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03-18-2005, 09:13 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2
| Am I traumatizing my new yorkie? I have an almost 9 week old male yorkie. It has been over 14 years since I have had a puppy, as my sweet boy Shasta passed away at age 14, just 6.5 months ago. Buddy, my new boy, has flung himself against the sides of his crate (plastic) and yelped and cried (I know this is usual). What I don't know if it is normal or not is when he is finally quiet and I go and let him out, he claws and clings to me as if I just rescued him from some abyss and contines to cry and whimper for at least 5 to 10 minutes. I just speak softly to him and hold him and he will finally stop (after 5 to 10 minutes). Am I doing something wrong? Am I traumatizing him? Also, is there any sort of time-line rules I should adhere to? Every thing I read varies, so I don't really know what to do or should do, especially since it seems like I am traumatizing him. He has been checked by the vet 3 times for shots and well puppy check and he is healthy. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry so long. Thanks! Linda :- |
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03-18-2005, 09:37 AM | #2 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida
Posts: 852
| I don't think you are traumatizing him. Cuddling him and reassuring him as you are doing should help. It takes some pups longer than others to adjust. Just keep kissin' him and lovin' him and he should come around. |
03-18-2005, 10:07 AM | #3 |
BANNED! Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New York
Posts: 446
| I agree, hang in there. Two thoughts: 1) Are you using a vari kennel or a wire crate? Some dogs feel more assured if they can see you, a wire crate, therefore is a better option. Conversely, some dogs need the security of a “cave” to get the full benefit of crate training, therefore something more enclosed than a wire crate, a vari kennel, may put him at ease. If you are using one, try the other see if the switch helps. Also, if you haven’t done this already, putting a hot water bottle and a clock or buying one of those new puppy dolls that have a heart beat and a heater, will help. Even throwing in a smelly t-shirt of your own will ease your puppy! 2) I agree with the first poster about reassuring him, although I think it might be better to try the reassurance while he is IN the crate. Try tossing him his favorite treats to him while he is IN the crate. If you are giving him kisses and hugs when he is outside the crate, you may be sending the opposite message: “the world outside the crate is better.” There’s also the danger that you could be reinforcing his fear: “it’s OK puppy, I’ll make it better.” Our last puppy HATED her vari-kennel. She arrived from Canada via plane in it. The first few nights I tried crating her in it before bed time. By the third night of incessant whining, I warned my mother that I was so sleep deprived I was ready to commit puppy-acide. We switched to a wire crate, which I worked long and hard to desensitize her to first (putting her in for only a few minutes with the door open, rewarding her while she was in the crate then taking her out, doing it again for a little while longer, etc. working up to the point of having the door closed and my existing the room). She never grew fond of crates, but now an adult dog, we travel with her to dog shows all over the country and she does this INSIDE her crate without her rendition of “La Boheme” from the back of my SUV. Last edited by yorkipower; 03-18-2005 at 10:18 AM. |
03-18-2005, 04:01 PM | #4 |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: California
Posts: 2,990
| what you might consider doing is actually feeding youre puppy while he is in his crate.. i did this with mine after many failed attempts and now he is fine with his crate |
03-18-2005, 06:16 PM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,022
| We have Max's food and water right in his crate and some toys too....he loves it. We do give him a treat when we are going away or when its bed time and he scampers right into his crate.....good luck |
03-18-2005, 09:08 PM | #6 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lynnwood
Posts: 154
| Our Bodhi had to travel 6 hours via vari kennel when we got him. Of course, he was scared of ever entering that thing again. 3 days later, I put a large dog-bed cushion in the bottom half without the lid. I covered the sides with soft rugs & tossed a couple of toys on top. Took Bodhi a while, but he got brave enough to get those toys, to great praise. Hubby and I had been letting him sleep with us. We have a white sheet on top of our bed so that we can see him well at night. Makes it easier to spot Bodhi before shifting position. Well, that night after he had fallen asleep, I put him on a leash on top of this new bed next to my side of the bed. A knot was tied at the other end of the leash and closed inside the nightstand drawer. Several hours later, I heard a whimper and let Bodhi into our bed. I was so surprised at how much better I had slept when I didn't have to worry about where he was before shifting! Yesterday, I put the lid on so Bodhi could explore it if he wanted. Had to Bitter Apple on the snapping parts, heh. Later, I introduced an ice cube for the first time. He was thrilled with it! I tossed it into the vari kennel and praised him every time he would get close to it, eventually going inside to kick the ice around. Victory!! After a while, I put a smaller dog-bed cushion. This was our initial cushion because it said "Yorkie Size". BAH! My foot! Bodhi's poor little head would hang off the edge when he slept on it!! Bodhi tried to pull the cushion out. Got it diagonally in the doorway. I tossed toys inside and he would actually crawl under the cushion to retrieve them. More praise. AND I know that I don't have a claustrophobic dog! Long-winded, I know. But the BIG feat today was when Bodhi, of his own free will, went inside to lie down! Patience and attitude is so important! I hope that you discover what works for you and Buddy! |
03-18-2005, 10:01 PM | #7 |
YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Posts: 319
| We currently brought our little Sebastian home last night and he is 9 weeks and had never been in a crate before, anyways what we did is left his crate open but also used a baby gate about 2-3 ft. away to give him room for his food, water, wee wee pad and toys of course. (we wedged it between the wall and our mattress) He slept all night without a peep. My breeder called me today expecting a miserable night for me and I was extremely happy to tell her that he was such a good boy! We use a night light on the other side of the room so I'm sure that may help too. |
03-19-2005, 03:26 PM | #8 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2
| Thank you all sooooo much!! Buddy is now less anxiety ridden because I read all your responses (which were invaluable!) and I also spoke with my breeder. What I did was go and buy some baby food chicken sticks (looks like vienna sausages) as per suggestion of the breeder (Buddy wouldn't eat any of the puppy-store bought treats I bought). He loves these and I only pinch off about a bb size for him. I give him that when I put him in there and then another little pinch when I shut the door. He wines but has stopped flinging himself against the sides of the crate (plastic crate/car carrier) after only a few minutes. When I come to let him out I have another little pinch ready, and then we do our potty thing outside and he gets another little pinch. He really seems sharp and the positive reinforcement with the treat seemed to do the trick. They really are like little babies at this age, aren't they? He still makes sucking sounds when he sleeps. Anyway, I can't tell you all how happy I am to have such a wonderful resource as this forum. I think I would have maybe caved in to him because I felt so guilty, even though intellectually I know it would have bad consesquences. Thank you all again ever so much! Bye for now. |
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