I just can't do it...crate training.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by cinechic

Thanks, this is exactly what I was thinking. I'm getting an xpen tomorrow. I'll whip up a make-shift one tonight in our hallway.

You will be very happy with the xpen.

When choosing a pen, take into consideration the size of your pup and whether or not she is a climber. I bought the 2 ft high one first for my 3 pound pup. It wasn't long before I went out and bought the taller pen.

Another option is the soft sided one that someone posted above, but I'm not sure that those are available in stores. I think they need to ordered online.

Best wishes and enjoy your pup.

[KazzyK810]

I feel your pain I got my pup at 6 weeks... I have the playpen set up, but I didn't last two nights with her crying at night, getting up, holding her, trying to put her back down. The 3rd night I fell asleep with her on my bed out of pure exhaustion...she's been there ever since . She's 11 weeks old today, not had a single accident in my bed & wakes me up once or twice in the night to go pee.

Strange thing is, she will go in the playpen during the day if I have to run out, somewhere that I can't take her, and doesn't cry. (yes, I close the door loudly when I leave & then stand in the breezeway with my ear pressed against the door to make sure she's not crying....ah...the things we do for our pups )

Best of luck!

[Britster]

I got Jackson at 9 weeks old and I didn't use the crate very long. He never ever got used to it no matter what I did or how long I waited for him to scream it out. At night, for the first 3-4 weeks, I put his crate ON my actual bed. So he was laying right next to me. That was the only way he would sleep. Then, I left the crate door open one night (on purpose) and let him curl up next to me and he slept through the entire night for the first time... so from then on, he was in my bed. But I'd say it was the first 3-4 weeks of him sleeping in his crate on my bed and waking up once or twice in the middle of the night.

[BlondeLocks]

I got my Kody young and had begun the pads but once I took him to the vet and asked about outside training, I was told it was okay to do so - actually better because then he wouldn't get confused when I tried to switch him. Everyone will tell you something different to do, but you'll have to do what works best for you, your family and your schedule. All the advice given is good and I sometimes refer back to it as well.

That being said, Kody did fine with pee/poop outside. Since he was young when I got him, that required me to adjust my schedule to his. It was necessary to take him out often because of his small bladder and him not giving me a signal as of yet of when he had to got Potty. The magic word being use POTTY.

I crate trained him from the beginning. What I learned since he was so small, even though the crate was small, it was way too much room in there for him. So what I had to end up doing was to stuff a sheet in there to alleviate some of the extra space and it worked like a charm. Before then, the first night he had pooped in there. Since putting the sheet in there and only leaving enough space for him to turn and lay he felt more secure. I never had a problem since then. Also I put the crate beside my bed so he could see, hear and smell me. Since this time, he has grown in weight and length and I was able to remove the sheet from the crate allowing him to now stretch out. Still no problem with pee/poop in the crate. He did whine for the first week or so, but he eventually grew out of it and now, goes to bed when everyone else does with no problem. The key like everyone else said is consistency.

I take him out to pee prior to bed time and then again between 11pm and 12am. We rise and shine at 5a.m. (he's our alarm clock) and he goes out to Potty - pee/poop at this time. I knew I would never have him sleeping with me, so I didn't want to start that process.

Kody is now 12 weeks and we still have accidents in the house - which is normal and to be expected. But for the most part - he does his duty outside when we go. He still hasn't learned to give me a signal of when he needs to go out. I know to take him out after meals, sleep and playtime. Other than that, the in between times, I just judge for myself and take him out about every hour.

I invested in the training bells to see if they will work with him telling me when he has to potty. I've only had them for a couple of days - so no significant progress as of yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I wish you luck. It's definitely just like have a newborn baby. My first couple of weeks, I didn't get any sleep. Now we are on a schedule and I've adapted to him and he to me.

[Dzbabykel]

Hi there, congrats on your new pup! Everyone on here has given you such great advice, what I did when Oliver was really little was put his cage on the nightstand right next to my bed. Since he would cry at night, I'd put my hand in the cage which comforted him and he'd fall asleep right next to my hand. It worked! I would either do that or actually physically put the cage in bed with me He was just so little I was terrified if he wasn't in his cage I'd rollover on him or he would fall off the bed during the night. Best of luck to you and your little one!!

[bellababy08]

Originally Posted by Maximo

You will be very happy with the xpen.

When choosing a pen, take into consideration the size of your pup and whether or not she is a climber. I bought the 2 ft high one first for my 3 pound pup. It wasn't long before I went out and bought the taller pen.

Another option is the soft sided one that someone posted above, but I'm not sure that those are available in stores. I think they need to ordered online.

Best wishes and enjoy your pup.

