My boyfriend and I have a 3 month old miniture daschund and he crys all the time when we aren't giving him 100% of our attention! We have him sleep in his crate in our bedroom because we both work full time and he has to be in the crate all day... only he is barking and crying the whole time! We aren't getting any sleep and feel sorry for our neighbors! He just won't stop!! Someone please help us! We know they are stubborn but how do we get him to realize that he isn't being punished its just where he has to be! Many people tell me he will eventually realize it is his safety zone and his personal space, but until then what do we do? All and any suggestions welcome!!

How would you like to be almost 2 yrs old and put in a cage for ANY amount of hours or minutes for that matter, with no contact. Find old people who need something to take care of or kids who would rather give love to a puppy than any of the other possibilities. Elisabeth

Let me assure you that the crate is a humane way to care for a dog. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.

Likely it will cry the first few nights in the crate. I have never had much
Luck with the old clock or radio tricks. What I do is lay down by the crate
Like I was going to sleep there. Usually a puppy may fuss a little, but then
Settle down and go to sleep. Once it is asleep, you can get up and go to bed.

A crate can become abusive if a dog is left in it too much. In addition to being out of the crate and with you most of the evening, the puppy needs a mid day break. Try to find a neighbor or a professional dog walker to give it a break.

Once again. I agree with labman. I use crates for all my foster dogs and never cease to be amazed at how well they like it once the transition is over.

You may want to move his crate out of your bedroom, and you can also try covering it with a sheet or something.

-Beth