Help!!!! Crate training!!
 

I need tips on training my 8 week old pup. She has never been in a crate. She has been with me for two days and nights. Every night she goes in her crate but constantly cries. I try to ignore her but she gets very loud. I haven't been able to sleep the last two nights because of her constant crying. its a big crate she has a peepee pad, food, water, and toys in it. I feel like she is ruined now since i didn't do it properly. I have never crate trained a puppy before please help.:confused::( PLEASE HELP!!!! I don't know what im doing.

Personally, I don't believe in crating dogs who hate the crate. None of my 4 like the crate at all, so we don't do it and never have.

Perhaps instead get an Iris Pen from Amazon or Walmart so there is a small fenced off area, but not so confining as a crate.

its not that i don't think she doesnt like it. I left her in the bathroom with toys crate and wee pad for about an hour and a half to spend time with my other dog and came to let her out and she was sitting in her crate chewing on a toy.:confused: Im keeping her in a crate at night because she is so young and doesn't quite have peeing on the pad down. I don't want her to pee on me or the bed at night. Should i try waking up twice a night to take her to the backyard to pee instead or leave her on the pad for a few more weeks.

My IMMEDIATE personal issue with THIS is, do you sleep on a bed or on the floor? If you sleep on the floor with the puppy, great!! If that puppy is UP IN THE BED with you, this is a problem.....if she decides to get off the bed and falls off and hits the floor, it will probably all be over but the hole digging.....

For safety's sake, crate this pup at night, or sleep on the floor with the pup! I do not personally believe an 8 week old puppy is capable of being totally, completely potty trained...their tiny little bladders can not hold urine all night long....just crate her, or put her in an x-pen that she can not climb out of, put her bed and her toys and her water in there with her...I line my crate trays with a pee pad so they can pee if they need to and it stays neat and dry.....and I cover all crates with a sheet, like you do a bird....that is a clear signal to the babies it is nap time or time to call it a night, and they comply. She will get used to the system....I crate all loose dogs here at Rosehill (except for the 5 seniors that I need to watch closely) at night. They all know they go to crates over night and for naps 12 noon to 4pm every day....it is a system, a way of life for them and they are accustomed to doing it.....it takes a while to mold their behavior and their acceptance of house rules, but they are like kids, you don't let up, hang with them, reward good behavior and you will have results you are happy with.

I am by no means an expert, but I'll share what I did.

I am a first time yorkie owner. Our pup came home at 10 weeks old and he is 5 months old now. The breeder kept pups in an exercise pen and was working on pad training. I did not want my dog to be pad trained, so I began training him to go outside as soon as we brought him home. I have trained him to ring a bell when he wants to go out to use the bathroom. He has been doing that consistently since 12 weeks of age. Of course, he had accidents at first, but very few now.

I put him in a wire crate at night covered with a blanket. I started that on the first day he was home. He did whine the first couple of nights, but that did not last long. I set my alarm to take him outside twice a night for the first week, then once per night, then none. During the day, I'd occasionally toss a few treats in his crate and leave the door open so he'd go in more often on his own. I never really crated him a lot during the day, but put him in an iris ex-pen when I could not keep a close eye on him. I was at home with him from the end of May until a week ago when I returned to work, so I was able to commit a lot of time to house training. I knew after the summer was over I would be going back to work and did not want to have to crate him for 8 hours. He now stays in a hallway with a pet gate while I am at work. He has his food, water, portable crate, and lots of toys. I also leave the tv on for him so he has it to listen to. He does not have accidents at all while I am at work, so he is doing really well.

I suppose the best piece of advice I have is to be consistent. Do not let your pup out of the crate when she is whining. Be consistent about waiting for the pup to be quiet for a few minutes first. Eventually she will learn that she will not get her way by whining. Use a lot of positive rewards and build up to overnight crating if needed.

This is what I did. I left the door open and put her food and water bowls inside, so she would have to go in it to eat. Then I would close the door for short periods of time. Then I would leave the room for a few minutes. Working my way up to more and more time away and longer times for her being crated. Crating helps with potty training too since they don't like going potty where they sleep! mine cried too when first crated but now she goes in on her own when I say " bed time".
Good luck!