No you can't get them in the stores you have to order them online...I got mine off of Ebay...it only took like 3 days to come in...I like the play yards better cause they have a floor in them and the Xpens don't and I have carpet in my bedroom and it has a mesh top that you can zip up once they start climbing and it didn't take long for Harley to climb out...easy fix tho just zip the top closed the xpen has no top...and I found that the play yards are cheaper than the xpens...lasted I looked in pet smart they were like 75.00 for the xpen and I got the small play yard 24x44 for 45.00 and my Large play yard 36x57 for was 65.00.

[cinechic]

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

I feel your pain I got my pup at 6 weeks... I have the playpen set up, but I didn't last two nights with her crying at night, getting up, holding her, trying to put her back down. The 3rd night I fell asleep with her on my bed out of pure exhaustion...she's been there ever since . She's 11 weeks old today, not had a single accident in my bed & wakes me up once or twice in the night to go pee.

Strange thing is, she will go in the playpen during the day if I have to run out, somewhere that I can't take her, and doesn't cry. (yes, I close the door loudly when I leave & then stand in the breezeway with my ear pressed against the door to make sure she's not crying....ah...the things we do for our pups )

Best of luck!

This makes me feel a lot better, seeing a lot of people writing about how easy it was for them and hearing it from my aunt and mother. I don't feel like such a lame-o for giving up and sleeping with her last night.

It actually went well after my post. She snuggled on my chest and didn't fuss when I put her next to me. She slept through the night, though we got up once or twice to potty - though she didn't.

[dawn27]

Puppies are gonna cry regardless of what kind of crate or play pen you put them in ! Its good to hear that you are answering her cries when she needs to go potty. At this age puppies are not able to hold their bladder or other for very long periods of time. Even if it is several times a night shes will cry for you so you can get up to take her out. "A pup is never too young to go out to relieve themselves." If you get them into the habit of using your floor or the cage to relieve themselves...it will be a very hard habit to break, so better not to start at all.

I have trained many puppies in my lifetime, and I never had 100% success until I started crate training about 20 yrs ago. I myself swear by crate training wouldn't suggest anything else. I have even posted the crate training procedure on my web site. I also give a pamphlet with the information to all of my new puppy owners when they pick up their pups from my home. You can see it at www.dawnsyorkiew.piczo.com or on another post (New Member - Suggestions???) Where I posted the information.

I would also suggest that you move the crate into the bedroom with you at night. You will be able to hear her cries more clearly and get to her more quickly to take her out during the night. Occasionally she will have accident that is to be expected, but this will reduce the amount of times she has accident in here cage.

I would also resist at all costs..... Sleeping with her or taking her out of the cage when she cries, when you know that she has already gone pee and poo. Its not an exact science... But with patience, hard work and some great techniques under your belt potty training is so much easier.

Hope this helps , good luck ! Let us know how thing are going..

[cinechic]

Originally Posted by dawn27

Puppies are gonna cry regardless of what kind of crate or play pen you put them in ! Its good to hear that you are answering her cries when she needs to go potty. At this age puppies are not able to hold their bladder or other for very long periods of time. Even if it is several times a night shes will cry for you so you can get up to take her out. "A pup is never too young to go out to relieve themselves." If you get them into the habit of using your floor or the cage to relieve themselves...it will be a very hard habit to break, so better not to start at all.

I have trained many puppies in my lifetime, and I never had 100% success until I started crate training about 20 yrs ago. I myself swear by crate training wouldn't suggest anything else. I have even posted the crate training procedure on my web site. I also give a pamphlet with the information to all of my new puppy owners when they pick up their pups from my home. You can see it at www.dawnsyorkiew.piczo.com or on another post (New Member - Suggestions???) Where I posted the information.

I would also suggest that you move the crate into the bedroom with you at night. You will be able to hear her cries more clearly and get to her more quickly to take her out during the night. Occasionally she will have accident that is to be expected, but this will reduce the amount of times she has accident in here cage.

I would also resist at all costs..... Sleeping with her or taking her out of the cage when she cries, when you know that she has already gone pee and poo. Its not an exact science... But with patience, hard work and some great techniques under your belt potty training is so much easier.

Hope this helps , good luck ! Let us know how thing are going..

I was annoyed but not shocked when she peed, and maybe the first poo, but I made sure she had pooed and peed before putting her in last night. Which is why I was surprised when she went. Is there any way to tell when she goes from whining to potty-crying?

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Dzbabykel

Hi there, congrats on your new pup! Everyone on here has given you such great advice, what I did when Oliver was really little was put his cage on the nightstand right next to my bed. Since he would cry at night, I'd put my hand in the cage which comforted him and he'd fall asleep right next to my hand. It worked! I would either do that or actually physically put the cage in bed with me He was just so little I was terrified if he wasn't in his cage I'd rollover on him or he would fall off the bed during the night. Best of luck to you and your little one!!

