# Advice on crate training please



## Rowan (Mar 21, 2016)

Hi All,

After much research we bought our little cockapoo yesterday and intend to crate train her. We put her in last night and have followed advice about the crate being a good place to chill with toys/food etc.

Last night wasn't too bad at all to be fair. She cried for about half an hour or so and the breeder had told us not to rescue her so we didn't. Intermittently she cried on and off but she was a good girl overall. We were up early to let her in the garden etc.

I also read that she should be crated throughout the day for short periods to counteract the anxiety of separation. I have had her out and about all morning and put her in the crate for a rest having been fed and watered.

My question is, she is yapping and yapping - surely if I go to let her out after her "crate time" even though she still cries, won't she believe that she's been let out due to her incessant crying and not because "crate time" is over?

Should I wait for her to settle and THEN let her out?

Thank you!


----------



## Tesseract (Feb 3, 2016)

Be sure to potty her before you crate her (or st least give her a chance to potty) or you won't be able to distinguish between wanting attention and wanting to potty but not in her crate.

This is where you train 'sit' as soon as possible, the. When you want to let her out of her crate you command a sit prior to letting her out, she then learns she needs to stop yapping and sit to be let out.

Second of all, you can't just put her in the crate and ignore her; it will seem like punishment. You need to give her attention in the crate & treats the first couple times until she calms down and goes to nap.

At night make sure you sleep near the crate and just put a finger in the crate so she knows you are close by. If she is crying at night for more than a few minutes after you try the finger trick, she likely needs to potty, take her out - no speaking - then right back in after she finishes.

Always go directly to potty when ever she leaves her crate, she knows (or will quickly learn) not to potty in her crate - the floor directly outside the crate... Not so much at first.


----------



## Doglover (May 7, 2016)

We started our cocker polo Molly with the crate training by placing her feeding bowl inside the crate with the door open. As previous post always toilet if possible before placing inside the crate. Straight to toilet when left the crate.


----------



## Terrynp (Mar 15, 2016)

I also fed our Molly in the crate initially, and left the crate door open when she was out of the crate, so she could wander in and out. During the day, she initially slept in her crate with the door open, when we could watch her. After 4 days with us, we crated her while we went out for short stints, or taking a shower, increasing the time gradually with each outing. She has accepted her crate without complaint. She only awoke once in the middle of the night to pee on the first three nights, and has slept right through since, and she's only been with us for a week! As per the recommendation of a friend, I throw a blanket over the crate at night. During the day, when I crate her, I always throw a treat in, along with a chew stick and some toys. I hope this helps! Good luck!


----------



## Billythespoodlenz (Jun 14, 2016)

When we crate trained Billy, we only let him out after there had been even a really short patch of no crying/whining. I would hover outside the laundry (where his crate was) and wait for 10 seconds of no whining, then run in and let him out. They have very short attention spans! Billy took a couple of weeks to settle down in his crate, but he's six months now and is fine to go in. We don't crate him during the day at all, though - only at night.


----------



## Gill57 (Mar 20, 2016)

Billythespoodlenz said:


> When we crate trained Billy, we only let him out after there had been even a really short patch of no crying/whining. I would hover outside the laundry (where his crate was) and wait for 10 seconds of no whining, then run in and let him out. They have very short attention spans! Billy took a couple of weeks to settle down in his crate, but he's six months now and is fine to go in. We don't crate him during the day at all, though - only at night.


Your post made me smile as I remember hovering outside the kitchen door waiting for Freddie to be quiet. The timing at the very beginning can be quite difficult because by the time I had my hand on the door handle, he would start up again!! It is worth it in the end though.


----------



## Bella16 (Jun 17, 2016)

Hi were trying to crate train our cockerpoo Bella at the moment. We've had her since Monday, she's almost 9 weeks old and have found it abit tough at night. 

We take her crate and place it at the end of the bed sometimes she goes straight sleep but the last few nights she's whined We'd we find it hard to ignore but have been persevering. 

We were told to put a puppy pad inside the crate but reading through the forum alot dont let there dogs go toilet inside the crate?

We can't take pup outside yet until she's had her second jab. 

Also we've been shutting the crate door at night as otherwise she'd but constantly trying to jump up to the bed

Any advice?


----------



## Billythespoodlenz (Jun 14, 2016)

Haha, yes! It was all worth it in the end!


----------



## dogcrazy (Feb 16, 2016)

To Bella16; you can take her out into your garden, just not for a walk in public places. Hope that helps.


----------

