Need some pointers for my puppy

[Guest]

well my cairn pup is adorable and totally awesome, but training is going horribly. I have such a hard time cageing him becuase it kills me when he cries. i know he is a puppy and seems to get into everything, but my main concern is house training him. i read everything out there but its not working to great. he sleeps in bed at night with me, and he does not make but in his cage(its a little big) he goes all the time. do i really need to make the cage that small? and how long will it tkae for him to get acustomed to being in the cage with out flipping out? basically i cnat cage him at night becuase he will scream and the people below me will bug out and i will not sleep.

thanks

[Guest]

You need to get a crate that is big enough for him to turn around in and lay out in but no bigger! Do not let him sleep with you in your bed until he is very well trained! You can get him into the bigger crate after he is completely house trained and full grown after about 10 monts to a year! Be consistent, take him out at regular intervals, if he does not go put him into the crate for about 15 minutes and then take him out again, if he still does not go, then back into the crate for another 15 minutes. Keep this uup until he goes and then praise him like crazy!! bring him into the house to play with him then! Keep it up and it will work but probably take until 9 months to be well trained!

[bradl]

You may also sacrifice a few nights sleep making him sleep in the crate and whacking it (the crate, not the dog!) with a shoe when he refuses to settle down. He is training you that he gets his way with a little whining.

Not directly related, but definitely relevant: tire him out. Take him for L-O-N-G walks. Play with him 'til he's exhausted. A tired puppy is a good puppy. (They sleep harder and longer.)

Also work on making the crate The Best Place in the house. Toss treats in there frequently; feed him in his crate, etc.

[Guest]

everything i put into the crate he destroys , such as things to block it with. i was thinking of useing pvc pipeing and putting it through the hole to make a wall out of it, any suggestions...

[bradl]

Simplest thing is buy a smaller crate. Donate it to the humane society later if you don't want to keep or store it when no longer used.

[Guest]

i have a very small crate now, well the smallest they had, i need to basically cut in half...

[Guest]

ok now that i think about it i have a cage not a crate, would i be better off with a crate, that way he can only see out the front, i think the cage might be to open for him...

suggestions please

[bradl]

Plastic crates and wire crates (cage) both have advantages. Some people feel their dog likes the 'privacy' that a plastic crate offers. That might also encourage more of a feeling of "I'm in my den and time for bed".

Others like the openness of a wire crate so the dog can be confined but still see and hear all of what's going on. We typically transition puppies from a puppy-sized plastic crate to a 'grown-up' wire crate when they're older and bigger.

Another idea (worth a try...it's free) is to take the 'parakeet' approach and put a towel or blanket over the wire crate at night.

[Guest]

Plastic crates and wire crates (cage) both have advantages. Some people feel their dog likes the 'privacy' that a plastic crate offers. That might also encourage more of a feeling of "I'm in my den and time for bed". 

Others like the openness of a wire crate so the dog can be confined but still see and hear all of what's going on.  We typically transition puppies from a puppy-sized plastic crate to a 'grown-up' wire crate when they're older and bigger.

Another idea (worth a try...it's free) is to take the 'parakeet' approach and put a towel or blanket over the wire crate at night.

thanks for the tips, ive tried that and he pulls and tugs like crazy, i think im gonna try the small crate approach untill he gets bigger. he understands "get in your bed" (not bad for 11 weeks old) but he hates it in there....

[Guest]

You might try giving him a treat when you crate him for the night or any long length of time. Then he will associate crate with food. It worked great with our puppy. Our pup is very food movitated. I think most of them are.

[dntswetdatchnque]

well i guess here is my 1 day update, i got a really small cage, just fits her perfectly. i lure him in with treats and fed him in there. i reassure him with teh same word over and over when hes in there. its still new so untill he gets his scent i guess it will be slow. but he seems to be ok for a short time...

[dntswetdatchnque]

another cage question....

he knows his big cage and is learning his little one. is it OK if i move the cage around, like in my room when i sleep and in the living room when i watch tv and am hanging out? and should i put the little cage in teh big cage?

[Guest]

He sure is an adorable little

Cathy

[Melanie]

Well, at first I believe it was harder on me training Max to kennel then it was on him. The vet recommened using a kennel for the safety of the animal, especially during the work day and at night. I had the kennel right next to my bed until he got used to it, I also covered it at night with a beach towel so he couldn't see movement to disturb him. I would often put my fingers by him to re-assure him I was there. He actually kennel trained in about 3 weeks of constant reassuring him he was not being punished. Now he is able to run free at night and often I will still find him in his kennel taking a nap because he now views it as a safe and secure place.

Also, when he does something naughty and I raise my voice, he darts in there. I have always made sure that he knows he will not be harmed if in there, even though I sometimes would like to strangle him. :wink:

I wouldn't suggest moving the kennel around, I found Maxwell finding comfort in knowing a specific place in our bedroom was just for him. I sarted out just as you letting him hop up on the bed from time to time, that stopped quickly as he sweetly smiled at me and peed all over my clean bedding (twice)...he was then NOT allowed up there until I knew our potty training days were over.

Good luck to you and I hope some of this helps

Melanie

[Mama Kim]

I am the proud owner of a 10 week old cairn named Piper. We are crating her at night and when we leave the house or when I leave the house and she's sleeping and my boys are upstairs. I wouldn't say she loves her crate but she does really well. Most times, especially if she's tired, she doesn't even cry. She did last night but it only takes a few seconds for her to settle down. I try not to tolerate crate protests and will tell her "quiet" and give her a treat through the bars (food works wonders!) when she complies. We always crated our other cairn when she was left alone and she actually liked it better than roaming loose in the house. She felt much more safe and secure. Piper will eventually sleep in the bed at night but not until she is a little better trained. Her crate is just big enough for her to stand up and turn around and lie down. She does not potty in her crate at all.

[bradl]

:bday: Welcome Piper.

[Mama Kim]

Thank you. Piper is a sweetie but I forgot how tired a new puppy makes a person! It's like having a new baby in the house.

[Posey]

I just had foot surgery and wondered how Nicky would make it. He is doing great. But it is like having a new baby in the house.

Posey