I did the same thing Kelly did. Tibbe was 9 mos. old when I got him but had lived all his life in a crate, was almost feral and was desperate not to be crated at first. I put him in his little plastic dog carrier crate, which was pink of all things with a pink, fuzzy carrier pad in the bottom! I had gotten the crate about a year B4 getting Tibbe when I had planned on getting a female Yorkie. Well, Tibbe loved sleeping next to me on the bed in his new "pink Cadillac" for the first two weeks until I felt he was in control of his bladder/poop urges not to soil the bed. But when he was in the carrier, I would gather it up close to me and stick my fingers through the door grating and touch him, talk to him, soothe him. He would settle down and before long drift off to sleep - and so did I. As far as crate training, don't put the little one in there and leave them for long at first. Just a couple seconds and take them back out. I'd put treats on the floor of the crate and Tibbe would go in himself. I'd close the door and wait 5 - 10 seconds and open it and out he'd come. We worked up to the time in the crate until he habituated to it and then, 15 minutes later, out we went to the backyard for any bathroom action. Soon, Tibbe was playing and falling asleep in his crate and yes, toileting but eventually he learned he was being taken out so often that he learned to hold it for outside and besides, he learned he didn't like a soiled crate. IBut I was semi-retired when I first got Tibbe and had the whole day and night to do this so I had a big advantage on working folks. Whatever method you use, be patient as a saint and persistent as a terrier and your little baby will "get it". Those early panic sessions of whining, crying and pooping are understandable reactions to wanting mamma and siblings back and not understanding what in the world has happened to them. Can't blame the little things! I'd act just the same if I were jerked away from my family to a wholly strange life. Eventually the love you show will win the day and you'll become everything to your baby - and given the choice, you'd win out over momma and siblings all day.

[cinechic]

Okay, so I made a makeshift xpen using our hallway - messy but convenient. Put in her pee pads, toys, food, and bed. Put her in and she went nuts. I feel like if I wait for her to stop crying....well, that she'll never stop crying. How long is too long leaving her in there?

[bellababy08]

She will stop and go to sleep...I would take her out like every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to play and love on her, let her run around like in the kitchen or something that is floor cause you don't want her peeing/pooping on her carpet give her some treats while she is playing...I know its tuff right now but hang in there it does get better...and I know her crying is breaking your heart and all you wanna do is go get her...but that would only reward her behavior so try not to do that.

Theres no way you can make something xpen like in your bedroom so she is near you and can see/smell you? maybe your master bathroom? you could gate off the door...I know its not right by you but she would still be some what near you...or maybe put a dirty T shirt of yours in the pen with her, might comfort her cause it will have your scent on it.

[yorkietalkjilly]

The tough part is you have to be more determined than your terrier. If you rush to her after a while of crying, she will never learn that she has to start to accomodate to this new life. Getting a very young puppy is a disadvantage here as they do not have as good reasoning power as an older dog and are simply seeking help of any kind. But left to her own devices, even a young pup will eventually get tired of yelping, figure out no one is coming and start to listen to the surroundings. Don't let her see you watching her if you are in the room - look at TV or away. She will eventually go to sleep and wake up yelping again. Stick to your schedule and only take her out when you have determined you want. She will figure out that yelping no longer brings your warm, loving arms and so it won't be worth it any more. But with a really young dog, it just takes longer. But each time you go to her when she yelps, it essentially rewards the yelp and teaches her yelping is the answer to getting mommy to do what I want. She's not really thinking, she is just calling for help and pretty desperate. If she doesn't get what she wants this way, she will eventually reason it all out. You will be a wreck by that time but that's the way mommyhood is. Try to think on this as you are listening to the screaming: One day this will all be over and done with!

[yorkietalkjilly]

And oh, yes, I still slept with Tibbe's carrier in my bed at night Tibbe's first 2 weeks here so I could get some sleep as well but during the day, it was the crate all the way. Course Tibbe was 9 mos. old when I got him but he was essentially feral and wild, fearful, unfamiliar with people, houses, sounds of the home, so he was practically the same as a 6 wk old puppy as to mental processes and fearing his new surroundings. He would scream like a banshee in the house until I started actually little by little training him to stay in his crate until it was time to come out to potty, eat, play, cuddle - live. But back in the crate he would go until it was time to come out again. Eventually, he began to see his crate as his own domain and he would run in there when scared. So, they do change their attitude about crates just like they do about you. Not sayin' crate training a new puppy or dog is easy but it just plain works.

[miabellaamoure]

Originally Posted by Maximo

7 weeks is way too early to be crate training a Yorkie pup. Buy an xpen and put a piddle pad in one corner, her bed and food and water in another corner.

You will have a much happier and healthier pup and you will be happier.

Remember these little ones have very small bladders, and a 7 week old has barely begun to be able to control potty habits. She needs access to potty at all times of the day.

The ONLY good advise I've read so far...thank you Maximo for steering this new owner into the right direction!

A 7 week old puppy should NEVER be crated to be left in ANOTHER room...ugh!