[erniebeverstein]

Hi there,
We just got a new little mini daschund, a male. WE have had him about 10 days and he just turned 8 weeks. We are doing OK with the pottie training but are having difficulty with the crate. Our breeder suggested paper and out side training and we were doing both.. Taking him out regularly but he would also use the paper 90% of the time if he wasn't out side. We started him in a crate during the night but there was so much crying for hours that we just caved and brought him to bed so we could get some sleep. So far he wakes us up twice a night in the bed and we take him out side. (so that is working ok) I work for about 5 hours a day and we have a sort of mud room which we gate off from the kitchen, leave some paper, his crate and water, then leave him there for the days so he can be in his crate or go on the paper until we get home... (and then I take him outside) I know he wouldn't be able to hold it if we locked him in the crate for the full time we are away.

My question is why is he so resistant to the crate? I have tried the food and praise to get him in. Any time I see him go in I tell him he is a good boy... but he always just comes back out. Why does he cry so much when we leave him?. When I get home I try and sit in the room for 5 minutes before rushing to get him, and he crys like crazy (he can't see me) and then when I get him he crys for about 30 min afterwards even if I hold him he shakes and crys. He then follows me around like I might leave him crying and crying. I try to only pick him up if he does something good so that he associates the attention to that rather then the crying. Why is Ernie so needy? When we are leaving he plays with his toys and crys at the same time... its rather cute, but unless you hold him and let him sleep in your arms he is just a mess. Is he still too young? Should I be telling him quiet (which doesn't work) over and over until he stops the whining? HOw should I deal with this? Is it normal? I just don't want to have a puppy who grows up to be incredibly sucky, it can't be fun for a dog to cry for hours... its too stressful for them.

If you can suggest anything please let me know.
Thanks for your time.
Julie

[labman]

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, make 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 they 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.

If you give in and let him sleep with you, he may take over running the household. This is all too common with smaller dogs. Unfortunately he may still be too young to make it through the night in the crate. To keep form having a nasty puppy in the morning, put a rack in the crate, either the ones that can be purchased with them, or a closely spaced wire closet shelf.

I would start obedience training too. Too many people make the mistake of failing to take small dogs serious. Little dogs do not make that mistake, many turning into 4 legged Napoleons. The dogs see all the
People and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in
The pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members
Outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by
Reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class
Or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with
A treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.