keep the pen and his crate in the same room you are most often in. It isn't about closing him up or isolating him, its about getting him to naturally hold his bladder (because he's in his den).

If you get the book "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days" this is basically her method, modified for puppies under 16 weeks. Once they reach 16 weeks she suggests feeding and watering on a strict schedule to aid in the training and get the dog on schedule. She says that about seven days is all a dog should need to get the hang of the schedule and the right potty area vs. the wrong.

I completely understand that you have reservations about crate training - my husband did as well at first. He felt like we were "locking him up". Truth is, we enjoy him much more now that he's crate trained because rather than having to follow him around every moment of the day/night OR just stumble upon accidents all over the house, we can relax and focus on him during his playtimes and know that he is safe and happy in his "room" when he's crated. His crate and pen are in the kitchen, with his crate (the open wire kind) right in the doorway, so he can constantly see/hear us in the main living area and going in and coming out of the kitchen.

And like I said, besides the first week we got him when he barked and whined at night and sometimes when left alone, now he never says a peep about it. He's the happiest pup around!

[Arzel36]

IGNORE him. Then he will stop.

[OhBaxter]

You can shut them in it, just don't use it for punishment only. I did this same method to potty train my dog, and it worked really well. I also always put him in his crate every night to sleep in. It took probably a good 6 months, but now he runs in on his own when it's bedtime. He even sneaks away into it during the day for a nap. Closing it at night also lets them be in your room with you, but keeps them from wondering around the house before you wake up to leave surprises. Just don't confine them to it during the day for long periods of time while your gone, such as for work.

[MarlyAndMe]

He will NOT stop whining and barking when he is in his crate. Are there any other tips anyone can give me, ignoring him does not work.

[MarlyAndMe]

PS I live in an apartment...my poor neighbors

[DanielleK]

Originally Posted by MarlyAndMe

PS I live in an apartment...my poor neighbors

I would say to try a white noise machine or keeping the radio on in the room with him. Try covering the crate with a blanket - some pups get too overstimulated and like to seclusion.

Or continue to ignore. Here's the thing: it won't happen in an hour. It may take a week. A very long and annoying week. But it will happen. Would you and your neighbors like to deal with a week of annoyance to stop the problem, or would you rather know you can never let your pup alone?

Dogs want to please and they want your attention. It will not take that long for him to realize that whining gets him nothing, that is, if you can follow through with that.

Good luck!

[MarlyAndMe]

Thanks i need the re-assurance! It was semi working last night, i popped on my ipod and ran over when he was quiet for a couple minutes. But as soon as i sat back down to the computer (same room) he yapped up again. But then would quiet down again. I guess our natural instincts tell us "oh no our baby is crying, go make him feel better". But your right, stick to it and hopefully it will work!

[MyDuke]

An xpen is an exercise pen. You can google for them. Like this:
Pet Yard XT Pet Gate Enclosure

I can't crate train because I work 9-5 and I first read that leaving a pup in the crate for 8 hours is too long. So I first started witht he xpen, it is definitely a great investment. My parents bought it for Duke from Babies R Us and it's actually cheaper than most pet stores.
I like it because Duke is older now and I can take the xpen apart and use 2 sections to block the door way so he has the run of whatever specific room I put him in. Try the xpen if the crate doesn't work.

Also, the info on the pad training is great, that's pretty much what I did with Duke. He now goes on the pad unless there's a rug on the floor, which is a whole other topic .

Good luck and be patient, YT is very helpful and we all have gone thru it if not something similar.